April 4, 2010

When I spoke with Rakib this morning I informed him that we are now on daylight savings time in the U.S. Since Bangladesh is on standard time there is now a fourteen twelve hour time difference between NJ and Bangladesh.
Rakib said he had taken his card final exam and he feels he did well. The results have not been published yet. He said it is in God’s hands, if he wants it to be, it will.
Rakib told me he called Dr. Mohsin and asked him and his wife to visit his medical college. Rakib said I am very proud of my college. Dr. Mohsin said he would try to find the time to visit the school.
Dr. Ahmed was in Dhaka this week. He had a very busy schedule but Rakib was able to travel to Dr. Ahmed’s sister’s house and meet him. He said Dr. Ahmed is a very smart man and a good man. Dr. Ahmed will be leaving Bangladesh today but plans to return with his family in December.
Rakib said has been getting only about three hours of sleep per night. He spent long hours studying for the card exam. He said my study of the hand, arm, and back of the body is complete. He said this is a subject he likes very much and feels he now knows it well. Rakib said “I am very proud of his accomplishments. I come from a very modest college in the poor, rural area of Bangladesh. Other students who were educated in renowned colleges of Bangladesh come to me and ask for help with their study of anatomy and to understand parts of the body”.
Rakib said it is the start of the hot season and it is very hot in his hostel room which is on the seventh floor. There is no air conditioning in the hostel. The electricity is unreliable in Bangladesh and it goes out often. It can go out five or six times during the day and five or six times at night for five minutes to two hours or more. When the power goes out at night Rakib has to study by candle light. He said “it is not good light to study by”. The other students in his room have lights and fans with battery backup, so when the power goes out they can continue to study and keep cool.
Rakib said “you have done so much for me already and I am very grateful, I’m embarrassed to ask but do you think you could send me money to buy a stand fan and a rechargeable light?” A Stand fan with battery backup costs about 5,000 taka ($74 U.S.). A rechargeable light costs about 1,700 taka. ($23 U.S.) Total cost about $100 U.S. Rakib said if he had these items it would make it much more comfortable for him and make it easier to study.
I asked Rakib if he received the money we sent for his April expenses and for the additional books he needed. He said he did and had paid for his hostel and tuition for the month. He bought several new medical books and had enough left to buy a book about cultures and customs around the world. Learning about cultures around the world is his hobby. He said the book about cultures and customs was a used photo copy of a book written in the Bangla language. He said he could not afford to buy a new one.
I asked Rakib if he had spoken with his family recently. He said he called them last Friday and they were doing well. His Mother said she was thankful for all we had done for Rakib. Two of his sisters are living at home. His youngest sister was attending secondary school. This is similar to high school in the U.S. His middle sister has not been able to continue her higher education due to lack of money. She helps his mother with chores and tries to earn some money for the family. Rakib said he missed his family and would like to visit them some time soon. He would depart Dhaka on a Thursday night after class on the night bus to Rayenda, spend Friday with his family and return to Dhaka on the Friday night bus. He would arrive in Dhaka on Saturday morning in time to attend class.
Rakib said he was aware that it was Easter for Christians in the U.S. and around the world. He extended his wishes for a good holiday to the scout families who are Christian. Rakib is aware that Boy Scouts is open to boys of all religions. He told me that Scouts Bangladesh is also open to boys from all religions.
He ended the call by asking me to give his love to the scouts and their families