March 8, 2009

I called Rakib this morning. He was very pleased to here from me. It has been about a
month since I last talked to him. Rakib updated me on his progress at school. He
informed me that he has been studying very hard, and from April 16 to May 26 he will
have final exams. In Bangledesh finals work a bit different from in the US. They study
for a final exam in one subject then take the exam. They then study for about one week
for the next subject and then take the exam for that subject….and so on until they have
completed all final exams.
Rakib informed me that he would like to attend the Bangledesh Medical College. He has
been told that this is the best medical school in Bangledesh. His dream is to attend
medical school in the USA, but he realizes that that is not likely. I informed Rakib that I
checked the Bangledesh Medical College website and discovered that they grant five
studentships each year. These are very hard to earn. Rakib is going to ask his teachers if
they know how to apply for one.
Rakib went on to tell me about his scouting activities. He and his fellow Rover Scouts
recently participated in a community health care program in his village. They distributed
medicines, preformed minor first aid, informed people about the availability of vaccines,
educated people about importance of clean drinking water and how to collect rainwater
and use filters to clean water, they also educated people about the importance of
sanitation. Rakib also informed me that since my visit last year his Rover Scout group
has grown in size to from 25 scouts to 40. Scouting is becoming more popular in
Bangladesh.