May 2, 2010

When I called Rakib this morning I asked how he was doing. He said the weather has been hot and it has been very hot in his hostel room which is on a higher floor in the building. The electricity is “not good” and goes out often. He said he sometimes goes to a corridor in the building, where a breeze sometimes blows, to cool off. He said it is so hot that his pillow & bedding get very wet from perspiration when he tries to sleep at night.
Rakib said he called his family this week and they are doing well. Rakib’s Father asked him to tell the Scouts that he thanks us for all of our help. I asked how his sisters were. He said his middle sister was well and was helping his Mother. His little sister was well and attending grade nine in secondary school. The government provides school up to grade ten. I asked how his little sister’s grades were. He said they were ok and added “you need to have a private tutor if you want to get really good marks”. Rakib’s family was able to barter for a private tutor for him. They are not able to do this for his little sister. Rakib said his older sister is attending university in Khulna, a city not far from her home in Rayenda, and is studying accounting.
Rakib asked how the weather was in NJ. I told him it was spring and the weather was very pleasant. He said spring in Bangladesh is a pleasant time of year also. He said it is summer now and it is hot. Summer starts around 14 April and ends 14 June. It can continue to be hot after 14 June. The rainy monsoon season is usually August – September. The seasons in Bangladesh seem to run a few months ahead of the seasons in NJ.
I asked Rakib what he did on his day off on Friday. He said he did his laundry, and did some writing in his personal notebook. I think this is a journal. I asked how his roommates were and he said they were well and were good friends and they help each other study as a group.
Rakib said this week he will have a card exam in the chest area of study. This includes the heart and lungs. He said he knows the function of the heart, it’s structure, and how it supplies blood to the body well.
Through his study of community health Rakib has learned that people in developing countries do not know health, nutrition, diet, or hygiene very well. He said in the U.S people have great knowledge of this and are healthier people.
I asked Rakib how the food was at the hostel. He said “the food is ok, medium. I know I’m not here on vacation, I’m here to study, the food is secondary, it’s not a problem.
We ended the call by wishing each other, and the Scouts good health and God’s blessings.