November 22, 2009

When I spoke with Rakib this morning he informed me that he had taken the Med. College admission exam and he thinks he did well. He said he is feeling great tension as he waits for the results. The government will announce which students can apply for medical college in a few days. They will be notified by text message since email is still not well organized in Bangladesh. If the announcement is after the festival (28-29 Nov.) he will travel to Rayenda, his home town, to visit with his family, then return to Dhaka to await the results.
Rakib said if he passes the exam He thinks he will have to apply to 4-5 colleges to be assured he gets accepted to one. He will have to collect and submit a separate application form to each college he wants to apply to. There is a fee of 1000 taka ($15 U.S.) for each application. He will also have some transportation cost for rickshaw or bus to get to the campuses in Dkaka. For application to schools in other states he will have additional expenses for transportation, food and hotel. He does not have much money in hand. He estimates he will need 5,000 Tk for admission forms, 3,000 Tk for transportation, 1000 Tk for lodging (300 Tk per day =$4.50 U.S.) and 500, TK for food (150 Tk per day =$2.25 U.S.), a total of 9,500 taka (about $141 U.S.). I told Rakib I we would send the money if he passed the admit. exam. He also stated that he needed 5,000 Tk for his December hostel roam and board. I told him we would include the hostel fee.
Rakib said he researched some medical schools and he would like to apply to Bangladesh Medical College, Ibrahim Medical College and Holy Family Medical College, all in Dhaka. He would also apply to Khulna Medical college in the state of Khulna which is closer to his home town. The others he is still researching.
Rakib said he talked to his family and let them know he thought he did well on the exam. His family asked him to tell the scouts they are very grateful for their help and to give their love to the scouts. Rakib’s mother said that if God wants Rakib to be a doctor it will come true.
Rakib said he has been studying English. He borrower an English book from his friend and has been reading it. If he has any money left at the end of the month he would like to join an English class in December to improve his English. The class would cost about 7,000 Tk ($100 U.S.) He would also like to buy an English language newspaper every day to practice his English skills.
I asked how the newly elected government was doing. He said they were doing well but, they stills had not changed the time back to standard time. They promised to do this when they were elected but, they have not kept their promise.
Rakib said that the weather in Dhaka has been cold. The past few days have been about 20 Celsius (68 F). Rakib said he did not bring his coat with him and he will need to go to Rayenda to get it. Dhaka is some distance North or his home town of Rayenda. I told him that we consider 68 F to be quite comfortable in NJ.
He also mentioned that he would like to make a new scout uniform so he can participate in scout activities.
He said that he has been exercising by walking with his friends in the afternoon. One of his friends is from a wealth family and lives in Dhaka. He has a bike and rides to class and to the hostel and goes for the walks with them. Rakib stated that his friends do not know he is from a poor family, only his roommate knows this. The friends do know that he has friends in the U.S. who are assisting him.
I did some research this week on shipping a box to Bangladesh. It would cost $54 to send a box 12”W x 12” L x 5 ½” H.
Mr. Paley, ASM Venture