daily life

BANGLADESH - DAILY LIFE  

The river is the heart of liveAs most of the houses have no running water in rural areas, a major part of life centers around the river. People wash themselves as well as their clothes in the river or the pond. From the car, you see sometimes women, completely covered in a sari, get into the water, and then suddenly you see a head and a floating sari.

The wash is done in the river and, as can be seen from the picture, is left out to dry on the side. Many people get their water from pump, but they are often not close to the house and as washing takes a lot of water, it is much easier to carry your clothes to the water than to carry many buckets of water towards your clothes.

The river is also a source of fun. Many children, mostly boys, and sometimes men, are swimming as soon as the school or working day is over.Small lights in shops alongside the road

When driving from village to village along the small roads, you see many little shops on the left and right side. At night this is especially nice, as they all have a small lamp or candle shining, and men are always gathering around it, having their social time.

The goods you can buy are unfortunately not so attractive, being mainly sweets and crisps, many of them well beyond due date, but the little lights certainly add to the atmosphere.

When the harsh ninth month of Ramadan has arrived, the sunny days consist of one long gloomy waiting period: for Iftar to come. The whole day eating is not allowed, and for an unclear reason (at least unclear to me) the favorite food after a day of fasting is deep-fried and most of it is sweet. Also puffed rice is very popular. From 5 o'clock, the streets are getting empty, everybody is running towards the little stalls where the Iftar food is exhibited, to buy big bags with different kinds of greasy food, only to mix them before eating afterwards. I love to get invited to the Iftar parties, but after a week or so, I also crave for fresh fruit and green leafy vegetables.