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Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
16 June 2010
This is it. Last post for Project TOTO Bangladesh – for me, anyway. Sharna’s up tomorrow. It’s been both rollicking adventure and inspiring eye-opener, all wrapped up in the tastiest chapati bread imaginable.
But before I get misty-eyed and start bidding all a sad farewell, I’ll recap today’s activities. It was our last trip to the field, and lots of fun. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, Bangladesh, blogging, CJG, DA14, Dhaka, project toto, Sharna Bremner
Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
12 June 2010
Today Sharna and I met up with one former Actionaider and one present one, Jo and Lara. They’ve been awesome ever since we got here, and even got us into the heavily fortified bunker that is the Australia Club. With pool and tennis courts it makes the Greenzone look like a kid’s playground.
Squeezed into a baby taxi, a steel cage on wheels. Three girls in back, and me up front, sitting on driver’s lap. If we crash, it’ll be death by a thousand cuts as we’re sieved through the steel grates. Hold on tight guys – we’re off to Old Dhaka’s bustling bazaars. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: actionaid australia, Actionaid Bangladesh, Armenian Church, Bangladesh, Bazaar, blogging, Burigana River, development areas, Dhaka, Old Dhaka, Pink Palace, project toto, weekend
Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
9 June 2010
Okay. Sorry guys, this is tricky. Another blackout has darkened Dhaka, so my shiny screen’s the only light I have.
One of the Canadian t-shirt wearing hotel brigade just knocked on my door with my clothes in vacuum-sealed bags, cardboard inserts and even little plastic clips. That’s awesome – thought they were still balled up in my backpack.
Today we were lucky to catch a 1Goal event hosted by ActionAid Bangladesh in one of the poorer districts in Dhaka’s east. AA’s dynamic duo, Hasan and Amir, set up a soccer match for some of the boys and girls from the one of Dhaka’s poorer suburbs as part of the 1Goal Campaign. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1Goal, actionaid, Actionaid Bangladesh, Argentina, Bangladesh, blogging, Brazil, Dhaka, Education, outreach blogger, project toto, Soccer, World Cup
Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
8 June 2010
Just polished off most mouth-watering fish curry at a charming spot in Dhaka’s northern suburb of Gulshan. Inside restaurant it’s cool and calm.
Upper class locals sit around and talk shop, squishing curry into balls and popping them into their mouths. A giant plastic capsicum dangles above our heads with total indifference.
It’s a picture of dignified serenity.
Then we step outside and chaos descends.
Sharna talked about it last night in her post, but it’s something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to so I’ll describe the scene. Night lights reflect off an endless sea of traffic – an insane kaleidoscope of shimmering colour.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: actionaid australia, Actionaid Bangladesh Blog, Bangladesh, blogging, human rights, inequality, poverty, Proect TOTO, Sharna Bremner
Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
7 June 2010
It took almost 11 months, 3 challenges, 3 flights and nearly 24 hours of travelling but we’re finally here in the craziness that is Dhaka.
We’re now at the end of our second day in Bangladesh and I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve learnt so far.
- Joel and I are almost honorary Bangladeshi’s. Well, our names are. Joel is pretty close to the name that would be pronounced ‘Jewel’ and Sharna means golden. Yes, from now on, we shall be called Golden and Precious Stone.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, blogging, Dhaka, Dude, Golden, Jewel, kids, Milk, poverty, project toto
Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
2 June 2010
Those who know me will tell you that I’m not really a kid person. Sure, they can be cute, but I personally prefer teenagers or adults. Kids are loud and they often have sticky hands for some reason. As for babies… Well, they make me nervous. They’re so tiny and delicate and you can’t tell what they’re thinking which, quite frankly, scares me a little bit.
Recently, however, I’ve discovered something a little worrying. It seems that maybe Whitney Houston was actually right. (That in itself is a scary thought.) Maybe children really are our future. Sometimes, kids just get it, no matter what it is.
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Tags: aid, Australia, Bangladesh, blogging, internet, kids, poverty, project toto
Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
31st May 2010
Sitting in a Sydney café, bundled up in jacket and scarf, as the icy rain pelts down outside. Light flickers from my laptop’s shimmering screen – the only warmth on this drabbest of days. Locals shuffle past, musing on what shade of pink Mat Preston’s pants will be tonight on MasterChef, and if they’ll match his cravat.
Hmm… food for thought, and really does help us through these dreary winter days.
But wait. Suddenly it hits me with the force of a rapidly descending mini-grand piano landing on my head that Sharna and I will be in face-meltingly hot Dhaka in a matter of days. Our realities will be up-ended, like a flipped Chapati frying in a Bangladeshi street stall.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, Bangladesh, blogging, Dhaka, MasterChef, outreach blogger, social media, winter
Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
23 May 2010
Kind of embarrassing, but I’m a lonely planet guy. You’ll see my kind everywhere, guide-books glued to our faces, tripping over roosters and small children as we backpack around the globe. Phrase for “is this rash serious” in Estonian? Check language chapter. Best way to treat diarrhea in Bali? Check health chapter… quickly!
It’s a cop-out I know, but it’s so user-friendly and informative. So in the lead-up to our TOTO posting in Bangladesh, I’ve snagged one of these popular travel guides, and I’m brushing up on all things Bengali.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bangladesh, Bangladeshi history, blogging, Ganges River, Islam, Lonely Planet, poverty, project toto
Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
20 May 2010
In my first pre-departure TOTO blog, I want to thank the magic that is the World Wide Web. With just three weeks to go before Joel and I jet off to Bangladesh, my life has become a flurry of vaccinations, preparations, nerves, excitement and a never-ending stream of university work that must be completed before I leave.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bangladesh, blogging, outreach blogger, social media
Two weeks since we arrived back in Sydney from Dhaka. Swapped street stall Chais for Gloria Jean’s Cocoa Loco Frappacinos. My fun-loving Bengali chums for Bondi’s skinny-jeans set. And Bollywood movies for nightly viewings of MasterChef (still waiting for Bangladeshi special).
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