Day Sixteen: A Visit to My Neighbour's (28 June)
on From Banglatown to Bangladesh (Bangladesh), 12/Aug/2010 08:40, 34 days ago
One of the many strange things about being a foreigner here is my visibility as a bideshi. Like it or not, I stand out. People may know me, even if I don’t them. I’ve had people, appearing to be complete strangers, come up and greet me by name. I’ve heard the name of the organisation I work for whispered as I walk past. And on being introduced to new people, I’ve been told that I am already known, that they have seen me, in the market, onthe road, going to and from my office.It’s a good time, then, when some of this reverse anonymity is resolved. Today, after moving into my a new house about a month ago, I got to meet my neighbours. They already knew me, of course. Indeed, I was told that I, innocently sitting in my living room, had been watched from the roof of a nearby building. But while I had heard them - sounds of tube-wells and cooking and dish-washing and chatting easily travel – I had yet to actually meet the people over the wall.And now, after sharing bananas and jackfruit and mango, being gifted with a coconut, I can put faces to the sounds. Names may still elude me, but given our discussions of family, professions, health, salaries, and plans for marriage, I can actually say I know them a little bit too.