Dear Sinister, Hope youre all well. So, weve had NO REPORTING BACK from Japan. I know some of you guys went please tell the rest of us about it. Do any of you know anything about a Welsh band called Melys? Theyre from a beautiful spot in Snowdonia, Bets-y-Coed (sp?) where I used to go kayaking and hiking. John Peel played one of their songs Eyeliner on his BBC world service show a couple of weeks ago. He didnt have much info. but I reckon someone in the Sinister fold may be able to shed some light. I would really appreciate it. So, onto my news I didnt manage to make time to write this before going off on my Eid holiday ah well. Well its my fourth month in Bangladesh and I'm still doing new things (this will probably continue for all of my time here) so I thought I would share some of them with you. IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY . For organisations based in cities its traditional in winter (yes its been cold here for the last month or so requiring fleecy jackets shawls and hats etc.) to go to more rural areas on staff picnics! DSKs picnic took us to Sonargoan (the old Mughal capital of Bengal) for a day of fun and frolics. Youre never too old for games in Bangladesh, whilst also used in training sessions they are a major part of a picnic. Some similarities with things back at home that you might be interested in. Over the past four months I have played LOTS of pass the parcel style games with people of all ages this appears to be Bangladeshis favourite group game. Pin the tail on the donkey translates to pin the bindi (red spot worn on forehead for those of you that dont know) on the poster of a lady and so on. Depending on what type of group you get you can get mixed games for both sexes and for all ages. However, at the picnic the groups were separated there wasnt even any culturally unacceptable issues like different sexes touching or anything. It was one of those occasions when I felt I should be quiet about my surprise. I love games and was fully prepared to join in. However, when it seemed that everybody at the picnic (more than 50 people) were starting to get up and do a little turn I inwardly cringed as I had forgotten one of the many pieces of advice I was given by a fellow volunteer when I first arrived Have a song youre prepared to perform in Bangla you never know when you might need it. Translating sing-a-long songs like green bottles seems to go down well but I'm going to try to memorise a traditional song ready if theres ever another time. Winging it in a foreign language is not so easy. People seemed happy enough with my attempt though. I've just realised that my first update was so jam packed that I let details of my first Sonargoan trip slip through the net. We viewed a lot of the ancient buildings and statues, which were truly magnificent! I still need to go back there when the folk arts museum and craft centre are open. A CERTAIN LIBERATION This is the title of a film I went to see at the Dhaka International film festival, which moved me in a major way. It was a documentary about an old lady with a very large personality. She would go through the bazaars in Khulna (not the done thing for Bangladeshi women) smacking police chiefs arses (and everybody elses for that matter) with a cane, raiding pockets for money as her livelihood. As the story progressed you got more of a feel for how the people in the area loved her dearly calling her Bangla ma (mother of Bangladesh). Her story is very sad. During the Bangladeshi liberation war in 71 her husband and children (including a baby only a few months old) were killed in front of her. It alludes that she was taken away by collaborators and repeatedly raped. Many younger women that are interviewed during the documentary were jealous of her freedom to roam as she pleased. The take-home point I got from the film was although she was liberated enough to wander around markets as a lone women, this was nothing in comparison to the mental torment of grief she faces, she will never be free of that for as long as she lives. The first museum I went to (again missed out of my Oct update) in Bangladesh was devoted to the Liberation War. Remembering this visit showed that the lady documented is one of many who suffered such atrocities during the fight for independence. It all evokes so many emotions in me and I'm a bideshi (foreigner). Bye for now. Ill give you the low-down of celebrating my first Eid-Ul-Azha in full-on Bangladeshi style (amongst other things) next time Amy _________________________________________________________________ Find a cheaper internet access deal - choose one to suit you. http://www.msn.co.uk/internetaccess +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. 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