Being a Woman in Bangladesh

After being in Bangladesh for seven weeks, I can tell you that it's hard to be a woman here in my opinion. The country is still very traditional. Women must wear either saris or salwar kameezes while men choose their clothing-anything from jeans to shorts to their traditional clothing. Even at the beach the women wear the full salwar kameez, even when playing in the water by the shore. (Most people here don't know how to swim.) There are no cheerleaders for sporting events such as soccer and cricket because they can't wear cheerleader outfits. The women must be properly dressed at all times. At home I would wear shorts and a t-shirt, at least in my own house. Here you're never sure when visitors will arrive, so you must be fully clothed when you leave the bedroom. At night the ladies here even wear long nightgowns. In the apartment here I don't wear the scarf because it's hot and cumbersome to me, but if visitors come or we go out, I quickly throw it on. I do want to point out, though, that the ladies here really love this way of dressing.
Fitness is very difficult here, too. At home I go to Jazzercise (aerobics) classes. Here the women would have trouble moving in their clothing, I would think. I have trouble moving in it! Plus, it's really hot all the time! I've heard it's about 60 degrees at home now. Here it's 91 degrees today. It's a really weird heat. It totally wipes you out and makes you feel kind of sick. It's not like 91 degrees at home. Lastly, trying to go anywhere to exercise would be really difficult. I've already mentioned how bad traffic is. The city is relatively small, but going from one side of town to the other can take hours because you just sit in a perpetual traffic jam. I do workout on occasion here. I brought songs on my ipod, and when I'm able I do a sort of workout in our bedroom here. It's not the same as being at home, though!
I miss doing housework and cooking and making decisions about the household. Here the women have servants to do everything. Part of the wife's job is to hire and manage the servants. The servants usually come from the villages surrounding the city. Many live with the families that hire them. Others live close by. One servant lives here, and two live close by.
Most women do not work outside the home. When a woman gets married, if she wants to work, her husband decides if she can or not.
I especially miss being in Bible study groups with women at home! Here the population is predominately Muslim. The men and women go to separate mosques (their holy place, sort of like a church). For those of you who have a church home or a Bible study group, take a moment and be very thankful!
Women do not go out by themselves here. First of all, I know of no women who drive here. Everyone has a driver, and if he is not able to drive then the men of the house might drive, or you might take a rickshaw or scooter. Also, it's improper for a woman to be out alone. The other day when I went to the mall in the afternoon with Someira, we took a rickshaw on the way home. I stopped to take photos, and Someira noticed that the men were giving us looks. She said it was not a good place and that we should leave right away. This was right outside the mall (the photo you see of the market). Nadeem often escorts the ladies on shopping outings while I take care of Kalina.
At home I love to read. I haven't seen any women reading here. In fact I haven't seen a bookstore or library. They might exist, but I haven't seen any. The pasttimes, as I mentioned before, are shopping, visiting, and watching t.v.
The women here embrace their culture. Hasan's sister has lived both here and in the US, and she loves life in Bangladesh. I think what you're used to plays a big role in your viewpoint. For me, life here is difficult. It makes me appreciate what I have in the US so much more. For these ladies, life here feels like home-because it is for them. They enjoy it.
Thank you for continuing to pray for us! You may be able to tell that we're a bit homesick. We're eager for the appointed time to arrive for God to bring us all home. In the meantime, we're praying that God will direct us and strengthen us each day. Since we're not yet home, we're still here for a reason. God's purpose for us here has not yet been completed, but it will as just the right time.