I dreamed today during a midday nap that we hadn’t started our trip through Bangladesh yet. In the dream, we were at the Richmond Hotel & Suites in Dhaka, the first hotel we went to after arriving at the airport 13 days ago. Everyone in the group was filled with excitement for the next two weeks. Yet we also felt uncertain about what was to … Continue reading A full circle moment
Single use plastic is everywhere in Bangladesh. Just like elsewhere in the world, people here are ordering food online and leaving the stores with goods wrapped in plastic wrap. More people here are drinking from plastic bottles – water and soda – because the tap water is not safe even for the residents to drink without boiling. The plastic waste is everywhere. It has accumulated … Continue reading Repurposing plastics
Day Three in the Sundarbans met us with that now-familiar thick heat. But we had acclimated, or at least knew what we needed to keep going into the day. The section of river we had been on for the past two days was surprisingly industrial. Massive barges geared up for trips from or through the Suez, and dredging boats cleared the sand to extend the … Continue reading Slowing down, for now
Blue and green lights illuminated the early morning fog as vendors balanced wicker baskets brimming with fish and fruit atop their heads. They laid out arrays of cucumbers and squash under the tinted bulbs and waited for the buyers to swarm. In the distance, chickens sang and fish flew as they were thrown into tubs anticipating their slaughter. While the rest of the city slept, … Continue reading Something fishy: A peek into the climate effects on Dhaka’s biggest fish market
The morning started as usual in Dhaka. I sipped from a small glass of milk tea from a local stand while a gaggle of stray dogs ran in front of me. As I wove my way through Dhaka University’s campus for the first time, I marveled at its beauty and uniqueness. The courtyard where I had drank my tea and where Rafia, one of our … Continue reading Dhaka University
The Buriganga River flows through southwestern Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, with traffic not too much different than the rest of the city. Small wooden porter boats dodge hulking barges and foghorns blare as children swim off concrete banks. The waters are dark and murky, and the city’s trash washes up on its beaches. The Keraniganj area of the river is dotted by shipyards, squeezed … Continue reading Working between water and steel
In preparing for this trip to Dhaka, our professor Nadia White told us all to “tell it like it is.” We would not be sugarcoating anything, or glazing over the important details. Our reporting would be focused on climate change, specifically related to loss and damages. We were asked to research and prepare to report on a related issue in Bangladesh, where we would “tell … Continue reading Feeling it like it is
By Lauren Reinhart When I got my passport back from the consulate in New York with my visa for Bangladesh, I thought I would not have to worry about it ever again. In short, I was wrong. The trouble all started back in February. I was stressed out when Nadia White, our professor, sent all of the class passports off to New York to get … Continue reading Problem child creating more problems
I’m a sophomore from Tacoma, Washington, majoring in journalism, as well as environmental science and sustainability. I also have a minor in wilderness studies. In Bangladesh my focus will be on heat waves and the decline of green spaces that help moderate heat in Dhaka. I am interested in how infrastructure is adapting to growing population and higher temperatures. I expect these issues to be … Continue reading Riley Comstock
UM to Bangladesh 