This week, I have a piece out in CultureStrike on transnational adoption. It’s a very personal piece and it took a lot
of work to put together (thanks, Michelle!) so please give it a read. Now, back to the action.
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| A mala (floral necklace) made of red roses, orange and yellow accent flowers. |
I’ve left a lot of places this month. Since I last wrote here, I’ve been living out of suitcases traveling to different family homes across Dhaka and across Bangladesh. New Year’s came and went. My father came and went. While he was here, we knit together his partner’s family and ours through a series of dinners and celebrations. Car ride after car ride after car ride – no wonder my stomach got upset and took me out of commission for a few days at the end!
It’s been a real honor to meet with so many new faces and travel to places I have not yet seen, but adjusting back to the quiet of everyday life has been its own delicious treat. I’ve been thinking (and reading) a lot about emotional labor and am working on a much larger piece chronicling some of those thoughts and feelings. But that’s all for later. For now, I leave you with some selected photos and images from my various trips.
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| My father (in a suit) and Raina (in a bright pink sari) seated and smiling with red and white malas. |
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| Me and two friends laughing. |
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| Meeting everyone in our Kushtia village – many people and children gathered around plastic chairs in our courtyard. |
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| A bunch of mohish (water buffalo) on the shores of the Padma at Raita Ghat (a landing spot made by the British for boats to dock) |
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| A kukur (dog) looking back at my camera as I take a picture of rice paddies in Noakhali. |
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| Plants in red pots lined up against a wall at Noakhali Science and Technology University. |
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| Two young children on stools looking deep in thought as they sit next to a pukur (pond) in Noakhali. |
