Guest House Staff!

I love the guest house staff. They make me laugh a lot. It has been fun to get to know them over the last two months. I think they had (and still probably do) no idea what to do with two young girls staying here for three months. We bonded over my microwave creations. They were fascinated with how we could possibly survive with just the microwave. I think Sarah and I have thought the same thing at times. They are always so ready and willing to try to answer my questions. One day I saw the strangest fruit in the grocery store. So, I picked it up and brought it home to show to the cook. We all laughed that day. That fruit was the most sour, disgusting fruit I've had. However, they also laughed at me for buying pineapple when it wasn't pineapple season. Their ability to speak English varies greatly from fairly decent to none at all. It has been nice though because I have built in language helpers. Anytime I want to practice my Bangla I simply walk out my door and start talking.
The guest house has a basketball court and there is little else available for exercise so I have been taking advantage of the cool weather in the evenings to shoot around. At first they all just watched as they were walking by. After a few times though I asked them to join in. Best idea ever! It has been so much fun. Once again their ability varies greatly but nobody cares and we all just have fun seeing who can make which shots. It has been nice to be able to practice Bangla and have fun at the same time. Less stress.
Well, before Christmas, my supervisor came to town. He used to manage the guesthouse so all the staff love him. While he was here he took almost the entire staff Christmas shopping at a local market. Though my language test was the next day I could not pass up this cultural event. Before going to the market we went to a hole in the wall restaurant to eat local food. It was delicious and I think some of the staff were surprised to see Sarah and I dig in with our hands. This market is always crowded and the walkways really can't handle two people across (see the picture above). It was great to see the staff picking out clothes. I even helped some of them pick out special gifts for their wives. It was a blast. They had so much fun and I just got to tag along for the ride. I have really been blessed by the staff here. They have taught us a lot about Bangla and culture. Sarah and I have already decided we have to come back to this city during our time here. There are just too many people we need to see again.