School Update - Our work in Bangladesh: -
After two weeks of orientation in Bangladesh we started work at AG Uttara School.
Uttara is an area inside Dhaka about half an hour from where we are living in Mohakhali.
The School in Uttara is one of 7 schools run by the AG church here in Bangladesh.
In the morning, the school is a fee paying school with classes from play - class 4 and because this is fee paying, this helps finance and support the compassion (slum) schools which are held in the afternoon.
In the mornings, we get up at 6 to leave for the bus at 6.45 which gets us to school on time. When we arrive at school after our bumpy ride, we share devotions with the staff at the school and then from 8.30 the first lesson starts and then lessons for the fee paying school run up until 12.30, so in total they have 7 lessons and these range from English, Maths, Drawing and Social Science.
Uttara is an area inside Dhaka about half an hour from where we are living in Mohakhali.
The School in Uttara is one of 7 schools run by the AG church here in Bangladesh.
In the morning, the school is a fee paying school with classes from play - class 4 and because this is fee paying, this helps finance and support the compassion (slum) schools which are held in the afternoon.
In the mornings, we get up at 6 to leave for the bus at 6.45 which gets us to school on time. When we arrive at school after our bumpy ride, we share devotions with the staff at the school and then from 8.30 the first lesson starts and then lessons for the fee paying school run up until 12.30, so in total they have 7 lessons and these range from English, Maths, Drawing and Social Science.
From 12.00 - 1.30 the first of the compassion schools starts. There are four classes; Play, reception, class 1 and class 2.
There are so many children in these classes it's sometimes hard to move. In each tiny classroom there can be anything from 30-50 children all of different ages and abilities, so as you can imagine it's very chaotic and can get rather noisy.
When these children leave at 1.30 we get a quick break before the second session starts at 2.
From 2-4.30 classses 3,4 and 5 then get taught English, Bangla, Maths and Social Science and then it's time for us to go home.
In the first few weeks of being here, we mainly observed lessons and introduced ourselves to the children. Occassionaly getting 5-10 minutes to teach a class at the end of class.
When we arrived, the school was having exams, so the teachers had to teach the subjects in order for the children to pass, and so because of this, we didn't really do any teaching...but we still had fun and enjoyed singing songs on request, even if they were songs like S-Club 7's 'Reach' and 'Doe a Deer.'
There are so many children in these classes it's sometimes hard to move. In each tiny classroom there can be anything from 30-50 children all of different ages and abilities, so as you can imagine it's very chaotic and can get rather noisy.
When these children leave at 1.30 we get a quick break before the second session starts at 2.
From 2-4.30 classses 3,4 and 5 then get taught English, Bangla, Maths and Social Science and then it's time for us to go home.
In the first few weeks of being here, we mainly observed lessons and introduced ourselves to the children. Occassionaly getting 5-10 minutes to teach a class at the end of class.
When we arrived, the school was having exams, so the teachers had to teach the subjects in order for the children to pass, and so because of this, we didn't really do any teaching...but we still had fun and enjoyed singing songs on request, even if they were songs like S-Club 7's 'Reach' and 'Doe a Deer.'
At the end of Novemeber we went down to Chandraghona and were therefore away from school for 3 weeks. At the same time however, the school closed for christmas break so we didn't actually miss any classes which was good.
Over the christmas holidays, we prepared materials and posters for the school to use whilst teaching and to brighten up the classrooms and then, in early January we returned to the school the week before the kids did and we spoke to the head teacher about what we wanted to do in the new term. In that week, we decorated the classrooms with our posters, and even did 3 murals. (we're very experienced mural painters now as we also did one in Chandraghona for the childrens' ward - so we've all discovered a new talent.)
Over the christmas holidays, we prepared materials and posters for the school to use whilst teaching and to brighten up the classrooms and then, in early January we returned to the school the week before the kids did and we spoke to the head teacher about what we wanted to do in the new term. In that week, we decorated the classrooms with our posters, and even did 3 murals. (we're very experienced mural painters now as we also did one in Chandraghona for the childrens' ward - so we've all discovered a new talent.)
Since the 8th January, we've been back at the school with all the kids and it's been really great to see them all again and welcome the new kids into a nice bright school.
Since being back we've had a greater involvement in teaching by leading full classes by ourselves (especially more so in the compassion schools) and we usually help in most English classes and some maths and drawing classes.
We all teach individually and take classes ranging from play through to class 5, and although we're not qualified teachers at all, we feel we are really bringing something good to the school.
From the 20th January we will be starting our second main teaching project, which seems very weird to be starting now since we've already been here for three months, but we're really looking forward to it. We will be helping to teach English and computer classes at the Student Friendship Centre which is also run by the AG church like the school.
Anna and Vicki will be teaching beginners and intermediate English to Uni students on a Tuesday and Thursday and me and Kirsty will be taking a computer class on a monday afternoon. For the time we're not at SFC we will still be going in pairs to Uttara School and continuing to teach our classes there. We're looking forward to it so much. It will be such a contrast teaching Uni students instead of small children but we're welcoming the differences and it's just another one of the many challenges that we will face whilst being here in Bangladesh.
Working at SFC also brings a great advantage by being in the afternoons, this is because we finally get a lie in....YAY!
People both at Uttara School and SFC have been so friendly and welcoming we're really enjoying all the work we're doing here even though it's very tiring.
We've made so many friends and can't wait to tell you all about them when we're back in the UK.
Since being back we've had a greater involvement in teaching by leading full classes by ourselves (especially more so in the compassion schools) and we usually help in most English classes and some maths and drawing classes.
We all teach individually and take classes ranging from play through to class 5, and although we're not qualified teachers at all, we feel we are really bringing something good to the school.
From the 20th January we will be starting our second main teaching project, which seems very weird to be starting now since we've already been here for three months, but we're really looking forward to it. We will be helping to teach English and computer classes at the Student Friendship Centre which is also run by the AG church like the school.Anna and Vicki will be teaching beginners and intermediate English to Uni students on a Tuesday and Thursday and me and Kirsty will be taking a computer class on a monday afternoon. For the time we're not at SFC we will still be going in pairs to Uttara School and continuing to teach our classes there. We're looking forward to it so much. It will be such a contrast teaching Uni students instead of small children but we're welcoming the differences and it's just another one of the many challenges that we will face whilst being here in Bangladesh.
Working at SFC also brings a great advantage by being in the afternoons, this is because we finally get a lie in....YAY!
People both at Uttara School and SFC have been so friendly and welcoming we're really enjoying all the work we're doing here even though it's very tiring.
We've made so many friends and can't wait to tell you all about them when we're back in the UK.
18th January 2008
Church Life in Bangladesh: -
Church Life in Bangladesh: -
Since arriving in Bangladesh we've been going regularly to two different churches with our hosts. They are both very different to each other and have contrasting styles of worship, but both have been of equal importance to us in our spiritual growth whilst being here in Bangladesh.
The first church we go to on a Friday morning is the AG church. As you walk into the church building you're welcomed by so many friendly faces, most of which are familiar to us now. In the congregation there are about 200 people.
The first church we go to on a Friday morning is the AG church. As you walk into the church building you're welcomed by so many friendly faces, most of which are familiar to us now. In the congregation there are about 200 people. Bengalis come and so do westerners who are working here and there's a real sense of everyone being in one family, despite the differences between the cultures.
It's an English speaking service and the worship is very lively.
Most of the songs are either well known chorus's or Hillsong songs, so all of us really enjoy it and feel right at home.
At AG, apart from attending the normal service, we are leading one of their kids' church classes for the 5-7 year olds, and we also go to their youth group called 4him on a Saturday night, which we find really encouraging and helpful as it's like a bible study and it gives us a chance to reflect on what gods trying to teach us.
The second church we go to in the afternoon is Dhaka International Christian Church (DICC). This church is there to support expatriates who have or are currently working in Bangladesh and the congregation is made up of a variety of internationals, from English, American, Australian, Indian and Swiss. As a congregation it's a lot smaller than the AG church, despite the fact that it has a bigger membership. This is because a lot of its members live all around Bangladesh and because they don't live in Dhaka they don't always attend the services. On a week to week basis though there are usually around 60 people, so over time we've got to know the familiar faces there. There aren't really any Bangladeshi's but its a nice family church and like at AG, being there we often meet some really interesting people who are truly passionate for God.
At DICC we are involved in their kids' church work too, and we teach a class of 12-14 year olds. Occasionally with our hosts, we also lead worship at the church. The worship there is more traditional and so when we lead we try and sing a few more modern songs. Because the church is so international, leading worship can be quite a struggle sometimes, because it's difficult to find songs that everyone knows, but we manage to do it and most of the time people seem to enjoy the services.
At both churches the sermons are always very scripturally based and helpful and all of the people are very welcoming and friendly.
In February, the churches kids' churches join together and go on a camp outside of Dhaka. This year we're helping to lead and are in charge of leading some wide games, action songs and helping with the craft workshops.
We love going to both churches and feel that it's an important part of our action team week which we couldn't do without.
16th January 2008 - School:-
Hello to everyone who is reading this! So, I have been charged with updating you about the new term at school. Typically, this was very Bangladeshi and crazy with lots of unplanned changes and students enrolling at the last minute. But ... it was lovely to see all the old (and new kids) arrive on Sunday, which is the first day of the week here.
At AG, apart from attending the normal service, we are leading one of their kids' church classes for the 5-7 year olds, and we also go to their youth group called 4him on a Saturday night, which we find really encouraging and helpful as it's like a bible study and it gives us a chance to reflect on what gods trying to teach us.
The second church we go to in the afternoon is Dhaka International Christian Church (DICC). This church is there to support expatriates who have or are currently working in Bangladesh and the congregation is made up of a variety of internationals, from English, American, Australian, Indian and Swiss. As a congregation it's a lot smaller than the AG church, despite the fact that it has a bigger membership. This is because a lot of its members live all around Bangladesh and because they don't live in Dhaka they don't always attend the services. On a week to week basis though there are usually around 60 people, so over time we've got to know the familiar faces there. There aren't really any Bangladeshi's but its a nice family church and like at AG, being there we often meet some really interesting people who are truly passionate for God.
At DICC we are involved in their kids' church work too, and we teach a class of 12-14 year olds. Occasionally with our hosts, we also lead worship at the church. The worship there is more traditional and so when we lead we try and sing a few more modern songs. Because the church is so international, leading worship can be quite a struggle sometimes, because it's difficult to find songs that everyone knows, but we manage to do it and most of the time people seem to enjoy the services.At both churches the sermons are always very scripturally based and helpful and all of the people are very welcoming and friendly.
In February, the churches kids' churches join together and go on a camp outside of Dhaka. This year we're helping to lead and are in charge of leading some wide games, action songs and helping with the craft workshops.
We love going to both churches and feel that it's an important part of our action team week which we couldn't do without.
16th January 2008 - School:-Hello to everyone who is reading this! So, I have been charged with updating you about the new term at school. Typically, this was very Bangladeshi and crazy with lots of unplanned changes and students enrolling at the last minute. But ... it was lovely to see all the old (and new kids) arrive on Sunday, which is the first day of the week here.
Play is now Nursery, Class 1 is now Class 2, but the kids still have the same smiles and the same eagerness to learn. They seem to like the changes that have been made - the painted walls, murals and posters - although I was slightly disheartened when a boy said that he liked the "Manush" (man) which is actually a monkey.
Oh well.The teachers have been busy with admissions and orgainising books and jotters, so we have found ourselves teaching classes alot more. This means more business and alot of fun - I especially enjoying Vicki's creative methods of teaching ABC's. I really think the kids love having us there even if they just enjoy laughing at us!
Actually what we all enjoy is seeing a child understand something they didn't before, or draw a proper square, or learn their name in English. It's great to know that we are a part in that.The two compassion schools in the afternoon are still quite a challenge. The children that come to class are the ones in need of the most education and care, but classes are so big, and the rooms so small, that it's often hard to teach them well.
We have found teaching in pairs to be really helpful, as that way we have time for those who are struggling. We are praying that God will help us to really influence these children and to not get discouraged from perserving.When I look at myself I don't really see a 'teacher' - but then I am always reminded that we don't have to rely on our own strength and abilities. Such good news!Hope you are all well, and keep in touch!
Anna xxx
Anna xxx
27th December 2007 - Updated Visa News: -
Well, yesterday we went in to renew our visas to be told that they couldn’t help us because they had been delayed by the Eid holidays, so we went back in today to collect the new visas. We now all have visas but instead of 2 month visas we have only one month visas, so we will have to re-apply again each month!
That’s not the end of our story…although we all have one month visas, despite the fact that we applied together on the same day, we have visas that run out on different days, so two of us at current have visas until the 31st December, one of us has a visa until the 7th January and the other one has a visa until the 8th!
That’s not the end of our story…although we all have one month visas, despite the fact that we applied together on the same day, we have visas that run out on different days, so two of us at current have visas until the 31st December, one of us has a visa until the 7th January and the other one has a visa until the 8th!
It’s a little frustrating and very costly for BMS so we’d appreciate your prayers on this subject!
We are not too stressed about it at the moment, and we are still going to enjoy our holiday, but we really don’t want to have to leave Bangladesh so we hope things will be sorted without any trouble.
Click here for details of our trip to the Sundarbans
16th December 2007 = Work plans for the New Year -
Well 2008 is fast approaching and the work we have to do is definately not about to slow down.
In the new year we will start teaching at the Uttarah school again, and we will also be getting involved in more projects including; working in a girls hostel - teaching english and playing games, working at a student friendship centre teaching engliish to University students and helping out more at AG church itself, teaching in its kids "sunday" school classes.
Christmas and the New Year -
Hi all, Happy Christmas from Bangladesh!
Hope you're all having a great time wherever you are and that you're enjoying the Christmas Break.
In Bangladesh, it's not very christmassy as its mainly a muslim area, so there aren't any shops with christmas stuff displayed like there would be in the UK. However, at home with our hosts, we have put up our christmas tree which was great fun and we have advent calendars and cards up that you guys have sent us. At church yesterday we also sang our first few christmas carols so we're beginning to feel the christmas spirit a little bit more now.
From now up until the new year we are on holiday really, as the school is closed for Christmas. We have a few Christmas parties to go to and some dinners so we're looking forward to some nice roast turkey and potatoes.
Although it's christmas for the christians here, next week it will be Eid-Ul-Azha so people will be leaving Dhaka to go back to their home villages to celebrate and spend time with their families.
Eid-Ul-Azha is second in the series of Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate across the world.
It is also referred to as the "Big Feast." On this day Muslims sacrifice animals 
which have been deemed Halaal, or fit for sacrifice. They not only kill and eat the meat themselves but they distribute it amongst their neighbours, relatives and the poor and hungry. In Bangladesh, the animals used most often for sacrifices are; the goat for the poorer families, cow for the middle class and camels for the rich Bangladeshi's.
On the special day of Eid, we as a team and our hosts have been invited to witness the killing of our neighbours cow and to then go back for lunch and eat it! So, instead of christmas shopping this is how we will be spending our time. It's sounds a little bit disgusting but it's all part of learning about a new culture though, so I think we're all going to go.
After Eid and Christmas we are then going to take our team holiday. We are planning to go on a boat trip from the 28th December-1st January so we will be celebrating new year on a boat. The boat we're going on is for 20+ people so we are going with our hosts and some other people from the church. We're really looking forward to it. Originally, we were intending on going through the Sundarbans on our journey, however because it was badly hit by the Cyclone Sidr and parts of it destroyed the plan has slightly changed, and we will now be going slightly near there, but not to the directly affected area.
So... all thats left for me to say is Merry Christmas and a Happy new year
We are not too stressed about it at the moment, and we are still going to enjoy our holiday, but we really don’t want to have to leave Bangladesh so we hope things will be sorted without any trouble.
Click here for details of our trip to the Sundarbans
16th December 2007 = Work plans for the New Year -
Well 2008 is fast approaching and the work we have to do is definately not about to slow down.
In the new year we will start teaching at the Uttarah school again, and we will also be getting involved in more projects including; working in a girls hostel - teaching english and playing games, working at a student friendship centre teaching engliish to University students and helping out more at AG church itself, teaching in its kids "sunday" school classes.
Christmas and the New Year -
Hi all, Happy Christmas from Bangladesh!
Hope you're all having a great time wherever you are and that you're enjoying the Christmas Break.
In Bangladesh, it's not very christmassy as its mainly a muslim area, so there aren't any shops with christmas stuff displayed like there would be in the UK. However, at home with our hosts, we have put up our christmas tree which was great fun and we have advent calendars and cards up that you guys have sent us. At church yesterday we also sang our first few christmas carols so we're beginning to feel the christmas spirit a little bit more now.
From now up until the new year we are on holiday really, as the school is closed for Christmas. We have a few Christmas parties to go to and some dinners so we're looking forward to some nice roast turkey and potatoes.
Although it's christmas for the christians here, next week it will be Eid-Ul-Azha so people will be leaving Dhaka to go back to their home villages to celebrate and spend time with their families.
Eid-Ul-Azha is second in the series of Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate across the world.
It is also referred to as the "Big Feast." On this day Muslims sacrifice animals which have been deemed Halaal, or fit for sacrifice. They not only kill and eat the meat themselves but they distribute it amongst their neighbours, relatives and the poor and hungry. In Bangladesh, the animals used most often for sacrifices are; the goat for the poorer families, cow for the middle class and camels for the rich Bangladeshi's.On the special day of Eid, we as a team and our hosts have been invited to witness the killing of our neighbours cow and to then go back for lunch and eat it! So, instead of christmas shopping this is how we will be spending our time. It's sounds a little bit disgusting but it's all part of learning about a new culture though, so I think we're all going to go.
After Eid and Christmas we are then going to take our team holiday. We are planning to go on a boat trip from the 28th December-1st January so we will be celebrating new year on a boat. The boat we're going on is for 20+ people so we are going with our hosts and some other people from the church. We're really looking forward to it. Originally, we were intending on going through the Sundarbans on our journey, however because it was badly hit by the Cyclone Sidr and parts of it destroyed the plan has slightly changed, and we will now be going slightly near there, but not to the directly affected area.
So... all thats left for me to say is Merry Christmas and a Happy new year
