Has anyone seen the Extrem Boyz?

14th October 2008

After another hectic day of induction and greetings, I slowly feel like things are starting to fall into place.

Today we had our first little stroll around our ‘hood. Until now, I’d been feeling a bit isolated from the world, as we’re ferried around in our air-conditioned VSO minibus. Today, Marufa, who is in charge of induction at VSO-B and absolutely lovely, showed us a tiny bit of Lalmatia. We visited some local landmarks, such as various supermarkets that are surprisingly full of imported goods; the local Nando’s (no lie); and an art gallery that lies nestled behind palm trees in a walled compound off a main road – an icy paradise of art and chilled out café that looks set to become our local.

I’m not sure why, but I was so surprised to find this here. Dhaka is not what I expected of it: it is both more developed and more familiar than I expected it to be. Perhaps this is due to the area we live in? Lalmatia seems fairly affluent after all. But I can’t wait to explore some more of the city!

On our way home from drinks in the café, the Induction Flat crew decided to strike out and find our own way home. 2 problems arose: One, it was dark. Two, our map only shows the route from our flat to VSO’s offices. And we were not there. Cue much striding confidently, proclaiming that, finally, this street is familiar, only to peter out after a few minutes, mumbling something about a wrong turn, or every bloody food stall looking exactly the same. We made it home with the assistance of several extremely helpful locals, and the unforgettable graffiti that is opposite our block: the phrases ‘Extrem Boyz’ and ‘Fuck the Law’ tell us that we are home and dry.