So, you're tired of your job?

Alright, I know that a lot of you are at work aimlessly surfing the Internet (yes, you government workers, hah!). I know all too well what it's like - too much time in front of the computer, no exercise, no fresh air, rat maze-like cubicles, florescent lighting, the office space routine. Have fantasies quitting and trying something different? Well, there are always opportunities. For instance...

File clerk

What happens when you're the new employee and the boss wants a copy of a report from 3 years ago ASAP? Or an errant cigarette butt gets tossed?

Wire-lifter

Wires are dangling everywhere so someone has to sit on the top of buses and large trucks to lift the wires over the vehicles. You wouldn't want someone to get electrocuted from a torn electric wire flopping around on the street, would you? Makes sense to me. This is a close second to electrician. Usually they stick these rickety bamboo ladders right on the powerlines.

Furniture mover

I have no idea how they manage to not only balance such huge loads on a rickety cart, but also pedal it down the road! I've seen entire sections of houses on these carts. I swear, any of these guys probably could win the Tour de France without breaking a sweat, those metal Chinese bikes alone probably weigh over 40 pounds.

Chicken stuffer/transporter


Yet another job involving balance. Not only do you have to stuff chickens in a big basket, but you have balance it on top of your head AND climb a ladder on a bus.


Brick breaker
There are soooooo many brick factories around Noakhali, each surrounded by enough bricks to rebuild any Bangladesh version of the Great Wall.

Breakers then take these perfectly well-formed bricks and then hammer them into tiny pieces to fill the roads with. I would have thought there'd be an easier way to skip straight to the tiny pieces stage instead. su


My interpreter



Meet my interpreter, Robin. Thankfully, he's the same age as me, has a sense of humor, thinks getting in a little bit of trouble is a fun time, and knows the ins and outs of Bangladesh. He goes everywhere I go, but I think he cringes a little bit everytime I say I want to go to the "hard to reach" areas of Bangladesh (which of course is my idea of a fun time). This means we're going to get dirty, and there's a very good chance he's going to fall in the mud and water again, hah!