A Short Course In Bangla-lization (Bangla 101)

Bukan bangla dari negara Bangladesh, tapi bangla
in a sense of someone outside of where he's used
to, and adapting to alien environment, all the while
struggling to maintain some of the normality that
he'd used to.

Sometimes you'd see some group of 'B's in KLCC, all
dressed to the nines, taking pictures, posing banglas
and stuff. You'd tend to not understand their behaviour,
really but it's a reflex, actually.

I was in the neck of the woods in Gambela. The nearest
townwas 200km away,
a 4-hour bumpy ride on a barely-functioning 4WD. And
we only got to go there maybe once every one or two
weeks. When the time came to go to town, I actually took
extra care to make sure I have the best attire on. I even
sow a loose button on a clean shirt and cleaned my shoes
using a toothbrush.

Which is strange.

The conclusion is, when you're working hard and fun time is
kind of limited, you (B) would look forward to it.

The second thing I observed is that whenever B's ate, they'd
have a mountain of rice in front of them and a bottle of fizzy
drinks.

To me, that'd translate to an unfinished meal. You don't mix
food with gassed drinks, homes.

Well, when I had my meal in Kobenhavn (and here) I did
have a mountain of rice with me. And a bottle of Coke.

The iced coke tasted like heaven.

And I finished the meal.

The conclusion is, when you're a B, you'd tend to be hungrier
and thirstier than you'd normally be. You'd appreciate meals
more. It's true. You'd appreciate even the most basics of
meals.

Thirdly, although not last, is you'd see the Bs at public
phones with IDD cards (probably calling home).

I succumbed to this trait a few days ago. It's the eve of Eid,
and I have no phone in my home, so as I wandered in front
of the shops, I bought a $10 card and called home.

It's actually a good deal. You get 108 minutes.

Not bad.

As I dialled the pin code and the people walked past me on
a payphone on Hay Street, the fact suddenly dawned on me.

"Dude."

Three cheers for the general workers that flood KLIA every
day.

It seems that you can take the Bangla out of Bangladesh,
but you can never take the Bangla out of a Bangla.

That doesn't make sense.