Holly - 24 Jan - Drive to Khulna

24 Jan 2013-
Drive to Khulna (8hr drive w ferry)

Today we had an 8 hour drive to the city of Khulna. One of the things I love about driving here is there is never a dull moment. The traffic is an orderly chaos, the roads are full of vibrant people, and you are always surrounded by natural beauty. Part of the drive we took a two hour ferry through the beautiful Padma (Padda) river. It was so peaceful and the people were so friendly. We'd leave the van doors open and people would walk around the ferry and talk to us. At one point, Tonya had a large crowd of guys helping her learn Bengla. It was quite entertaining! Meredith had the cutest boy following her around and gave her a beautiful necklace. He fell in love with her and was so sad to see her leave. We stopped for tea on the side of the road and before we knew it we had a large crowd of beautiful children surrounding us. I absolutely love the children here and would take them all home if I could! :)


Street side breakfast and tea...

We met our new host families in Khulna and were greeted with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. We are always so welcomed everywhere we go! Once again I fell in love with my new family. My host father, Khalilur, and his wife, Showma, lived in Arizona for over 13 years. They lived in Goodyear and at one point we lived a mile apart when I lived in Surprise, AZ. It's such a small world! They have two sons, Ishan and Ayman who are extremely talented and intelligent. Ishan is 16 years old and hopes to study at ASU and wants to become a doctor. He broke his school record for reading 367 books in a year...over one a day! Extremely smart! Ayman is adorable and loves magic tricks. I told him he was going to disappear in my suitcase and end up back in AZ. I had so much fun with this family. Showma was so sweet and made me spaghetti tonight! Home sweet home...

The family dog, Tweetie :)

They also have over 20 parakeets, several fish, and one turtle...

Showma also had me measured for a khub shundor camese (very beautiful outfit) that was fitted and handmade for me. Such a sweet family...I will hopefully see them in AZ soon!

Presenting my family, Khulilur and Showma (right), and Zaman (Past President) with Whoopie cushions.  They love them...