Celebrity status

Hardly ever do I get stared at or photographed by curious Bangladeshis near my home in Baridhara, in the heart of Dhaka’s diplomatic zone. But all bets are off in any other parts of Bangladesh where there is far less of a Western presence.

‘Hi, how are you?’ excited kids often yell out as they see me walking by.

‘Your country?!’ That is the another question I very often hear.

I am trying my earnest to shout as loud as I can: "America!" I could never figure out if the approval would still be there I my answer was different. One day I will have to claim the moon as my place of origin, just to gauge the reactions.

In a lot of places, the very crowded ones in particular, I am not only asked these questions, but also for a picture. You can't find anybody here without a cell phone with a cameras. I will never say no to a picture. I just love the attention. I may the first white man they have ever seen. How could I disappoint them and say no to a picture? It could be hard work sometime, but I would shake hands, try some Bangla and, of course,  take pictures with all the Bangladeshis. Diplomacy in action. Winning the hearts and minds!

However, there is a small problem with taking a picture with one Bangladeshi. After all, this is the most densely populated country on the planet. There is always plenty of others around.  And they become emboldened seeing a Bangladeshi talk to the white guy. If they were to shy to talk to me, they now realize I won’t bite, so they want their picture too. Click, click.

One picture turns into a photo session 20 minutes long with the original Bangladeshi, his brother, sister, father, mother, children, some more random street children, a baby, and maybe even some soldiers or police officers. Trying to excuse yourself feels always like trying to break up with an overly emotional girlfriend in a very public place.