I volunteered for my first assignment and expressed my desire to go to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Reasons?
I joined USAID because the organization represented my personal culture – to whom much is given, much is expected. Bangladesh has attracted my interest because of development challenges it is facing and the opportunities it presents. I wanted to be part of the exciting times that are transforming the country.
We’ll be living in Dhaka for two years starting next January. First things that come into mind about Bangladesh? Poverty, hunger, overcrowding, natural disasters, corruption, political riots! The country is the most densely populated in the world. There are over 160 million people (half the US population) living in an area the size of Iowa. Nevertheless, we are all really excited about it, even though we are aware of the challenges. After all, this why gave up our comfortable life to take the unknown road.
On top of it, we never set foot in Asia and to quote one of the most famous Bangladeshi ever, Rabindranath Tagore: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page”.
