Oh my god.
Seriously.
What
Have
I
Done
It’s dark, I’ve arrived on a wing and MANY prayers (I’m sure of it), and now I’m in a square in the middle of nowhere with NO freakin’ idea where the YWCA is (that’s where I had decided to stay) or how to get there.
"Well, you're right about that, you're here, so figure it out pumpkin!" says a voice in the back of my head. Since when does my inside voice call me 'pumpkin' I wonder...
Deeeeep breath, shoulders back and head up and all that… you’ve gotta figure it out girl - you’re perfectly fine, stop worrying about it and just go! I felt better as I walked through the crowd of people, where the crowd of evening loiterers had doubled since our arrival.
Looking around the bit I can see in the dark I'm in the dusty main square market area of Birisiri. There are lots of little shops (boarded up since it's after 9pm) and the only thing I see open is a little snack shop. There are a pile of rikshaws here and there in the crowd of people, and I am standing in the middle of the buspile (think doggypile of buses).
Okay... I need to get to the Y, I guess I'll need to pick a rikshaw.
I walked up to the first driver that met my eye and smiled saying only “YWCA?”
“Y-shmanblypamblyblahblah ok ok”
“Umm… YWCA?"
“Yahyah, Y-shmanblypamblyblahblah okay!”
Allllllrightythen, "No no, that’s okay”
Next!
2 rikshaws later and the giggles from my onlookers making me feel quite lighthearted about the whole confused situation (not a single person in the crowd makes me feel threatened or worried) and then a man is at my elbow translating for me. "Would you like to go to the YWCA? I will find you a good driver." Next thing I know we've walked around the buspile to the actual road and he's talking to a driver and telling me that I can take his ride to the Y, I’ll be there within 5 minutes (it's very close) and I should pay him only 20 Taka. Done, I think - I’ll pay him 200 if he’ll just get me there!!!
I climbed on board with the sea parting around us and hope that he’s taking me to the Y and not to some darker dark road of badness. Things looked good though so I wasn't worried
Parental Advisory Label:
Nnote to all moms and parent-like folks who are reading: I swear if I had any of the tiniest inkling of trouble I would have climbed down and had someone WALK me there if I couldn't find a ride, I was perfectly safe!
We bumped and jiggled (well, at least *I* bumped and jiggled) our way over what seems like cobble stones and his very crap light does nothing to light the way for him in the pitch of night so I take my flashlight out (yay for planning ahead and buying a flashlight!!) and shine it down to light his way (thank you for whatever power helped me remember that I had a flashlight!).
He jumped down to push at some points because we were going through sand and over broken bricks, and it took everything in me not to jump off and help him when I know it got tough to push and he was working hard.
Not even 5 minutes had passed before we were at the gate of the YWCA, the lights were on and I could see someone in the office… *MAN* was I never so happy in all my life to see that sign. I paid the man his money (I paid him 50 instead of 20 because that was the smallest bill I had and it is a physical IMPOSSIBILITY to get change out of some people without making a scene, so I didn't even bother once he was resistent about handing me back my change... 30 Taka to me is not even 50 cents, he can keep it, I'm safe and sound!).
Seriously.
What
Have
I
Done
It’s dark, I’ve arrived on a wing and MANY prayers (I’m sure of it), and now I’m in a square in the middle of nowhere with NO freakin’ idea where the YWCA is (that’s where I had decided to stay) or how to get there.
"Well, you're right about that, you're here, so figure it out pumpkin!" says a voice in the back of my head. Since when does my inside voice call me 'pumpkin' I wonder...
Deeeeep breath, shoulders back and head up and all that… you’ve gotta figure it out girl - you’re perfectly fine, stop worrying about it and just go! I felt better as I walked through the crowd of people, where the crowd of evening loiterers had doubled since our arrival.
Looking around the bit I can see in the dark I'm in the dusty main square market area of Birisiri. There are lots of little shops (boarded up since it's after 9pm) and the only thing I see open is a little snack shop. There are a pile of rikshaws here and there in the crowd of people, and I am standing in the middle of the buspile (think doggypile of buses).
Okay... I need to get to the Y, I guess I'll need to pick a rikshaw.
I walked up to the first driver that met my eye and smiled saying only “YWCA?”
“Y-shmanblypamblyblahblah ok ok”
“Umm… YWCA?"
“Yahyah, Y-shmanblypamblyblahblah okay!”
Allllllrightythen, "No no, that’s okay”
Next!
2 rikshaws later and the giggles from my onlookers making me feel quite lighthearted about the whole confused situation (not a single person in the crowd makes me feel threatened or worried) and then a man is at my elbow translating for me. "Would you like to go to the YWCA? I will find you a good driver." Next thing I know we've walked around the buspile to the actual road and he's talking to a driver and telling me that I can take his ride to the Y, I’ll be there within 5 minutes (it's very close) and I should pay him only 20 Taka. Done, I think - I’ll pay him 200 if he’ll just get me there!!!
I climbed on board with the sea parting around us and hope that he’s taking me to the Y and not to some darker dark road of badness. Things looked good though so I wasn't worried
Parental Advisory Label:
Nnote to all moms and parent-like folks who are reading: I swear if I had any of the tiniest inkling of trouble I would have climbed down and had someone WALK me there if I couldn't find a ride, I was perfectly safe!
We bumped and jiggled (well, at least *I* bumped and jiggled) our way over what seems like cobble stones and his very crap light does nothing to light the way for him in the pitch of night so I take my flashlight out (yay for planning ahead and buying a flashlight!!) and shine it down to light his way (thank you for whatever power helped me remember that I had a flashlight!).
He jumped down to push at some points because we were going through sand and over broken bricks, and it took everything in me not to jump off and help him when I know it got tough to push and he was working hard.
Not even 5 minutes had passed before we were at the gate of the YWCA, the lights were on and I could see someone in the office… *MAN* was I never so happy in all my life to see that sign. I paid the man his money (I paid him 50 instead of 20 because that was the smallest bill I had and it is a physical IMPOSSIBILITY to get change out of some people without making a scene, so I didn't even bother once he was resistent about handing me back my change... 30 Taka to me is not even 50 cents, he can keep it, I'm safe and sound!).
