Report from Bhuapur

Report from Bhuapur, Bangladesh, Jan. 22, Project Manager Kazuyoshi Watanabe
Whenever I listen to the lyrics “from the moment I get off the night train departed from Ueno…” from Tsugaru kaikyo Yuki Geshiki, by Sayuri Ishikawa, it reminds me of the harbor of Aomori covered in snowstorm.

I heard that Japan is experiencing severe cold this winter, but I would like to talk about Bangladesh’s winter scene. Yesterday, even at ten in the morning, the fog would not clear away and the cloudy sky had lasted. Bangladesh is in its dry season but had rains in the thick fogs. At the construction site where houses were built with bamboo trees, the workers must have had a hard time, because it rarely rains in the dry season.
Yet, we can hear the sound of gentle rain in the mornings with thick fog. It is not rain. It is the drops of rain that had stayed on the leaves which were falling. It was only the sound that made it as if it was raining.
When you are under the spreading branches, it rains, but when you walk away from under the tree, it stops raining, which was rare experience.
Because of the thick fog, you cannot see what there is ten meters before you. When you see the landscape from the roof, the crop fields are covered with fogs and it looks like a light illusory ink painting. At noon, there are goats and sheep eating grasses.
There are local people working with short sleeves in the daytime, but I usually wear winter coats. I am using the coat I was wearing when I left Japan in December.
During the past month and a week I have been living here in Buapur after moving from Dhaka, I had caught a cold and had a bad throat, and since then, I have not let go of my jacket.
By checking the map, I could see that we are on the same latitude of Ishigaki Island of Okinawa. I had worked in NGO in Okinawa four years ago, but Buapur, 80 kilometers north of Dhaka, is a bit cooler than Naha, Okinawa. It is sunny today, comparing from yesterday’s cloudy sky. I had hanged my mattress outside for it to dry.
During the change from spring to winter, there are days which you had noticed it is warmer, but suddenly gets cold again. In Japan, there is a saying that describes this change; three colds, four warms. It means after three cold days, there are four warm days. We can see that Bangladesh has a similar weather.
From the window of my room, which also serves as my office, I can see the yard of next door. On sunny days, the family of next door would sunbathe. When I glance at the scene, I could see three chickens sitting still on a chair and I can hear goats bleating.
When I am on a car, I see a few people dividing works on crop fields. It must be the sign of spring coming.
Jan.22