Time to go - thanks to the Humphrey Program

Having spent almost a year in USA for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program, it's time now to go back home. Tomorrow (27 June) I'm to fly for DC from Amarillo, Texas and then next day (28 June) for Bangladesh (DC- Newark- HongKong - Dhaka route).
During the last one year I had the opportunity to study what I liked, attend seminars/ workshops in connection with my interests and professional skill requirements, visit many places in USA, participate in the global leadership forum in DC and year-end-retreat, present my country and profession in different occassions and also able to engage in many other activities. More importantly, we all developed friendship with so many people from USA and other parts of the globe. The program has given me a lot.
So prior to my departure I convey my gratitude and thanks to the program policymakers, IIE people, campus coordinator and staff and of course fellow colleagues from different countries. As a global citizen we should work together in the coming days for peace, prosperity and development of all nations.

Goodbye!

Texas, so different a state

We've been to my sister-in-law's house at Amarillo, Texas. We had the opportunity to hover around the city. Also to canyon state park nearby. What we noticed is the landscape and culture a little different. Mostly white people live here- not many African-Americans or immigrants. Also roads and houses are bigger - no land shortages! Weather very hot and windy, but not much humidity and thus no sweating. Not much rain and the area looks drought-like all the time.

Canyon park is so gorgeous, looks like the little sister of Garnd Canyon of Arizona which is about 12 hours drive from Amarillo.

Amarillo is my last point of exploring American countryside. My wife had already left for BD. From here I'll fly for DC on 27 June and hopefully for BD from there on June 28. I feel previledged to see many great cities across America.

To further West (Texas)

Having spent some good days with Pabitra, we headed for Amarillo, Texas - again by Greyhound bus. It's about 30 hour bus journey. Starting was good, we're crossing so many cities (Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis in Tennesse state, Little Rock in Arkansas state, Russelville, many others and Oklohama city in OKlohama state). Landscapes were being changed gradually as we proceeded further towards west. In Arkansas we saw a lot of farmland, and farmers using private planes in spraying their crops in the fields.

Upto Okohama city the journey was good. Then problem started. As the scheduled bus' airconditioning was not working, the driver didn't reload. All passenegers were stuck up for long 9 hours. But surprisingly, all passengers kept very calm & quiet. If that incident happened in our country, passengers might be very agitated towards the bus people.

By 11.30 pm, an aletrnate bus came from Dallas & our journey restarted towards Los Angels. But by then we're very exhausted. When we reached Amarillo at 5 am in the next morning, we're on buses for 2 nights & 2 days altogether.

Despite long distances and all hassles on the way, the bus journey provided us a good opportunity to see various mid-American cities and states (also observe peoples' behaviours and culture to some extent). In Oklohama city the normal day wind was so strong that I feared to be blown away while walking a small distance from the bus station.

I'll never forget those experiences.

Kinsport/Gatlinburg so cool places!

We stayed about 5 days to my school friend Pabitra's (a cardiologist) house at Kingsport. His house so big! Also the neghbourhood and city very green, because Kingsport is just on the valley of great American Appalachian. So weather very mild and moderate. On sunday, 1 June Pabitra took us to Gatlinburg, about 100 miles from Kingsport. Gatlinburg, situated on a very high altitude of the Appalachian is a good tourist spot in Tennessee. There we noticed a lot of fun and enjoyement facilities (specially for kids). You have to buy tickets for entry- expensive though. We just rode on a skyway travel. Very scenic indeed!

We're taken to a new house Pabitra going to buy. It's like a palace, 4 storied building including basement, so many rooms, beatiful backyard and very rural setting. Mostly medical doctors live in that neighbourhood. Medical profession in USA is so rewarding!

One good thing we could achieve at Kingsport was that my wife was able to have biopsy test done. In Boston, doctors found calcification in her left breast and suspected malignancy (breast cancer). To be sure, they suggested to do her biopsy asap. We couldn't do it from Boston due to time constraint. But we're lucky that Pabitra did help to get an appointment even on a very short notice. Hospital was awesome, and fortunately report was good- no malignancy. We're relieved at last.

On the wheels

Once we left Boston on 19 May, we're on travel. Our first stoppage was in Buffalo where we stayed at Ripon's house. Ripon is my friend K A Sattar's youngest brother-in-law. He took us to the Niagra falls. There we enjoyed Maid in the Mist (having the light spray of falling water, hearing the rumble of water and huge forces therein). My wife was so excited, her dream to see Niagra became realized.
Staying just two days in Bufffalo we came to DC and I started the rest of my professional affiliation with the World Bank. First two nights we spent at L'enfant Plaza Hotel by utilizing the free gift voucher which the hotel authorities gave to all fellows during the global leadership forum last year. The rest of the period we spent in Alexandria. The nearest metro was Van Dorn station, one before the last towards Springfield Franconia (blue line).
Our next destination was to go Kingsport, Tennesse. We started by greyhound at 2.30 am. After about 12 hours bus journey, we had to change bus at Richmond Virginia. Then by another bus reached Kingsport in east Tennessee at around 2.15 pm. On the way we saw many small towns in 3 states (Virginia, North Carolina & Tennessee).

Time to leave Boston

In early May I left my house at Magazine street & was staying at Monzur's house at Lynn. Mr. Monzur family did cooperate with us to visit different places like the Nahant Beach, house of Lipu in Gardner city and houses of Munir's house in Andover city. Before leaving Boston we spent 2 nights (16-18 May) to Enayetullah uncle's at Sharon.

On 18 May we joined a seminar on investment potentialities in BD at Marriot Hotel near Lexington, which was organized by the expatriate Bangladeshis mostly living in USA. They presented a very positive image of BD with all possibilities to be the Asian Tiger in some future days. The seminar was so inspiring and encouraging!

On 19 May morning we went to the radiology center (for repeat Mamography scanning of my wife) and then came back at Lynn. At around 11.30 am Mr. Monzur took us to the Greyhound bus station in Boston. We headed for Buffalo(Niagra Falls) by bus, with all memories of Boston in the heart.

Retreat at Rocky Gap Lodge

Our Humphrey year-end retreat was held during 11-14 May at famous Rocky Gap Resort in Cumberland,Maryland - about 2.5 hours bus journey from Washington DC. The resort was so exclusive & beautiful, surrounded by scenic apalachian valleys, lakes along with all modern amenities therein. Unlike the leadership forum during Oct-Nov last year where most of the lecturers were from outside experts, the retreat events were mostly concentrated on activities by the fellows themselves. Of course IIE people organized and guided the events. In total 15 fellows were selected to present their humphrey year experience. I was fortunate to be one of them. I focused on the level of American diversity as well as the serious personal health problems I faced. My presentation succeeded in touching all who listened.

In the retreat days Ashutosh from Nepal was my roomate. We both went to the pool together, took photgraphs and enjoyed each other's company.

In the retreat, dancing, singing and some other activities were organized, in addition to the usual alumni related events which was the importance of being in touch with each other in future.

As a whole the retreat was touching, but very succesful. Through this, all 173 fellows of 87 countries and from 15 different campuses in USA said goodbye to the program & committed to make a change in their own countries.

I will never forget the great event of such a retreat.