I'm not the only one posting!

Ei bangladesher post office (Hello Bangladesh's post office),

Ami onek onek (very very) sorry for all the horrible things I've been saying about you since I tried to send 20+ christmas cards in 2008 and you failed to deliver a SINGLE one (nai!).  These comments were probably exacerbated by the fact that I got typhoid during the same trip and then was pretty loopy for the next few months   (who needs drugs when you have a persistent fever?!).

I've recovered, thankfully, and evidently so have you!  After a delicious dosa and aam-azing fresh mango juice last Monday, I took a bunch of letters and postcards to the same post office.  You still have the same western union sign out front and don't seem to have electricity.  Seeing the long queue of Bengali men standing very close to one another that didn't appear to be advancing, I created a "bideshi" (foreigner) line, and was promptly, though a bit silently, served.  Your staff took the stamps, stuck his finger in a pot of glue, and promptly adhered the stamp to my letters.  I will admit that I was skeptical and talking a bit of smack before I had even walked out of the building.

A mere week later, several recipients have already received their letters AND let me know about it (you don't get credit for that part though).  I have to say, as far as I'm concerned, that tk 800 went further than I ever imagined.  Even if the rest of them don't get delivered (I can't actually remember everything I sent at this point, that's how low my expectations were; I didn't want to be able to quantify your failure), I'm impressed.

You hurt me pretty badly the first time, and I'm not sure that I can ever trust you like I did then.  Invisible scars take the most time to heal.  But I think we can give this a shot and see where it goes.  Tik acche?

Sincerely yours,

Maria

Dear readers,

So....send me your address if you want to participate in the next phase of this experiment :)

Two other notes since I'm writing:

1.  Inexplicable happiness continues.  And the only escalation with the guy at the cha stand by the water is that today he opened in Bangla, "Bhalo acchen?"  I thought about calling him "bhai" (brother) since supposedly that will dispel any romantic hopes (let's be honest, there's no way it's that simple).  Other suggestions on what I should say next time? 

2.  Best discovery about Bangla to date: the word, "dorka."  It means necessary.  Unnecessary is "dorka na." How awesome is it that I can now work "dork" into just about any conversation?!

(perhaps the explanation is just the simplicity of what it takes to amuse me these days).  Explanation dorka?  Ha.  Dork-a.