Jet lag drag

Today I’m really feeling it. I woke up around 6AM feeling my face. Like I had little weights in the muscles by my nose and eyes. In other words, I had sinus pressure. All the travel and honestly the prep leading up to this trip is wearing me down. But I decided to push past it, get dressed and head out for a drive to see the city this morning. I came right back after 30 minutes, made an egg and slept another couple hours and enjoyed the rooftop views once again.

When I got up around noon, I headed to the embassy and met some of my aunt’s colleagues over a quick lunch. I’ve never been to a US embassy before (or any embassy) and the security is tight! And the line for those applying for US visas was literally around the building. 

There were multiple checks to get in and several guards and drivers, it seems, waiting at their various posts, simply waiting… perpetually waiting. 

After meeting a few people I headed back home feeling tired. Napped for another two hours before it was time to meet with a tailor for a fitting. I’m having the length adjusted on the dress I’m wearing to Friday’s ball and my aunt is having a dress made.

I’ve been learning more about Bangladesh’s politics and economics today. With an election upcoming in January there have been several protests and blockades set up as a result. Garment workers have also been protesting for higher wages and some of those protests have unfortunately turned violent. In The Daily Star newspaper (see below) there was a callout highlighting the cost of daily essentials. I decided to compare with US prices in Atlanta for perspective. 1 US dollar is about 110  Bangladeshi Taka. 

This means that here in Dhaka city potatoes cost about 50 cents/kg, 1 egg  costs 11 cents (it’s 38 cents for one egg according to the Atlanta data), and 1kg of onions costs $1.13. So food is cheaper but salaries are likely significantly lower. According this paper, garment workers in survive with a minimum wage of 10,490 TK/ year ($94 USD/year) but they are protesting for an increase to 20,393 TK/ year ($185 USD/year) “which is more realistic and in line with needs of workers”. … is nothing. 

According to World Fashion Exchange “In the fiscal year 2021-2022, Bangladesh exported garments worth US $42.613 billion, making it the second-largest apparel exporter in the world (Export Promotion Bureau data).” According to guests at last night's party, I can get designer jeans and other clothing very cheaply here (without in-store markups) because of the volume of clothing produced. I hope these garment workers get their piece of the pie soon and without any more loss of life!

By the end of the day I’m feeling the sinus pressure ease up. I’ve had Airborne twice today and a vitamin C pouch. Mostly I’ve been eating and sleeping, like a baby. Now, it’s almost 10PM and I’m ready to curl up in bed again. By tomorrow I hope be adjusted to the timezone and congestion free!