Rickshaw Arithmetic

My first journey to Dhaka, Bangladesh is nearing its completion and soon I’ll be landing in snow covered and frigid Columbus, Ohio. But today, while I’m still in Dhaka, I want to share with you some interesting socioeconomic rickshaw arithmetic. You’ll have to bear with my assumptions, but humor me, please.

In the metro Dhaka area there are approximately 12.8 million people (according to Wikipedia), let’s assume that half of those people are male. Every rickshaw driver I’ve seen in almost 2 months has been male, so I think it is a fair assumption. Let’s also assume that the ages of those 6.4 million males are distributed evenly from ages 1 to 60 (60 is the average life expectance of a male in Bangladesh). Most rickshaw drivers are between the ages of 16 and 35 (based solely on my observations and conversations with these gentlemen); I know I’m stretching here, but just go with me.

So what does all this mean? Well based on a recent number I read, there are approximately 500,000 rickshaw drivers in Dhaka. That means that 23.4% of the working males, ages 16-35, are contributing to society by peddling a rickshaw. Even if my math is dramatically off the mark, assign a significant margin of error and the number is staggering.

Now ask yourself, with the proper education and the “luxuries” we have access to in the developed world, how many of these men should have been engineers, doctors, poets, teachers, or consultants in the energy industry. Now imagine a nation with gender equality and think about the societal contributions that would be recognized as human capital is maximized.

I’ve discussed these thoughts with a few people prior to writing this blog and some have said I’ve painted a pretty bleak picture. I however, argue that there is a very bright future for all of us.

For me it is a simple reminder that the world has come a long way; and we have a long way to go.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

Haircut to remember

The days are flying by here in Bangladesh, and for me that means one very important thing – I needed a haircut! The white man’s afro is rapidly approaching and I had turned to many for advice on where I should go. Among many suggestions on where to go I learned that a person’s head should not be touched by the opposite gender; therefore, men will cut men’s hair and women will cut women’s hair. Off to the recommended barber I went…

Upon arrival, the person from my office here in Dhaka introduced us and promptly left me in good hands (or so we thought). The haircut went well and the barber informed me I had a dry scalp, I said okay and he proceeded to spend the next hour working away. Having been here for a few weeks, I should have known that nothing was quick, but what I didn’t know was that my simple okay, was apparently a green light to provide as many services as human possible until I absolutely insisted that I needed to leave.

Once I was past the point of trying to accept that this must be a cultural thing with ones haircut; I informed them I really needed to be going. They swiftly finished up and informed me that my 100 Taka haircut ($1.30) had turned into 3000 Taka ($40.00). Angry and ready for a fist fight, I realized there were eight of them, one of me. I also noticed how quickly their English vocabulary vanished. Realizing I didn’t have many options other than causing a scene, I decided this $40 would be a learning experience and a wise investment in my healthy future.

Back at the office, I was complimented on my new cut. My reply was, “it is amazing how good you can look for a mere 3000 Taka.” Shocked, appalled, and ready for retaliation they wanted to march back and set things straight; I thought otherwise. I informed everyone that it is a learning experience and that I would have a hard time recommending them for future work; with a smile on my face. The news spread rapidly and they now have a running joke at the office that I’m the financier for the greater Dhaka area association of barber shops.

Lesson learned.

It’s my goal to get my next haircut here for 50 Taka or less; wish me luck!

Until tomorrow… -bag

Good evening from Dhaka, Bangladesh

It has been two weeks since I first arrived and what a fantastic experience so far. My primary task as a consultant is to improve communications among electric cooperatives (PBSs) throughout the country. I spent the first week of my trip working in the headquarters office here in Dhaka and adjusting to the many changes. The second week I spent on the road and in rural areas outside of Rangpur, in the northern part of the country.

The people of Bangladesh are incredible and the majority struggle on a daily basis. A densely populated country, approximately the size of the state of Iowa, with nearly 160 million people, this country has great human capacity potential. I hope to blog more regularly now that I’ve started to settle into my daily routine and look forward to hearing from all of you.

If you have questions, please ask. If you have comments, please leave them. I look forward to sharing stories of the people, their culture, and hopefully many successes.

Until tomorrow…      -bag

Bangladesh

Today was a big day for me and I’m excited to announce that I will be blogging from Dhaka, Bangladesh in the very near future. As a part of the NRECA International Program I will be assisting with a rural electrification project for a year or so. I will be working as a communications consultant and will be traveling in segments of close to a month at a time. I will also continue to serve in my current position at URE by working remotely and at our office when I am in the United States.

 

Dhaka is 11 hours ahead of my home eastern standard time, so please be patient with my DailyBAG posts being slightly ahead or behind normal. I do think that I’ll be posting some unique and exciting comments based on this experience… stay tuned.

 

In the meantime please wish me luck; I’ve got a busy schedule preparing for this opportunity.

 

Until tomorrow…     -bag

The Gambler

Earlier this week, billionaire Warren Buffet made the biggest bet in his acclaimed career: a $44 billion wager on Burlington Northern Santa Fe, a railroad company. Many have rendered an opinion on his unique bid of an antiquated business, so I too will share my thoughts — you nailed it again, Mr. Buffet!

For the past 10 years I’ve preached, but only to a handful of close friends, that I’d love to own a railroad. Having visited Europe and witnessed firsthand the potential of an efficient, well-run railroad system, we’re missing the boat (or in this case the railcar) here in the United States. Notorious for his ability to snatch up deals and put mass amounts of capital to the test, I’m a thrilled share holder. My only regret is that I haven’t accumulated enough B shares to “upgrade” to an A class share. I wish I had prior to the upcoming 50-1 split.

Nonetheless, I’m anxious to see the future of railroads in the United States. The engineer running this locomotive is first class and I look forward to following my small Berkshire railcar from Fort Worth to Omaha.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

Location, location, relocation

I received an exciting phone call from one of my best friends this past week announcing that he was going to be relocating to Chicago for employment. This is the same friend that had a four day bachelor party earlier this year in Chicago – yes, we’re fans of this great American city! Excited that I now had another very affordable housing option in the city (free) I asked how soon he’d know where he and his new bride would choose an exact location; I lobbied for downtown to Lincoln Park. This is also the same friend that has harassed me for living in Marysville my entire life, so he exerted a few more jabs about that before our conversation and my congratulations were finished.

After we hung up the phone I replayed many conversations I’ve had in the past 10 years with friends and colleagues regarding the location of ones home and work. The relationship that the decision of location has on career advancement, work/life balance, educational opportunities, etc. are something that modern society has studied and reported on countless times.

I’ve had numerous conversations with my wife about relocating for a job opportunity, but at this point the right opportunity has never presented itself. We both enjoy our lifestyle, jobs, and family; so we stay. I wouldn’t call myself a townie. We’ve left the borders of Union County, the state of Ohio, and even the bounds of the United States quite a few times, but the question still eerily haunts me; “should we relocate, or are we better off right here”? What do you think? Comments are quite welcome and encouraged every day on this blog.

For now we’ll keep living the dream right here in good ol’ Marysville, Ohio. And we’ll watch the grass grow, too.

Until tomorrow…     -bag