Exploring Bangladesh: “When the School Bell Rings”

by Saeeda Zaman

Read the introduction about Saeeda’s Bangladesh series first!

They stepped in with their muddied feet and dripping hair. You could see nothing but smiles as you scanned the room.

There are only two things I would trudge through murky puddles without proper equipment for – Brad Pitt and if someone told me they’d give me access to Netflix in this country where it doesn’t exist. Hoping to find one of these two, I looked around only to see that all there was is education. Then again, all there needs to be is education.

The electricity was out because of the storm and the woven roof was leaking in some areas. But no one paid any attention as they splashed past the water, that had accumulated in the middle of the class, to their seat. I’m trying to use descriptive vernacular to help you visualize what I saw, but the students would use none of my words.

To them, this was school. Leaky roofs are nothing to take note of, there’s muddy water at home too, and when is there electricity? At the end of the day, they had their uniforms, their notebooks, their teacher, and each other. It was time to learn. The school bell rings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_FpazmYVWY

Saeeda Zaman is from Chicago, Illinois. She is attending Purdue University and is a globetrotter. She recently went to Bangladesh last summer for an internship, to explore her roots and understand how people actually live.