This post marks my internship’s mid-way point. And I almost feel like I am missing something. Despite all the things I’m learning and experiencing, I feel as if I should know something more about Bangladesh. I don’t mean to say that I had presumed that this internship would enable me to really understand Bangladesh. But reflecting on how complex a society Bangladesh is, I’m realizing just how limited my perception is and will remain even upon my departure. I know that three months is a short time, but it still seems strange to think that in six weeks time I will leave Bangladesh with only a glimpse into the country’s history and culture.

It’s strange to note my change in perspective. Having done some reading about Bangladesh before coming, I had felt fairly comfortable discussing what I had been learning with friends or family. I would confidently chatter about the importance of the independence movement or the state of the poverty in the country. And as I received encouraging nods and pensive hmms, I would comfortably settle into the authority being bestowed upon me before I’d even set foot in the country.

I guess what I’m realizing with a little over a month under my belt, is how little I knew then and how little I still know now. In fact, now I feel more unqualified to be sharing my perceptions in fear of unintentionally perpetuating stereotypes, whether negative or not. It is as though anything more than anecdotal stories would be too presumptuous of me to offer when speaking of Bangladesh. It reminds me of when I came home from Rwanda and of my surprise at how little I wanted to talk about my time there. At that time I had thought that it was my inability to capture the significance of my experiences that was stopping me from talking about Rwanda. I’m wondering now if, in both these circumstances, my apprehension also arises from my awareness of how limited my understanding is of both country’s politics and history.

Perhaps I am also anticipating the difficult position I will find myself in when I return home. I’ve found that there is often an expectation that someone who has been abroad for a reasonable amount of time will have gained some expertise on the place they have been. It is the well-meaning questions (which I am surely also guilty of asking) such as “So, what was it liiiike?” that always make me nervous. Here, again, I am in a position where what I say is given weight because I’ve actually lived there. I get uncomfortable with this assumption of my authority because I realize that ways in which I represent my experiences or Bangladesh can significantly affect someone else’s perception of the country. The very exercise of writing this blog puts me, to some extent, in a position of authority on the topic; the blog’s purpose is to offer its readers an insight into Bangladesh (or whichever country another intern may be writing from). We run the same risk in our other various public engagement activities.

Despite these hesitations, I don’t think the solution is to completely avoid talking about Bangladesh. Instead, I need to reflect on ways to share that honour the complexity of the places I go. We can all gain by hearing another person’s perspective on an issue or place. So maybe all I come away from this internship with is a collection of great stories that offer an insight into one piece of Bangladesh. I like stories; just as easily as I can perpetuate stereotypes, I can also use them to enhance, rather than limit, perceptions of the complexity of another place.

Category: Bangladesh, On location // 1 Comment »