LIFE AS IT IS

When I found out I was expecting, I was both excited and anxious. I was excited for obvious reasons but I was anxious because like all other mothers, I too wanted a healthy baby and feared for my baby’s health. From the very first day, I read as much as I could about babies and pregnancy. I took time to go to the local public library to borrow books about babies. Certain things in life are inevitable but there are some things that every expectant mother can do to have a healthy pregnancy. I walked. I walked every day. On days when I could not go outdoors, I walked inside our apartment. I would turn some music on and walk for at least 30 minutes. I even managed to walk about half a mile three days before my daughter was born. Walking during pregnancy is not only a good cardiovascular exercise but it is the only kind of exercise that you can do throughout your pregnancy. But don’t overstretch or exhaust yourself. Walk as much as your body can handle. I kept myself hydrated. I neve...

When she sleeps in my lap, I gaze at her. I gaze at her because I still find it hard to believe that I carried her for nine months. I touch her soft hair, her tiny fingers and toes, I pull her little round nose, I squeeze her cheeks and gently massage her arms. No, nothing wakes her up. She squirms for a few seconds but does not become fully awake. She perhaps knows that she is in a place that is as safe as it can be. The pain was harrowing, nothing I ever felt before. The twenty-three hours of labour seemed like twenty-three days of suffering. Her back was against my back when her back should have been against my belly. The result? Back-breaking labour. Yes, I had back labour, which is far more painful than normal labour. I thought I would pass out. A few times I thought I would die giving birth to my daughter. In spite of everything it was the first time in my life I thought I was strong. I always had an idea that I was physically weak but the birth of Wareesha just blew that idea ...

The aroma of dates, haleem and fried food is missing in the air, so is missing the ambience of Ramadan, but life goes on -- we fast like we did back in Dhaka. Many of us still prepare chola, peyaju, beguni and sherbet for iftar but many of us  don't. We drag our drowsy selves from beds to eat the early morning meal, but it does not feel like observing Ramadan in Dhaka. Fasting in a foreign country is a different experience altogether. We fast for almost 17 hours here in Minnesota. Being without food and drink for 17 hours is not easy but our bodies have somehow adapted well to the rituals of Ramadan here. Ramadan is so different away from home. A working man or woman does not have the luxury of going to work at 9 a.m. in the morning. He or she cannot leave work early either.  Sabina (not her real name), who works at a McDonald's store in Brooklyn, New York, starts her shift at 6 o'clock in the morning. "I eat a little something for sehr...

Friend, really? I  sometimes feel that I have too many friends but too few 'true' friends. Facebook has given me more 'friends' than I will ever need in a lifetime. The word 'friend' has always carried a very special meaning for me. So growing up, when people asked me to name my friends, I could never name more than five or six. A look at my friends list will therefore take people by surprise -- some 380 plus names already grace the list! 380 is not too large a number if compared to those who have a couple of thousand friends on their lists. Their list could as well be called a fan page because my human mind cannot grasp the idea of one person having 2,000 'friends.' As said earlier, the word 'friend' has always carried a very special meaning for me. But today, anyone and everyone can be a friend. Your boss, a former colleague, a guy who you took just one class with in college, a girl to whom you hardly spoke in class, a friend's frie...

It was my fourth time in Chicago, the windy city. One might wonder what makes me go back to this particular metropolis time and again. The answer is: it's a magnificent place that boasts racial and cultural diversity, shopping places, restaurants and a breathtaking skyline along with its many other attractions. Famous for its architectural grandeur, Chicago, in the State of Illinois, has skyscrapers that leave tourists awestruck. Once home to the world's tallest building, the 108-storey Sears Tower (now known as Willis Tower), draws millions of visitors every year. Many associate Sears Tower with notable Bangladeshi-American Fazlur Rahman Khan, who was the structural engineer behind this architectural wonder. Chicago's John Hancock Center, a 100-storey building, also boasts the structural engineering feat of F. R. Khan. So, if you are ever in this vibrant city, you may consider standing on Sears Tower's sky-deck to enjoy a panoramic view...

I wrongfully thought that my business with maps was over on my last day of eighth grade. I thought that I would not have to deal with maps again unless I accidentally agreed to teach geography to a middle school child. Oh well, but what one thinks for the future does not always come true therefore, today I look at the U.S. map every time I decide to find a new restaurant, mall, hotel, clinic, salon, tourist spot, bank, pharmacy, in short, almost any establishment. Now, I often say, "What would I do without Google Maps or a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit?" The age of technology has made living in a foreign land so much easier - the Google Maps application on my phone almost on a regular basis helps me find myself in downtown Minneapolis, MN. For someone whose sense of direction is rather deplorable, finding her way in a new city is only possible with a map. Street numbers are often just random numbers to me, for I also need pictures of buildings and streets to assure m...