here at last!

dear friends,
I have to apologize in advance for the brevity and disorganization of this post. I've been working off an average of 3-4 hours sleep for several days, and just travelled 10,000 miles, so please forgive me for that! anyway, I have arrived in dhaka, and its absolutely great to be here. My bangladeshi host mother cried when I arrived. She always talks to her friends about her "son in America who is studying to be a doctor," without mentioning that I am a 6 foot 3 inch white man and she is less than 5 feet tall and of quite different stock! I asked her is she was so sad to see me, but the joke kinda fell flat!
anyway, I have gotten to see some of the kids as they were on their way to school. They all look great in their little uniforms and backpacks, just brimming with confidence. A lot of them are at the top of their class, and are making great strides. One amazing thing was to see the change in Rozi. Rozi is a girl of about 13 who has been with Basic Needs since the beginning. In 2007, she was this scrawny little girl who helped out around our apartment. Today, I looked at the face of a vibrant young adolescent, with curves and even a bit of fat! Its great to see her develop into such a nice young woman.
Anyway friends, I will depart for now. Meetings, events, and a bit of rest are in the works!
peace,
richard