Study tour in Bangladesh

by Ida Bjørn Winther and Julie Jensen, 2d Middelfart Gymnasium and HF Prolog: The destination for the global class at Middelfart Gymnasium and HF was really Ghana, but the ebola epidemic in West Africa meant that the parents in autumn 2014 decided it would be too uncertain. Instead, the school arranged a trip to Bangladesh for the class under the leadership of Filip Engsig-Karup over 14 days in March 2015. During the trip, the class visited the SMS school in Birganj. Two of the students tell about the trip: Our trip to Bangladesh was an experience beyond the usual. At first it was a huge challenge, we should learn a completely different culture, and there was nothing that reminded us of the habit. The city of Dhaka was particularly overwhelming, and it was crowded with people all over. However, it did not take long before we began to feel comfortable in the different surroundings, especially in connection with our visit to Birganj. The people in Bangladesh, especially in the smaller cities, are very talkative and friendly. They are very interested in hearing about us and in addition they are incredibly hospitable. It is an eye opener to be in a country where many have extremely little but still are able to keep up the mood and be happy people.

Mads Hein together with two of the teachers from the SMS school in Birganj. We were all visiting small groups at the different teachers, and it was an experience to see how they live.

We visited school in Birganj, and immediately felt the good atmosphere. Both the students and the teachers were very happy and committed, everyone here was eager to talk and tell. Therefore, it is also clear that the work the school is doing is extremely important because if the children did not learn English, we would not be able to communicate, as Bangla is so far from our Danish language. Bangladesh was an incredibly exciting experience, but at the same time it was also very educational, and the trip really put things in perspective. It was an experience we would not have been in addition to.

We were visiting all classes, and the students were courteous and I traveled when we stepped into the class while they cried “Good morning” in the choir. Here are Bo, Jacob, Malte and Jens together with one of the classes at the school in Birganj.