Another nice day for an airshow disaster

The workshop was tragic. Two days into the 4 days training, I realized that I still didn't know what the training objective was, since all the director had told me was "Make me an adolescent program like your urban project's." I had written the workshop for semi-experienced staff who could engage complicated ideas of participation and community engagement, but the staff had all been hired in the last 3 months or so, and most had not ever taught a class at all. Several of them 'got it' and appreciated the main ideas. The rest were thoroughly confused. Fortunately I have a few more months to work with them, in which to set them on the path of having an adolescent program like the urban project.

While teaching the workshop the country situation exploded. As I headed out my senior colleague told me to bring my passport in the unlikely event that I need to evacuate to India. I laughed. The second day I was out of town, the frequent blockades were compounded by a curfew. The director told me we were leaving the next day to return to Dhaka, an idea I resisted since I had only started teaching. The next day a state of emergency was declared. All blockades were illegal, the press was restricted, but regular life returned to normal. The following day the leader of the caretaker government was replaced, the polls were postponed and the country started on the road to free and fair elections. So I finished my workshop, went back to Dhaka, and didn't use my passport at all.