My canvas: My mother’s land

This summer, after 5 years, my family and I decided it was time to visit our motherland, Bangladesh. I left the country when I was young, so I don’t remember much about it except the city I grew up in. Bangladesh is a small country right next to India (I have been called Indian many times before). It’s full of villages with green farmlands and livestock. During my stay, I went to places I never been to so it was really exciting. I wanted to discuss two places that I visited:

• My grandpa’s village: My mom was raised here with her 5 siblings. We took a speedboat on one of biggest rivers of Bangladesh to get here and it was like a once in a lifetime experience. I got to pet some cows and run with goats during my stay. I noticed how these young kids live without the internet. Their lifestyle is pretty simple and they seem to appreciate that which made me think about how we live in a first world country and aren’t grateful enough of what we already have.

  

  

  

• Sylhet: One of the most beautiful states of Bangladesh. Sylhet isn’t crowded as the main capital, Dhaka, because most people from this place live in foreign countries. I only stayed there for a day but I got to visit most part of it by a car we rented. I visited this tea garden and everywhere you looked you could see green. Sylhet is very well known for its seven-layered tea. We visited a place called Jaflong where the Bangladeshi and Indian borders met. I was kind of scared because border patrol was right above when I got to the near of the border and they were all armed with snipers and rifles. But, Jaflong was a beautiful sight and the water was so clear which you don’t see a lot in Bangladesh.

Going back was a different experience, I felt like a complete tourist. I took a lot pictures (basic, I know). But, I really enjoyed my stay there, especially getting along with my new cousins, seeing my grandpa’s home back in the village, and exploring places that I never been to when I used to live in Bangladesh.