Bowman in Bangladesh

Bowman on Bishwa Ijtema

2012-01-24T23:24:00.002-05:00

I can't claim to completely understand this pilgrimage, but I've observed little bits of it over the last two years, and find it quite sobering and interesting. Bishwa Ijtema is a prayer journey with its destination quite close to where I live in Dhaka. In the last few years, about five million men have attended, and the only larger Muslim pilgrimage is the Hajj to Mecca. Now, here's where I get a little confused. Some say it is a three-day event, but I know that it affected traffic in Dhaka for about a week, especially on the two most recent Thursdays, so I'm pretty sure it lasted a week. However long it took, it involved millions of men spending money and time to pray to someone who can't help them. I hope that some sensed tuggings on their hearts from the real God who created and loves them. Wouldn't it be great if trains were packed like this for a great big multi-lingual worship service next year?

one image of transportation for the Bishwa Ijtema

Bowman at the Bucks

2012-01-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

This one is mostly for Most Exalted Grandfather. I don't think I've told him yet that one of my new words in Australia was learned at the Starbucks my parents found in Melbourne. "Coffee!"

Bowman in the Bush

2012-01-18T04:30:00.001-05:00

One of the greatest parts of being in Australia was all of the walking and running I got to do as we explored the country.

We walked on a few different sections of the Great Ocean Trail, which ran right by the coast and was beautiful.

My favorite hike took us to a waterfall where Dad taught me all about choosing the best rocks to throw in the river. We spent a lot of time together making sure we had the right ones, and that rest made it so I could walk the whole way back to our car, which Mom said was more than a mile.

Of course, when we were out in the Australian bush, we did get to see a huge group of koalas.

All of that walking did tire me out many days, but it was OK to just plop down in the green grass and enjoy the fresh air and animal sounds in the Australian countryside.

Bowman Unties Bows, or Merry Christmas 2011

2012-01-12T20:48:00.001-05:00

Since I'd spent the whole Thanksgiving through December season in a Muslim country not hearing Christmas music or seeing nativity scenes or decorated trees in all of the stores, I wanted to take full advantage of all the Christmas activities I could in Melbourne. Mom, Dad and I spent lots of time walking through the city looking for red and green displays and checking the radio for Christmas stations.

I especially enjoyed the virtual Christmas story displayed downtown.

We also took in the Myer Christmas windows one morning.

Of course, on Christmas day I got to enjoy unwrapping exciting presents with Great Aunt Margi, Great Uncle Peter and my parents. I said "hep you" to everyone who got a present, and in that manner got to help unwrap almost every present, not just my own. One of my favorites was an Australia Rugby ball that was supposed to be for dad.

I have to say, though, that the most special part of my Christmas day took place that morning when Mom worked on a batch of eggnog and a stack of crepes while Dad got out all the berries we'd picked the day before and they let me help to read the Christmas story before church.

I know I can't understand everything about Christmas yet, but I do think it's pretty neat that God would choose to leave his perfect heaven and be born in our very imperfect world to help us learn how to live and eventually die so that I can be forgiven for all the ways I mess up each day.

Bowman in the Berry Brambles, or Merry Christmas Eve

2012-01-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

Mom had one of her favorite Christmas Eves this year, and I enjoyed the mess we got to make helping her enjoy it. On our way back from the Great Ocean Road adventure that Aunt Margi sent us on, we found a pick-your-own berry patch and decided to stop (even though I'd just fallen asleep and only napped 10 minutes that day as a result of the stop).

This place grew all kinds of blackberries, delicious raspberries and (my favorite) not-quite-ripe strawberries. I loved carrying the plastic bucket, but Mom insisted on taking over when I swung it so much I started to make berry juice. That's when Dad and I headed for the strawberries.

Did you know you can eat as many berries as you want while you're out there picking?

I think we did pretty well, and the Devonshire Tea we enjoyed afterward was a perfect summer treat. Hooray for Christmas Eve south of the Equator!

Bowman at the Beach

2012-01-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

During our time in Australia, I got to visit at least six different beaches, including Uncle Peter and Aunt Margi's favorite one on the Mornington Peninsula.

I looked really cool whenever we went to the beach, due in large part to some of the fun sand toys and sunwear I got as early Christmas presents from Aunt Margi.

But in reality I was quite terrified by the wind and loud waves at most beaches. Any time we got close to the water, I headed the other direction, and felt safest the time Dad tucked me in to the sand so I felt like I wouldn't blow or wash away.

I did, however, enjoy the many beach-related activities we did. For instance, generous Aunt Margi allowed us to borrow a car and found us places to stay along the famous Great Ocean Road for three nights, and I loved that trip and eating and staying in view of the ocean, as long as I didn't have to go into it. Check out where we ate our breakfasts on the deck of our first hotel room!

I also thought it was pretty cool to see The Twelve Apostles. They're eroding about a centimeter a year, I heard, so there might not be too many years left to see them.

Bowman Celebrates Christmas Down Under

2012-01-08T00:34:00.000-05:00

How lucky am I to have a great (in many ways) aunt and uncle in Melbourne, Australia? Dad's Aunt Margi and Uncle Peter live there, and they were incredibly generous and hospitable in having us visit them for almost three weeks over the Christmas holidays.

There will be more details soon, but I spent most of my time enjoying lush, green grass; eating things like ham and bread with real grains in it and lots of cheese; and swinging in playgrounds. How nice to be in a beautiful climate with welcoming family and space to play.

I loved Australia!

Bowman Beds Down in Kuala Lumpur

2012-01-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I have loads and loads to tell you about from the past wonderful three weeks, but I'm just checking in quickly from Malaysia right now. Mom, Dad and I are on a twelve-hour layover, which we were all dreading a little, but are really thankful for right now. Our airline included a voucher for a hotel, and while I'm not promising to sleep while we're here, it's giving me a chance to run in circles all I want. Plus, I got another stamp in my passport because we had to go through customs to get here (even though it's attached to the airport). When I got the passport at two months of age, I had twenty visa pages to fill in. I now only have ten left, and I'm twenty months old. Dad's jealous of me for once.

Do be forewarned that if you visit Malaysia, there are very serious penalties for breaking the law. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about this one, but try to read the red warning printed on the disembarkation and embarkation cards you get on flights into Kuala Lumpur.

"BE FOREWARNED DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS UNDER MALAYSIAN LAW"

Bowman Gets Into Basketball

2011-12-17T02:29:00.000-05:00

I've gotten much more serious about my sports enthusiasm this year. Last year when we would go to Dad's games, I usually napped or just wanted to play at a park. This year, I watch at least five minutes of every game, and I've really been enjoying the basketball lately.

Last weekend, he coached his middle school girls to a championship in a tournament with eight teams. What fun to see them enjoying that. They've worked hard with Dad and another coach who has been a great help to him this past year.

Bowman and the Barber

2011-12-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

I have a big, important trip coming up that I'm sure you'll see pictures of in a few weeks. In order to get ready for the trip, Mom thought it would be a good idea for Dad and me to get haircuts, so we walked to Dad's regular barber.

I waited patiently as long as the champa kolas (small, sweet bananas) lasted.

By the time our whole family squeezed into the eight by eight foot shop with at least four other haircuts happening at the same time, I was pretty tired out, and remained mellow, if not very happy, throughout the process. The barber asked, "Number two, Number three?" and didn't say anything else the whole time, but was very thorough.

I enjoyed comparing the textures of Mom's, Dad's and my heads during the rickshaw ride home and took a good nap after rinsing all that fine, blond hair off in the tub.

Shopping in Color

2011-12-14T02:54:00.000-05:00

Doing our shopping has continued to get more and more interesting as I learn more about Dhaka. For instance, last year we rarely used the market closest to Dad's school because it is a little farther away from home than a few others. However, we've learned slowly that it is a great place to get almost anything we need, kind of like having Target here in Dhaka. (Did I tell you how much fun I had shopping at Target and Wal Mart this summer? There are entire aisles of different kinds of cereal and balls in every size I could imagine!) When we go to the Gulshan 1 Market here, we first pass the fresh flower department, and are soon in the plastic fruits and flower area.

Depending on the gate we choose to get into the covered part of the market, we end up in either produce, cleaning products, tailoring or furniture on the first floor. If we take the stairs to the second floor, we find all kinds of wholesalers with closet-sized stalls stocked with things like fake Hershey's cocoa, sesame oil and toothpaste tubes labeled in Arabic.

Back on the first floor, once we pass the shrink wrapped furniture, we enter the cleaning supplies that lead to the fresh fruit sections. This man was eager to sell us more tupperware.

What we were after that day was mostly at our favorite vegetable stall, though. The man here sits on top of his vegetable pyramid and rattles off prices while his employees weigh everything out in kilograms and try to upsell tomatoes and pumpkins.

For 260 taka, about $3.50 US, we took home Chinese cabbage, broccoli, beets, zucchini, lemons, cucumbers and clementines. Mom's only convinced me to eat the clementines so far, but I do like the colors while we're out shopping and she's washing and soaking them in purified water.

Bowman Carols in Bangladesh

2011-12-13T21:03:00.001-05:00

In Muslim Dhaka, caroling is a bit unconventional, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of it this December. Last Saturday, our family joined a caravan of eight flatbed rickshaws (that usually transport things like baskets of chickens, industrial size vents or 12-foot rebar for construction sites and even hundreds of eggs). This time, we filled them up with expatriate families who wanted to share a little Christmas spirit. We sang as our drivers cycled through the streets, and stopped at three decorated houses to sing by their Christmas trees and even eat some of their cookies. (Guess which part of that was my favorite!)

Then, on Monday night, our building was visited by members of a local church who wanted to share Bangladeshi caroling. I'm sorry that this video isn't the greatest, but I just want you to get to see what we saw. The following took place in the parking garage of our building and lasted for about half an hour. Afterward, our neighbors invited everyone over for tea and we share Swedish spritz cookies that I helped decorate with our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters.

I was pretty shy at first, but I got my groove on with Mom after the first song as we were pulled into the dancing circle behind our friend.

Merry Bangladeshi Christmas season, everyone!

Tradition

2011-12-11T02:36:00.001-05:00

I think I mentioned traditions in my post about eggnog and my new brother or sister. Well, one tradition Mom and Dad are trying out is to have me make an ornament every December. This year, Mom bought wooden trees for me to paint.

She borrowed old brushes and washable paint from an art teacher friend, and she and Dad put me in the bath with a diaper on, the ornaments, the brushes and the paints. I sort of liked it. Mostly, I wanted to put the brushes in the water cup and watch the water change color.

With a little help making the whole thing green, here's my finished product for the 2011 Christmas season. What do you think?

No Egg Nog This Year

2011-12-06T21:19:00.001-05:00

Am I allowed to have traditions after only one Christmas? Well, I do. After Thanksgiving, we're supposed to put up Christmas decorations and drink Mormor's homemade egg nog. Well, not this year. We're not having the egg nog this year because eggs come on carts like that one above, often with feathers and other residue from the egg farms still attached, and they're usually sold next to the meat department.

Mom says she knows she risked it last year, but this year she wants to be even more careful.

She says that's because of what's in her belly, and because she says eventually I'll get a little brother or sister out of the deal, I said that it was all right to skip the egg nog and just eat homemade cookies while we watched our Christmas movie this year.

Turn Taking in Dhaka

2011-11-27T06:29:00.001-05:00

I go to the park a lot. You might haveguessed that by how much I glob about it. Well, that's normal for kids,isn't it? Is it also normal to constantly have other people watch you atthe park? And for lines for theslides to always be at least six deep?

When I want to slide, I have to be ready to beaggressive to get my chance. I also have to be willing to let strangershelp me at the end of the slide and know that someone is pretty much alwaysvideo taping me, usually on their phone. This time, it happened to beMom, so it was no big deal.

When Bowman Wakes at Night

2011-11-05T06:52:00.001-04:00

Mom and Dad have been losing some sleep lately. Mom tried to explain the whole thing to me. She told me about how all parents worry when their toddlers wake up crying. Most immediately wonder if he or she has an earache or is teething, try to diagnose the problem as one of those two options, and address it with Tylenol or Orajel.

She said when I wake up really upset at night, she thinks of the normal possibilities, and then keeps on going with a whole list of questions she must ask because we live in Bangladesh.

Did she forget to put the mosquito net down, and might I be getting bites?
Did the power just go off? I could be upset because the fan turned off and it's getting hot.
Did the generator just turn on? I could be upset because it is right below my room and really loud.
Did the power just come back on? And, if so, did she forget to switch off one of the lights, so I'm suddenly floodlighted?
Did I get my hands in my mouth after playing outside without getting them washed? If so, do I have worms?

Anyway, I'm sorry that I've woken up so upset and been awake for a couple of hours the last two nights, Mom and Dad. I am trying to sleep, and I appreciate that you're trying to help me sleep. As soon as I have more words, I'll try to articulate my symptoms more clearly.

Bowman Grooves to the Music

2011-10-31T21:11:00.001-04:00

I borrowed my neighbor's iPod the other day. Check out my moves.

Bowman Tells Second-Hand about Everest Base Camp

2011-10-30T06:05:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, my Dad recently returned from a trip he organized for six of the senior students at his school. He's been working on the trip since last spring, and the boys have been training with Dad and their other leader, Mr. Ian, since August. On October 7, they finally flew from Dhaka to Kathmandu, where they bought the last warm layers they needed, and then flew on this plane to Lukla. The plane held 20 people.

When they got to Lukla on October 9, they started trekking right away. While their loads weren't as heavy as this woman's

they did appreciate the breaks they had during their 13 days of trekking

and the meals they had at teahouses like the one where this Nepali girl kissed the picture of me that Mom had snuck into Dad's bag.

Most of all, though, they appreciated the views they saw of the tallest mountains in the world.

Look! We see Mount Everest!

Each day they hiked, they got "farther up and further in" to the mountains, as C.S. Lewis would say, until they made it to 17,598 feet and Everest Base Camp on October 16.

It was actually the next day, after a cold night in one of these tents, that Dad said he had the greatest day, though. On the morning of October 17, the whole team got up at 5AM and trekked up to the top of Kala Pattar Mountain at 18,200 feet to see the sun rise over Mount Everest.

I know I've said this before, but I do think my dad is pretty cool. How many people have done what he did? And how many have taken their students from zero feet of elevation all the way up there with them? I hope they learned some lifelong lessons about challenging themselves and about God's incredible creation.

My Dad is Amazing!

2011-10-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

Dad's home! He got home on Saturday evening (only three hours later than he was supposed to), and I was super excited to see him. Mom let me stay up almost an hour late to meet him. Hooray for Dad being around!

Mom and I missed him for 16 days while he took a group of students to Everest Base Camp. Obviously, I'm going to have to write more about this later, but his pictures and stories are pretty exciting, and I think he's amazing for taking those 15- and 16-year old students from 10 feet above sea level to 18,000 feet above sea level after two and a half months of stair training, pool workouts and long runs. I hope I can keep up with him pretty soon. He says he thinks I can make the trek when I'm about eight.

Bowman's First Pet

2011-10-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

Hey, Mom! Come quick! Look what we caught in the tub last night.

You know how you're kind of annoying about making us keep the tub plugged at night so no cockroaches climb up the drain? Well, this one must have fallen in and is stuck.

I know he's not all that big and impressive compared to a lot of them, but he's the only one who will stay in one place long enough for me to watch him. Let's call him Guy since that's what I call all animals.

Can we keep him, pleeeeease?

Bowman Acts American

2011-10-19T04:10:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while, even a world-traveling toddler wants to act American. Mom found out at the end of last year that the A&W (not a fake imitation, but almost the real thing, at least as far as the root beer goes) close to Dad's school has a ball pit. Then, this year, the school started letting teachers use one of the busses on Saturdays, as long as they sign up early enough. She tries to take me somewhere we can't easily walk to every Saturday after my nap, and twice now, I've gone to A&W. I'm not the hugest fan of the strange foam on the float she buys so they'll let us stay there, but I do love the little play area!

Bowman Takes a Dip

2011-10-14T04:09:00.000-04:00

To kick off the month of October, some of the board members from Dad's school invited us to go on a boat ride.

OK, so the boat didn't look exactly like the one carrying bricks above. In fact, it was one of the same ones we took last year with the same generous board members. Here's one of the shots we got boarding the boat a year ago. Isn't festive looking?

The trip was much the same as last year - a lazy hour down the river, a break for our picnic lunch, and another hour back. Although, this year, there was a lot more rain and huddling in the middle of the boat on the way back. The highlight this time around was a dip in the water. On our boat, there were some students who decided to take a swim at lunch time. Of course, their swimming coach was not to be outdone, so Dad also decided to jump in. And if Dad's doing it, you know I want to do it, too!

There were quite a few spectators on both boats, and, of course on shore who thought the idea of bideshis (foreigners) jumping in their river quite interesting.

I was also a bit baffled by the whole experience. But, who doesn't love the chance to take off all one's clothes on a hot monsoon day? (Don't worry, I was the only one who took off all of my clothes. The other swimmers kept things much more decent.)

Right now, writing this is making me miss Dad quite a bit. He's in Nepal, working his way up to Everest Base Camp with six students and one other leader. How cool is that? Sunday, October 16, is the day they're supposed to get up to Base Camp.

Bowman Gets Verbal

2011-10-11T04:04:00.000-04:00

I have to say that part of the reason I've been a bad blogger lately is that I'm so enjoying my new verbal skills that simple words on a page, or screen, aren't all that exciting to me anymore. My day usually starts with an "Upees," which means I want to get out of my crib and get going. It's short for "Up, please" that Grandpa worked hard to teach me this summer.

As soon as Mom gets me out of the crib, I usually say "go" "shooz" or "out," which all mean, "Let's get out of this apartment and explore."

Another of my favorite words is "wok" (walk) which I'm starting to combine into a phrase I use often, "go wok."

I also have words for lots of the things I like to do and put in my mouth, like "buk" (book) and the rhyming "muk" (milk). I've learned that combining these words with assertive body language. Like, if I say "eeet" and climb into my chair, it means I want a meal. If grab an empty bottle and head for the fridge when I say "muk," I'm much more likely to get what I want sooner. What fun it is to be starting to communicate!

Bowman's Been a Bad Blogger

2011-09-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I've been sort of negligent lately. I'll explain later why that is. For now, I was in an earthquake during dinner the other night. A friend of mine, who's always great about sharing his iPod with me when we are on the bus together, wrote a wise blog about it. Check it out. He's much more eloquent on his blog than I am. Maybe as I get older I can write more like him.

Bowman Has Two Close Calls

2011-09-16T04:20:00.000-04:00

One: I was almost in a rickshaw accident. In her hurry to get a cup of coffee, Mom tried to cross the divided Pragati Sharani Road without looking the way the way that traffic was not coming. She waited for all of the big buses to go by and then started walking, with me in tow. She failed to notice the rickshaw barreling toward us against traffic, and I was grazed. I was fine, just a little scared, until I got to the toys inside the coffee shop.

Two: I was almost in an electrical fire. The other night when I woke up just after midnight, as I do most nights, Mom had pity on me because I had been sick for about a week. Upon entering my room, she went first to the lamp to turn it on, but as she bumped the cord, there was a huge pop and what looked like a giant firecracker exploding in my room. The cord for the lamp just burnt in two! I'm glad she hadn't picked me up yet.

Now, the craziest thing about that is that when the electrician came to fix the outlets in my room (none of which worked after the firecracker explosion), he immediately stuck a screwdriver in the first socket. Mom and Dad have spent a lot of time trying to get me not to stick anything in those sockets, so I was pretty surprised to see that. He did get everything working again, including the offending lamp, which has a new cord.

Bowman Wraps Up an Amazing Summer

2011-09-01T01:02:00.001-04:00

All in all, with the abundant family time

Cousin Stimson shares his bike, and makes sure I'm safe.

a morning walk in Show Low, Arizona

Great Grandma Lue gives me Christmas presents made in Bangladesh

I couldn't get enough of Grandpa's lap at the cabin.

good coffee,

Mormor shares Most Exalted Grandfather's morning coffee with me before I even have my pajamas off

and exciting new experiences,

You have to talk to Gramps, but I think the story behind this involves a missionary in Ecuador, a taxidermist who does work for movie sets, and my Great-Grandpa Carlson.

Cousin Jesse introduced me to the joys of a garden hose.

I had a great summer.

It was, actually, pretty hard to say goodbye to everyone and everything that made up my summer 2011. But, I know Dad has a job that lets him love and train his students well, and Mom can focus more on me when we are in Dhaka, so I got on that plane on August 1 and spent 30 hours in jets and airports, and am settled in for another ten months in Bangladesh. I hope I have more interesting people and life lessons to share with you soon!

one last evening of bocce ball

Bowman at the ________________ (name yet to be determined) Cabin

2011-08-30T12:39:00.000-04:00

I'm going to tell you about one last Glacier-related highlight of the summer, and then I promise to move on from Montana for a bit. Now, whenever I can get to Montana, I have a place to stay just seven minutes from the West Glacier entrance station. Mormor and Most Exalted Grandfather have a home there, and I have a key. (OK, let's be honest. Mom has the key in her purse, but I know where that is!)

I loved getting to spend time there and to see some of the work they're putting into it. One of my favorites was the new post that Grandpa sanded. Isn't it cool looking? That's right in the middle of their living room. For a bit more of the story behind the cabin (which will have a name, but doesn't yet), check out this article.

Bowman Backpacks in Glacier, the Second Edition

2011-08-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

Since I had already been in Glacier for almost ten days without even getting a backpacking permit, I made Dad and Grandpa head into the Apgar Backcountry office to check out the situation. Unfortunately, the epic snow of last winter was keeping many sites closed later in the season and making the sites that were open fill up really fast. So, we went out on a limb and decided to spend a night at Akokala Lake. This backpacking trip started out at Bowman Lake, which I didn't mind one bit. (Mom's started a photo album on the computer called "Bowman at Bowman Lake" with the picture of me there in 2010 and the one above from this year. How silly she is.)

Like last year, I got to take this backpacking trip with my Davidson grandparents, who were troopers hiking in the hot, hot weather that greeted us on our first day.

We were quite impressed by the actual campsites at the lake, and my parents took full advantage of the proximity of the tent site to the outlet of the lake to jump right in and cool down after the hike. That night, I took full advantage of the beautiful area by refusing to go to sleep and wandering all around the campground and along the lake. It's a good thing we were the only ones there since I didn't go to bed until after ten and then was up quite a bit in the night, not wanting to miss any cool stars or creepy animals. Thankfully, Mom and Dad did get a little sleep even though I was between them and both of their air mattresses leaked after a year without use. I just slept my way to the Polebridge Mercantile and yummy pastries the next day while they carried me.

Well, I feel about like that right now, so I'm going to wrap this up. For those of you just itching for more, check out this video that my mormor put together.

Bowman Brags about His Grandparents

2011-08-28T06:09:00.000-04:00

I just have to take this post to tell you how amazing both sets of my grandparents are. This past summer, Nana and Gramps (whose knee was injured) took me all the way up to Shangri-La in the Many Glacier Valley of Glacier National Park. The first picture is our picnic spot.

I'm probably the only one-year-old to have been to this beautiful spot with both sets of grandparents. Compare the picture of me flying there (above) with the one of me flying there last year when my Davidson grandparents went to the same incredible place with me. How lucky am I?

About a week after Shangri-La 2011, Most Exalted Grandfather, Mormor and our family went to Snow Moon Basin, also out of the Many Glacier area. What a crazy hike. Now, before you enjoy this last picture, please realize that both of these hikes were almost completely off-trail and involved either traversing around tree roots barely clinging to cliffs or scrambling and climbing up serious scree. I really am just so amazed by my grandparents! Aren't you?

Monsoon Season

2011-08-27T04:11:00.001-04:00

Don't worry. I will post at least one more Glacier post before letting go of my wonderful summer, but I wanted you to know what Dhaka is like right now for a 16-month-old. We've been back for a little over three weeks now.

Now, based on any one of my recent summer posts, you know that I spent A LOT of time outside last July. Whether it was in the pool, Peavy Lake, throwing rocks, picking wild strawberries or hiking through snow, I made sure to enjoy the fresh air. (Sometimes I had to do a bit of whining at the door, but eventually someone opened it for me every time.)

When you live in Bangladesh, Mom says, going outside isn't always possible. Our building is a six-story apartment building with a parking garage on the ground floor and more apartment buildings for at least two blocks in any direction. There's about a foot and a half of concrete between each building. The street I live on is relatively calm, which means only about three cars come down it every minute, and six or so rickshaws. One building over, though, is the main road through our neighborhood with almost non-stop traffic. Mom doesn't like me doing a whole lot of running out there without holding her hand, and she's too slow for me.

Furthermore, my newest word is "rain" because at least every other day now that's what I see when I go to the window in the morning. In fact, I now say "rain" every time I go to the window, because that seems to be what Mom's telling me whenever I want to look outside.

Still, I do make sure that Mom takes me to the park a few blocks down at least once a day. I've convinced her that even if it is raining, she can just hose me off in the shower when we get home and I'll be just fine. So, check out this video to see what I do at least once a day during this rainy season in Bangladesh.

A few notes:

There is green grass at the park during monsoon season. Praise Jesus.
Mornings are the slow time at the park, which is why you don't see too many people. Do notice that there is still a full-fledged cricket game going. There is always a cricket game going there, usually on the basketball court.
The man staring at me in the background is normal. Usually he would have company. Later, he picked me up.
The men doing heavy labor (breaking up concrete with picks) in lungis (wrap-around skirts) are also normal. They also stopped to watch me when I ventured closer.

Bowman Ditches His Parents

2011-08-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

I guess I have to admit that I'm not ready for every hike in Glacier yet. Rather than sleep through some of the good stuff, I told Mom and Dad that they should do a few hikes without me and show me the pictures later. Really, I wanted Mormor and Most Exalted Grandfather to spoil me. After all, when I stayed with Nana and Gramps while my parents climbed a mountain, I got Oreos out of the deal!

One day, Grandpa and I dropped Mom and Dad off at the hikers' shuttle stop in Apgar and they headed up to a very cloudy trailhead at the Loop. They said it didn't clear up much at all by the time they reached Granite Park Chalet four miles later, and as they continued on to the Swiftcurrent Lookout through the clouds, hail started falling on them. Not wanting to waste their day with free babysitters, they did the whole hike, but only saw fleeting glimpses of the Many Glacier Valley and Fifty Mountain area. Check out the lookout tower below. That's Mom trying to stay warm in the bottom left.

As they finished the hike, the clouds did begin to lift, and they saw some great views of Heavens Peak and the surrounding areas.

A few days later, I ditched Mom and Dad once again. Together with Mormor and Grandpa we all started hiking from the Siyeh Bend trailhead, but soon Mom and Dad headed off one way to climb Siyeh while I stuck with the fun group. Later, Mom and Dad told me they were in really cold wind for most of their climb and that when they got to the top they had to turn right back around to stay warm and keep from being blown over the 4,000 foot drop off toward Cracker Lake. Mom was still pretty happy to finally make it to the top of her first 10,000 foot Glacier mountain, though!

Don't think they had all the fun, though. I loved my time with my Davidson grandparents

and Piegan Pass was a pretty great destination, too!

Bowman on the West Side

2011-08-24T04:27:00.001-04:00

From Many Glacier we got to move on to Apgar Campground on the west side of Glacier National Park. While there aren't nearly as many hikes from there, Mom always has a little extra bounce in her step when we get to the west side. That's where she spent most of her two summers working in the Park, first at Lake McDonald and then in Apgar Village, and that's where she met my dad.

I was happy to get to the west side because it meant meeting up with cousin Stimson and his parents again. Poor Uncle Brad had to do some work, so we hadn't seen them for a little bit. It's so much more exciting chasing around a kid than those boring parents of mine.

We also met up with Mormor and Most Exalted Grandfather over on this side. How fun to do a hike with almost all of my family! Now, we weren't quite fast enough to keep up with Stimson's family, but we did get to see them for lunch. And we obviously missed Andy, Lisa, Cedar, Angie and Seth, but our time going up to Apgar lookout was still full of great conversation (right, Mormor and Nana?), a good nap for me, and anticipation of yummy picnic food. Have I told you yet how much I love all four of my grandparents?

From Apgar campground we also finally made it up to Logan Pass, which had barely opened (even though it was mid-July) due to all the snow last winter. Dad took advantage of his snazzy skis to walk up and ski down part of Clements, and then he let me try out his boots.

Someday, I'll be as cool as he is.

Bowman Camps at Many Glacier

2011-08-23T00:36:00.000-04:00

When we moved the pop-up and the rest of our camping gear from Two Medicine to Many Glacier, I started to learn how to really enjoy camping. It seems the key is to work hard at making fires, grilling good food, hiking and fishing and then to really feel you've earned those campchair moments and mid-day naps. Those Carlsons sure do tire me out! I had fun borrowing Gramps's chair and took opportunities to fall asleep while hiking with Gramps and Nana.

I didn't sleep through all the fun, though. I enjoyed throwing rocks in Red Rock Lake, picnicking between the pond in the next picture and still-frozen Iceberg Lake, and the other epic hike I'll have to tell you about in the next post. For now, please notice a few aspects of the picture below. First, look behind Dad and me to the left. Do you see that snowy, tree-dotted area just behind the pond?

Well, that's where we saw this mama bear and her three cubs halfway through our lunch! You'll have to look closely in the next picture, but they are there, and they looked a lot bigger when I was watching them from just across the pond. Just pretend it's like a Where's Waldo game, only the target is potentially more dangerous.

Now, go back and look at the picture of Dad and me. The mountain on the far right is Mount Henkel. The day after our Iceberg Lake hike with Nana and Gramps, Mom and Dad ditched the rest of us and climbed that mountain. (Don't worry, Nana and Gramps still took me to see a pretty cool waterfall, and I think eating Oreos with them is quite a treat.) It was a cloudy day, but that makes the pictures they did get as the wind blew clouds around the peak even cooler. There's just so much to do and see in that Many Glacier valley.

Bowman Blows Away at Two Medicine

2011-08-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well, if you've read my blogs for long now, you know that I love Glacier National Park, Montana. I'm super thankful for the almost three weeks I got to spend there this last summer.

Nana, Gramps, Dad, Mom and I drove the spacious van from Grove City, Minnesota to Two Medicine, Glacier, Montana in two and a half days. They took longer than usual because I kept making them stop for picnics and Gramps wanted to stop and pick daisies in North Dakota. Oh, boy, was I happy to get to the Two Medicine campground, even though it was so windy Mom had to put most of my layers on right away. I immediately started excavating the stones in the tent camping site while the men set up camp and Nana made friends with the neighbors. Soon, Uncle Brad, Aunt Katy and Cousin Stimson joined us, and then things got even more fun. Stimson even built a city with a swimming pool where I had started digging!

The next day, we started our hiking for the summer with a trip to Rockwell Falls and Two Medicine Pass. The day was gorgeous and it was really fun to be hiking with my Carlson Grandparents

and Davidson Grandpa. Mormor couldn't hike with us because she was still working, but we included her in a picture because we wished she was there.

Let me tell you, that hike was pretty snowy for a few miles, but that made the views even more rewarding and the chance I got to hike down the trail out of my carrier for once even more fun. I can't wait to get back there in ten months or so!

Bowman at Peavy Lake

2011-08-19T04:05:00.000-04:00

After Seattle, my summer of fun continued in Minnesota. After a rough flight with Nana, Gramps, Mom and Dad, we arrived in the Twin Cities and then had a couple of days in Grove City. I learned to really like dogs, or "guys" as I call them, with Bruin and the neighbor dogs, and I've carried that love of dogs with me even back to Dhaka, where Mom won't let me touch a single one. She says something about rabies and strays and no collars whenever I run after them.

Anyway, there was lots to explore in Grove City, including Carlson Meats, my Gramps's shop that is almost 100 years old. But, soon we got in the car again for the drive to Peavy Lake and the cabin where Dad spent his summers when he was younger. They put me right to work there! Dad says he was raised knowing that if you wanted to play at the lake, you had to put your time in to keep the property nice. I think that's one reason he has such a good work ethic, and is so intent on passing that message along to me. At least he let me use the riding lawn mower!

After working on the lawn, most of my work was done on the dock. I helped Gramps organize rocks and dirt.

I helped catch dinner.

I helped Nana practice her strokes.

And I even helped keep the pontoon on course!

Thanks for sharing your lake, Nana and Gramps! I had a wonderful time.

I Get My Love of Sweets from Mom

2011-08-17T04:35:00.000-04:00

1985 - Mom in the Sugar Cupboard

2011 - Me in the Sugar Cupboard

Bowman in Seattle

2011-08-17T03:09:00.000-04:00

After meeting all of those Johnson relatives, I was really excited to meet even more family in Seattle, Washington, where we flew next. How great is it that I have two loving, creative, smart, adventurous and Godly families to spend time with?

The reason Seattle was our next stop was that Uncle Andy and Aunt Lisa were graduating from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology

and had a new cousin to introduce me to. I'm really proud of all their work, but I was personally most excited about the new cousin part. Cedar is just adorable!

I also got to catch up a little with Cousin Stimson, Uncle Brad, Aunt Katy, Nana, Gramps, Great Nana and even more of Nana's relatives while we were there. We barbecued, cheered Mom, Dad and Uncle Brad on in the Seattle Rock-N-Roll Half and Full Marathons, checked out the Pike's Place Market and enjoyed a beach with great mountain views.

Thanks for being such a great Seattle hostess, cousin Cedar!

Bowman Meets the Johnsons

2011-08-16T01:07:00.000-04:00

So, to add to my long list of last names, I got to find out about the Johnson side of my family this summer. (Bowman is really the surname of the man who gave that name to the lake in Glacier after which I am named. David, my middle name, is for the Davidson side of my family. Carlson, obviously, comes from Dad's side.) Mom's Mom, my mormor, had the maiden name of Johnson, and that side of my relatives has kept very close over the years, but hasn't been together for a long time. In honor of, Mishi Angie, almost the whole Johnson family united again for the first time since 1997, if I've got that year right. How fun it was to meet everyone!

Then, because we couldn't stop celebrating with just the one big wedding party, most of us went to Show Low, Arizona for three days in two humongous cabins. I got to hike (undeterred by the wildfire trail closings) with a few great aunts and uncles,

chase around my second cousins, or first cousins once removed (was that debate ever solved?),

throw lots of pinecones in the nearby stream with Grandpa

and just enjoy all the good conversations and laughter that the Johnsons have when they're together. What a legacy of people who want to love Jesus well I have to look up to.

Bowman at a Wedding, or Bowman Learns to Dance

2011-08-10T01:30:00.000-04:00

Having finally arrived in America for Dad's seven week summer break, I hit the ground running by helping Mishi Angie get ready for her wedding. It was really fun to see her so organized and excited for her big day. Other than sharpening pencils for the creative crossword on the back of the wedding program, there weren't very many jobs left by the time we got there, so Mom, Dad and I mostly got in on all the fun of being with family and preparing for a wedding.

We got to do a lot of swimming as cousins and family arrived. Mom got her nails done and spent a whole day with all of the girls in the wedding. Dad, Seth and Grandpa got to golf. Thanks for including us in all of that fun, Mishi!

Then, of course, was the wedding itself. It was held in this great big red barn and almost two hundred people came to celebrate God bringing Seth and Angie together. Mom cried a lot, but I just reveled in the chance to dance with so many beautiful second cousins. Most of them ignored me, but I was undeterred.

I hope my bride in twenty-five years or so looks as good as Mishi Angie did on June 18th of this year!

Bowman Back in the Backroom, Arizona, June 2011

2011-08-09T03:22:00.000-04:00

Part of being "Bowman in Bangladesh" is being Bowman who gets to travel home once in a while, which is what I did this past summer.

Before I jump into that, though, I must acknowledge that I have a lot of catching up to do! Great Aunt Margi, I'm especially sorry to you for falling so far behind in my updates. Dad really makes fun of Mom for getting on the computer very much when we are having as much fun as we did this past summer, and I didn't want him to think I was too nerdy, so I didn't push the issue. I'll try not to miss any of the major events of the summer, but it might be hard because I had such a great time with so many different family members.

Now, for the summer...

June 9, 2011 was a wonderful day for me. It was the day I got to finish up 30 hours of flying and layovers and see some of my American family for the first time in ten months. It was especially fun since I started walking in earnest in the Dhaka airport just before boarding the first of three flights that would take me to Phoenix and got to show off my new skills as I met Mormor, Most Exalted Grandfather, Mishi Angie and Uncle Seth. Hooray for arriving in America!

Studying

2011-05-24T05:17:00.000-04:00

Since last July, I haven't seen any of my extended family in person except for Most Exalted Grandfather, and even that visit was months ago. I must say I'm really thankful for Skype, but it's still just not enough. That's why I've spent quite a bit of time lately studying the pictures Mom printed, laminated and hung on my wall to remind me of all the people who love me.

Dad Wants to Look Like Me, or Getting a Haircut in Dhaka

2011-05-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

Dad's hair grew longer than he'd ever had it before. It was pretty stylish, and a good statement for a gym teacher, I thought, but he said it was too hot for the 100 plus heat index days. So, off we went to the AC Saloon. (I thought they might give me a "milk on ice," but no drinks were offered. That confused me a little.)

After a about twenty minutes, Dad met Mom and me at his school where I was crawling around waiting for him. All I could do was point and giggle. All Mom could do was ask, "Is that how you wanted your hair cut?" He had a very Bangladeshi haircut with bangs that reminded me of pictures I've seen of bands from the 1990's. Of course, he doesn't look Bangladeshi, so the haircut just looked silly. We went back to the AC Saloon.

Now Dad's head is much cooler and I don't feel so silly with my tiny amount of hair. If he can pull it off and look so good, then I can, too!

Celebration

2011-05-14T09:39:00.001-04:00

Since Mom and Dad celebrated my birthday a week late, I thought it would be OK to post this really belatedly as well. I was quite sick on my birthday, and my best friend's mom had a big dance show that day, so Mom and Dad did sing to me, but we saved the banana breakfast in bed and unwrapping shiny presents for the Saturday after my birthday. I didn't mind; it was just as exciting then!

That Saturday, we also had a fun party with the teachers from Dad's school, my friend Malachi, some of the families from Mom's Bible study, and, of course, Zach. Here I am showing off the new birthday duds.

Over the last few weeks, I've really been appreciating all of the new toys and gifts. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a great day, and for those of you who even brought gifts. That was a fun bonus. So far, the biggest hits have been the golf set and, while I was sick for the second time last month, the Veggie Tales videos.

And, don't forget, I had my first chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting on my birthday celebration day. It was more fun to mush than munch!

Watch this.

2011-05-08T05:53:00.000-04:00

So, I haven't met this boy yet, but I do know quite a few other amazing kids who sleep on the streets of Dhaka every night. While it's really neat what he can do, his life is probably one of much sorrow. He probably doesn't have a mom to hold him when he feels like whining because he's sick, or a dad to scramble him eggs when his tummy is growling. Pray for him and the others like him. They need some hope and joy, and a bed and nutritious, daily meals.

"only God can restore"

2011-04-28T04:32:00.000-04:00

I like this Taylor Mali guy who Mom discovered this year. Check out his poem from the last Easter weekend:

Disaster Restoration

There is a sign outside this morning's window
that reads "Disaster Restoration," and I have no idea
what that means but love it anyway, like a poem,
or the red leaves dispersed among the green, decoration
only God can restore, because it is Sunday and Easter
and raining here in Portland, Oregon, and although that might seem redundant—the part about the rain—last night
was mild in the backyard of The Pointy House where I read
for 90 minutes to a crowd so grateful for the sun I felt I was
preaching the word of God, maybe calling forth the rain, beseeching that sweet wetness for restoration from disaster, or maybe calling it down upon us, as night gently rose on the only day that Jesus never lived.

And on another note, as of 26 April, I have a new cousin

Welcome to Cedar Harrow Carlson!

My First Year in Numbers

2011-04-20T22:15:00.002-04:00

I was born:

16 April 2010 at 6:15 A.M.
8 pounds, 11 ounces
21 inches

One year later:

20 pounds (or 9 kilograms here in Bangladesh)
30 inches

A Few Firsts:

Smiles: 2 months

Laughs: 2 1/2 months
Rolling over: 2 1/2 months (or so claims Mishi Angie)
Teeth: 6 months

Big boy food: 6 months

Crawling: 7 months
Pulling up: 8 1/2 months
Steps: 1 year (20 April, which was after my official birthday but before my birthday bash, so I'm including it here)

The Numbers

Planes I've flown on: 5
Days until I get to see my friends and family in America: 49
Backpacking trips I've been on: 3

Cousins: 1
Days until I have my second cousin: Uncle Candy and Aunt Lisa, any news?
Teeth I have: 6
Stamps in my passport: 15
Power outages on my birthday: 4, plus however many I slept through
Words I can say clearly: 2 ("go" and "no")

Bowman's Top Five (Strangest) Diaper Changes: The First Year

2011-04-18T08:36:00.000-04:00

I'm sure every kid has a few of these stories to tell. (Actually, it would be fun if those of you who want to share yours send them to my Mom at tlccarlson@gmail.com. I can have her read them to me and post some of the funniest later on!) Here are five from this year that stood out for me.

1. The One in the Smallest Room

The first lunch stop of our trek in Darjeeling was at a tea hut, as were all of the subsequent lunch stops. I hadn't had any experience in tea huts yet, and learned here that they are the homes of enterprising village dwellers who have decided to sell tea and food like vegetable fried rice and chow mien and to serve it in their dining rooms, which are often their bedrooms as well. At this first stop we ate noodle soup (think Ramen with some chopped up carrots) sitting on two single beds with our knees pushed up against a small board table. I, of course, had to go after lunch, and therefore was changed right there. Mom also had to go, and was told when she inquired about an outhouse, "Yes, anywhere." She found a rock with only a few chickens pecking about.

2. The One with the Most Observers

I must preface this by saying that many, many Bangladeshis have watched me get my diaper changed in many places. This one stands out, though.

When we went to Nepal for Christmas, we flew a Bangladeshi airline. Most of the people from Bangladesh who get to travel outside the country are men, and most are Muslim, at least culturally. On our return to Dhaka from Kathmandu, Mom was the only woman and I was the only baby. We sat one row back from bulkhead. I needed a change, of course, and that walk all the way back to the bathrooms was the two minutes where I have been most stared at in my one year of life.

3. The One with the Scariest Company

I knew when we first landed in Dhaka at midnight last July that Mom and Dad needed to hurry to get through customs. I just couldn't help filling my diaper right away. Mom found the first bathroom she could when we got off the plane. There was soap, but a cockroach was crawling on it.

This picture is from Mormor, who took it in her bathroom in China about 20 years ago. It looks just like the setting of my first Bangladeshi diaper change.

4. The One with the Worst Result

I prefer cloth diapers, FuzziBunz or BumGenius. Still, when we're traveling, I know they're too hard to lug around and wash, so I settle for disposables on the road. We had an eight hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara in Nepal, which meant I needed a couple of changes along the way. Dad was taking care of me at one stop and Mom found a box of trash where she put my diaper. As we ate our peanut butter sandwiches after that, I watched a stray dog run off with my diaper in his jaws. Oops!

5. The One with the Best Aroma

All of my best changes have been outdoors. The best was in the balsam scented forests between Quartz and Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park. Come on, you knew my best one would be in Glacier, right?

Bowman and Dad's Top Five Flying Moments: The First Year

2011-04-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

1. Shangri-la, Montana (even better than James Hilton's version)

2. Siyeh Pass, Montana

3. Summit of Sandakphu, India

4. Looking toward Annapurna, Nepal

5. On Poon Hill, Nepal

Bowman's Top Five Adventures: The First Year

2011-04-16T22:28:00.000-04:00

1. First Roadtrip

I went to St. Michael's, Maryland with Couzle Nate, Mormor, Grandpa, Mom and Dad. We saw the ocean and I played games with Mormor while everyone else played boring adult bocce ball.

2. First Time Crossing a State Border

I went with Nana, Gramps, Mom and Dad to three states in one day at Harper's Ferry. (You get five Carlson points if you can tell me what all three of them are.) I was thrilled, as you can see.

3. First Backpacking Trip

Mishi Angie, Grandpa, Mormor, Mom and I went to Quartz Lake in Glacier National Park. I made them take lots of diaper and milk breaks, but that made the hiking even more fun, I think!

4. First Christmas

It was in Nepal!

5. First Time Hiking Across International Borders

We walked across the border from Bangladesh to India. (Well, I was carried. Mom and Dad walked.) Then, we spent five days doing a trek that crossed the India and Nepal border at least fifteen times.

Bowman's Top Five Toys: The First Year

2011-04-16T03:20:00.000-04:00

Today is my first birthday. I was so excited about this day coming that I gave myself a fever of 103 degrees Farenheit yesterday. Fortunately, the Bengladeshi doctor's prescriptions seem to be helping and I have a bit of my own personality back today. Because of some other events and my sickness, Mom and Dad have decided that we'll mostly celebrate next weekend. Still, I want to start sharing my first year's ruminations and reflections with you. I've made a few lists about this year, and here is the one of my favorite toys from the last twelve months.

1. Billy Bowman - I take him everywhere so I can share a little bit of Glacier National Park with the rest of the world.

2. Socks, especially SmartWool ones

3. Mom's cell phone

4. Clothespins, which become even more fun with a laundry basket

5. Raggedy Andy and Gilbert the Giraffe, because at the end of the day they just understand best

*I did not include balls in this list because in this house they are actually considered serious athletic equipment, not toys. However, I do enjoy them quite a lot.

One Year Ago Today

2011-04-15T02:09:00.000-04:00

on the way to the hospital, just before a Chipotle stop for Dad

Happy New Year, 1418!

2011-04-14T03:57:00.002-04:00

Today is Benglali New Year (Nobo Bochor). On the Bangla calendar, April 14, 2011 (two days before my own new year starts) is the first day of the year 1418. The Bengalis use this solar-based calendar because one of their emperors was having trouble collecting taxes on time from farmers whose crops just didn't grow based on the Muslim lunar calendar that used to be in place. He changed things to make sure he got his money. At least, that's what Mom's Bangla teacher said.

To celebrate Dad's day off, we had a lovely brunch with some new American friends today.

However, we did celebrate Bengali style just a couple of days ago. I wore the new outfit given to me by the wonderful technology expert at Dad's school. It's traditional to wear red, white and orange for the new year. Mom was given her very first sari (pronounced shari here) by the cooks in the class she coordinates on Tuesdays. I thought she looked pretty strange, but she said it felt quite elegant to wear. We also got to eat the traditional ilish macsh (salty, bony fish) with rice, curries and chutney. What a treat! Mom sure had to be careful since she ate Bengali style (with her right hand) and was in a sari for her first time.

Shubo nobo bochor, everyone!

Cricket and Its Side Effects

2011-04-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

What do Dhaka parks and village tea shops have in common in Bangladesh for just a couple more days? They all have TVs tuned to World Cup Cricket, which is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh this year.

Don't worry. I haven't gotten into cricket at all. I don't really even know what a wicket is or why the pitchers do that strange long-jump style hop before they throw the ball. I won't be writing about the game itself.

I have, however, observed a few things about how hosting a world-viewed event can affect a developing country like Bangladesh. The most optimistic people point to the cleaner city streets, new sculptures of giant cricket bats, and crowds wearing green and red jerseys and claim that hosting this event has "really brought Bangladesh together." The most pessimistic point to the cleaner streets and ask whether the beggars who have been cleared out of the city(1) are actually getting the living allowance they were promised for staying out of sight. The most paranoid foreigners hunker down behind hat brims any time Bangladesh loses a game, fearing a riot.

I'm just happy to see so many other kids laughing as they emulate their favorite players. Hockey still looks more fun, but that requires ice!

(1) Mom read this article after I linked it and scoffed that it mentions 300 disabled beggars. What about the thousands of others, she wonders? And where have the all been carted to?

Is this right, Mom?

2011-04-05T05:21:00.000-04:00

Zach let me borrow his walker. It's great fun!

New Skills

2011-04-01T15:28:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a few new things.

1) Climbing stairs. Easy. Don't ask me how to get down.

2) Using a landline. Pick up, please, all of you relatives in America.

Getting There in Bangladesh

2011-03-31T17:07:00.000-04:00

In Bangladesh there are a few main forms of transportation. Of course, the main one is the rickshaw. If you need to go very far, though, there's boats, busses and trains. For our trip to Srimangal, we opted for the four and a half hour train ride. Here's what our station looked like at 6:45 in the morning.

When we arrive anywhere in this country, we tend to draw a crowd. How much of it is our skin color and how much of it is the "cute baby," as I'm constantly called we will never be sure. In the picture below, taken at the Srimangal train station, you can see a typical crowd including everything from the burqa-ed woman on the left to the naked child on the right.

Of course, my favorite part of these crowds is the new friends I can make.

Bowman Gets Out of Dhaka

2011-03-31T04:15:00.000-04:00

Last Friday I got to leave Dhaka. Zach and I decided to go to Srimangal and to let our parents come, too. We had lots of fun getting out of Dhaka on a four-hour train and then spending two and a half days seeing some of Sylhet's attractions. We traveled around in this jeep most of the time, although we did have a couple rickshaw and bike rides that you'll see later.

The main attraction of Sylhet is its tea estates. The British people brought tea to the area around the 1850s and there have been tea gardens here ever since, although now at least half of them are owned by Bengalis. On Friday afternoon, we stopped for seven-layer tea. While it did look pretty cool, it didn't taste nearly as good as the white tea we ordered at the same shop. Mom hasn't found an exact recipe yet, but she does know that to make the white tea, you actually use green tea, ginger and lemon. Yum!

Besides drinking tea, we spent much of our time walking through vast tea estates. Apparently tea plants actually grow to the size of trees, but they're trimmed to elbow-level for ease of picking. It sounds like that's the only thing that is done for the ease of the tea-pickers, who must pick 24 kilograms of tea a day just to make 48 Taka (which is about $0.70). I was pretty upset when I heard that's all these hard-working women make. Is there anything we can do about it? Does Mom need to stop drinking tea?

One of the most fun things we did in Srimangal was rent bikes and find this little beach area for a picnic. I'm loving sand these days. In fact, I'm loving it so much that I mixed it up with my sandwich and carrots and ate it all together that afternoon.

After lunch, it was time to hop back on the bikes. Check out the orange one Mom got to ride. Apparently it was so nice that the shop owner didn't even want to unwrap it. He told her to use it with all the plastic still attached. I guess that saves a cleaning job later.

After a morning of hiking through Lawachara National Rainforest Park, Mom and I tried some fresh coconut milk. While refreshing, it's not nearly as sweet as I was hoping for.

All-in-all, it was a relaxing trip out of this city of thirteen-million. The morning jogs and walks through the rice paddies outside of our hotel were the best part. For a few moments, I didn't even see any other people, which hasn't happened to me much in the past eight months in Bangladesh.

Samaritan Kaliyanikanda Primary School

2011-03-24T13:06:00.000-04:00

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to check in and tell you how much fun I've been having lately. For one thing, I've discovered swinging.

More importantly, though, last weekend Mom and I got to visit a village about four hours north of Dhaka right next to the Indian border. We went because this good-looking family

including the Bangla language teacher for Dad's school wanted to share a part of their hearts with us. They have worked hard over the past months to get a school that was closed for many years up and running in the husband's home village. While the school was closed, many of the kids in the area just didn't get to go to school at all. Now that they've overseen the replacing of part of the roof and renovation of the bathrooms, and taken care of providing books and teachers, the school is up and running again.

Don't they look happy for the opportunity to learn to read, write and add in Bangla, Garo and English, as well as to learn about Jesus love for them? Right now it's open to kindergardeners through third graders six days a week

I hope to go and walk through the rice fields and sing Bangla songs with them again someday. Until then, will you keep the kids from Samaritan Kaliyanikanda Primary School in your prayers? They're hoping to raise enough funds to keep adding grades each year so they have every chance at success in life.

Girja

2011-03-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

Our friend holds me on another day while he shares that his "body is sick, but spirit is well!"

A couple of weekends ago I got to go to Bangla church (girja). As I finished up my run with Mom and Dad, one of our friends who works as a guard for our building flagged us down. He said his church was having a special service and gave us forty minutes for naps, snacks and showers. Then, he came with his brother, niece and a CNG to get us.

His church was meeting for the week in one room of an apartment that they use as an outreach center. We sat on the floor and met all forty-five or so of the attendees as they came in. Many were university students, one was the mother of our friend and five of the other men, and others were kids like me. It was really a treat to sing along what I could pick up of the Bangla worship (led by one man with a guitar) and listen to the sermon (translated into English) and see the passion with which my friend and all of our new friends praised Jesus. They have much harder lives than I think I ever will, and in spite of, or because of, that seem to appreciate all they have as His followers with such joy.

Plus, we all got to laugh across cultures as one man introduced himself to my dad saying, "I'm Simon," and Dad responded with, "and I'm Peter." Bangla, Kenyan and American people all laughed at the humor we can get from a shared New Testament context.

More Like Dad Every Day

2011-03-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Dad's favorite food is pizza.

I tried it for the first time last weekend. (Don't worry, health conscious readers, Mom made whole wheat crust and homemade sauce and I had the veggie one, not Dad's piece with salami on it.)

Zach helped me figure out what to do with it.

I Hope I'm as Good a Husband as Dad Someday

2011-03-20T16:44:00.000-04:00

When Mom tries new recipes like this whole wheat bread, he leaves encouraging notes like this:

And when I make big (yes, BIG) messes on their bed because Mom lets me play diaperless after my bath, he calmly changes the sheets while she dunks me right back in that bath.

Finger Foods

2011-03-16T03:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for letting me feed myself, Mom! I'll eat oatmeal any day if we can do it like this. Hey, while I've got your attention, could I ask you to take off this onsie that you put on me about 45 minutes ago? It's kind of sticky.

Rolling Blackouts, or Why I Sometimes Ditch You on Skype

2011-03-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

This is the street just two blocks down from my building. Mine has just as many criss-crossed, jumble-bundled power lines. I thought this was normal until Mom told me it's not what power lines look like at home. She told me they are like this here because whenever a new apartment is finished, a new line is simply added on to the old ones and tied or cut in wherever it can fit.

I worried that this might be dangerous or cause some confusion, but she said not to fear. There are many bamboo ladders available to fix said wires. She pointed out the one below while we were walking today.

I realized the men I've seen climbing around on those are not just playing on a giant jungle gym, but actually working to correct electricity problems. They like to just lean their ladders right on the wires they're trying to untangle. Sounds fun to me!

Of course, sometimes there are electricity problems that these men can't fix, or that are actually power outages. In order to understand my Bangladeshi life, you need to understand these power outages.

Fact number one: It's getting hotter here.

Fact number two: The heat makes people use more electricity. They need their air conditioners and fans a whole lot more in these dry summer and the coming monsoon months.

Fact number three: Dhaka does not have enough electricity for all thirteen million people who live here.

So, people in Dhaka are using more electricity than is available. Power companies use planned rolling blackouts to avoid accidental blackouts for the whole city. That means different parts of the city do not have electricity at different parts of the day. Our building loses power about six times a day right now, for about an hour at a time. Back in October, it was about twice that much.

Of course, foreigners and other people with money live in apartment buildings that have backup generators. Our park even has a backup generator. We're not sure what for.

You can usually tell how much money people have by what their generators run. If you are rich, your generator runs everything in your house, even the air conditioning units. If you are pretty rich, your generator might take a little longer to turn on, but still runs most things. Our generator runs four fans and four lights in our house. If you don't have money, you probably don't have a generator. Just imagine all of the people trying to sleep on these 80 and 90 degree nights with not even the whisper of a fan in a building so close to the next one that there is no hope for a breeze.

Now you know a little about two reasons our modem might stop working. A line might have been tangled with some bouganvilla, or Dhaka might be saving energy for someone else. Either way, I'm thankful for the fan in my room and the chance to have air conditioning part of the day. Please pray for the people who don't have either!

How To: Date Night in Dhaka

2011-03-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

So, your Mom and Dad would like to go on a date, huh? The third since you were born almost eleven months ago, right? Let me give you some tips.

Step 1: Get Dad to give you your bath so Mom can finally brush her hair for the day. Splash a lot so he has to think about changing his shirt.

Step 2: After a long and drawn-out bedtime process during which you act exceptionally awake, allow them to leave and think they have some time to enjoy themselves. In fact, allow them to take a fifteen-minute rickshaw, walk another ten minutes to a restaurant called Bamboo Shoot, order and get food while you sleep through the one-hour power outage in your building.

Step 3: Wake up when the back-up generator for your building turns off. It's OK, the greatest babysitter around, Uncle Ben, will come and hold you, but Mom and Dad will still have to hop a couple of rickshaws and tell the drives to "tara-tari jan" so they can get back to you soon.

Step 4: When they return with most of their food in take-out boxes, look very alert and grumpy and refuse to go back to bed. This will start to make them grumpy, too, so you can all be grumpy together.

Step 5: Eventually, they'll have to give in. You know that fancy Swiss ice cream Dad made sure was in the freezer for the end of their date? Well, they'll have to eat it quickly and then give you the empty box and spoon to play with. Hooray! Date Night Success.

Welcome Home, Dad!

2011-03-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Dad got home at 6 yesterday morning, and I was really excited to see him! I woke up right away and used him as a jungle gym while he tried to fall asleep. Finally, Mom had to take me for a run to give Dad a couple hours of rest. (He needed that because their journey from Darjeeling, India, across the border at Chagra-Banda and then all the way to Dhaka took twenty-four hours!)

Mom wonders if any of you pastor types can come up with a good analogy here about how these prayers end up in heaps while prayers offered to a living God reach the heights and survive the elements.

Later in the day, Dad showed us pictures of the thirty-kilometer trek he coordinated for sixteen of his students and three of his colleagues. It was fun to see because it intersected the trek we did in October, but now many more flowers are out and it wasn't so rainy.

Dad was really proud of how well his students hiked and encouraged one another. He felt a little badly about the fact that when some local kids joined them for a game of 500 in one of the villages they hiked through, the kid ended up with a bloody nose, but other than that there were no injuries or problems.

I spent most of the afternoon helping Dad unpack and inspecting the tea he brought back. Did you know that Darjeeling has over 80 tea plantations and three tea harvesting seasons?

Just Me and Mom for Seven Days

2011-03-10T10:48:00.000-05:00

Dad is doing this

(trekking)

here

(outside of Darjeeling, India)

on a trip he coordinated for the Year 10 and 11 (ninth and tenth grade) students from his school so it is just me and momma at home. Boy, am I having fun convincing her to let me share her bed every night. Shhh...don't tell Dad.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-02-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

Dad with Gramps
sometime in the 1980s
(Nana or Gramps, do you know when?)

Zach and me
February 2010

White flat-rate boxes all tied up in string...

2011-02-24T09:45:00.000-05:00

these are a few of my favorite things! Thanks, Mormor and Most Exalted Grandfather!

Zach

2011-02-22T01:57:00.001-05:00

This is Zach. He's my best friend in Bangladesh. He lives across the hall and is 11 months older than I am. I like playing with him because I learn all about the things older boys do. Right now, he's really good at throwing balls, so I try to do the same thing.

We try to get our parents to hang out a lot, too, because then we get more time together. Last weekend we took rickshaws and walked to a place called Wonderland. I thought the best ride was the one on Dad's shoulders through the busy Gulshan 2 intersection. Mom and Dad liked the one where they rode on mini train cars into a dragon's mouth and then came out of his tail. It's tradition for people who have lived in Dhaka for a while to introduce new people like us to that ride, I guess.

Thanks for teaching me what big boys do, Zach!

An Update on Shumi

2011-02-22T01:17:00.000-05:00

Shumi (left) holding what looks like a sucker, but is actually a broken piece of someone's discarded toy

I met Shumi in August, just a couple of weeks after moving to Dhaka. We met when I shared some crackers with her while I was out grocery shopping with Mom and Dad. She was running around the north entrance to our neighborhood, where there are train tracks flanked by cardboard and cloth shacks and cooking fires made from rubbish and tree clippings.

Sometimes we walk around with biscuits or a shirt, or even a pair of shoes and hope we'll run into her, but it's hard to know when we'll see her. Once, we sat in her hut and played games, but the next time we tried to visit, the huts had been torn down by the police. Now they're back, but each time that the police kick all those people out, they come back with different color sheets and have to set up in a different place. So, now I don't know where Shumi's house is.

Somehow, though, Shumi knows how to get around, and she often finds us when we are outside. Last time I ran into her, she had a friend with her and we played for about half an hour. She even went and picked me a guava from a tree, but I just thought it was a fun, green ball!

I really like to see Shumi, but don't know if I should give her money or give her snacks or be asking her to come and sleep in the extra bed in my room. She has a mom, so I probably can't do that. One of the times I shared some money with her, she ran up to me about ten minutes later with tears on her face. She tried to dry them off, but I asked about them and she said someone had taken the money she was holding.

I so wish she had a home with an air conditioner and a stove and a bed like me. Why doesn't every kid have those things? Why doesn't she have a mom who makes sure she goes to school and a dad who says that if she needs a uniform for school, he'll make sure she gets it? I'm guessing it's because their moms and dads didn't do those things. I wish I knew how to help her.

Family

2011-02-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

Carlsons at a the Grace School Barn Dance in December
(No, there are no barns that I've seen in Dhaka, but we did have an official barn (line) dance caller telling us to swing our partners round and round!)

One reason I'm glad we're living in Dhaka is that Mom doesn't have to work and we don't have a TV or car or other things to keep my parents too busy. This means I get to spend lots and lots of time with both of my parents, and that makes me really happy.

Today, Dad was even off of school so we all went for a jog in the morning, I went to baby group with Mom while Dad did some lesson planning, we had lunch together, I had a great nap, some friends came over for cookies and coffee, and now I'm eating dinner and about to splash Dad a whole lot when he puts me in the bath. Isn't it great just to have normal days together as a family?

Big Rickshaw

2011-02-14T09:54:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, Mom likes to contextualize the stories she tells me. I do love my books, but I don't really have a frame of reference for tractors. So, although I hope to spend a few summers on a Minnesota farm, for now I'm just imagining what a big tractor looks and sounds like. Rickshaws, on the other hand, I can feel and taste and hear as soon as we step out of our apartment building.

Here's one of the stories she sometimes tells me that has been inspired by the book Big Tractor and its relatives.

Big Rickshaw

The Big Rickshaw drove out of the lot and into the streets of Dhaka. The sun was just beginning to rise and Big Rickshaw had lots of work to do.

"Tink, tink" went its bell as it veered into traffic on a Kalachandpur alley.

Down the street bumped the rickshaw, all the way to a Bashundara neighborhood. It helped one family move to a new apartment.

"Click, clack" went the chain as it struggled to stay in its track under the heavy weight of a refrigerator.

Your flat-bed cousin already moved lots of the boxes and helped clean up the trash, Big Rickshaw!

After moving all that furniture, the Big Rickshaw had to stop to get some air in its tires. Always riding on monsoon-worn streets causes a few leaks once in a while!

"Hiss!" went the air as it filled those tires back up.

It waited in line at the Gulshan 2 intersection to pick up passengers hurrying to and from work and errands.

The tractor brought some friends to a dinner appointment next.

"Whoosh, whoosh" went the tires as they spun along the pavement.

After nap time, the Big Rickshaw rushed along the streets of Baridhara.

"Babu, babu!" yelled the passers by as they saw the Bowman on board.

And when everything was done, the Big Rickshaw peddaled back to Lane 5 in time for dinner. What a good day's work, Big Rickshaw!

You'll share, right Mom?

2011-02-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

In January it was "Happy 27th birthday to Mom!" Dad gave her a fun new Sherpa Adventure Gear shirt that he sneakily bought in Nepal and she opened her present all the way from Arizona. Hooray for box cheesecake! I can't wait for my first bite.

Heritage and FuzziBunz

2011-02-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

As I helped Mom put away my clean diapers the other day, she decided to teach me a little about my heritage. We organized the diapers on the right to represent the Swedish flag. On Mormor's side, everyone is from Sweden. On Grandpa's side there is a bit of Norway mixed in, but I hear that's close to Sweden. I think I need a good, long talk with Nana and Gramps to get their details again, but I know there's a whole lot of Scandinavia in my blood from them, too.

I think she had me do the diapers on the left just because we like Miss Esther, our Irish art teacher friend, so much.

A question for those with more than 10 months of internet experience:

2011-02-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Although I did start my blog early in life, (I think I was posting sometime in my first month) I am no expert. For some reason over the last weeks, I have not been able to pull the blog up at my house. "Connection Timeout," the mysterious Internet guru always tells me. He (or she?) has suggested that I need to enable Cookies and JavaScript, which I think I've done. (Doesn't "enable Cookies" mean eat as many of the crumbs you can get Mom and Dads' friends to give you by looking cute and hungry?)

Anyway, if anyone has any tips, that would be great. For now, I had to dictate this to Mom over the phone so she could type it up on another computer while I'm playing at home with Dad. Until I get some help, I don't know how I'll ever get more pictures on here!

Thank you, Jesus, for the Internet.

2011-02-09T21:47:00.000-05:00

I love that I can skype so many people. (Side note: Mom's been sharing some of her linguistics training with me. Isn't it interesting how the generification process happens with language? A few years ago "skype" was just the name someone thought of for their brilliant idea, and now it is how we say we want to "call" people on the internet and can be used as an adjective, noun or verb. Cool, huh? Maybe next time I'll tell you what she's taught me about mondegreens.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share how thankful I am for the internet. It's how I've kept up with so many family members and friends all the way from Dhaka. Because of Skype, I get to meet Tristan Cornwell, play peek-a-boo with grandparents, stick my tongue out at aunts, crawl around with Oliver Pearce, and even eat meals with cousin Norah!

Poll Pictures

2011-01-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

Who do you think I most resemble?

Dad

Mom

Notes on Hair After Viewing My Parents' Wedding Slideshow Pictures

2011-01-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

I think Mom should cut hers like this again.

Dad should get this haircut again.

And Most Exalted Grandfather should grow facial hair.

What are your opinions?

Car Seats are for the Weak

2011-01-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

This week's (9 months and 2 weeks!) Baby Center email to Mom featured an article about whether it is ever OK to let me ride out of a car seat. The response was that, no, it is not OK even in a taxi or bus. She now feels fairly guilty for the ways I've been getting around for the last six months of my life. I, on the other hand, have loved it.

disembarking from the plane to Nepal

on the plane to Dhaka

out and about with Dad

getting from the trailhead to Pokhara, Nepal

wrapping up a church and shopping morning in Dhaka

and my most common mode of transport - the rickshaw

None of these involve anything remotely like a car seat. I wonder what I'll think of them this summer when I'm road-tripping around America.

Bowman into Books

2011-01-19T09:39:00.001-05:00

Having read all of my books on the lowest shelf,

and most of the ones on the bottom shelf of the library at Dad's school,

I decided to start on Mom and Dad's books on the second shelf.

Unfortunately, they don't like reading their Westerns and immigrant novels and then finding missing pages. Good thing I got a couple of new books for Christmas. Thanks, Mormor and Grandpa!

Bowman with Nepali Buddies

2011-01-15T03:28:00.000-05:00

We met Mr. Pepi on a day hike from Pokhara to a small village called Bhumdi. We were eating our honey sandwiches and bananas in a field when he invited us to his house for ginger tea. We sat on a straw mat outside between his two-cow stable, his onion and potato garden, and his small two-floor house while his wife chopped fresh ginger and boiled water. Dad said it was the best tea he had in Nepal, and he had a lot of tea on this trip!

These women were clearly grandmothers at heart, and stopped us on a bike trip so they could give me a few cuddles. I had to stay with the one on the left because I was a bit too fascinated with the taller woman's nose ring.

Here I am with one of the kids from the Shangri-La Children's Home in Pokhara.

Finally, here is the first woman I ever kissed. She gave me her crackers at a lunch stop on our trek, so I thanked her with a peck on the nose!

Bowman on a Budget

2011-01-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

Mom spends a lot of time on our vacation writing down how much money we have and how much we spend and how much she thinks we might still need. What I learned on this last trip to Nepal is that if you want to buy a lot of these

because good espresso is rare (if existent) in Bangladesh, then you can save money be eating these

in your hotel room for dinner. Mmmm...Thai food.

Bowman in a Backpack, Again

2011-01-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Since my backpacking career started at two and a half months in Glacier and continued at six months in Darjeeling, India, we couldn't pass up the chance to do some trekking in Nepal. On the day after my first Christmas, off we went for a five-day trek from Khara (about an hour's taxi ride outside of Pokhara) to Poon Hill and out to Bierthanti (where Dad started the trek he did six years ago in Nepal).

Hooray for a first look at Annapurna South!

Since I've done this a couple of times now, the trekking seems pretty normal to me, but I know not all of you have gotten to ride around in a backpack in the Himalayas, so I'm going to explain a little of how it works. First, when you hear someone say they went trekking in Nepal, don't think hiking. Instead, think climbing and descending stairs for five to seven hours a day. In the next picture you can see me sleeping and mom smiling because this was part of our almost 1000 foot descent on the second day. After we crossed that bridge, we then had to go up 3000 some feet. She ended up trading my wiggling weight for our guide's lighter pack for some of that, and still wasn't smiling for most of it.

After you've gone up and down a few thousand feet (everyone speaks in meters there, so it never sounds as bad as it's going to be when they're telling you about the day ahead), you get to a teahouse, which is more of a bed and breakfast on the rustic side. The rooms we stayed in looked like this

with simple two-by four beds that we just pushed together and shared for warmth each night. On this trek, each room was 200-250 rupees, which is about $3. They charge so little because you are expected to eat in the restaurant of the tea house where you sleep, and they charge more for food than the rooms. We had dal baht (rice and lentils) with various veggies each night, porridge and naan (Tibetan bread that looks and tastes surprisingly like Indian fry bread from the Backroom in Columbia Falls) for breakfast and fried rice or noodles with fresh vegetables for lunch. By that I mean that I mostly picked the carrots off of Mom and Dad's plates and chewed on them for a long time before spitting them back out.

While the insides of these teahouses were fairly nondescript, here is a view from the front of one of them. Totally worth the $3, huh?

Overall, I'd recommend the Poon Hill trek, especially if you can sucker someone into carrying you the whole time. Just make sure not to fall asleep when the clouds clear!

Mom, me, Dipes (our guide) and Dad looking at another angle of Annapurna South

Christmas in Nepal

2011-01-11T05:58:00.001-05:00

Mom and Dad tell me that this Christmas with its pink and teal streamer decorated palm trees and techno "Silent Night" blaring from one of the tourist CD stores was a bit unconventional, but it was my first one so I still want to share it with you.

We started with breakfast at our hotel because it was included, and who wants to pass up free toast on vacation? Then, we had second breakfasts at a restaurant with chairs on the beach of Phewa Lake where Billy Bowman played in the Christmas-light adorned cactus and I tried to eat the cactus.

Mom and Dad ate crepes and good coffee instead of the cactus. Then, we went back to the Shangri-La Children's Home where we'd met ten beautiful kids and played games the day before. They had shared their dal baht with us for Christmas Eve supper. For Christmas, we brought some little school things and helped them decorate a sign for the house. Their smiles were a great gift!

Later, Mom and Dad packed for their trek and ate pepperoni pizza in the hotel room while I gave them the gift of an early bed time.

Like I said, Mom and Dad thought it strange with no tree or snow or carols, but it was nice to get to listen to the Christmas stories without thinking about unwrapping things. I have to say, I really would have liked to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and to eat those Ritz-peanut butter-chocolate cookies, keuken and maybe even fruit soup. Hopefully this just makes my first Christmas with extended family even more special. What do you say Carlson and Davidson families, December 2012 here?

A Sneak Peak at What I Did in Nepal

2011-01-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

In Kathmandu, we tried to volunteer with the

but no nuns were there that day and no one we found could speak enough English to understand that I just wanted to use my baby charm to cheer some people up.

In Pokhara, we got to rent bikes for about $1.40 for the whole day. Mom and Dad did ride them while I rode on Dad's back most of the day, but for a while Dad had to walk with them since the brakes were only somewhat trustworthy and this was a steep hill!

In Pokhara we also spent quite a bit of time with some really fun kids from the Shangri-La Children's Home. We did a lot of laughing at my lack of hair, made a little art, and even invented a new game: Soccerminton!

We went for a hike to the World Peace Pagoda and on to the town of Bhumdi, and then took a boat part of the way back to our hotel in Pokhara.

And, of course, we did a five day trek whose high point was the views from Poon Hill. What fun we had feeling cold for a change!

Bowman Telling the Back-Story

2011-01-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

I think I can safely assume that all three of you reading this (Nana, Mormor and Mishi Angie, thanks to all three of you for reading!) have heard this story and probably told it yourselves, but I still want to write down the version I've learned. It explains why I am here (on earth and in Bangladesh) and where my name comes from.

Mom and Dad met in Glacier National Park. They're pretty obsessed with the place actually. They talk about it all the time, especially when they are saddest and wanting to go there and happiest and remembering their favorite times. They even named me after one of their favorite lakes there. They often debate what has been the best summer of their lives and the talk focuses on the summer of 2005, which I'm about describe; the summer of 2006 after they got married; and the summer of 2009 when they both took full advantage of their teachers' schedules and spent the summer climbing and camping. All three took place in Glacier. They can't get enough of the place.

During the summer of 2005, Mom and Dad both worked in Glacier. There's some debate as to when they met, but the stories agree that Dad thought Mom was cute and she thought he was stuck-up when they did meet. Either way, they had hours and hours after their shifts at the pizzeria and camp supply store on the Lake McDonald property to get to know one another.

As they started to hang out in the same circle of friends and realized that both had come for the hiking and not the other shenanigans that go along with seasonal work, they found themselves spending quite a bit of time together. Although it was awkward at first and complicated by a boyfriend Mom had,

they soon realized that not much could keep them apart, and it was less than a year after they met that they were back in Glacier, this time working together at Eddie's Cafe as Mr. and Mrs. Carlson.

The reason I feel like I have to tell you all of that now is that the actual first conversation that Mom and Dad had all started because of Nepal. In 2000, Mom ended up on a Royal Servants trip to Nepal because SARS cancelled the trip she wanted to take to China. She learned heaps about how much Jesus loves her and the people of Nepal. Then, four years later, Dad went on a Peak Performance trip to Nepal because his school schedule didn't allow him to go to Patagonia like he had planned. He realized he had a heart for serving God cross-culturally. So, during that first Glacier summer, that's why Dad had a Nepali flag on the back of his Ford Taurus that made Mom think twice about assuming he was just a stuck-up climber.

Whew. I meant to keep that short, but I just thought you needed to know all the details. I've really begun to master this typing thing lately, which is one reason I'm rambling on so!

So, now you know why Mom and Dad wanted to go to Nepal over our Christmas break. In fact, now you know why we live in Bangladesh. Ever since that first conversation, they've agreed that they wanted to spend at least part of their married life seeing what God might have for them in Asia. Once I came along, they decided they'd better get going before more of life's little surprises popped up and changed their plans.

The Colors of Nepal

2011-01-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

Victory Day - 16 December 2010

2010-12-16T05:16:00.001-05:00

Today I am eight months and Bangladesh is forty years old. We celebrated both by going to a fair at the park down our street. It included many booths selling sharis and fried food, man-powered ferris wheels and swings, and mini-caroms games. It was a very colorful occasion!

The boy in the back really wanted Dad to play at his booth. He must have known how good Dad is at caroms!

We're not sure why the Bengali man in the background is wearing a British flag at the Bangladeshi Victory Day celebration. I had the right flag, though!

AB Training School 2010

2010-12-16T04:45:00.000-05:00

Bengali Salad

Tuesdays have been my favorite weekday in Bangladesh because at 2 every Tuesday afternoon nine wonderful Bangali and Garo men and women come to our house for the American-Bangladeshi (AB) cooking classes that Mom coordinates. (Don't worry all you people who know that Dad actually is the one who makes all of our best meals on the grill; Mom is the facilitator and has only taught once.)

This is Renu, Michael, Niva, Agnes and Ratna working on pierogis.

All of the participants work as cooks for families at Dad's school or in our building, and when they all crowd into our kitchen to take turns teaching recipes they make some delicious treats! We've had pizza, pierogis, German fried chicken and potatoes, tacos, fajitas, cottage pie, French bread, Indian pizza, roasted lemon chicken, honey vegetables, Christmas cookies and snickerdoodles this semester.

Brnjamin, Rani and Ratna trying German food

More importantly, when my new friends with Muslim, Hindu and Christian backgrounds come over it gives us all a chance to talk, laugh and pray together in the middle of a busy work day.

Rani, Niva, Sathy and Agnes decorate Christmas cookies with pink sprinkles, coconut shreds and cinnamon sugar

Michael told me that in Bangladesh only women are supposed to make the desserts, but I was so curious he let me try to decorate one cookie.

Thank you, friends, for teaching me about your lives and sharing your Tuesdays with me. Thank you especially, Niva, for all of the sweet and salty treats you sneak me each week. Shhh, don't tell Mom!

It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

2010-12-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

These are a few of the things that are helping me to feel like my first Christmas is just around the corner.

Stockings! Thanks so much, Kim!

presents that Grandpa brought a month ago, and I have been so good about not opening

cards hanging by our kitchen door

Great-grandma Louise's eggnog and decorated Christmas cookies

As you can see, I was really excited about trying the eggnog when Mom set it down to take a whisking break. She was too quick for me this time, but...

I happily got my taste from Dad's cup later!

bringing Christmas cookies to all of the other apartments in our building; I had to learn a couple lessons about sharing after becoming very attached to the crinkly bags we put them in.

The best part about getting ready for Christmas has been doing our Advent devotions as a family. You can see the the candle "wreath" Mom and I made on the side, and Dad usually reads to us while we have a treat or right before dinner. He's also holding the chocolates out of the Advent calendar that Ben, Gemma and Zach gave to us. They're all in a plastic box because the ants found the cardboard wrapped calendar, so we had to open all the boxes and now Dad's in charge of doling out the chocolates on the right day.

Christmas 1988

This is a picture of Mom having Advent devotions with her dad and sister. Mormor has been sending us some of those pictures, and it's fun to see what they did to make life Christmassy in China 22 years ago.

I hope you're all having a very merry Christmas season and enjoying your times of hearing about Jesus' birthday with your family and friends.

Developing

2010-12-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

Hello! I now have four teeth, and two more on their way on the top. As you can see, Dad's also working with me on ball-handling skills.

I'm also working on standing up, and can hardly stay on my bottom for more than 30 seconds now. This is only a real problem during bath time when Mom keeps saying, "No standing!"

Since I've mastered standing next to normal furniture, Dad says it's time to move on to climbing skills. This is the metal window grate in our living room. Dad mostly works on this with me when Mom's not home since she squeals so much and distracts me if we practice when she's around.

Thanks to Nana and Gramps!

2010-12-05T11:40:00.001-05:00

Jerky, a dress and Raggedy Andy, oh my! What an exciting surprise Mom brought home from school last Thursday!

Fat Lip

2010-12-05T11:23:00.000-05:00

You might not be able to tell, but to Mom it is very obvious that I got my first bloody lip. She put me in my crib thinking it was a good place for me while she cleaned up my last diaper. I didn't want her to think I was going to be one of those passive, inactive children, though, so I showed her how I could crash into the bars and get a bloody lip even in there.

Dad was proud.

Proud of My Dad

2010-12-05T05:17:00.001-05:00

I mentioned a while back that I like to support my dad at his tournaments and games. In that post, his high school girls' football (soccer) team was about to play in the championship game of the AISD (American International School, Dhaka) tournament. They got second place in the game.

Since then, I've gotten to go to the middle school girls' tournament as well. That was a whole day of fun, and some of the players and Dad hung out with me between the games. Plus, they got first place! Good job getting them in shape, Dad. I hope someday I can play on your team.

The Champions

Two Proud Coaches - Mr. Giblett and Coach Carlson

This is the high school girls' trophy. The middle school girls took home the first place one a couple of weeks later.

Saving Taka

2010-12-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

After Mom paid for our tickets to fly to Nepal over the Christmas break, she also had to go out and buy some disposable diapers for me. She says carrying wet and stinky cloth ones in her suitcase is not her idea of relaxing travel. She ended up paying 690 Taka for 25 diapers, which is $10. According to my math work, with a little help from a calculator since I don't have my times tables memorized yet, that would add up to 10% of Dad's salary if I wore disposable diapers all the time. Thank goodness for my FuzziBunz and BumGeniuses! (By the way, I found out from my friend Joshua who I hang out with on Wednesday mornings that the company that makes both of those diapers does some really cool things for missionary families. Hooray!)

So, not only are my diapers helping the environment, but they're making Mormor and Dave Ramsey proud. Plus, what other babies look so good in just their diapers?

A Baby Moves to Bangladesh

2010-12-01T15:47:00.002-05:00

Mom was recently asked to write a short article for the school paper, the Amazing Grace, but was having some trouble so I volunteered to help her out. Here's what we came up with:

A Baby Moves to Bangladesh
By Bowman Carlson

Moving to Dhaka has been a really good way for me to learn my colors. At home, I know I saw all of the same colors, but not in such fantastic displays.

I’ve learned red from the flag proudly flying across t-shirts and storefronts, proclaiming a people who love their independence.

I’ve learned orange from the glowing sun as I watch it sink peach and ginger through a city haze criss-crossed by rooftop laundry lines.

I’ve learned yellow from rickshaw cushions and canopies splashed with amber and apricot scenes of rural Bangladesh.

I’ve learned green from vegetable vendors beckoning toward kelly leafy lettuces, emerald striped squashes and shamrock shaded cucumbers.

I’ve learned blue from cobalt and azure sharis artfully draped to conceal glistening hair and smiling eyes.

I've learned purple from fuchsia and violet water hyacinth blossoming around slim fishing vessels on city lakes.

I’ve learned brown from the sun darkened cheeks and necks of the smiling children chasing deflated footballs through alley mazes.

Most of all, I’ve learned how beautiful a city Dhaka is with its whirling rainbow for me to study.

Thanksgiving, Dhaka Style (November 26)

2010-11-28T05:23:00.001-05:00

Shockingly enough, Thanksgiving is not a Bangladeshi Holiday, so we didn't celebrate until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Since we're ten to twelve hours ahead of the US, though, we sort of celebrated on the right day.

Mom, Dad and I started off with a do-it-ourselves turkey trot of about 5Ks. Maybe next year we'll have to organize one for others to join us! That was immediately followed by Dad's softball game, church and then our first Starbucks coffee in months. (Thanks, Grandpa!)

Dad's very excited about trying out the new French press.

While Dad made coffee and tried to teach me to sweep and set a table, Mom stuffed four chickens with fresh garlic and lemon, along with peppercorns and rosemary. In the absence of twine or unwaxed dental floss, she toothpickid them together.

Mom then carried casserole dishes all over our apartment building and ended up with green beans, apple stuffing, pumpkin mash, corn bake and cheesy carrots in three different ovens, two of which were missing a temperature gauge. At three o'clock, the Larsons (American) showed up with rolls, fresh veggies and two pies; the Snowdons (British) brought their table, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce; Auntie Kim (Australian) brought a chocolate pie, Coach Sam (British) brought some drinks, and Dipak (Bangladeshi) brought his Bangla expertise (he's Mom's teacher).

They all started playing Mom's dorky quiz games (one American and one non-American per team, please) while I tried to keep track of what was in which oven for how long.

Ben, Zach and Gary won the first game of the day!

Finally, all four chickens, the extra pieces Mom roasted at the last minute, Ruth's perfect gravy and all the other dishes were ready and Dad taught me a little about carving up a bird. It reminded me of all of our grilling lessons in Baltimore and I got a little sentimental, but was distracted by the acrobatics it took to get all fifteen people sitting in our dining room.

After dinner was the American football game attended by a hoard of Bangladeshi mosquitoes, so I ducked out early to play hot and cold with Gracia and help her and Auntie Kim get the pies out and ready.

pumpkin, chocolate, banana cream and apple, plus the ice cream
Happy first Thanksgiving, Kim!

There were quite a few more games that evening, including Gobble-Gobble (which involves loud gobbling that increases in speed as the contestant nears a hidden turkey), Thanksgiving Paper Rock Scissors (Turkey, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrim) and Settlers of Catan. I was most excited about Ruth's Pumpkin Race game, which never happened because I just couldn't stay awake through all of the fun. Maybe next year!

Thanks to everyone who helped to make our Bengali Thanksgiving a success.

P.S. I apologize that there aren't any group shots to share. I've tried to take over the photography duties from Mom, and find the camera's culinary value much higher than it's picture-taking value, so I can often be found jerking it into my mouth at the most important photo-ops.