Matteo Marinangeli, 24 years, Ancona
Development Internship in Bangladesh, Dhaka
December 2010 - January 2011

Responsibilities: Internship Programme Grameen Bank

"There are emotions that you cannot fix in your mind, because your heart is still building them. And there are cities that you cannot picture in the mind of the others, because they will miss chaos, dust and smells. My Aiesec experience is full of these emotions, and Dhaka is one of these cities. It is a problem of connection between my beating heart, my overcrowded mind and my crazy fingers on the keyboard.
Thus, I really would like to try to fix in your mind one of my heart’s memories: bumping into Professor Yunus introducing my-self in Bangla (“Amar naam Matteo, amar desh Italy”), driving a rickshaw with the rickshaw’s wallah in the back, , shooting as a real actor in a French/Bangladeshi movie, shouting like with Bangladeshi supporters during a World Cup Cricket match, speaking with one hundred poor women collecting their dramas and their dreams, playing with slums children running behind a knit with holes that could not fly (but –do not tell them-, they were trying, and singing, and smiling, smiling and smiling) or telling you the story of Sabhina, 12 years old, slums girl, that hides (to her father) a small buttons business to earn 60 TK per day and buy cosmetics. I really would like. But the right way to calm my heart, mind and fingers it is ripping out randomly a page from my experience diary and paste it.

"26th Dec 2010, DHAKA

THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE AS FAR AWAY (because differences make you different)

The Danish girl, the major sister, she’s blonde but walking in the street her hair became a respectful golden chador. She introduced me to the healthy world of Oats. She left, but the flag of Denmark lives in our flat. I love her business card, with the yellow network of world cities visited.

The Japanese girl, the cartoon one, she asked me if all the Italian are “funny and hot” like me, I didn’t ask anything because –now- I know the answer to an old doubt: what we see and call “Japanese cartoon” are for them simple sit-comedies and reality shows. She loves chocolate.

The Austrian girl, the pretty daughter in the family TV spot who -with blonde curly hair and green eyes- pushes you to buy something that your daughter doesn’t need. Dhaka doesn’t offer anything, even she’s the only one that comes with me, we practice night-urban-trekking, English lessons, wi-fi fishing and Lonely Planet’s updating.

The Hong Kong guy/1, the mountain with a tender heart, he’s big as much as he’s good, I would like hug him every night before sleep, he’s really in love with his girlfriend. He’s watching “Love Actually”, and for sure he’s thinking about her.

The Hong Kong guy/2, the chinese metaphor, serious-folk-clever-hardworker, he’s a big eater –like China- that will eat all of us. He’s really in love with his girlfriend, very often I listen him and it’s incredible how love makes nice a frigid language as chinese.

The Japanese guy, the other half of the apple, he’s my exact opposite and for this we are a magic couple, he’s polite, he respects the rules, he doesn’t joke with the girls, he speaks few but he’s always right, he’s constant. His girlfriend is beautiful, and he loves her. He’s watching “Titanic”, and for sure he’s thinking about here.

The Indian guy, the Indian metaphor, young-dreamer-smart-still inexperienced, he’s full of hopes and –like India- there will be a better future for him. He’s 4th dan of Karate, he practices transcendental meditation, he will introduce me to meditation because I have to be quite even if the tea-seller asks me 10 taka for a cha that costs only 6. He said that he started to love Bangladesh “only after knowing me."