Are you sure this is winter?

Winter has come to Bangladesh.

The clothing stores have changed their inventory to warmer clothes surprisingly not months before the weather change, like in the US, but just as the mercury started to drop. There are articles in the newspaper about how to dress fashionably for the cold temperatures and everywhere I go there are people wrapped in scarves, shawls and winter jackets that seem more appropriate to a Minnesota winter.

The “extreme” cold temperatures that the newspaper reports are highs in the 70s and lows in the low 50s, to us cold weather experts this seems like beautiful weather suitable for camping, hiking, picnics, and bonfires, pretty much the perfect weather. While in Minnesota, I looked forward to this type of weather all year long and it lasted far too short a time. I love pulling out my cozy sweaters and cuddling up with a warm drink under a blanket in the evening, not wanting to turn on the furnace just quite yet, and that is okay because in Minnesota we insulate our homes and they hold the heat of the day long into the evening. Even the homeless people of Minnesota are not in danger in these milder temperatures. Clothing drives, shelters, and experience dealing with the cold have them ready for snow and freezing wind chills.

Life is different in Bangladesh. The homes are made of concrete, the windows and doors do not have weather stripping and there are no furnaces. The concrete buildings hold on to the nightly cold all day making socks and slippers necessary on the cold floors. Many homes do not use a clothes washer or dryer so often the clothes on the line are still damp at the end of the day, depending on the strength of the sun. Even in the winter, it is still humid here, keeping things damp. Likewise, many homes do not have water heaters. Some have small hot water heaters hanging on the wall above the shower head but with the short winter season, many people do not feel it necessary. During the rest of the seasons (except maybe monsoon, I don’t know, I have not done that yet), hot water is not necessary, the sun warms the water in the barrels stored on the roof and it is too hot to want hot water anyway. In the winter, most people decide to warm water on the stove and bathe from a bucket. When Abu moved to the US, he brought with him his grandfather’s blanket. This is the thickest, warmest blanket I have ever seen and it was great for cold Minnesota nights. I could not imagine why it was needed in Bangladesh! We now have one of these blankets on each bed in the house and some nights I appreciate it. I do not know if it is because I am used to cold or if I am warmer because I am pregnant but I am not cold here. We still sleep with the fan on but that is mostly because I am not used to city noises and wake up a lot without with white noise from the fan. In the mornings, I am usually uncovered and Abu and Sara are wrapped up tight.

The homeless and the people in the shantytowns build fires on the edges of the streets in the evenings and huddle around it smoking and drinking coffee or chai. I do not know what they are burning but the smoke smells suspicious and it is defiantly not wood. The newspapers run photos of families sleeping on cardboard, wrapped in blankets, the small children in the middle and adults on the edges, with more cardboard on top of the blankets. University students go car to car while traffic is stopped to raise money for warm winter clothes but there is not nearly enough to go around and no shelters, like Dorothy Day to go to when the temperatures dip into the 40s late into the night.

One of our maids was working in the evening a few weeks ago and clearly shivering quite badly. Abu asked her if she had a sweater or a wrap and amazingly, she said no. I do not understand how she does not, perhaps she left them at home in her village. I brought a sweater from home that I cannot wear until I am not pregnant again and I will not need to wear until next winter so I decided to give it to her. I could not stand watching her shiver so badly. She could have gone to buy one herself but she saves her money to bring home to her family and I can always go get a new sweater next year. She is probably about 5 feet tall and very petite so my large sweater on her is comical but at least she is warmer.

Even with the understanding that life is different here and the people are not equipped to handle the cold, I sometimes still snicker at the more affluent people as they walk down the street with the huge “bubble” coats or have their head and neck wrapped in a scarf. While I am in just a thin top wishing, I did not have to wear the scarf because it is too hot around my neck. I really enjoyed an article in the newspaper about fashionable ways to wrap your scarf around your neck so you do not catch a cold. As I read, I had flashbacks to high school when I thought it was un-cool to zip my coat and I rarely dried my hair before waiting at the bus stop and most of the time managed to not catch a cold.

According to the Daily Star, the local English newspaper, the “bitter” cold temperatures are going to last for another few days but it will remain cooler until about February. I, for one, will enjoy this "cold" and will miss it when it is gone.