According to UNICEF, over sixty million children live in Bangladesh.[1]
One of Bangladesh’s many young faces.
Between 2005 and 2009 the primary school attendance rate for boys and girls in Bangladesh was 80% and 83%, respectively.
Secondary school attendance for boys was 46% and 53% for girls.[2]
While the first statistics demonstrate a clear attempt to provide universal education in one of the most densely populated countries in the world, dropout rates between primary and secondary school are disturbingly high. Many societal flaws are to blame for this phenomenon: child labor, high mortality rates, and early marriages for girls among the issues.
Nevertheless, despite its poverty, Bangladesh has made tremendous strides towards meeting children-related Millennium Development Goals (including rising primary school education, near gender parity in primary and secondary schools, and declining under-five mortality rates). But it is a struggle, and the children suffer. In a nation where half the children live under the international poverty line, it is critical to provide education. Schooling is the pathway to a life beyond mere survival.
This is where I hope to come in.
I have always been conscientious of my unique identity. I am not a Bangladeshi, nor am I an American. I’m both, tied into one, with Muslim thrown into the mix. These are my roots, and have inherently influenced who I am and who I am becoming. I have never quite fit into America or Bangladesh; I am always an obvious standout. In Bangladesh, my great-uncle jokingly calls me memsahib, which is what natives called white mistresses during the period of British Imperialism. My clothes, my manners, my accent and demeanor, even my walk seems to be distinctly American. And yet, in America, my skin color, my name, my religion and cultural traditions set me apart.
My family, friend, and I catch up at a café in Dhaka.
Fortunately, this has never been an issue for me. I like to stand out. This identity however, has made me question my life and the blessings I’ve been given. I have two cultures to call home, have escaped poverty, and am enrolled in a very prestigious School of Architecture in the United States. God must have blessed me with these gifts for a reason. I just have to find my purpose. And this brings me back to my roots.
For me, everything stems from education. My grandfathers on both sides of my family tree climbed the ladder of education to lift themselves out of rural life, and both did so in a spectacular fashion. They were not content with being city clerks; both were first generation university students and both obtained PhDs. Their hard work ensured that their progeny could move forward in life and succeed.
But what defines success? Wealth? Comfort? Power? Happiness? Probably all of the above. My definition of success is fulfillment, justice, and compassion. I’ve known that I have to give back to the world what the world has given me. Islam teaches us to spread good in the world, and that is my mission. I must define my life through service and my vision begins in college.
I am an Architecture and Plan II student. This is an apt, if somewhat difficult partnership. Because Plan II prides itself on the Renaissance education it provides, I am getting a prestigious and well-rounded education. Architecture melds seamlessly with this because architecture by nature requires me to constantly learn everything about everything. You cannot build without understanding people, the environment, human nature, weather conditions, political situations, the laws of gravity and picturesque massing. The list never ends. With these degrees, I can help improve educational opportunities for children in Bangladesh. There is a parity of decent school buildings in rural areas, and as an architect, I can build these structures. Three quarters of Bangladesh’s population lives in rural areas, over half of whom subsist below the poverty line. Villages desperately need schools to teach these children the way to success.
I think it is imperative that the world responds to this crisis. There are similar stories all over the world, but because half of my roots bury into Bengali earth, my personal obligation is there.
The first step for me is to complete my education. Both majors are crucial to my future as a skilled architect. An education from the States is well respected internationally, and UT and its School of Architecture are fairly renowned throughout the architecture community. These are two very demanding programs with exacting standards, and in conjunction can easily wear students down. I question the strength of my passions for each program far more often than I would like, but something always keeps me determined to tackle the challenge. Few people understand, because few people undertake this track – I know of only three other students besides me. Despite the challenges of the lifestyle, I believe I have made the right choice. The knowledge that I can help a small portion of the world reminds me why I’ve chosen this educational path. I will continue to take studio classes, and gear my focus towards sustainable architecture. Through Plan II, I hope to take a broad range of courses to expand my knowledge base. I plan to take Anthropology and other social sciences, as well as International Studies courses for elective credits in order to better understand human dynamics, global politics, and cultures. Because of the nature of my dual major, I have four more years to complete after this, after which I must take exams to obtain my architecture license. This will enable me to practice in the field. I also plan on going to graduate school – architecture is an incredibly competitive field, and I must do as much as I can to stand out. So Harvard, the top architecture graduate program, is on my radar. PhD, here I come.
However, between graduation and graduate school, I have other plans. I plan to spend two years working for the Peace Corps. President JFK challenged us to think outside of our country and the insular bubble of our private lives, and I will respond to that challenge. The Peace Corps is the perfect training ground. I would love to work in a South Asian country facing similar problems, such as Cambodia. There are several different fields I can work in: Education, Environment, Health, Youth and Community Development, Agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Food Security, and Business and Information and Communication Technology.[3] I want to work in Education. Because education is so significant to me, I would like to be involved in every step of it, from student, to teacher, to school builder. I cannot imagine anything more rewarding than to directly influence and improve the life of a child. The following video provides an insight into the life of an Education Volunteer in the Peace Corps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uRbeW-Vro8. This way I can experience the lifestyle of a teacher and student and develop an innate understanding of the needs that a village school must fulfill. Poor architecture occurs when the designer fails to get inside her client’s life and mind, and doesn’t respond to the client’s needs. I want to create secondary schools that succeed. These are structures in which children feel comfortable and safe and are excited to attend. They are buildings which teachers can utilize to the best of their abilities and where they can feel at ease. Ultimately, these schools must combat steep dropout rates and be environmentally sustainable, easy to build and replicate by hand, and beautiful. It is vital to create beautiful schools because people must be proud of their buildings. Villagers who are proud of their school will make an effort to ensure that their children attend. A beautiful structure will get used. It will be a source of inspiration and attraction.[4] An ugly, utilitarian one will simply be another blemish on the land, and will inspire and excite no one. As a teacher, I would learn precisely what would create a sense of pride and honor in a school.
This is an example that truly works. It is called the METI Project.
Due to my education in the United States, I would also be able to teach skills that will be valued in a third world country such as English, which is incredibly valued outside of America. Bangladesh suffers in comparison to countries such as India because English courses are not as successful in schools that are not explicitly taught in English. On an international level, the quality of English one speaks is equated to the quality of education and level of competency one is perceived to have achieved. Besides that, English classes (especially Bump’s E603) teach students to develop both the left and right sides of their brains; it is both an analytical and creative process. Whole-brained approaches teach students holistic methods of problem solving. This is critical for a population that needs to lift itself out of poverty. In addition, my English classes have taught me to approach problems with an open mind, and utilize my voice to convey my ideas clearly and succinctly. This has come in incredibly useful in architecture, because presenting abstract ideas concretely to clients and review panels is critical to success. Also, if I decide to start my own firm, my English skills will assist me because businesses require high levels of written skills.
Through the Peace Corps, I would also learn adaptability. As we have learned in this course, character and leadership qualities develop from taking risks, making mistakes, and throwing ourselves out of our elements. Our adventures with experiential learning and free falling have already begun to prepare me for this, but the Peace Corps would be the catalyst. The lifestyle I am proposing to lead won’t be the most financially stable one, so it’s a scary thought. After the Peace Corps, I will try to get a job with a firm in Northern Europe. Countries like Germany and Norway and Denmark do a lot of nonprofit work in Africa and Asia. This will be valuable experience – but it’s also daunting. Being hired by this type of firm that is difficult. However, our fourth year of undergraduate studies can be spent interning abroad, so I hope to be placed in a firm through whom I can make connections and to which I can return after completing my Peace Corps stint. If that doesn’t work out, I will start my own firm. That is the most daunting goal of all: to strike out completely on my own. The thought of complete independence is terrifying, especially in an unfamiliar country.
However, precedence shows me that achieving this ambition is possible. Last week, I attended one of UTSOA’s Lecture Series. The speaker was Francis Kere, an architect from Burkina Faso who went to school in Berlin. He formed his own firm to build schools, and has three main design principles on which he relies: local materials, traditional knowledge, and the power of the people. He builds schools in villages, including his own village of Gando, Burkina Faso, as well as in India.[5] His projects span the globe and are not limited to schools, but the fact that he has succeeded and is living what is in essence my dream gives me hope. Perhaps I could work with him in order to gain experience to achieve my own goals.
Due to the challenges of my college life, I sometimes lose sight of this future. The Architecture/Plan II track can be quite difficult, and sometimes I wonder if perhaps I’m meant for something else. No matter what, I know whatever I do must be meaningful. It must have purpose. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, then that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding.”[6]
The photo speaks for itself.
Total Word Count: 2006
Without Quotes: 1947
IMAGES:
- http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/overview.html
- Picture taken by my mother
- http://www.greendiary.com/entry/meti-school-in-bangladesh-is-hand-built-and-eco-friendly/
- http://home.messiah.edu/~aw1313/PeaceCorps2.html
[1] "The Situation of Children - Bangladesh Today," UNICEF, accessed April
26, 2011, http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/overview_4840.htm.
26, 2011, http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/overview_4840.htm.
[2] 1. "UNICEF Bangladesh - Statistics," UNICEF, last modified March 2, 2010,
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/bangladesh_bangladesh_statistics.html#77.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/bangladesh_bangladesh_statistics.html#77.
[3] "Education," Peace Corps, last modified October 27, 2010, http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatvol.edu_youth.
[4] "METI - Handmade School in Rudrapur," Anna Heringer - Architect,
http://www.anna-heringer.com/index.php?id=31.
http://www.anna-heringer.com/index.php?id=31.
[5] "Francis Kere," Francis Kere Architecture, accessed April 19, 2011,
http://www.kere-architecture.com/person.html.
http://www.kere-architecture.com/person.html.
[6] Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Essays, First Series [1841] - Self Reliance,"
American Transcendentalism Web, accessed April 25, 2011, http://www.vcu.edu/
engweb/transcendentalism/authors/emerson/essays/selfreliance.html.
American Transcendentalism Web, accessed April 25, 2011, http://www.vcu.edu/
engweb/transcendentalism/authors/emerson/essays/selfreliance.html.
