Elaine Olelo Masters

Mingling with Muslims: Making Friends and Teaching English in Bangladesh Elaine Olelo Masters

Publisher Marketing: Watching the news, we may think that Muslims are cruel, blood-thirsty fanatics, but Muslims come in many different persuasions. The welding apprentices studying English with Elaine in Bangladesh were suspicious at first (Are you going convert us?), the men at Dhaka University and her hotel were craving American green cards (Beautiful lady, you marry me, yes?) but she soon won their hearts as she taught English and shared their lives. Over five years, she learned that, like any other culture, there are many variations. You'll be right with her, waking at 5 am as many mosques call you to prayer, then sweating in rickshaws, hiking in tea plantations, closing your eyes at four-lanes of traffic on two-lane highways, choking on thick air pollution. Also attending an opulent, quarrelsome Muslim wedding and a simple friendly Christian wedding, getting your hands decorated with henna, delighted with surprise birthday cakes from students and friends, and weeping over street urchins and maimed beggars. You'll be amazed at how many people can be stuffed into such a small geographic area, probably the most crowded country in the world after Singapore. How does a Christian woman stay true to her faith in a country that forbids proselytizing? She tells of her own experiences with God. Planting seeds.