Vibrant-green rice fields, bright rickshaws and green taxis constantly barking in the streets – this is Bangladesh. The culture spoke to me as if it were a person whom I had fallen for. During my three-week trip to Bangladesh, a trip that left me with strong emotions of attachment.

It all began with a seventeen-hour flight that left my family and me exhausted and restless. Our moods were already grumpy and we weren’t even close to our destination. As we stepped foot out of the plane at Shahjalal International Airport, the negativity we all had from the flight had vanished. It could have been the warm weather or just the feeling of finally being home, but it felt good.

I hopped into a car brought by my uncles and was shocked to see the most unusual thing when the car was driving off: cows on the road. Not just one, more like five cows for every mile.You don’t see cows or goats hanging around in the states unless they’re at a farm.The other difference is Bangladesh does not have states but huge districts that have their own dialect and similar but not totally the same cultures. Also, I’m not a big fan of humidity let alone the blazing hot weather of Bangladesh. I prefer breezy but not too cold warm weather.

Most important, I simply can’t stand mosquitoes and insects. I just can’t. The mosquitoes couldn’t have enough of my blood or my brother’s. The struggle to stay untouched by a mosquito was real. Despite the blazing weather and the blood-sucking mosquitoes, I fell in love with the culture, which amazed me. The culture shock I experienced, surprisingly, didn’t clash with the cultures I’ve seen from my life in the states. Because of this,  three weeks felt like three days. The captivating beauty of the land, the aroma of fresh snacks being made on the streets, and the language whose very existence runs in my blood; these aspects of the place my parents call home, I will forever cherish in my memories. `