Everywhere we went in the countryside, we drew a crowd, but nowhere like we did when we stopped to tour a school. At first, a few students came out to look at us, but as we walked around and enticed a few of the more bold among them to talk with us, we soon had quite a gathering. By the time we headed back to the van, it was as if we
were the Pied Piper himself. The entire school followed us out. Zia helped to translate a bit for us, but for the most part, they just wanted to stand and stare. I can’t blame them. We must have looked like we dropped in from Mars.
The school we stopped at on the way out of Dhaka was well-equipped, and students were all dressed in uniforms. The girls had nice-looking sachels. The buildings had doors, windows, and covered walkways. This school was in sharp contrast to the village school we would visit later in the day.