My first experience of Bangladesh was a fast and furious bus ride through down town Dhaka in the back of a mini bus over taking lorries, under taking rikshaws and arriving at the CRP guest house to meet my new flat mates in an excited daze! I had been greeted at the airport by my fellow supervisor for the next 2 weeks and 2 OT students. Once safe there was time for some food (curried veg, rice and omelette) and then a good nights sleep.
my first morning was spent being shown around CRP. These guys know how to do OT - physical at least. Among other things I saw the paediatrics unit with a make shift sensory room (a play house with flashing fairy lights, textured blankets and toys), the orthotics department where a technician was busy making piles of hand splints out of a local material, and the wheelchair workshop where chairs and trolleys are custom designed to meet service users needs. The on site rehab centrE is also quite incredible - a traditional "ADL" kitchen and.native style houses have been built to house patients after a long stay in order to support them in adapting back to home life. Incidentally whereas in the UK we support toile ting skills by raising the toilet seat, here they provide service users with plinths that graduate lower and lower to assist the squatting position.
In the afternoon I meet with Alve, the lecturer I will be sharing the placement with. He informs me that tomorrow morning they have booked the multimedis room from 8am til 1pm so that I can lecture the students on psychosocial theories since I am "the expert". So the rest of my afternoon and evening is taken up blagging the best lecture I can on cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational theories with a few hours notice! For dinner we get chatputi - a curried chickpea dish - lovingly hand made by the man on his street stall outside CRP.
