LIFE AS IT IS

March 15, 2020 I have always followed good hygiene practices, or so I thought. However, after the World Health Organization began to share proper hand-washing techniques following the coronavirus outbreak, I realised that I seldom washed my hands for at least 20 seconds, and a lot of times, skipped the backs of my hands. Am I grossing you out? But did you know that 4 out of 5 people do not wash their hands properly? I did not, until recently. However, living and working in pandemic conditions are teaching us new things every day. At the time of writing this piece, the total number of confirmed cases has topped 182,000 with over 7,000 deaths globally. The schools in my state, Delaware, have been shut down. My husband's workplace has asked its employees to work from home. Bars, taverns and restaurants were ordered by the state's governor to halt their dine-in services. From today onward, the food joints in Delaware, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Michigan, Maryland an

Location: Public park in Delaware Hubby, daughter and I have been at home since March 15, 2020. We left home on a few occasions, but those were to buy food and refill our water gallons. Oh, hubby also went out to get a new kitchen faucet, because it suddenly started leaking water. The timing could not be worse!   I went out for a walk with my daughter last week. We really needed some fresh air. There were other people at the park, too. Everyone needed some fresh air, I guess. People practiced social distancing, so did I.  Health experts say that it is good for your mental and physical health to go out for a stroll during this time of social distancing. One must avoid crowded places, of course. But this is definitely not the time to drive to Washington, DC to enjoy cherry blossoms, which some people are doing.  I don't know what these 'nature lovers' are thinking. These folks are not only risking their own lives, but the lives of others. The cherry blossoms

Picture yourself standing in half-darkness amid naturally-forming calcite columns, cascades, stalactites and stalagmites sixteen storeys under the surface of the Earth. It is eerily beautiful down there. The ambience is primitive, and your surroundings feel uncanny, because your mind keeps telling you that all of this had formed over an estimated span of four million years. The limestone formations you see around you are still forming and changing every day.   The Daily Star link Luray Caverns, in Virginia, USA, is an active cave system. Located in the lush Shenandoah Valley, to the west of Blue Ridge Mountains in Luray, Virginia, Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878. Today, it is a registered National Natural Landmark (NNL), visited by some 500,000 people annually from all over the U.S. and the world. Before we decided on visiting this awe-inspiring feat of nature, we had to find out if it would be too cold in February. We found out that the caverns' temperature remains

Summer crawls into autumn, a slow but poised walk into a natural world different not solely in terms of weather. Mother Nature lays out the differences the season brings about in the colours of the sky, leaves, flowers, and even in the coats of wild birds and animals. Summer evenings change to autumnal nights. The sun sets early, so you can no longer take a walk in the park at 7 o'clock in the evening. In autumn, by that hour of the day, the western sky begins to clothe in indigo. A curtain begins to draw on the world. The outside temperatures also start to dip rather quickly. And the bedroom windows, which you kept open on warm July evenings, need to be shut tight. You wish you could squeeze more hours into the day, but because that cannot be done, you try to spend evenings at home, reading or listening to music over a cup of steaming caffeinated drink. On a cosy autumn evening, you tell yourself that life is not too bad, even though days would soon be all gusty and slushy

Humans go back to the sea again and again, but do not grow weary of it. #paintingdiaries 

Things look different under a grey sky.

I never went fishing in my life, not until May 2011. But for people who reside in the U.S. state of Minnesota, fishing is a favourite recreation. In a state where more than 10,000 lakes and the mighty Mississippi flow, it is only natural that people buy hooks and baits and drive to a lake or river to fish. We have been living in Minnesota for nearly three years now, so my husband and I thought it was perhaps time we too tried our luck in fishing. Our acquaintances also fuelled our interest by saying that few things are as delicious as pan-fried freshly caught fish. The first thing we needed was a fishing license, so we got one from the local Walmart store for $18. It is illegal to fish without a license! We purchased only one license, because I was not sure how much I would really enjoy fishing. I thought that I should perhaps begin with helping my husband as he angled. On one sunny afternoon of summer we went to the Mississippi River with our brand new fishing rod, white

One usually realises the magic of his own land when he goes far away from it. I've been away from Bangladesh for one and a half months. I've just visited a country whose foreign policies are a matter of limitless discussion and debate all over the world. I think my readers have already guessed the name of the country I have just been to. No matter what U.S.A. did, does or will do in the upcoming years, it still remains and will most probably remain as the dreamland of millions of people. I was there with nineteen other students from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to take part in the South Asian Undergraduate Student Leadership Institute 2005. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, this program is an effort to build better mutual understanding between the U.S.A and the South Asian region. Even though the whole program had been a very intensive one, we had our moments of fun and hours of entertainment. But amidst the picturesque rolling hills of Pennsylvania, the lively

There are so many things to write about the new history that America has just written for itself and the world.  But the emotions are so overwhelming that it’s difficult to put all of them into written words. Some of these emotions are that profound... I am not an American citizen, yet I can feel the electricity that has swept the nation. I am lucky to have lived this historical moment when millions of Americans voted to make their first African-American President. It’s not a victory for America alone, but for people all over the world who believe in change and diversity. America has just proved that “impossible is nothing.” I have friends from different countries and backgrounds and I can see how deeply they are moved by this historical event. You don’t need to be an American to be hopeful about the future that lies ahead. You don’t need to be an American to celebrate this victory. I think it’s a victory for the mankind. The 2008 U.S. elections have taken us one ste