Biography 156: A teacher

 I have studied at Eden Mohila College for 1 month. After getting admission from the University of Dhaka, I left that college. I was in stress and angry while studying in college. When I got out of there I felt I had started breathing again.

I am not a person who complains. So, I didn't say anything to the college; I just kept watching. Every moment they kept me thinking, why is this happening? Who has the power to fix everything? Corruption was everywhere.

First, I didn't find the study method extraordinary when the class started. It's like based on a textbook.

I heard from other girls that the dead of our department isn't available. She has some mental issues, staying at home. I was thinking, if I stay here, I might face the same problem.

After a couple of classes, one day, I was standing on the balcony, waiting for the next class. I saw a woman come, wearing a burka. She was short and a little weighed. She came close to us and said I am your department head. I was scared a bit because I had heard about her mental issues.

The office room of our department was close to our class. That office room had two doors. One door was locked; we saw it from the beginning. Teachers use to use the second door.

This teacher found the door locked. She was trying all keys in her parse to open the door. I thought about what would happen next. A girl from our class went to her and showed her that the next entry was open. She got relieved and went inside. I felt, yes, she has some trouble mentally. I didn't know how her co-worker would adjust to her.

Then she came to our class. She started taking our class, and I was amazed by her knowledge. Her teaching style was amazing. She was talking from her knowledge, not just from her textbook. We were amazed by her knowledge. In the end, she said, many people are trying to put her down politically (no wonder). But by the grace of Allah, she was still in the department.

I understood how misinformation can ruin someone's career or image. I don't know how she is now. But from the bottom of my heart, I salute her. 

Biography 155: Admission to the college

 I wanted to admit to the University of Dhaka. But if I didn't get a chance to admit to the University, I went to admit to Eden Mohila College. This is a girls' college and quite well known and old college.

If you go inside, it is stunning, like a park. Beautiful old building with flower gardens all over the area. Thousands of girls study over there. They had girl hostels, too, for those girls who came from different districts to Dhaka.

To save my father's money, I didn't take admission to any coaching class for the University admission test. But I bought a guidebook; I assumed if I read this book correctly, I would get a chance to go to the University.

But, by nature, I don't study academic books. So, my guidebook remains new.

I have given an exam at the college and got selected. They have given the deadline to admit over there. Which was one month early from the University of Dhaka's admission test result. So, for the safety of my education, I had to register and pay money to Eden Mohila College.

The college had only one day to admit there without any late fee. The rest of the 3 days are with late payment. I didn't want to give any extra money. I went to college with my older sister in the morning. I found a big line already built up and for the big college, they had put only one desk with one person taking money. He was an aged person. Works slowly. After taking some money he went to the principal's room to submit those. This process adds some extra time too. And some girls also broke the line. It's very common in Bangladesh. Two girls started fighting verbally about this scenario, and then a girl came who was the main person of the student union to stop them.

We waited there till sunset at about 6 pm. My older sister said, let's go home. this line will never end. She has already asked this a couple of times. Many girls gave up and went home. I told her we had already invested a whole day. Now I won't go home without registration, and then I have to pay the late fee. So, my older sister went home. I stayed alone in line with unknown future college mates. Finally, I could submit my forms and register for college.

The next day I had to go to the college for some reason, and I found no big line at the registered office. I felt this college intentionally put one day for registration without a late fee. They are very interested in collecting the late fee.

Biography 153: After passing HSC

 After passing HSC (In Canada, it is called grade 12), most students get admitted to coaching classes in Bangladesh. So, that they can get selected for the admission test in prominent universities. Now a day, they do this kind of coaching to get admitted to good kindergarten schools (In Canada, it is called pre-schools).

The coaching centers give advertisements and offer gifts that already did good in HSC so that the good students join their centers. When those students get admitted to good places, they will give pictures of them and say they got into good universities because they had coaching classes in particular coaching centers. Some coaching centers take a good amount of money.

If I read the guidebook well, I would get a chance to study at Dhaka University. The best education center in Bangladesh. This was my goal or wish. Students from all over Bangladesh try to learn here, including some foreign countries. If I don't get a chance to be admitted to that University, I will join another university, comparatively less famous.

Before the Dhaka University admission process started, The Eden Mohila College admission due date came. So, I didn't take any chance; who knows whether I would be selected for Dhaka University. I gave an admission test at Eden Mohila College and got chosen to admit to the honours course Geography.

Biography 144: "It's a different world"

As far as I remember It was a 6-day year-ending function. At the end of the 6th day, cultural programs were arranged. In Bangladesh, a cultural program means some songs, dance, and reciting poems. and dramas. I think a minister or MP joined that ceremony.

Viqarunnisa noon college when arranges any ceremony they make it luxurious with lovely decorations, good arrangments and very good management. But mostly by the girls. They wear sharees, beautiful makeup and flowers. You will feel you are in a different world. Like heaven. That's exactly what the MP also said, " I felt like I am in a different world, it doesn't look like Bangladesh, but surely it's great. And you guys will help to make this Bangladesh better"

Biography 133: My college life

 I came from a middle-class family. I don't have any friends from a higher class. They always cut me off from the beginning. I never felt comfortable with them. Mainly because their subject of talking goes over my head. I am not a person who talks to please someone. Which rich people generally don't like.

In Viqarunnisa college (Grade 11 and 12) I found a different situation. Most of the girls came from rich families. Their culture and world are totally different.

I remember in our orientation assembly a teacher pointed at me and say something to principal Hamida Ali. She shake her head in denial and the teacher stop saying anything but gave me a look.

I understood very clearly. I was the only one who was wearing a hijab inside the college. Maybe they were thinking it was a women's college, so why I was still wearing it. My point was we have lots of workers and some teachers who are male. So, I should keep it.

In the class there is always a group, who are very loud, don't care about other girls and keep doing whatever they like. In Bangla kind of gunda bahini. They didn't like me because I wasn't someone who showed any extra respect to them.

As I told you I was exceptional in look because of my hijab. So, everybody somehow keeps watching me. They made me feel like I came from a different planet. Some asked, do you wear this at home, do you wear it in front of family members, do you wear them when you take a bath, what do you do in the bathroom, etc. Sometimes I answered, sometimes I became speechless with the questions of these rich Muslims. These girls only knew after death they will need a Moulana to process to go to the grave.

That gunda girls use to make fun of me. They use to laugh loudly. I kept my poker face. But deep inside, I was bullied and ruined.

I felt I am in the wrong place. I am a quiet type of person, but these people made me totally shut down. I just went to college and wait when can I come back home. I was never good in study, but the situation make me totally out of the textbook. Because those remind me of my college.

Our college had so many opportunities to do extra curriculum activity, I never think to try them, I even didn't try to know the options. I felt those are for that kind of girl, I won't fit anywhere.

I remember someone asked me about a girl, she said, she also studies in the Viqarunnisa, she looks like this, etc. I even didn't try to figure out who this was, I knew I don't know anyone. So, with a name or description, I am not going to recognize anyone. Later I understood she was talking about a girl who sits just beside me! I even don't know her name. The girl was surprised and looked at me in shock for 1 minute.

My life became a mess. I didn't do good in HSC. I had got somehow 67% marks. That gave some impact on my university study.

I have expended my worse time in life in this college.

Biography 132: Stealing

 When I was in school, sometimes I heard in another class someone stole something. But it never happened in my class. I mean we were not used to this situation. In high school (In Bangladesh, it's called college) this was very normal. Especially people stole the practical worksheet. In Geography we had to do real hard work on those sheets and you don't want to lose it.

I haven't lost anything, I wasn't a good student, so the thief never felt any interest in me. I am very happy about that.

I remember in a practical exam of geography we were sitting in our class and working on sheets, in between our work, the teacher was calling our names one by one and that one person stopped her work and go to the teacher. Then the teacher asked viva questions and listen to the student's answers. When the student is done she came back to her seat and started her work again.

A girl, Tinni (In those days I didn't know her name) sat beside me. When she returned from her viva exam, she asked, did you see the TK20 in my pencil box. I was surprised, I was very busy with my work, I even didn't look at her desk. I said no, I didn't notice. I was very worried, that she might be thinking I stole her money. 

Tinni understood my situation and said, no worries, I knew it wasn't you. Maybe the other girl, who sat on the other side of me. Later I heard that another girl spends all her days going from one tuition to another and she has tons of boyfriends, she needs extra money for that and she stills from girls. I don't know how true that information was, but in those days I believed that. I became very careful with her.

Later, Tinni became my University classmate. Now she is living in Australia.