OUR VISIT TO THE BANGLADESH EMBASSY

It's obvious that the party is on around the entire globe. This came home to me and my students Friday during our visit to the Embassy of Bangladesh. The ambassador himself -- M. Humayun Kabir -- gave our group of 20 people an intelligent, prepared speech. In it he noted that we have made history by electing an African-American as president. “That is the strength of America,” he explained. “He will be a dignitary for the entire world.” He said our election affected the one they had in late December. The people chose hope, he said, and rejected the radical right candidates. He said we now live in a “norm-driven world” in which issues such as justice, freedom and human rights are getting harder and harder to deny people when they see what others have.

The man exuded such a sense of solemnity and dignity that it brought tears to my eyes. Then they proceeded to feed us potato samosa with mint sauce and a sweet yellow cake with tea and coffee. I found the tears welling up again.

This is a country where the average annual income is less than $500 per year, where its citizens have endured a bloody war of independence less than 40 years ago and have endured horrific natural and man-made disasters ever since – and they’re feeding us and are thanking us for electing Barack Obama. I was humbled and I think my students were too.