Teach Math in Bangladesh

After your flight, you’ll spend the day traveling to the Sundarbans. It’s so remote you won’t be able to reach it directly by plane. You can observe as you drive past different parts of Bangladesh.

It’s your first day in the park! During your time here, you’ll be living on a houseboat, since camping on the reserve is not allowed. You’ll dock your larger boat and get in a boat more suited for your tasks today. You’ll spend the day trying to spot river dolphins! The species here are called the Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphin. Your tour guide will talk to you about how climate change is affecting them and what you can do to help.

Today is exciting: you’ll be looking for Bengal tigers! After you spend some trying to see them from the river, you’ll be accompanied by an armed guard into the forest. Your guide will know the best places to look, but remember the tigers are wild animals and seeing them might be difficult. Make sure to pack your lucky charm! Your guide will tell you about the conservation efforts to save these tigers, as their population has been steadily declining. 

Today you’ll be traveling to a local village to provide some math lessons. In Bangladesh, school is free, but it’s not required, so only about half of the kids attend primary school, and this number goes down even further in rural areas. You’ll teach math basics that could help these children buy and sell items in the future. Maybe even some adults who missed out on an education will come to listen to your lesson.

You’ll spend your time today relaxing in the houseboat. You’ll enjoy some local foods you were able to bring with you, including some fresh local fruit. Once it’s dark, you’re going on a nighttime water safari in search of phytoplankton, microscopic marine algae that glow at night. They light up the river, and are a sight to behold!

After a boat ride, you’ll be visiting the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project, a breeding center for saltwater crocodiles. You’ll get to see these crocodiles at all different age groups and up close (but not too close). You’ll tour the center and talk to several staff members there, learning about how the center works and the conservation status of these crocodiles in the Sunderbans.

It’s time to leave the river and head home. You’ve been on the water for so long it might feel weird to have your feet on solid ground! Your time in Bangladesh may be over, but your attention to conservation in the area doesn’t have to be.