Chittagong Trip

H’s family is originally from Paterghatta, Chittagong. Chittagong is another region or division of banglandesh. Majority of the Christians/Catholics in Bangladesh hails from Paterghatta, it's the seat of the Roman catholic diocese. The Christians/Catholics community is not that big.  Everybody knows everyone, not only about who you are but also of what you are. Familiarity is so common that most of the time, you hear them saying “the son of this who works as this and the brother/sister of who” in referring to someone or whenever introducing someone. There is always a linkage.

Auntie and I had to go to Paterghatta to get a fresh copy of H’s Baptismal Certificate. It was a short trip since we stayed there for one whole day only, but the 1^st and 3^rd day was for travelling. It’s quite memorable because it was my first time to travel via train, and my first time to travel alone with auntie.

Going to Chittagong, we bought a Cabin ticket but we shared the cabin with one family. It was not really a comfortable ride since we can’t really lie down on the couch as we shared it with the other passengers but it was a hassle free trip since there’s no jam, there were only pit-stops that last up to 10 minutes. The scenery is different from the sceneries you see when travelling by bus. And of course, the common problem when travelling is clean washrooms. I was able to use the train’s washroom, (it’s a squat toilet) before starting the trip and it was clean, but I didn’t use it anymore after that, so I’m not sure if it is still clean during the trip.

The Bungalow

We arrived around 4pm in Chittagong and we stayed with auntie’s cousin. It’s a bungalow house with a front and back yard. It’s inside a government property, a housing facility provided for government employees during their tenure of service. It’s a nice place to live, something similar to my dream house, but I will just change the lay-out of the house but still the area is huge. It is a good place for small kids to play and run around.

The following morning, we left early for the parish office because we only have the whole day to do everything, get the baptismal certificate and to roam around to visit some relatives and old places. When we were in the parish office, I find the clerk not friendly but it’s okay, at least we got the certificate. I just find him irritating and not suitable as a parish clerk.

We visited the graveyards of auntie’s parents and uncle’s parents. It’s just beside the church. Then we went to one of uncle’s aunt, his mom’s sister, and she’s the mother-in-law of auntie’s youngest sister. Yes, the community is really that small that one is related to one another by blood or by law. After that we went to see also auntie’s old family house. It’s a small two storey house. H spent his first few growing up years in that house. Auntie showed me also the tea shop where H’s used to hang out while waiting for the paratha. 

H's Grade school grounds, first room from left was his Pre-school & Kinder classroom

Then we also went to his old grade school. It was nice to see his childhood place and finally see the actual places that I usually hear only in their stories.

Going back to Dhaka, we took the 7am trip, this time it's not the cabin but the coach seat, it's like a bus. This train line is a straight trip, there's no pit-stops so it took us 5 hours to reached Dhaka. 

H promised me that we will go back there and he will tour me around himself.

My Precious

"My Precious!" 

Believe me I can say it the way Smeagol/Gollum says it in the LOTR movie :-) And whenever I say it with the hand-movements also, it freaks-out H's cousin. Of course, I do that sometimes on purpose just to scare H's cousin.

In the movie, "My Precious" refers to the One Ring. And this entry is suppose to be about "our own Precious", but until now we haven't purchase our wedding rings. I'm still in search of our precious.

Before coming home, H and I checked the Apan Jewelry in Bangladesh. But they don't have a decent looking wedding banns. Most of the rings they have are the huge gold rings, the typical rings that are usually given during Bangladeshi muslim or hindu weddings, and they don't customize since most of the jewelries are imported. So, we just took our ring sizes and decided to purchase the rings here in the Philippines. H was even surprise to know that there are jewelers here who can customize gold rings.

Based from the wedding forum, the known and reputable suppliers for wedding rings are Goldenhills, Mayfair and your very own jeweler from the province of Bulacan. There are other suppliers but maybe they have a steep price tag already that's why they are not popular in the wedding forum. Yesterday, we dropped by Edsa Shangri-la to check Sunjewel but too bad, they  are close on sundays. 

Originally, my plan was to attend the Bridal fair in MOA but we ended up in Nuvali with my sister and her family. Call it a detour :-) By the time we got back to Manila, it's already 5pm, and we took C5 instead of Magallanes, so I decided to just check "Goldenhills" showroom in Galleria. 

In the showroom, there are lots of rings to choose from, unlike in their website. They can customize also a design. The first few rings that they showed me were way beyond our budget so I just told them straightforward what's my budget. Good thing, they have rings also within my budget range, and at the moment they have 20% discount. I already inquired regarding the design that I like but too bad, the quote is beyond the budget too. So, I still have to canvass other suppliers or I may just end up buying whatever is on display.

And, because of this search, I found out that the International Ring Sizes varies from country to country. There's US/canada, German, Japanese, Swiss and British ring sizes. When we took our ring sizes in Bangladesh, I'm size 9 while H is size 19, but here in the Philippines, I'm size 5. The sales attendant in Goldenhills advised me to check the chart in the net since they don't have a chart in their showroom. That's a bummer or maybe they are just too lazy to look for the chart.

Anyway, I checked Mr. google and this is what I found out:

Looks like, Bangladesh or rather the Apan Jewelry follows the Japanese size and Philippines follows the USA/Canada size. I just hope I'm right with this one, then that means H's ring size is 9 1/2.

So for now, I'm still in search for our precious. I'm looking for simple ones, something that I can wear everyday without fear that someone will snatch it away from me. These are the pegs:

I want it with 5 diamond stones for me  if  it's within the budget.

White gold with two different finish - glossy and matte

P.S.

I already found our wedding ring supplier. She is a nice person and she was able to give me design options based on our budget. Now, in two weeks time, she will be able to deliver "Our Precious" :-)