Abdullah Sumon with his wife Afsana Zamshed and 16-month- old Mustafeen Abdullah in their home in Fraser Cove. PHOTO/ Ruth Keber 140214rk07bop
Abdullah Sumon with his wife Afsana Zamshed and 16-month- old Mustafeen Abdullah in their home in Fraser Cove. PHOTO/ Ruth Keber 140214rk07bop
Walking into Abdullah Sumon's home I expected to be greeted with the wafting smell of different spices and the sight of Bengali art on the walls.
But as I was ushered into his lounge room and seated on the four-seater sofa it dawned on me how very Kiwi his home was.
While being offered a cup of tea by his wife, Mr Sumon said he and his family were among the 20 odd Bangladeshi families living in Tauranga.
It is thought that roughly 100 Bangladeshi migrants now call the Bay of Plenty home. The father of one said he studied geography at high school and this inspired him to see the world when he left home at the age of 18.
He arrived in Tauranga 12 years ago after travelling through Europe and working in America .
Mr Sumon said he went through a short transition period adjusting to the New Zealand way of life but, having learned English at high school, he adapted quickly.
He grew up in Bangladesh's bustling capitol, Dhaka. The biggest difference between Bangladesh and New Zealand was the size of the population and the over-crowding in the cities.
``If you are walking around you are going to have to touch other people on the streets to get past them (in Bangladesh).
``New Zealand is not nearly as crowded,'' he said with a big grin. He also noted the difference in temperature.
``Over there the average temperature in the day would be between 28 and 30C over the summertime.
``The city way of life is pretty much the same as here, we have the same lifestyle that we did back home, everybody has access to cellphones and internet.''
Mr Sumon married his wife, Afsana Zamshed, in Bangladesh. They celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary on February 20. It was one of the only two times he had been back home to Bangladesh since arriving in New Zealand.
Although they cannot visit home often, and they ``miss their families very much'', they do talk to their parents and siblings almost every day.
The family still honours Bangladeshi festivals, with the biggest public holiday back home being Bangladesh's independence, he said.
``On March 25, 1971 Bangladesh celebrated its independence from Pakistan. It is a victory day, everybody celebrates it all over the world.
``We also have the Bengali New Year, Po{aci}hela Boishakh, which happens on April 14.
``It's also a big celebration where people dress up in their cultural outfits and eat all the cultural food. ``People paint their faces red and green, the colours of our flag,'' explained Mr Sumon.
Afsana Zamshed rolls out roti bread, a traditional bread cooked in Bangladesh, in their kitchen in Fraser Cove. PHOTO/Ruth Keber
A devout Muslim, Mr Sumon and his family also celebrated Islamic celebrations such as Ramadan and Eid Festival, which this year starts at the end of June.
The family still enjoyed the flavours from home with Mrs Zamshed rolling out home-made roti breads during my visit.
I was also assured there were many Indian shops that sell authentic spices and other exotic foods.
But on a day-to-day basis they would eat rice, curry and a lentil soup _ a traditional Bangladesh meal, she said.
She also makes ``pithas'', which are cakes made from rice flour sweetened with date juice.
Mr Sumon said even though the Bangladeshi community in Tauranga was small, ``everybody looked after and supported each other within the community'' and it was a wonderful place to live.
Fast facts about Bangladesh Population: 144,233,000 Capital: Dhaka, which has a population of 12,560,000 Area: 147,570 square kilometres (56,977 square miles) Language: Bangla (Bengali), English Religion: Muslim, Hindu Currency: Taka Life Expectancy: 59 GDP per capita: US$1800 Literacy per cent: 43
