 |
| The group conquers the park's largest roller coaster. Kelsey Timmerman |
Was it a frivolous gift or a lifelong memory?
A group of needy Bangladeshi children get a day of fun at an amusement park.
By Kelsey Timmermanfrom the November 15, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 2
Sixty Dollars admits one child for one day to Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Sixty dollars admits 20 people for one day to Fantasy Kingdom, near Dhaka, Bangladesh.
I discovered this not long ago when I was in Dhaka. Now all we have to do is find those 20 Bangladeshi children to take to Fantasy Kingdom, I thought.
Behind us were the gates of Fantasy Kingdom, the brightest, cleanest, and most out-of-place sight in all of Bangladesh. The walls are plastic but look like sandstone. Standing atop them are two very happy cartoon kids – sentinels looking out to the crowded streets and the surrounding garment factories.
"One girl and one boy would be best," Ruma said. She is a 20-something Bangladeshi sportswriter who had taken the day off to help me with my crazy idea: Take as many kids as we can – who live in the park's shadow but haven't been inside – into the amusement park. Riding a roller coaster is a luxury they'll probably never know otherwise and, as a lifetime roller-coaster enthusiast, something I hoped to change.
"I want 20," I replied.
Ruma approached three boys. As she talked, they stared at me before running off to find more kids. It wasn't long before we had a crowd.
We lined up the kids – shortest to tallest – and started passing out tickets. A group of men in the back pointed to an elderly man. I pushed my way through the onlookers and handed him a ticket.
Inside the park, there were no lines. We were the line – our personal ride-operator followed us wherever we went. For our first ride, we chose one that I know as "the spider" from the rural county fairs of my childhood. The kids hooted and hollered as it spun.
Until this point, our group was somewhat reserved, but "the spider" changed things. They started acting like kids – all of them, even the old man.
They talked wide-eyed to one another with waving arms. I knew what they were saying: "Did you see me? I wasn't holding on." Or, "Did you try spittin'? I did and ...."
These children weren't used to being kids. They have responsibilities such as jobs.
Habir is a garment worker, as are Russell and Zumon. Habir is only 18, but is a five-year veteran of a factory. He supports his family on $115 per month.
RSS feed
