Are you a traveler, not a tourist? Do you thrive on adventure? Are you looking for a completely unique, one-of-a-kind travel experience?
Then become a Panigram Apprentice!
Panigram is excited to announce that starting April 1st we are launching the Panigram Apprenticeship Experience. Three days, two nights, one exciting adventure…
On February 14 Panigram Resort joined with activists around the world for One Billion Rising, the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. Panigram organized a dance flash mob in their village as part of the One Billion Rising campaign. About 100 women, 100 girls, and 200 men participated in the dance mob as a call to end violence against women and for gender equality.
The mob was lead by more than 80 of the participants in Panigram’s English and hospitality training program and 30 of the resort’s female construction workers; the trainees and workers are all residents of the villages surrounding the resort. Many of the women in the program, who come from conservative Muslim families, were worried about dancing in public. At the practice session the ratio of men to women was four to one, however on the day of the event men and women showed up in equal numbers (though the men were less afraid to step up and dance!) Women in bright red burqa danced alongside young girls in pink dresses. Girls from the women’s college, high school, and primary school tied red ribbons around their wrist and joined the dance party in the town square.
A few weeks ago, our students did something unexpectedly delightful; they took it upon themselves to plan a picnic for us!
Now, picnics in Bangladesh are quite different from picnics back home. From the activities to the food to the clothing, it was a whole new experience for me, and so much fun!
Mostly, though, I was impressed by all the thought and organization our students put into the event. They took the initiative and planned every detail, including a colorful tent, music, lovely tableware, delicious food and a cricket match. Honestly, it was more like a catered garden party than a picnic.
The best part: We really got to see our students shine and put their English and hospitality training to use. I can’t wait to see how they perform when they interact with Panigram’s guests!
What celebration would be complete without a silly group photo?
Heather Martz has recently joined the Panigram team as our winter intern. When I received Heather’s CV and cover letter, I immediately wanted to hire her. She has hospitality experience (she managed a Starbucks), she embraces a wellness lifestyle (she is a yoga instructor), she is becoming an expert in sustainability (she is a graduate student studying sustainable development), and she loves to travel (she did another internship in Costa Rica). A perfect fit! Unfortunately, the HR person that I hired on a temporary basis to handle our employment applications at the time (unbeknownst to me) sent Heather a rejection letter without even following up! I assumed that Heather had turned down the position until I went back through all of our applications after I dismissed the temporary HR person and found her letter again and noticed the mistake. I emailed Heather explaining the error and, good sport that she is, she forgave our mistakle and decided to come to Bangladesh! In the week that she has been here she has already come up with some great ideas for us and I look forward to seeing her project develop during her stay.
Heather Martz
Heather Martz
Aloha and assalam elaiykum! My name is Heather Martz. I am a graduate student at Hawaii Pacific University studying sustainable development. I am a certified yoga teacher, I enjoy making soap, and I love to travel. Bangladesh marks the 23rd country I have had the pleasure of visiting. I have only been here for one week and already I have had some amazing experiences! The people here are extremely friendly and instantly made me feel right at home. I know my time here will be time well spent, making new friends and creating great memories.
As an intern at Panigram Resort, I will be traveling around the villages of Jessore, Bangladesh in search of interesting activities for guests to participate in. Some of the things I will be looking for will include day hikes, bike routes and boating excursions. In addition my sights will be set on local agricultural practices which will help show guests how local production processes in rural villages happen and give them a chance to participate. Promoting local craftsmanship will also be an important aspect of this internship allowing guests to promote the local economy and learn something in the process.
My goal is to assist Panigram in being one of the most successful and unique sustainably conscious resorts available for travelers.
As part of Panigram’s philosophy of responsible tourism, we have set ourselves a number of targets regarding the demographic of our workforce. Our primary aim is to take as much of the workforce as possible from the local community in order to boost the economy of the area. We also pride ourselves in employing a relatively large proportion of women: our current male-female ratio stands at approximately 140:80.
Looking to the future service staff of the resort, we are constantly recruiting potential employees. We have frequent recruitment drives, including a speed interviewing process. Successful applicants are invited to attend our training program, through which they learn both hospitality skills and English communication. The scheme will continue until such time as the resort opens its doors, when participants will be offered appropriate positions according to the standards they have achieved.
While we try to include as many people as possible in the training program, there are some applicants who are unable to attend due to a variety of factors. A few of these factors are explained in the following insight into the background of our trainees.
Education
All participants of the training scheme have gained their S.S.C (Secondary School Certificate) at the age of 16. Most continued on to complete the H.S.C at 18 and some have passed (or are currently studying towards) a bachelor’s degree. A few even have master’s degrees and some experience working in the hospitality field.
Home Life
In Bangladesh, and particularly in rural areas like Jessore, it is normal for people to marry quite young, often between the ages of 18 and 25. Once married, couples tend to start families straight away. Therefore, many of the trainees have young families and the commitments that come along with them. Trainees who are not yet married generally live in a joint family system, with many siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc. all living in a single compound.
As Panigram is being built in a small village, the homes of our trainees can be anything up to 10km from the classroom. Our participants usually walk or ride bicycles to class, as many of them have no other mode of transport. This takes some students upwards of 30 minutes.
Employment
Another aspect that should be considered is that while participating in the program, the trainees are not yet employed by Panigram. Most of them earn their modest income through agriculture and take time from their farming work to attend our classes.
When all of these factors of distance, transport, education, work and family commitments are taken into consideration, the dedication that we see in the trainees each day is outstanding. It is very rare that someone is absent from class and, if they are, they usually try to come to a makeup class later in the day. After a 15 minute walk in the rain, there is still an enthusiastic smile on each face.
The positive attitudes I observe in my students each day makes teaching them a real pleasure!
Most students walk or ride bicycles to class from the neighbouring villages.
As a teacher, when you’re with your students, experiencing their growth as it happens, sometimes it’s difficult to realize how far they’ve come. Sometimes you need a little perspective.
Well that’s exactly what happened when our new students arrived.
As I sat giving the new students their preliminary speaking evaluations, I was reminded of the original students (whom we have lovingly named our “Pioneers”). Back in June, the Pioneers were awkward and confused. They either quickly blurted out whatever English they had memorized or sat looking at me blankly, answering every question with, “Yes.”
“Ma’am. Panigram Resort is very, very wonderful. I love Panigram Resort.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s nice. Now, what do you see in the picture?”
“Yes.”
“What is the boy doing?”
“Yes.”
“How is the weather?”
Silence.
Over the past few months, I’ve been so focused on our goal ahead and all the work required to reach it that I had forgotten where we started.
Meeting the new students, I was reminded. Reminded of my first few lessons back in June, when I was still figuring out how much English skill the students really had. Reminded of the patience and repetition required to explain seemingly simple tasks. Reminded how overwhelming it all seemed.
Now, when I teach a class to the Pioneer students, they’re no longer awkward. It’s no longer laborious to give instructions. They no longer stare at me blankly and answer every question with, “Yes.” They do still tell me how much they love Panigram Resort, though. (Smile.)
So, as we begin again with the new students, who are still in their awkward phase, I am able to appreciate the progress we’ve made so far and feel even more excited about the progress I know we’ll continue to make.
We still have a long way to go, but there’s no doubt we’re getting there, one English class at a time.
Nazmeen (far left) and Angela (far right) with one of their "Pioneer" classes. (We are still working on breaking them of the Bangladeshi habit of frowning in photos!)
Students practicing their English
It’s my last opportunity to visit the English classes before I have to leave Bangladesh. I feel both sad and excited when Angela, Yohana, and I arrive at the Union Council building where the classes are held. It will be the last time that I will see these students, and I’m disappointed that I won’t be around to see them finish their training. But today is also exciting because I know there is something special in store for the students.
Today’s lesson will be taught by Yohana Tsegai, the hotel intern. Angela, the instructor from the U.S., usually teaches the class but will have an assisting role this time. It’s the first time where the roles are reversed for Yohana and Angela. I’m just as curious and interested as the students to see what the lesson will be like. Read the rest of this entry »
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Kristin Boekhoff
Owner, Panigram Resort
kboekhoff@panigram.com
Mikey Leung
Designer and Web Guru, Panigram.com
mikey@panigram.com
