The beginning of a journey...

I've never considered myself a blogger. That fact, in and of itself, is strange, given that I've perpetually updated my Xanga weblog for five years running now. The term "blogger," to me, designates a purpose beyond the who and what of everyday life - a sports blog, a film blog, or a political blog, perhaps. A weblog may have simpler qualifications, but to me, it's a matter of semantics.

Well, here I am, and now I can officially call myself a blogger. This journal, inasmuch as is possible, will serve as an account of my journey to Bangladesh, which starts a mere 66 hours from now and during which time our group will be shooting a feature-length documentary on the Holy Cross missions there.

A brief bit of background: in the 1800s, Father Basil Moreau began a series of Holy Cross-founded missions in the region of India that is now called Bangladesh, despite immense hardship and pressure from within and from outside its borders. Then, in 1930, a small charity boxing tournament known as Bengal Bouts was founded at the University of Notre Dame, with the express purpose of donating proceeds to the Holy Cross missions each year. What started as $500 in year one has ballooned into tens of thousands of dollars each year, and the tournament - the largest of its kind in the Unites States - is nearing its 80th anniversary of existence.

However, in all that time, none of the boxers themselves have ever set foot in Bangladesh. Priests and coaches have made the trek, but the boxers remain distant from what they are fighting for, a fact we hope to remedy through this documentary. In addition to myself as director of photography and ND professor William Donaruma as director, a group of boxing captains will accompany us on our trip to Bangladesh, led by Mark Weber, whose perseverance and drive brought this project to fruition.

Starting May 29, we'll fly across eleven time zones to the small country, a country the size of Wisconsin, and home to 150 million people. For two weeks and change, our group will travel all across the country, from the northernmost villages of the region to the borders of India and back to the capital city of Dhaka, headquarters of the Holy Cross missions and the residence of 11 million people. Then, on June 14, after one incredibly long day of travel, we'll be back in the States, winded and jet-lagged.

No amount of mental or emotional meditation has been able to adequately prepare me for the trip. But one way or another, we're going. And hopefully, the work we do now will serve others, be it past, present, or future generations of missionaries and contributors. And hopefully, this account of our journey will serve as a marker for what we have done, and for what we are about to do. Wish us luck and prayers.

God bless,
John Klein
Director of photography
www.windycitycamera.com