Although Bangladesh became an independent nation only in 1971, the land that now constitutes Bangladesh has long-standing historical and cultural ties to the Middle East.
Bangladeshis living in the Middle East make up the largest segment of the global Bangladeshi diaspora.
Most Bangladeshis who migrate to the Middle East do so as guest workers or day laborers.
According to the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI), as of the end of November 2016, there were 694,449 Bangladeshi nationals residing in Oman, followed by 691,775 Indians and 231,685 Pakistani expatriates.
Like other Asian expatriates, Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East primarily seek employment in the region to send remittances back to support their families.
While working on an international project in 2013, we were assigned a small room as our site office, located near the pantry. On my first day, I was unfamiliar with both the people and the office layout. I remember that whenever I passed by the pantry on my way to meetings with my manager in the engineer’s office, there was an office boy—around 21 years old, about 5’6” or 5’7” tall, fair-complexioned, dressed in a white shirt, black jacket, and blue trousers—who would often greet me with a pleasant smile ‘Good Morning Maidam’.
In return, I used to greet him back with a “Good morning” before rushing off to my meeting. When I returned to the office, I went to the pantry to make myself a cup of tea. There he was—standing by the counter, making tea for the rest of the office staff.
“Hi!” I said, introducing myself. “My name is Anuradha. What’s your good name?”
He smiled and replied, “Everyone calls me Mitoo. You can call me that too—no problem.”
“Hmm… Mitoo,” I repeated.
“Mitoo means sweet — and it’s easy to pronounce too. Nice name!”
I made myself a cup of tea with milk and a tea bag, then went back to my room.
As I took a sip while checking my emails, I frowned.
“Yuck,” I muttered. The taste wasn’t right — I must have messed up the mixture. I immediately went back to the pantry and emptied the cup.
“What happened, Maidam?” asked Mitoo.
“Nothing,” I replied. “I just didn’t like my tea — I think I added too much sugar.”
“I’ll make it for you, Maidam,” Mitoo offered politely.
“Umm, it’s okay, let it be. Please just give me a cup of green tea instead. I’ll try that.”
“Okay, here you go, Maidam,” he said, handing me the cup.
“Thanks, Mitoo! That’s so nice of you.” I smiled, then added playfully, “By the way, you should say Madam, not Maidam.”
“Yes, Madam!” he replied quickly, smiling back.
I took my cup and went back to my room. After taking a sip, I realized it was quite bitter—probably because it was my first time trying green tea. Still, I thought to myself that it was better than the overly sweet milk tea I had made earlier.
Every morning after that, I continued drinking green tea, telling myself, “This is better than any of the other teas or coffees in the pantry.”
After about a month, I noticed that I was drinking my green tea happily, without any complaints. That’s when I remembered what Robin Sharma, the motivational speaker, once said: if you want to turn something into a habit, practice it consistently for 21 days without missing a single day.
I suppose it worked for me—having green tea had become part of my daily routine.
One day, my friend Cumhur Samiloglu, a Turkish national, and I went to the pantry to grab some coffee.
Mitoo greeted my friend with a cheerful “Günaydın!” (Good morning in Turkish).
“Günaydın! Nasılsın?” (“How are you?”) replied Cumhur.
“İyiyim, sen nasılsın?” (“I’m good, how are you?”) Mitoo answered back.
I was taken aback—I hadn’t expected Mitoo to speak Turkish!
“You’re Bangladeshi, right?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes, Madam,” he replied politely.
“Mitoo, I can understand you speaking Hindi,” I said. “There are many Indians around, and besides, most of us are fascinated by Bollywood movies. So, learning Hindi isn’t a big deal for Bangladeshis.
But Turkish? How come?” I asked, my face showing a mix of curiosity and amazement.
He replied with a gentle smile on his face and said,
“English Turkish people also come to the pantry for tea, Turkish coffee, or water. Since I work in the hospitality sector, I must always greet and treat everyone kindly, with a gentle smile and a respectful response.
But when I first came here, I couldn’t understand either English or Turkish. In this office wing, there are more Goras and Turkish nationals than other nationalities, so I had no choice but to learn. In the beginning, I had plenty of free time, as there weren’t many people around. Later, when the team size increased, the workload grew too.
So, I started repeating the words they said. The next day, I would greet them in their own language—just two lines: ‘Good morning’ and ‘How are you?’ That’s how I took my first step toward learning different languages.”
“Hmm… Tusi great ho, Mitoo!” I said, smiling in admiration.
I was genuinely impressed. “What’s your educational qualification, Mitoo?”
“I didn’t study much, Madam,” he replied, still smiling. “I left school early.”
“So, how many languages can you speak fluently?” I asked.
“Bengali, my mother tongue,” he began, “Hindi, Arabic, Turkish, and English.”
“Wow… and what’s next?” I asked with curiosity.
“Nothing much, Madam,” he said. “I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to join a big company. I really want to work with computers. I’m learning from my supervisor now.”
“Good, Mitoo. Keep it up—always aim high!” I encouraged him.
Cumhur added, “Büyük düşün, Mitoo!” (“Dream big, Mitoo!”) and left with a smile.
I asked, “What else do you do after office hours?”
“Every day after work, I go to the gym,” he said. “We have a few gym machines in our labor camp.”
“That’s great, Mitoo. It seems your company takes good care of you all. Nice—keep up the good work!” I said warmly.
When I returned to my office, I thought to myself:
If one can dream of something and truly believe in it, nothing can stop them. Here’s a young man who, just by listening and interacting with people, learned three to four languages with such ease. Truly commendable! These are the people who have the real thirst to achieve something great in life—and who, one day, will succeed by working toward their dreams, little by little, every single day.
Years later, as the project was nearing completion, Mitoo’s manager encouraged him to attend an interview for an airport services position. Out of nearly 200 candidates, he was one of the ten or fifteen selected—thanks to his welcoming attitude, pleasant personality, and the multiple language speaking skills he had developed over the years.
He joined the new company, where he received professional training and further grooming. Recognizing his language abilities, his new manager soon asked him to lead a team.
This is the story of Mitoo—simple, yet deeply inspiring. It taught me an invaluable lesson and, I believe, holds inspiration for many who often think, “I didn’t study enough” or “I don’t have a degree.”
Mitoo’s journey proves that if you have a strong desire to achieve something meaningful in life, you must take action yourself. Stop underestimating your potential or wasting your most precious assets—time and health.
The small steps we take each day—whether to learn something new, explore a curiosity, or simply for fun—eventually guide us toward our bigger goals.
Keep doing what you love. Keep learning. One day, opportunity will surely knock on your door!
By the way, Mitoo's name is Abrahim. He is working for Prime Class Lounge at an International Airport.
