The location of the placement was at the BRIF campus at Hazi Nagar, outside of Dinajpur (30 minutes by bus) in the north-western part of the country, very close to India and Nepal. The north-western part of Bangladesh gets much cooler during the winter season and warmer during the summer season than other parts of Bangladesh. On a clear day in winter it is possible to see Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, from the roofs of tall buildings.

Hazi Nagar is a small village outside Dinajpur, a town that sprawls in every direction. There are obvious signs that the Raj was here but many of the buildings are neglected. The town is very close to the Indian border and has good road connections to Rangpur, Saidpur, Thakurgaon, Kurigram and Bogra.

Dinajpur is famous for its Raj Bari, a dilapidated palace where during the period of the British Raj one of the big landowners in the area used to live. In its compound you find a relatively well preserved Krishna temple. About 25 km north of Dinajpur, on the road to Thakurgaon, you find the Kantanagar Temple (see photo), one of Bangladesh's most spectacular monuments built in 1752 by a renowned maharaja from Dinajpur.

The countryside around is at times stunningly green with rice fields and palm and fruit trees and is crossed by many beautiful rivers. In the dry season the fields become very parched with cows and goats grazing, and away from the main routes the sunshine and general lack of cars creates a peaceful atmosphere, most transport being either on foot or by rickshaw.

In villages the population is dependent on agriculture, where 60% are landless labourers, and only 10% big landholders (10-20 acres and above). Pressure on land results in land holdings being subdivided, which is turn results in increasing landlessness. Rural housing is most commonly very simple; mud walled and thatch roofed, although increasingly materials such as corrugated sheets are being used. Family homesteads are usually made up of a number of single room buildings grouped around a yard.

Dinajpur lies in a border area and therefore you will find more Hindu people and Ethnic (Santal) influences in the community. This makes the area livelier and more colourful, especially during the many Hindu festivals.