Pre-Pamirs Post

Tomorrow we are setting out for the Roof of the World! We're going to the scenic Pamir Mountains in Southeast Tajikistan. It's going to be an incredible trip, but more on that next time. 

This has been a pretty fun week. After getting healthier, something in my mind finally clicked. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling energized and just generally excited to be in Tajikistan. Of course I was excited before, but I can feel that the initial 'culture shock' phase of this experience is finally wearing off.

Each week of classes is getting easier and easier. I am understanding so much. It surprises me on a daily basis. Speaking with my family is still my largest obstacle though. I think the differences between the Farsi and Tajiki dialects of Persian were really downplayed prior to our arrival. Besides the consistent differences in many vowel sounds, there are many common words, like 'tomorrow' and 'cold,' which are just different in Tajiki. Along with that there's the whole accent problem that is pretty difficult for foreigners to get through. Nonetheless, I am confident I will persevere.

As I've mentioned before, my family is pretty small and quiet for a typical Tajik family. And home life definitely comes with its own set of obstacles as well. For example, yesterday I tried to do my laundry for the first time. What a fiasco. The family has a washing machine, but apparently they are not too keen on letting host students make use of it. I don't take it personally. I attempted to wash my clothes by hand and gave up after two pairs of jeans and one towel. Washing clothes the old fashioned way is hard. I ended up taking the rest of my clothes to a near by hotel and paying them to wash the stuff. I am really beginning to appreciate the convenient services that were readily available to me back in the United States. Washing laundry, withdrawing money, using the internet; all are tasks that seem simple, but end up being quite difficult here.

Today was a pretty fun day though. After only two hours of class, I had the rest of the day to myself. Some friends and I decided to sample the local fast food cuisine for lunch. We went to a place called Southern Fried Chicken (commonly referred to as SFC by those in the know). It was similar to KFC, but not quite as delicious. For Dushanbe though, it'll do. After SFC, we went down to one of the larger bazaars to pick up snacks for our upcoming excursion to the South. Skillful haggling is a necessity at bazaars and doing so in a foreign language can be pretty fun. We picked up a lot of nuts, cookies, and fresh and dried fruits. Afterwards we checked out a nearby clothes bazaar, bought nothing, and ended up at our favorite cafe.

(Okay there was a 3 hour break between when I wrote this first part and when I wrote the second)

Now I'm at home. I just had the best dinner I've had in Tajikistan thus far. We had this soup that contained whole potatoes and stuffed bell peppers. It was heavenly. On top of that there was the usual spread of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes and naan. I could really get used to feasting like this. Along with good food, there was good conversation. I probably spoke the most at this meal than I've had at any other meal with the family. It was great. I feel my mood and confidence improving with each new day. 

Tomorrow morning at 6AM we are heading eastward. I am not bringing my laptop. Apparently I'll still get good cell phone reception though, so we were advised to keep those with us. Everyone says this is the experience of a lifetime. Those are pretty high standards, but I have a feeling they will still be surpassed.

I'll end this post with another birthday shout-out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! You have the energy and enthusiasm of a person my age, and I've always loved that about you. See you in just a few months!

^ ethinic Pamiri concert we attended on Monday 

^ my first bowl of Borscht, along with the fruits, veggies and tea that accompany every meal 

^ view of the courtyard from my window in every morning 

^ sitting room attached to my bedroom; these two rooms are exclusively for my use :) 

^ view of my rooms from the courtyard 

^ the same breakfast I have almost every morning; it's sweet milk with butter, naan chunks and sometimes walnuts (called 'shir chai') 

^ SFC! 

^ the bazaar we usually go to; called Bazaar Shokhmansur

This Is Getting Real

     While there have only been a few noteworthy events since my last post, this experience is finally getting very real for me. This past week mostly consisted of me getting used to going to class five days a week. I have a full schedule, but it all helps with the ultimate language learning goals. Twice last week I met with my peer tutor. We had two interesting hour-long conversations in Farsi. Azimjon is a Tajik but he knows Tajiki, Farsi, Uzbek, Turkish, Russian and English. The oddest thing is that in this country, Azimjon is not so much of an exception. He is 24 and is already married with a baby boy. Again, this is not an exception to the normal flow of life over here. Azimjon told me that he really wants to move to New York in a year or two and make a life for himself and his young family in the United States. I will be meeting with Azimjon three times a week just to converse in Farsi and build up my proficiency. And that's about the extent of the excitement that transpired last week.


     Yesterday was much more interesting. American Councils gave us all the day off, so some friends and I decided to go on an adventure. We met early in the morning and paid a marshrutka (just a big van that drives people from town to town for cheap) driver to take the five of us up to the town of Varzob. The plan was to get in some quality hiking time. After paying the driver 3 Tajik somoni each (roughly 60 cents) we settled in for the hour drive north. It was surprisingly easy to just go off into the mountains from Varzob. There were no fences, no park rangers and no real trails to guide us. We got up pretty high into the mountains and got to see some spectacular views. 

     The most interesting part to me, though, was that there was absolutely no one else around. Climbing random Tajik mountains is nothing like hiking in a park in the US. It's not like anyone was looking out for us or had any advice on where to go. We just had to explore the wastelands on our own to find the coolest places. It was intriguing to think about how few people must have climbed the mountains that we climbed. Barely anyone lives around Varzob. It's not much of a tourist hotspot either. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but I also had an odd feeling of liberation, having survived going out into the country without any supervision.

     Saturday, during the day, was just great. But then the night time brought some very different feelings. I think I ate some bad tomatoes for dinner. I'm not 100% positive, but either way I got food poisoning. Getting sick in Central Asia is absolutely no fun. I got so sick that this morning my RD took me to the local medical clinic. The doctor is the quirky little German man, who speaks fluent English. The clinic itself is a Western-style one, meaning it is very clean and safe. The doctor told me I probably have some combination of foreign germs and parasites in my stomach. He gave me a shot and four different medicines to take rigorously throughout the next 48 hours. I'm already feeling a bit better, but I haven't tried to sit down to a real meal yet. 

     Luckily, my host family is used to having host students get sick, so that wasn't a big deal. They have been comforting and supportive, but not overbearing, since I got sick. The strangest thing about the family is that they rarely leave home, except to go to work. Their whole world revolves around the home. I have tried to tell them about going to Varzob, or even local cafes in Dushanbe, but they rarely recognize the names. It seems like most of the places to go in Dushanbe are for either young Tajiks, Tajiks with kids, or foreigners. 

     Other tidbits that I'd like to pass along: 

-It finally stormed here a few days ago. So the streak of perfect weather has ended.

-A lot of Tajiks have poor oral hygiene so they end up getting false gold teeth. It's kind of off-putting to speak with an elderly lady that only has gold teeth. But such is life in Tajikistan.

-A week from yesterday, American Councils is taking us on the biggest excursion of the year. We are going to roadtrip around the state of Badakhshan. This will be a week-long trip along the Afghan border through the incredible Pamir mountains. Everyone is really looking forward to it. Pictures are sure to be amazing. Personal hygiene and wifi accessibility are definitely going to be lacking. The Pamirs go up to 14,000 feet though, so we may have some decent cell phone service.

     Anyhow, that's about all the news that's fit to print. Below are a few pictures from the first few weeks in Tajikistan.

^ Rudaki Square in downtown Dushanbe

^the world's tallest free-standing flagpole

^statue of Ismail Somoni (he was credited with starting the Tajik ethnicitiy - most famous monument in the country)

^my room

^yesterday in the Varzob mountains

^Varzob mtns.

^more mtns.

^mountain cow

Further Excitement

     Since my last post, there has been quite a bit of  excitement over here. I'll start with Thursday night. After my first night out in Dushanbe, I came home and couldn't sleep. While reading, I suddenly felt the whole house shake. The shaking lasted for about ten seconds. The longest ten seconds of my life. I was ready for the house to just cave in, but I suppose the tremor never got that intense. I went online right away, and found out there had been a magnitude 5.0 earthquake somewhere in central Tajikistan. The epicenter was over 150 miles away from Dushanbe, but as this was the first earthquake I had ever felt, I was still pretty freaked out. Naturally, this made sleep a little harder to achieve. I called home for a bit and then finally passed out. I mentioned the earthquake to my host family the next morning and they just shrugged it off as a common occurrence. Classic Tajikistan.

     The next day was Independence Day. Keeping in mind that Central Asian countries are known for their volatility and that this year marked the 20th anniversary of Tajikistan becoming a sovereign state, we were told to expect anything. I was just excited to realize that I'm actually older than Tajikistan. In the late morning, there was a massive parade down Rudaki Street for about two hours. The main feature was the unfurling of the world's longest flag. Tajikistan is already home to the world's largest flagpole, and now it also has the longest flag. Everyone is super proud. The flag is over two kilometers long and was carried by over 3000 citizens. Obviously, the thing can't realistically be flown. So it was just paraded around the city for two hours. In the morning, it was clogging up traffic and I really had to cross the road to meet some friends, so I got to walk under it. That's right, everyone, I walked right under (and touched) the longest flag in the world. Big stuff.

     The rest of the parade was pretty lame, in all honesty. No floats. Just a lot of people walking around in eccentric Tajik garb, waving flags and cheering as the entire ten-piece National Air Force flew overhead. My host mom actually got to walk in the parade, since she's a teacher at one of the state-run schools. She participated in the celebration, but did so reluctantly. No one else from my host family left the house all day. They didn't care for the parade, the fireworks display, the laser light show or any of the reenactments. Apparently this is a pretty common phenomenon amongst the denizens of downtown Dushanbe. The festivities attracted a lot of young people, country folk and foreigners, but not too many actual Dushanbears. (A Dushanbear is the demonym I've created for those residing in Dushanbe.) So, anyhow, that was Independence Day. No riots or explosions or anything. I think a lot of people felt let down.

     The following day (yesterday) we went on our first excursion with American Councils. The trip was to this beautiful Tajik oasis next to some foothills and a river in the countryside. The place is called Gooleh Maida, meaning Little Flower in Tajiki, and is about 45 minutes north of Dushanbe. I did a bit of hiking in the foothills, but I couldn't really keep up with the fast pace of the military guys on our program. So I went back to the giant cabana and read and ate. Later on we went down to the river and did some sitting and minor wading. I had some really nice conversations with fellow participants and got to know some of my peers a lot better. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

     In other news, my family and I have agreed not to speak Russian with each other anymore. I'm excited for the switch over to Persian, but the trouble is that they still speak a lot of Russian amongst themselves. I'll want to take part in the discussion, but not know which language is appropriate to use. So that can be challenging at times. Also I'm having the first session with my peer tutor (هم صحبت) tomorrow morning. He is a local Tajik student named Azimjon. He speaks Persian, but no English. I don't know what we'll be doing, but regardless I'm looking forward to some one-on-one conversation time in Farsi. 

     Right now I'm sitting in a cafe, enjoying an espresso with ice cream. I'm finishing up my Farsi homework and enjoying the nice weather. Everyday in Dushanbe is beautiful. The mountains block out the clouds and nasty weather. It has been clear, sunny and in the mid 90's since I arrived here eleven days ago. All in all, I think the semester is off to a promising start. I could definitely get used to this.

I suppose I'll just end this post with a big HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY wish to my elderly sister!!

Transitioning

     I guess I'll start by following up on my last post. The day after I ran into the cops, I ran into them again. The same cops, at the same place, at the same time. I averted eye contact and hoped to avoid another rough interaction. To my surprise, the one cop shouted 'Американец! Мой друг! Как вы?' (English: 'American! My friend! How are you?') We all laughed. The other cop pretended like he wanted to see my papers, but he was just messing around. It was a welcome relief to be treated with a bit of humanity at last. I suppose I'll be passing those two a lot this year, which should make for some fun stories when I'm back in the US.

    Making some new friends in the Dushanbe police force was not the only exciting occurrence that day. Later that night, I was woken up by my host mother, who had my RD on the phone. Jake, the RD, called to inform me that there had been an explosion in western Dushanbe earlier in the evening. Some people reported they heard automatic weapons fire in the area as well. The US Embassy advised all Americans to stay indoors for the following day. So the next day was pretty dull, but full of anxiety on my part. I found out later that there were few people who knew exactly what happened. There were various rumors spreading about a party and some fireworks going awry though. Some misfired pyrotechnics sounds a lot less dangerous than a bombing. So I've decided to believe that story. Either way, the local news reported nothing, there was no change in police/military activity, and thus my RD (who has lived in Dushanbe for a long time) believed it must have been something insignificant.

    I haven't even been here a week and already I have been hassled by the police and confined to my house for a day. I wouldn't have my abroad experience go any other way. The RD told me that my host family has hosted many Americans in the past and so it would be pretty hard for any of my actions to shock them. He underestimated me though. Not only am I the family's (lucky) thirteenth student, but I am also the only one to bring the cops home on the first day. So far, so good.

    But I jest. Really I am trying to lay low as best I can. Tajikistan is actually a very safe place, but it would still behoove me to fly under the radar. Before departing the US, I decided I wanted to grow a full beard when I got here. During orientation, however, we learned that beards are not that common on the streets of Dushanbe. Those with beards are often stopped more frequently by the police because beards are commonly associated with Islamic extremism. Even in Tajikistan. I still haven't shaved since I flew here and the beard is looking pretty rough. Perhaps I will pare it down tonight. And that's enough about my facial hair..

     To get back to the reason I am abroad in the first place, classes started today. I had my Mass Media class and then a session of Persian Grammar. All classes are taught entirely in Farsi. I was extremely nervous going into class, but I found that there was no need for such apprehension. When my professors spoke, I could understand a surprising amount of what they said and that was quite encouraging for the first day of school.

     I have never been in a situation like this before. Outside of my peers on the American Councils program, no one is willing or able to speak English with me. In order to communicate any needs or wishes or feelings, I must first plan out what I want to say and then think how I can coherently convey that message. However exhausting it may feel at times, this regimen will certainly pay off. Already I can feel my proficiency growing in both Russian and Farsi. It is a constant source of motivation to know that this experience is really working for me.

Until my next post,

До Свидания

خدا حافظ

A Cautionary Tale

Okay I meant to post this yesterday..
     Well I am here! I couldn't help but laugh to myself when we landed in Dushanbe early Thursday morning. I have been thinking about coming here since I started taking Persian classes two years ago, and now I have finally made it! I am both shocked and thrilled.

     The plane rides over here were pretty average. The only real highlight was flying right over the Hagia Sofia upon our descent into Istanbul. Staying true to myself, I picked up some McDonald's in Frankfurt and Burger King in Istanbul. Neither of these fine cuisines are available in Tajikistan.

     My host family's house is probably one of the coolest places I have ever lived. It is shaped like a traditional Tajik home, so it has a central courtyard with rooms surrounding it on all four sides. Their (for lack of a better word) compound is quaint, yet fascinating. The family grows all sorts of fruits, veggies and herbs in the courtyard, including tons of white grapes, which hang from this expansive terrace right outside my bedroom window.

     The family itself is made up of two older parents Rustam (father) and Muhabbat (mother) and their 26-year old son Dilshod. Dilshod's wife, Nasiba, also lives with them. Rustam and Muhabbat have a daughter as well, but she is married and lives with her in-laws. Also I forget her name. I know she has two young daughters of her own and one more bun in the oven. So I foresee much celebrating after the third child's birth. Everyone in the family speaks Tajik and Russian. This is perfect because my Persian competency is nowhere near my Russian at this time. Until classes start next Monday, I'm going to be sticking with Russian when communicating.

     Okay so the reason for this blog's title is as follows…

Today we met pretty early at the American Councils building and went over some orientation matters and then took a 'tour' of North Dushanbe. (As an aside, the city is cleaner, nicer and a bit more developed than I was anticipating.) We met so early though that I barely had time to wake up, eat a quick sambusa (Persian version of a samosa, but not deep fired) and have Dilshod show me how to get to the building. Thus in my morning rush, I forgot to grab a copy of my passport and Tajik visa. BIG MISTAKE.

     A word to the wise: if you're ever in a developing country and people tell you to bring copies of your passport and visa with you everywhere you go, JUST DO IT. After a full day of sampling some Tajik wares and foods, I headed home with some friends. I didn't ask my Resident Director (RD) for directions because I knew that I knew the route home. It is literally a five minute walk from the house to the main part of Dushanbe. On the way home though I began to doubt myself. I asked an elderly woman in Russian for directions and she told me I was going the right way. But then she introduced me to two cops walking by. I have no idea why she did this. She must've just hated me. Tajik police prey on foreigners, especially students.

     Anyhow, after the po-po confirmed for me again that I was going the correct way, they asked to see my passport. American Councils has my passport and visa for the next two days as they register me with the authorities and get me a SIM card for a cell phone. And I had forgotten the photocopies they made for me at home. So I was unable to produce any identifying documents for these cops. Needless to say, the flipped out. I had the angrier one call my RD and the situation was explained. I kept playing dumb with the cops, in hopes that they would just let me go. I am fairly certain they uttered some very crass words in both Tajik and Russian, but I bit back the snarky retorts floating around in my head. So finally they escorted me home and I showed them the photocopies of my documents and they went away. This whole process took about 45 minutes and the cops were all over my case the whole time, with rude remarks and looks. The fact that I had to involve my RD was not too good either. The situation was embarrassing and completely avoidable. That was Day 1 in Tajikistan.

Clearly, I have already learned a lot about daily Tajik life.

Tajik Fun Fact: Dushanbe is hosting a huge CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) conference this week. Also the 20th anniversary of Tajik independence is next Friday. So the police are on even higher alert than usual..