A Summer in Tajikistan

I'm a rising junior at the University of Pittsburgh blogging about my experiences studying abroad in Tajikistan. Our mascot is the panther. I love learning Persian, and I can't wait to share photos, stories, and information with everyone.

[persian-panther]

American Corners are libraries located all over the world through which local people can come to learn about American Culture, take classes, participate in clubs, use the library and browse the Internet. During my study abroad program, I volunteered to teach a intermediate-beginner English class for young students. There were 25 to 40 students in the class, and I was able to go through lessons such as future tense, superlatives, imperatives, and words for doctor’s visits. 

Because the levels of the students ranged so widely, I conducted the class in both English and Tajiki. I was also able to give the students an evaluation, where students would be able to stay aware of their own progress. 

I never thought that I would enjoy teaching English to children, but it was such a rewarding experience, especially when I saw so many of the children thrive in class. Fortunately for me, most of these students were already bilingual since the public education system of Tajikistan teaches Russian. As a result, foreign language learning is a familiar topic for these kids.

[persian-panther]

I was very lucky in my host family placement in that my host family's house has a beautiful and extravagant garden. In the front section, there of course the beautiful flowers, but there are three apple trees, a banana plant, and tomatoes. In the back, there are heads of lettuce, cucumbers, berries, and more. I cannot begin to even name all of them. My family is very proud of their garden, as they should be, and of course, the salad always tastes unbelievably fresh. It's amazing to me that every time I want an apple, my host sister climbs the tree outside and asks me which one I want. The other day I asked my family for cucumbers, and I got to go outside and pick them myself. Please enjoy the photos I took!

[persian-panther]

There is a cute little amusement park in the middle of Dushanbe, and my family was nice enough to treat me to a night there. It's called Boqi Istiqloliyat. I didn't ride anything except for the carousel and one of the 4D rides, but my host sisters enjoyed the roller coasters and other bigger rides, while I sat by and watched or calmed down the two-year old sister, who wasn't big enough for most of the rides. There isn't much to say about the park except that it's pay-per-ride, and that I have to admit I was too scared to go through with the haunted house. Please enjoy these photos!

[persian-panther]

Though Iskanderkul is not an official excursion on the American Council roster, it certainly is one of the most worthy and beautiful sites available to the Farsi study abroad students. When I went, the main tunnel that led to Iskanderkul was closed during the day for construction, so we had to go through the Anzob Pass, which I later found out is one of the most treacherous mountain passes in all of Central Asia. What would have been an hour long trip turned into a four-hour long journey through literal twists, turns, and rocky, unpaved roads. But we put our trust in the driver and his Lexus and stayed in Iskanderkul for two pleasant nights. Buying food, paying the driver, and paying for two nights in the cabin totaled to about $100 for the whole weekend, but all things considered, that's pretty cheap. I didn't really need to buy all that food, because there was a little restaurant at the camp site, but their food wasn't all too tasty. Plus, it's fun to roast hot dogs and tomatoes over the fire. But remember to bring a lot of water. They have bottled water at the restaurant, but it was overpriced. Iskanderkul is a mountainous area with a gorgeous giant lake located in the center. It's also higher in elevation than Dushanbe, so the weather is much cooler. At night, the weather got so cold that I almost missed sleeping in my host family's house that has no air conditioning. Remember to bring a jacket or sweater! You have the option of camping outside or sleeping in one of the "cabins." The cabin is just a bunch of rooms with a bunch of old, creaky beds. It's about $8 per night, whereas sleeping outside is marginally cheaper. The cabins have no running water, so be prepared for that. Don't forget to bring baby wipes and toilet paper. The first night we arrived, it was already getting dark, so we got our stuff settled, the others set up their tents/hammock, and we started the fire! It was a fun night, and we were all looking forward to the day of hiking. Unfortunately, not all the group members got enough sleep due to not expecting the temperature to drop so low! So, on day 2, we walked a nice little path to a waterfall, took some pictures, and came back to camp for a nap. The driver offered to take us to see a spring, but mostly we just lazed around until it was time for to make the fire again. Of course, everyone got great photos of the terrain and landscape, and the lake water was much much too cold to swim in, but that didn't stop some of the locals! There were a lot of tourists at the Iskanderkul campsite, and I talked to people of various nationalities, including Russians, Hollanders, Belgians, and Tajikis. Of course, we were the token Americans.

[persian-panther]

If you don't already know, the end of Ramadan is a holiday called Eid. My host mother was very happy that Ramadan was ending, as fasting often made her feel weak. From what I have gathered, families visit each other on Eid, going from house to house to house to speak with friends and family and wishing each other Eid Mubarak! In preparation for Eid, my host family cleaned the entire house. This was quite the process, because they not only wiped down the windows and doors, but they also had to take all the carpets out of the house and scrub and hose them down outside. This took place over the course of the week. Also in preparation, my host sisters baked many pastries, including the bakclava pictured above. The celebrations are very big and jolly. I went to my sister's house, who lives with her husband, as they got married a month ago. Her house is huge, and the feast in celebration of Eid reflected that. It was an elaborate and beautiful set up. Unfortunately, I got a stomach infection and couldn't eat as much as I had wanted to, but I got a lot of good photos to share with you all. I wore my Tajiki dress that I bought from the bazaar and some people were asking if I was Tajiki or Uzbeki. I do love that dress! And it was a great opportunity, as per usual, to practice my Persian.

[persian-panther]

Varzob is a mountainous area with "estarohat" areas, aka relaxation. You can hike, though the mountains are pretty steep, and you can swim, but probably not in the river. As you can see from the photos, this is a beautiful area that was a 30 minute drive in a taxi from Dushanbe. Be acutely aware of negotiating the price with the drivers! My group and I made the mistake of not negotiating the price until the end of the drive, and the driver ended up angrily demanding more money. It took some Persian skills and some arguing to get him to take a lower price. Always make sure you have agreed upon the price before you have gotten into the car. This was my first real hiking trip in my entire life. I'm not usually an outdoorsy person, but this is study abroad in Tajikistan after all, so I stepped out of my comfort zone. It was very difficult because my shoes weren't giving me great traction, the steepness of the climb did not bode well with my inexperience. As we climbed higher and higher, I was surprised to find myself having trouble breathing since the air is noticeably thinner at higher elevation. My face turned a lovely shade of red, and I wheezed as I tried to keep up with my group members. Though the hike reminded me that I was pretty out of shape, it was definitely a rewarding experience. Because this is so close to Dushanbe, I definitely recommend it as a travel destination for the adventurous study abroad students!

[persian-panther]

Packing Tips for Tajikistan

I am a planner. I like to plan things way in advance, and the fear of being unprepared is constantly looming over my head. So when I was preparing for my two-month study abroad trip in Tajikistan, I did my research and bought what I thought was necessary. Unfortunately, not all of the information I gathered was completely accurate. But some things I did do right. I'm compiling a list of tips and advice for future students who will be studying abroad in Dushanbe. 1. Yes, you need to bring sunscreen. With all the excursions going on, you will be walking around in the hot summer sun, and you will get burnt. It's better to be slightly burnt than extremely burnt. You might want to bring a spray sunscreen, because they're really convenient. Be aware that you can't bring aerosol cans in your luggage though. 2. Shampoo, conditioner, and other toiletries are all available here, and for pretty good prices. Of course, there isn't the best selection, mostly just the Russian versions of Garnier Fructis and Head and Shoulders. So, if you have very specific toiletry needs, you should probably pack those. For example, I use Cetaphil skin lotion that I correctly guessed wouldn't be available here. However, I cannot find dry shampoo, which is a powder or spray used to temporarily lessen the intensity of an oily scalp. So, if you know that you have an oily scalp especially in hot weather, bring some powdered dry shampoo, as some airlines are wary of pressurized cans. 3. Pack the medicine! Allergy, headaches, fevers, immodium, and laxatives. Your body will be going through a lot of changes when you arrive in Dushanbe, and you're going to feel sick. So, you will feel really grateful for American or Western medicine that you trust. Americans talk about the diarrhea they get when they travel to Tajikistan, but they often forget to mention constipation, due to the carb-heavy diet of Tajik people. Get a prescription for anti-biotics from your doctor. There is Cipro readily available here for very cheap, but many people are wary of the intense and frequent side effects of Cipro. 4. Underwear, underwear, underwear. I like to pack an exorbitant amount of underwear whenever I go traveling, and for Tajikistan, that definitely proves to be handy. When you're sweaty or sick, a clean pair of underwear will make you feel better. Plus, your laundry situation with your host family could be unreliable. Even if you're running out of clean clothes for wear, you will be comforted in knowing that you at least have clean underwear at hand. Of course, there is also the option of going commando if you enjoy that. My host sister says that she never wears underwear in the summertime. Not sure if this is a cultural thing or an intimate piece of information that she decided to share with me. 5. A wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. This is kind of a fashion faux-pas, and it will definitely emphasize your status as a foreigner, but it has saved me on multiple occasions. The sun really beats down on you, and it's better for your skin and your face if you take extra measures to protect it. 6. I bought iodine tablets and a money pouch for this trip, thinking that I would be prepared to clean tap water on the regular or to defend myself from pickpocketers. I guess it is nice that I have both these things, but I don't really use them. Bottled water is readily available everywhere for really cheap. It's 3 Somoni for 1.5 liters of water, which roughly equates to 50 cents. Furthermore, pickpocketers might be a heavy risk on a crowded bus, but the line taxis that run up and down Rudaki are faster and in abundance. Sometimes, I wish I would have just brought my purse instead of the weird-looking money pouch that I literally never wear around my waist. 7. Your school books should be provided for you, but two books have been critical in my survival in Dushanbe: my pocket dictionary for Farsi and my pocket dictionary for Tajiki. The languages differ enough that you need two dictionaries, but it makes communication with your host family a breeze! If I think of other things, I will add them. But for now, this is the packing list that I wish I had read before my arrival to Tajikistan.

[persian-panther]

Yesterday, the American Councils group made a day trip to Hissor, a national site in Tajikistan. It's a castle, currently under construction, but also an excavation site full of remains of ancient civilization. The tour was in English and Tajiki, so the Tajiki I mostly did not understand, despite my best efforts. But the castle itself is thousands of years old. According to some archaeologists, the remains are 4,000 years old, though most people refer to Hissor as a 3,000 year old site. There was two schools at the castle. And after the construction, vendors will be able to sell their handcrafts inside. There will also be a theater for celebrations such as Noruz. The spring was beautiful too. Occasionally, some bubbles arose from the bottom. According to Kumar, our tour guide, the bits of broken pottery laying around were glazed using a formula that not only has lasted all there years, it also does not contain lead, unlike many of the pottery glazes used today. There was also a museum full of artifacts and what not. Overall, the site was very beautiful, and the construction is supposed to end by October. Please enjoy some of the photos I took during the excursion.

[persian-panther]

French fries, or "free" is all the craze with kids in Tajikistan. And then, there's dumplings, which is eaten with chalka, or the yogurt.

[persian-panther]

Deep-fried eggplant dish

[persian-panther]

Food in Tajikistan

When you study abroad, you hope to expand your palate and try an exquisite array of new and foreign foods. That's one of the pictures painted to advertise study abroad to college students. And lucky for me, in Tajikistan, I am getting to try an impressive array of new foods. I have been posting some pictures of the food around here, but I haven't dedicated a real blog post to describe the diet in detail. I should first and foremost say that I have lost some weight since I have been here, simply because I can't eat as much as I used to be able to. Food in Tajikistan is very carb heavy, as you have bread at almost every meal. There aren't as much greens and vegetables, but there's a lot of fruit. The fruit in Tajikistan is pretty well-sought, and my host family even has their own garden to grow their own fruit. The apples I have been eating are the real GMO-free, organic apples of the world. And the food is really oily. Like seriously oily. But that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. My favorite dish so far is a soup called "shorba" and it's potato, carrot, herbs, and meat (I think lamb or beef). It's one of the most delicious broths I have ever tasted, and of course, I engulf the carrot and potato in seconds. I told my host sister that it's the best food in all of Tajikistan! For dinner last night, my family deep-fried eggplant slices in an egg and salt batter, then put a cheese-like cream, tomato, and garlic on them. It was delicious! Really oily, but the taste was indescribable. One of my other favorite dishes, osh, is an oily rice, carrot, chickpea, and meat dish. Interestingly, it's often eaten with the hands. I already posted a picture of it, and it's generally cooked on formal or semi-formal occasions. I love it, that it's usually the dish that I eat the most of. In terms of safety, be aware of unboiled tap water. Sometimes Tajiks will mix tap water into the yogurt, or chalka, so just watch out. Furthermore, on the fruit, there shouldn't be tap water on the skin still, otherwise, you'll get the famed Taijk Tummy! Even so, you should generally expect that you won't be feeling your best everyday. You'll get Tajik Tummy eventually, and usually some rest and bottled water will help you feel better in a day or so. You might be advised to bring immodium for bouts of diarrhea, but it's not a bad idea to bring fiber supplements or laxatives too.

[persian-panther]

كتابخانه كجاست؟

[persian-panther]

Ava's personal tips for culture shock!

It's not people's favorite topic, but I feel that it is serious enough to call for addressing. You can google "culture shock" for a more elaborate definition, and if you do study abroad, you'll probably review it in orientation. To my understanding, it's a vague yet frustrating feeling of isolation, sadness, anger, or a mixture. It can be overwhelming, or it can be a distant itch. It could come in waves or it could be a hit-and-run. What's most important, however, is that you know how to survive it and continue with your amazing study abroad opportunity. For me, the culture shock was mostly the first two days, where I hadn't practice my Farsi for so long that I mostly couldn't understand Farsi unless it was emphatic and slow. Then, my host family speaks Tajiki, which is different enough from Farsi that I basically couldn't understand them at all. And we didn't have classes for the first few days, so I found myself restless with time to kill and feelings of uselessness. Even though my host family was so nice and kind, they even detected I was a bit upset. But after two or three days, I recovered pretty fast. When classes started, I really started to brighten up, because I could focus myself on something. And though I still do talk to my boyfriend everyday, I am also spending a lot of time with my host family, classmates, and venturing out to talk to the local people--even in Tajiki! Sometimes a small bout of sadness hits me, as I really do miss my family, boyfriend, and cat. But I think about all the things I have to look forward to, and it goes away pretty quickly! Here are some tips I have picked up along the way: 1. Bring pictures of your loved ones. When you really miss them and they're sleeping because they're in a different time zone, you can look back on the pictures and remind yourself of what's waiting for you when you get home. Your loved ones will welcome you back with open arms, and they will love to hear the stories you gather on your study abroad. Plus, your host family will want to learn all about them. 2. Listen to your favorite music. Sometimes when I'm frustrated that my bed is uncomfortable, I'm cranky, and I want to be alone, I put my headphones in and turn up the American music. That way I can have a short musical session with myself to relieve stress and give myself a taste of American music that I used to hate so much. Plus, your host family will probably be curious about American music anyway. My host sisters love to go through my music collection, though they do prefer Russian and Tajiki music! 3. Don't feel guilty on insisting on your alone time. Privacy is very valued in America, moreso than here, I would say. So, just because you're abroad doesn't mean you don't need privacy! I usually say I have homework to do if I want to be unbothered, which is good for me, because I usually do have homework to do. 4. Give yourself time and be patient. It might seem like you're the only one with trouble adjusting and getting overwhelmed. I promise you, you're not. Probably most of the other students or interns studying abroad with you are feeling the exact same thing, but nobody wants to vent their deep emotional troubles to strangers, so everyone keeps on a calm face when you're with your group. Of course, you should always reach out to the resources available to you, such as your RD, if you think it will help. Remember, culture shock is not only normal, it is to be expected. 5. Keep a journal. This might sound silly, but it's really healthy for you to be putting down your thoughts, as opposed to keeping them jumbled and bottled in your head. You don't have to be grammatically correct, particularly detailed, or even consistent in your writing. This journal is for your eyes and for your thoughts. Plus, it will be really fun to look back on your entries and read what you were thinking at the time. That's all I can think of right now. If any of you are experiencing culture shock, you're always welcome to reach out to me!

[persian-panther]

وقت ندارم

Now I know why blogs about study abroad in Tajikistan are generally kept short. There's very little time to spare for blogging. Now that classes have started, I am usually trying to make time for studying, staying in contact with my family and friends in America, trying out new restaurants, and practicing Tajiki and Farsi with my host family. But my classes are great. I am in the "motavasat" class, which is middle-level language speaking, and I am by myself. All the other American Council students are in beginner or advanced level. But it's a blessing, because I get extreme practice time as well as one-on-one lesson plans. The pace at which my teachers are going is extremely fast, and it can be overwhelming, but I have to get over the plateau in the language learning curve somehow! Furthermore, I don't have the same resources as I would have in America. I had to ask one of the other students for pencils, I don't have internet at the house, I can't buy the English-Tajiki dictionary that I want. There is some other news on my Tajiki improvement. I had a lesson on the Cyrillic alphabet, and now I can sound words out on the street! The other day, I correctly identified a pharmacy, but alas, inside, I couldn't even begin to try to ask the salesperson for Benadryl. I couldn't even look it up on my phone on Google Translate. I only have Tajiki class once a week, but when it comes to communication with my host family, that's the most important one. So, I shouldn't neglect it just because I'm mainly studying Farsi.

[persian-panther]

Traditional Tajik Dish usually eaten with the hands called Osh مادر ميزبانى يم اش درست كرد براى عروس

[persian-panther]

در مهمانى، زياد غذا تاجيكى خوردم. ميوه، گوشت، سالاد، و اب ميوه بود!

[persian-panther]

Tajik wedding: Part 1

The last two days I was lucky enough to experience a Tajik wedding. The first night, my host family explained that we were going to a "mehmahni," which is the word for "party." But I think that the party also qualified as the "khastegari" which is the wedding party, though that is a simplified definition. I was worried that my maxi dress might be too casual for the event, but my host family assured me that it would be fun, and they even suggested I take off my sweater, even though the dress just had straps. We packed into the car, though nobody wears seat belts, so it doesn't really matter. We arrived at a hotel, which had a huge ballroom with a lot of tables with unimaginable amounts of food. There was some struggle to find me a seat, but eventually I sat down and the apa, which is the Tajik word for lady, put a huge mound of food onto my plate, which I could only finish a portion of. There was a band that blasted their music, and a lot of people, mainly women, got up to dance. They all danced in a similar way, the Tajiki way. It was very cool to watch, especially since the fashion was so amazing. The clothing styles ranged from traditional to more Western styled, though all were breathtaking. I swear that some of the women could have been celebrities strutting down the red carpet. The traditional Tajik outfit for women is an elongated shirt that reaches around the knees, with a pair of matching loose-fitting leggings under. These outfits also include a head scarf sometimes, but they are tied around the head for beauty as well as purposes of keeping hair out of the face. They are different from the hijab. The women were all dressed up though the men were dressed more casually. After some time, the aroos, or the bride, finally came out, dressed in a sparkly outfit that outshone everyone else. It was not the white wedding dress, as that comes later. She walked around the room, stopped at every table, and bowed gracefully with her hand flat on her chest. After the first round, she went to a back room, changed into another fantastic outfit and went around the room again, with the same graceful bows as the guests took photos. This repeated another two times, and afterwards the bride and groom, or the daamaad, sat at the table up front. More food was served, and more dancing, and generally everyone had a great time. I couldn't hear anyone over the music, so mostly I sat in my chair and watched the dancers as well as chatting with the children once in a while. At one point, one woman asked me to watch her baby while she went dancing, and I hesitantly agreed. I successfully stopped the baby from falling off his chair, though he cried for his mom anyway. All in all, the first night of the wedding was fantastic. It's really an enthusiastic and cool way to celebration marriage.