Tadjikistan Stories


Improvements

So, my journal entries this year haven’t been too exciting because I’ve been doing mostly the exact same things I did last year. I arrived and caught up with old friends. We had the usual great dinners and good walks. Since this was the 3rd round of our evaluation, I went to the same places we did the last two years. However, one thing I did want to co...


Work and Play

The last 3 weeks in Tajikistan I’ve had an interesting work schedule. Every Monday I went with a co-worker to a different city to conduct focus groups with parents and teachers and to manage the data collection for our evaluation. After a few days in each city, we would come back to Dushanbe to work here. Most weekends I would go with friends to various...


"Hanging Out" Tajik Style

Most of the time I’ve been here I’ve been at an office working on various projects, hence the lack of exciting journal entries of various adventures. However, after work and on the weekends I’ve been able to hang out with friends. Most people are probably wondering, “How does one hang out with friends in Tajikistan?” I usually go the pool, walk in a...


Guests and Family

This weekend I was invited to visit the village in Vahdat again for a family gathering. In Tajik tradition, the family meets on the anniversary of the death of a family member. They prepare a feast and various neighbors and other relatives come and say some prayers and chat for some time. The patriarch of the family passed away about 8 years ago on June...