So I’ve arrived in Dushanbe… but not after a long couple of flights. A direct trip is definitely a disorienting event. There’s the overnight flight to Europe, then a second overnight trip to Central Asia; but, that second trip is actually during the day in the US so is it really an overnight flight, or just an evening adventure? None the less, it always totals up to over 24 hours in airports and airplanes. This trip was especially disorienting because our plane was diverted to Tashkent because of bad weather in Dushanbe. We arrived at the Tashkent airport then spent 2-3 hours on the plane constantly waiting to continue our flight.
Many of you know that I lived for 2 years in Tashkent. I haven’t been able to get back to visit friends for a long time for political reasons. The government has not been so friendly to foreigners coming to visit so I haven’t been given a visa or tried to get a visa for a while. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to jump out of the plane and run to visit friends (Some of you met Jalol who was at Ball State this past year and came home for Christmas and to the Super Bowl party, etc) He lives in Tashkent and I could’ve visited with him. Plus there are several other friends that I would have loved to see!
Oh, well, it was great seeing the Sunrise in a familiar place and flying over the city I once lived in. Being there at sunrise gives me hope that things might be changing and I can visit friends again soon.
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