Saturday September 9 was Tajikistan’s national holiday: Independence Day. They are celebrating the 15th year since independence from Soviet rule. Tajiks are very proud of this day and I was told that they have spent days preparing for this occasion. How do they celebrate you ask…Well they hold a demonstration (parade) where students, government workers and others join together and march along the river, tons of food and fireworks at night. Tajik flags and the nation’s colors were displayed throughout the town. Women wore their traditional Tajik dress called curta (nightgown-like dress) with a certain color pattern. It is a total family affair and I was living right in the middle of all the excitement! I took a walk out to check out the action and there was havoc on the streets. Cars parked wherever they could, smell of smoke bellowing out from the skewered meats (shashlik) on the BBQs and people everywhere! It was a bit overwhelming for me as I was walking on my own and couldn’t really communicate with others.
An update on my backpack…it has finally arrived into Tashkent but unfortunately it’s still not in my hands =( After a lot of organization by Rano (my savior at MEDA), it will be in my hands by the end of the day (I hope!) I also moved into a new apartment on Monday. My place is located on the main street and walking distance to the main bazaar (market) so I can do my grocery shopping. I was also told that because the apartment is located right next to the government department of energy that I will not have to worry about blackouts during winter time. Electricity power is split up into various lines and the “red line” which is for hospitals and government buildings and will always receive power.
Now all I need to do is learn Russian in a flash so I can communicate with others more efficiently. I have to admit that it takes a lot of energy and hand gesturing to get very simple concepts across and this is very tiresome. However, I have to remember that I have just been here for a week so it will take time before I can communicate at a comfortable level. I’ve picked up a handful of Russian and Tajik words already but I think I will concentrate on learning Russian as it will be more useful for me in the future.
Photos to come I promise!
Khayr! (bye!)
An update on my backpack…it has finally arrived into Tashkent but unfortunately it’s still not in my hands =( After a lot of organization by Rano (my savior at MEDA), it will be in my hands by the end of the day (I hope!) I also moved into a new apartment on Monday. My place is located on the main street and walking distance to the main bazaar (market) so I can do my grocery shopping. I was also told that because the apartment is located right next to the government department of energy that I will not have to worry about blackouts during winter time. Electricity power is split up into various lines and the “red line” which is for hospitals and government buildings and will always receive power.
Now all I need to do is learn Russian in a flash so I can communicate with others more efficiently. I have to admit that it takes a lot of energy and hand gesturing to get very simple concepts across and this is very tiresome. However, I have to remember that I have just been here for a week so it will take time before I can communicate at a comfortable level. I’ve picked up a handful of Russian and Tajik words already but I think I will concentrate on learning Russian as it will be more useful for me in the future.
Photos to come I promise!
Khayr! (bye!)
1 comment:
hey Rachel! The celebration sounds wild, I hope you took lots of pictures. I went to the Taiwanese Festival in Vancouver, and there was an exhibit about all the different regions in Asia. One of the pictures was from Tajik, and I thought, that's where Rachel's going to be! Keep up the updates, I look forward to reading them.
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