Random Ramblings

I have mentioned it before but everything about Tajikistan is unpredictable and unexplainable. Whatever is logical and common sense can all be thrown straight out the door. One of the toughest adjustments here since December has been the randomness of power, water and gas distribution in the city. It seems to change from week to week and no one ever knows when it will normalize. In a way, since February, it was a bit more normal in a sense that we are guaranteed at least 1-2 hrs of power/water but you never know when it will be on. Take this week for example; for once we had gas so I was able to cook my dinner. However, there was no power so I was cooking by candlelight which can be interesting (can’t see my food!). Around 8pm, the gas disappears and that’s when power comes on. Tonight, I was in the middle of washing my dishes during the 1 hour of running water when the lights went off and thus the disappearance of water soon after. Luckily the power came back five minutes after and who knows how long it will stay tonight…It sure can drain you having to deal with all this. The last three weeks have been extra tough with very harsh constant cuts. Thank goodness the weather seems to be warming up and has been quite nice lately.


Kids from my apt complex (aren't they adorable?):

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and a national holiday. Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Men’s Day but had no day off from work. I found it pretty amusing that our male coworkers were congratulating us as if to say “Thank you for being a woman!” We also each received the same deodorant stick as a gift for being a woman. Maybe it’s cultural or them trying to get back at us for giving them each the same cologne as a gift during Men’s Day. Such a hoot! Can you imagine this happening back home?? There is such a cultural difference between the West which promotes individual thought and the East which is very much a collective society.