The Riddle...

I'm sitting at work, enjoying a beautiful Spring day in Tajikistan and when this song came on, it just really made my day =) So enjoy. I was finally able to upload some photos of the past months so check them out on google photo. Rae

*****
The Riddle - Five For Fighting

There was a man back in '95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him
Wait, what's the sense in life
Come over me, Come over me

He said,
"Son why you got to sing that tune
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see... You will see."

Then he said,
--chorus
Here's a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I..."--

Picked up my kid from school today
Did you learn anything cause in the world today
You can't live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me

He said,
"Dad I'm big but we're smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well we're nothing at all
Still every mother's child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me"

And Hey Dad
--chorus--

I said,
"Son for all I've told you
When you get right down to the Reason for the world...
Who am I?"

There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we're not wise enough to see

He said... You looking for a clue I Love You free...

The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel's eyes
A song plays on while the moon is hiding over me
Something comes over me

I guess we're big and I guess we're small
If you think about it man you know we got it all
Cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free I love you freely

--chorus--

Thank God for Generators

I spent New Years in Bishkek. It was a nice change from Khujand. I was treated with warmth, good food (I had chinese, italian and even made cooked sushi rolls!) and a beautiful city covered with snow. Bishkek, Kyrgzstan is indeed the 'Switzerland' of Central Asia; like Tajikistan it too is over 93% covered by mountains. The difference is many of them are mountainous grassland so it is a perfect place for trekking, horseback riding and enjoying the wilderness. The phrase, "Wild, Wild East" kept coming into my mind as we drove through the various landscapes. Bishkek also reminded me of Vancouver as the backdrop of the city is the Tian Shan Mountains, similar to the North Shore Mtns that us Vancouverites enjoy as we drive along the Hwy #1.

Above is a photo of Lake Issyk Kul (second largest alpine lake in the world next to Lake Titicaca) and another of Altu Square on New Year Eve.

It has taken me many weeks to write this blog because since my return from Bishkek, there has been serious problems with power/gas at the MEDA office. But as of this afternoon, we finally got a generator! This wonderful generator makes noise like a lawn motor but it gives us power to do our work. I was pretty estatic when this all happened. Who knew I could get so excited over a generator...haha


On January 8 at approx. 10pm, there was an earthquake that hit at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border about 70km away from Khujand. I was sitting on my bed talking to Rob on the 5th floor of my apt. when this happened. It was such a scary first experience. The whole room shook for many minutes and I watched as my vase and xmas cards fell off the TV. I was glad that Rob was on the phone with me at that time but it really hit home that there is not much you can do during such a circumstance except to hope the shaking will stop and that the building you are in does not collapse. In Tajikistan, it is really like playing the lottery as there are no building regulations on earthquake proofing homes/apts so it will depend on how well the building is constructed. Thank God the shaking stopped...

S Novim Godum!

On the eve of Christmas weekend, I would like to post an update on my power/gas/water situation. Thank you for all your prayers. The power seems to have stabilized this week with approx. 4-5 hours at night and about the same in the mornings. I can now start cooking again and can see myself in the bathroom mirror in the mornings! Water also seems to coordinate with the power again so I’m able to take showers at home now. Finally, I was told that our building gets gas for two hours in the day and two at night. For the last 3 months, I could not figure our why I didn’t have gas. Well, thanks to my coworker, Anwar, it turns out the two gas valves were turned off! So no need for any ‘masters’ (servicemen) to come, just needed the right person who knew where to look!

And if you haven’t heard the biggest news coming out of Central Asia yet…Saparmyrat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi), President of Turkmenistan has died of a heart attack at age 66. He is known for his cult personality and building an oppressive regime which is despised by human rights’ groups as well as neighbouring countries. A country full of oil and gas, the citizens actually don’t have to pay for gas/oil and get free bread! There is lots of commentary about this event as now the politics surrounding this country may change and neighbouring countries such as Iran, Afghanistan now have possible access to the resources. Also, the country has been under the rule of this one man for two decades so who will succeed him?

Photo taken in Isfara: I absolutely love this region. The air is fresh; the mountains are speckled with snow; the sound of the river is melody to my ears. The only caveat is it is also where Islamic conservatism is highly concentrated and is not the safest place to be. I haven’t noticed it during my visits as everyone seems so friendly and hospitable.

Photo of my neighbours:

Early congrats to Aaron and Bonnie who will get married on December 29, 2006!!

I know there are many blessings this year with newlywed couples and new babies into families. Whoever and wherever you are, cherish this time to spend with all those you love. Once again, have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (s novim godum).

Love,

Rachel

December Update

Happy Birthday Rob! I wish I could be with you but we will have to celebrate in a few months.

For three weeks now, the power in Khujand has been sporadic. I was told that we would not have power in the whole city in the next two days as they will be working on the dam down south. Then power will go back to sporadic until past the New Year. I’m not holding my breath that I will get power 24 hours a day but will be more happy once I get power during the times I need it (like from 6pm onwards). Living here has gotten significantly tougher but it is still possible comfortable with a bit of flexibility and adjustment in how you do things. The MEDA office is now my part-time home: I take my hot showers (still sporadic), eat my dinners and wash my laundry there. I have to admit that I am lucky considering the office is warm and I am there majority of my time. When I think about how I just have to manage for myself, I can’t imagine what it is like for a Tajik family to survive in these circumstances. Yet it is the large family support networks here that they rely on to get through these times. A few of us were discussing whether living here is more difficult than in Africa. I think that our surroundings here is livable and ok but what Africa has which is missing here in Tajikistan is the warmth of the Southern Hemisphere and the ability to escape to resorts, expat establishments to get away from it all. What we have here is what we live with, no other choice.

I have been busy in the past few weeks with prepping for a training workshop for MEDA staff and we finally conducted it this week. The training was on effective writing and reporting to help our staff write better reports. I now understand why trainers get paid lots of money for their services…it is a lot of work and it is very tiring! Especially working in a different culture, the training is even more difficult. Imagine also that power cuts happened throughout our whole training! I have a new understanding and experience of being a trainer and have received some valuable feedback from colleagues which will help me improve for next time.

It has also been interesting for me to get involved in the selection process of the small matching grant program. We are in the mist of developing evaluation material and will be visiting the applicants this week in order to determine who will be eligible for funding.

In Tajikistan, New Years is a pretty large celebration here. There is a large ‘New Years’ tree in the center of the city and the whole country gets power the whole day! (WOW!) Unfortunately, it is painful to see that the lovely tree is lit up at night when many in the city are without electricity. MEDA is having a New Years party on Christmas Day which will be nice. I will be taking some vacation and traveling to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to experience the hospitality of another Central Asian country.

It has been more difficult for me to post blogs these days. I have much to write and reflect on but hopefully power will stabilize to allow me to get more pics and blogs for you all to read. But for now here is a photo of Cole and I at a Tajik wedding. No it's not weird that we are sitting among a bunch of men wearing furry black hats. Tajikistan (heck all of Central Asia) is full of weirdness and unpredictability. That is what makes it such a cultural experience here. You should try it! If you ever wanted to write a biography, visiting this part of the world will definitely help you fill up your book =)

I ask for your prayers for our MEDA intern in Tanzania, Kelly Johnson, who was diagnosed a week ago with Typhoid and has had to return back to Canada to recuperate.

Kelly: Get better soon. I know you will be back to your old energetic self very soon. Be strong and persevere!

May you have a relaxing and cheerful holiday with family and friends wherever you are. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Tajikistan!

Blessings to all,

Rachel

Winter has arrived...

We received our first minor snowfall last Tuesday just in time for our trip to Dushanbe/Kulyab which delayed our flight for 4 hours. I won't talk about my trip right now but the temperature has definitely dropped. I can't leave the house without my long johns and at least 4 layers of clothing. To add to the troubles, Tajikistan is having some serious problems with power. In the next two days, the WHOLE country will be in complete blackness (no power) for the whole day.

Read the article below for more info:
http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=1716

What seem to be a slight inconvenience has turned into some serious needs not being met. I hope I can stay high spirited through this next week when the power situation is at its worse. The office seems to be the best place to be at the moment with some electricity and central heating.

This is only the beginning of a long winter...

Rae