December 1, 2011

The entire day remained overcast and very, very cold. It’s a good thing that at least there are no high winds affecting the city and so the low temperatures are still bearable. I went to the Resource Center to make photocopies of the handout I had prepared to use as a launching pad to discuss World’s Aids Day as the embassy had suggested. Shahlo was already there showing a videotape to one of my groups. I told her I’d be quiet, but she came to my side and started chitchatting, so I showed her the handout and asked her if she’d talking about it. She had no such plans as she knew nothing about it except that the disease was brought to Tajikistan by the men going to work in Russia. On the other hand, she was very enthusiastic about the conversation classes I’d be offering to the teachers in the same room.

When I got to my classroom, I found two students there that didn’t belong to my group, but who informed me they were fourth year students and wanted to observe my class. I thought it was the perfect set up as they could help facilitate the discussion when language became a barrier. The first class was informed about the topic and told a handout with statistics on the disease pertinent to Tajikistan would be given to them so they’d have a chance to discuss the issue with family, friends and classmates. I started by defining the terms HIV and AIDS and eliciting what they knew about it. Most expressed the opinion that men who went to work abroad brought the disease into the country and another mentioned drug users as a source, but no one wanted to mention the words homosexuality, prostitution or condoms. Some of the girls covered their faces when the subject came up about sexual relations between men and men. One girl asked why men were homosexual and looked none too convinced when told they were born that way. Most of them gave me effusive thanks at the end of the presentation.

                                          Some students do not want their photo taken.

For the second class, I sought the help of a colleague to facilitate the discussion, which was a mistake on my part. The colleague in question, a male, took every chance he got to, instead of just translating my statements; demonstrate his knowledge on the subject as he went on and on. He must be one of those teachers who loves the sound of his own voice and cares little about the opinions of his students. Moreover, the students seemed to be intimidated by being in the presence of one of their regular teachers and no spontaneous questions came about. One student, Zoir, who I know is a devout Muslim, came out and said there was no homosexuality in Tajikistan. I almost smiled as I had gotten the same response when I taught in Nepal. The entire class looked on somber and still. Not a topic to be repeated here.

                          This is Oigul(meaning flower),one of my best students, standing next to me.

I stopped at the bookstore, and low and behold, they had the right teacher’s manual for me, but not the additional copy of the student’s book I still need. I congratulated the two clerks on getting at least one right. I was asked to return tomorrow, of course. I then remembered Rebecca mentioning that there was a supermarket nearby that stocked a lot of Western-style groceries and went there. A student from the institute recognized me and came along. I regret now having asked him to go with me for I shopped for quite a few things not available at the supermarket near me and my bill came to over 100.00 somoni or a little more than $25.00. This action must have cemented in the student’s mind the idea that all Americans are rich and he started dropping hints that he wanted to go to America and would I facilitate such transaction. Ah, he also needed shoes for the winter, a computer, a better coat and so on.

He insisted on asking how much money I was making while working here and what sort of a place I lived in while in the States. I was disappointed in his approach and decided it was best to make it clear I was only here to teach and not to adopt a child, marry a Tajik man or endow someone with money for all their personal needs. He was obviously hurt by these statements and then relented and asked for help with the TOEFL so he could apply to study in the States. I asked him to provide me with a flash drive and I’d transfer some of the materials on my laptop.

I shut myself in the bedroom as the rest of the apartment felt icy and even then I could not get warm enough to be comfortable. I took the laptop to bed and got under the covers and watched two movies, “The Reader”, ponderous, too slow to develop, characters too shallow for the viewer to care about them, and “Mean Girls” an all too true reflections of the teen culture these days.