March 8, 2012

I finally got a full night sleep and didn’t get up until 7:30. I kept getting phone calls and text messages from students and colleagues to “congratulate” on the International Women’s Day, which the president of Tajikistan has decided to designate as Mother’s Day as well. I took a long bath and did my hair while waiting for Zoir to stop by with some more questions. His English continues to lack in vocabulary, thus his inability to tell me what his new job consisted of although I did get that he needs to buy his own carpet and furnishings for his office. He then asked me if he could bring a female classmate to my place so she could learn English along with him. I was brutally frank and told him I was done trying to teach English to people who can barely utter simple sentences as I had already paid my due teaching low level students and needed a break. I referred him to the American Corner once again as Ilana hold a beginner’s class there at least once a week. I noticed that he was still carrying around his copy of “The Old Man and the Sea”, which of course, he hadn’t been able to read.

Tohir was next on the parade of visitors and we went over his resume, to which I made several and suggested that he make it shorter by deleting anything that he did more than ten years ago. He must be delusional in thinking that speaking to me once a week will get him to the level of fluency whereby he’ll get a job as an interpreter with the IRC. I made the same pitch to him to go to the American Corner on a daily basis now that he’s unemployed and to avail himself to whatever resources they have at hand. When Marydean called to inform me she was in the area, I had hoped that Tohir would take that as his cue to depart, but he brazenly stayed put most likely hoping to have even more of a chance to speak to another American. I was fuming silently, but said nothing.  I made coffee for Marydean and myself as Tohir had had his tea and learned more about her work here where she works in the health field, We discussed the fact that Facebook had been blocked by a presidential order after someone posted some unflattering report about himself or his family. I haven’t been able to find the article in question.

The power to my unit had been cut off on two occasions, and I had been able to get to the breaker box and fixed it, but this last time, it’d not return. Since Marydean speaks Russian, she offered to call my landlady, who has yet to come by to collect the rent for March, and complain about it. The landlady picked up the phone, something unusual, and wanted to confirm that I had paid the electric bill. She promised to send her husband to look into it while I searched for my receipt. Marydean couldn’t believe that I was paying $500.00 for this unit without a contract as she felt I was being fleeced and that someone was tapping into my electric line as she lives in a house and has never paid as high a bill as the one for 217.00 somoni I was showing her.

The husband showed up, cell phone glued to his ear, went downstairs and confirmed that the fuses installed there were of poor quality and needed to be replaced. Marydean wanted for me to go and spend the night at her house, with the cats again, but I chose to unplug the fridge and water heater so as to make the demand for electricity lower and just keep the space heaters on until the fuses were replaced. Somehow, Marydean got into a conversation with my landlady and spoke about my lack of a contract and the landlady said she wanted me out of the apartment as soon as possible. I think she really freaked out about the possibility of someone reporting that she’s renting out these units without paying any taxes on the income. I’d hate to move now that I only got three more months to go and simply hope it will blow away. I think she’ll reconsider as few people will be willing to pay the amount I pay at this location.

Husband said he’ll come by tomorrow to replace the fuses and collect the rent in the evening. Marydean departed asking me to start collecting my things because I could come home one day and find the locks had been changed. Nice thought to take to bed with me.