April 10, 2012

I’m getting used to this new schedule although I miss being able to lounge around drinking my coffee at leisure and going through my friends’ Facebook postings early in the morning. I had the interpreter group work on food idioms and noticed one of the students showing zero interest in the activity. When asked if she knew the material, she said no through a classmate and added that she was getting married soon and thus lacked any incentive to study any further. She stated her father had pushed her into studying to be an interpreter when what she really wanted to study was medicine. I could see the father’s rationale for denying her wish since once she got married, her income would go to support her husband’s family and not her own family as tradition here dictates.

Gulhar, my star student from Turkmenistan, clarified that many students failed to show for classes simply because they were able to pay the instructor for their final grade and once they had their certificates in hand, their parents would pull strings to get them a job whether they spoke English or not. Such practices extend to any other field of study thus making Tajiks wary of paying for professional services not really knowing if the diploma in question has been bought.

On my way home, I stopped and bought two sambusas and found them once again to be filled with gristle and fat and very little vegetables of any kind. I need to stop being lured by the enticing aroma of these deceptive snacks and walk right past them. I was able to take a short nap before Tohir called for his mock interview. The guy is so dense that despite not being able to pronounce such lofty words as “conscientious”, “reliable”, “sociable” and “vulnerable”, he insisted on using them during the interview instead of using shorter, simpler words on which he would not be likely to stumble. I asked him twenty question from a sample of fifty I had found online and he had to pause many times indicating he had never thought of such questions. I wish him well, but doubt he’ll be able to ace the interview.

Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening simply working at a myriad of projects still pending. Time is looming and I now feel a bit panicky that I won’t be able to do everything I want to before my departure date gets here. I almost finished “Makeda” by staying up until very late. I can’t wait to read the denouement.