April 21, 2012

The air felt cooler when I got up this morning and clouds were quickly moving in to blot out the early morning light. I made my coffee and put together all the materials I needed to take with me, including the book Ruth had loaned me. Ryan confirmed that the new venue at the UNESCO Building was close to the VEFA Center and thus much closer to me than the Poytakt Hotel would have been. I ran into Ruth in front of the VEFA Center as she claimed her taxi driver didn’t know exactly where the building was and she preferred to be dropped off at a known location and wait for Corrie there. When Corrie joined us, we walked down a few more blocks and found the UNESCO building very close by and parallel to Rudaki Avenue. Manzura was waiting for us outside and showed us the very small, but serviceable room where we could accommodate the fifteen participants and three presenters while also allowing room for registration and tea service. It’s going to be a tight-squeeze in there. The coordinator, Bahadur, was very helpful and brought in one of the security guards to help us rearrange the tables into five separate work areas, a table for the laptop and LCD projector and another one for the snacks.

After Manzura left, we went over the agenda and Corrie decided she wanted to change her topics again. Since it was too late to make changes to the schedule itself, I suggested that she makes changes directly on the participants’ schedules on Monday. We don’t know what arrangements will be made for the lunch period as there are but a few places for the teachers to eat at a reasonable price nearby.

Corrie and I decided to go to the Khorbon Market directly from there and spent a dizzying day visiting one stall after another looking for the perfect piece of fabric so we both can get Tajik outfits made. I found a decent pair of sandals, the flyswatters for a game, pins to form darts on my Tajik dresses, a scouring pad and other items and we then paused to have lunch. I paid 50 dirams to use a dark and foul-smelling toilet holding my nose the whole time so as not to vomit. Paradoxically enough, there was a sink, running water and soap in this bathroom. We continued to look at fabrics as Corrie couldn’t make up her mind, but then it started to pour and the rain seeped between the pieces of tarp that cover the walkway between the two rows of vendors. I found a hot pink piece of fabric and bought a meter of white fabric to make narrow pants to go with it. I’ll definitely have my student make this outfit instead of my neighbor Maryam.

                                          The intricately-carved Tajik crib.

                                        A similar crib made for dolls.

                                                 Little girls' dresses for sale

Based on my advice, we took the #1 bus in the wrong direction and had to get off after sometime, wait at the bus stop while everybody ogled us and board another one. Poor Corrie was falling asleep the minute she got a seat and then the bus got crowded and she ceded her seat to a woman carrying a child. I got off at the Tsum Department store and dropped off the materials that needed lamination. The old guy wasn’t there and I just counted the pieces and left.

I had found a gorgeous piece of yellow fabric that might be silk with detailed embroidery at the hem and decided to make an outfit of it for the ETM closing ceremony on Wednesday when the embassy big wigs will be in attendance and group photos will be taken. I knocked on Maryam’s door and showed her the fabric. Maryam responded she was up to her ears in sewing projects and wasn’t sure she could have it done by Tuesday night. She seemed to change her mind and took my measurements and drew the neckline I wanted as I was showing her in a photograph. She insisted I stay for dinner: plov and a salad made with red cabbage, boiled eggs and garlic. I had two cups of tea while futilely trying to keep a conversation going with her husband. Nilufar informed me she had quit her job four days ago as she was not able to get up at five o’clock every morning. She’s now looking for another job. I said goodbye after eating as I could barely keep my eyes open and I still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Eraj called asking to come in to pick up my old camera, which I had promised him. We chatted for a while and I showed him my FB page so he can start thinking of starting his own before heading to Germany this summer. I realized that Eraj is near-sighted and badly in need of reading glasses, but he refuses to wear them for fear of ridicule. So much for Nigora’s theory that people in Tajikistan have perfect vision. Needless to say, I suspect he doesn’t read at all. The rain started back up before he left, and I went to bed exhausted.