The Dentist

This story happened about a month ago, but it is definitely blog worthy.  I hate teeth. There's nothing pleasant about looking at people's teeth. I love when people show you their teeth when there's a problem.  I have no desire to look in your mouth and see bits of food and rotting teeth! I don't know how Dentists do their job. It just grosses me out.  AND I love working with kids, but man, they always want to show off their wiggly tooth.  I would be just fine if I never had to look in someone's mouth again.
Because I hate teeth so much, I really didn't want to have any teeth issues over here in Tajikistan.  Sadly, a filling started to crack and everything was beginning to hurt. It was apparent that I was going to have to go to the dentist.
So I found the best dentist in town. A group of dentists that were trained by other Tajiks that had studied in Germany.  When I walked in, it was okay. Nothing too crazy, and at least the dentist spoke English.
Overall, it was an okay experience.  I had to buy my own dental tools. Yup you read that correctly.  I had to buy my own dental tools.  I own a few drills, the thing you brush with, and a bunch of other tools I don't recognize.  For all of the tools, it cost me about 20 dollars.  If I have to go back into the dentist, I just bring my own tools. I found a doctor in town that said he would sterilize my equipment for me.
For now, everything seems to be okay. I am curious to go back to the US and have a dentist there check out my filling and tell me how the Tajikistan dentists did.
 Also, if you ever come to Tajikistan, you will see plenty of Tajiks with gold mouths.  I think 50 percent of the people I meet have a mouth full of gold. If anyone wants a good deal on a grill, come on over! 

Freedom of Speech

It has been a while since my last post. There has been a lot that has happened, but I have been questioning the direction that I want my blog to follow.  The goal of this blog has always been to provide people with information about Tajikistan.  I assume most people had only heard of Tajikistan by name only, maybe some people had a little bit more knowledge if they had been to the Tea House in Boulder. However, I want to be able to be able to speak my mind and tell my family and friends what life is like here.  This includes the positives and the negatives, however it's hard to post some of the more delicate issues.  Last week, Facebook was banned in Tajikistan.  It has been blocked because the government felt like there were too many people criticizing their polices on Facebook and next year the president is up for reelection. I don't keep this blog secret from anybody, so I have to assume that even the government reads my blogs (ok, I don't want to flatter myself to say that they read this, but I do live across the street from the KGB) but I want to make sure that I am not being slanderous or sound like I am defaming the government in anyway and end up in a Tajik jail or worse.

Since arriving here, I definitely have tried to watch what I say about Tajikistan to my friends and family.  With the blocking of facebook, it reminds me how truly wonderful it is to live in a country where I can express my opinions openly, honestly, and without fear.  If you want to hear all the details of Tajikistan, the good and the bad, I will sit down with you and have a good ole' cup of starbucks and tell the truth.  For now, I will keep trying to update this blog with some of my experiences and knowledge about Tajikistan and trying to keep a somewhat positive spin on life here.