Nurek Dam

I posted pictures on facebook, but thought I would go into more detail about my trip to Nurek this weekend.  Last Saturday, I went to one of the most amazing places in Tajikistan, Nurek.  Nurek is a small town full of Tajik pride. As we drove down the tree covered street, we passed larger than life posters of the President. The streets were lit with lanterns that resembled the Tajik flag.

Nurek lies on the Vakhsh River.  The city formed when the people began construction of the Dam in 1960.  The Nurek Dam is currently the world's tallest man-made dam.  At the bottom lies a 9 unit power plant. According to Wikipedia (and we know everything on Wikipedia is correct) it accounts for 98% of the country's electricity.

At the top of the dam is a reservoir filled with some of the cleanest water I have ever seen.  The temperature of the water was just right to accommodate the 90+ degree day we had.  Some friends and I had rented a house boat.  It was the perfect day to lie around, read a book, and take a swim. If anyone takes a trip to Tajikistan, seeing this beautiful reservoir is a must see.

Nurek Reservoir

The world's tallest dam

Isn't every day men's day?

Yesterday, Tajikistan celebrated Tajik National Army Day, or also known as Men's Day.  It's a day to celebrate the army and the men in your life. Women are supposed to give gifts to their husbands, fathers, sons, etc. The military has a big parade through the center of town.
I can understand celebrating the army.  However, I can't understand having a men's day. In this culture, every day is men's day.
For the past week, I have watched the military practice on Rudaki. I have seen them set up the stage and put up banners. I was very excited to go watch the parade and see the Tajik National Army march. Sadly, my dreams of watching the parade were squashed. I was blocked by every guard on the street. Apparently, people aren't allowed to watch the parade.  Every step I made, I was blocked by some guard telling me that I couldn't go watch.  So I am not quite sure why there is a parade, that no one can watch.
Well I wanted to post some pictures of the parade, but since I couldn't see it, you get a lovely picture of the a billboard that was put up with some army people and the president. Enjoy.

Since I didn't get to see the parade, I can look at this billboard and pretend that I was there. 

Divorce, Divorce, Divorce

In Tajikistan, you can get divorced by saying "Divorce, Divorce, Divorce." However, they made it illegal to say divorce three times in a text message. You now have to do it in person.

We're over honey. Divorce, Divorce, Divorce.

*Edit-I found out that this is an old muslim tradition, and can only be said by the man.

Buzkashi

Buzkashi, or as I call it the crazy headless goat game, is a favorite sport amongst the Central Asia crowd. It also happens to be the national sport of Afghanistan.  If anyone is traveling to any of the -stan countries during winter/spring, I would highly recommend a trip to watch this game.

Before I moved to Tajikistan, I had no idea what Buzkashi was.  I remembered reading about Buzkashi in the book The Kite Runner but as I found that book to be really sad, I tried to block out most things I had read.  So when I arrived, everyone I met told me that Buzkashi is a must see event here. So, if you are interested in reading more about Buzkashi, please read further. 

The Rules- To pick up a dead goat/calf and carry it across the goal line while sitting a top of a horse. I guess it can be played in teams, however the game I saw was an individual contest to pick up the goat and score.   

The Carcass-Usually a goat or a calf that has its legs cut off at the knees, then disemboweled, beheaded, and soaked in cold water for 24 hours before a match. Sometimes sand is placed in the carcass to make it heaver and to keep it from being destroyed during the match.

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Chapandaz-Someone that plays Buzkashi.  They usually wear boots with big heels to help them from falling off the horse.  They will wear shin guards and other protective gear because this game is pretty brutal.  At the game I saw, there were at least 500 people on horse competing for the goat. 

The Prizes-When you cross the line with a goat, you win! Apparently the worst prizes are in the morning.  The man that won the first prize won 50 dollars. As the day goes on, the prizes were better.  The prizes in the evening ranged anywhere from a camel to a horse.  

The Audience-I didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to me, but there were NO women among the audience. There were thousands of people and the only women I saw were from my group, or the few women selling food.  I especially stood out in my pink jacket. 

No Boundaries-There was nothing to separate the field from the audience. There were a few times when the horses would come into the crowd.  You had to jump quickly or you would be trampled to death.  

All in all, it was a truly unique experience. This is the reason I came to teach abroad. I have included some pictures below.

Fighting for the carcass-the steam is from the horses' breath

 Chapandaz getting ready

 Concession Stands

 A little bit of color is a sea of black

The horses are about to go into the audience

Things that I miss about first world countries

I have been in Germany for the past few weeks and it has been a fantastic trip! I was able to spend some much needed time in a 1st world country and see my amazing family and friends.  I think I needed a break from the Dush. While I was walking around Germany, I decided to think of all the nice things that I miss about living in a first world country.
1. Drinking straight from the tap.
2. Not worrying about having power or heat in my apartment.
3. Knowing that there is a price tag on an item and EVERYONE pays the same thing for this particular item.  The higher "white person" price doesn't exist.
4. Staying out past 8pm.
5. Eating pork (okay this isn't a 1st world vs 3rd world country but it is nice to be a place where I can buy pork since Tajikistan is mostly muslim and they don't eat pork.)
6. Going into a store and having more than one size for an item.
7. Not getting strange looks everywhere I go.

It seemed strange to me at first, but there a few things that I missed about the Dush.
1. The MUCH lower prices of food and clothing in comparison to Germany.
2. The easy, shared taxi system.
3. Honey Lemon Tea.
4. Baklava from Merve
5. My crazy Russian neighbor that I cant understand, but always makes me smile.

Overall, I had a great time in Germany.  I had a fantastic time and of course, would still love to end up teaching and living there one day.

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!