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.

Election Day

Today is Election day in the United States.  When I wake up tomorrow morning, I will get to hear the results. The US embassy is having a party tomorrow when the race results are announced.  It's being held at the Hyatt and there should be about 400 people in attendance.  I wish I could be there, but I have to work!
Since I can't go to the party, I am holding a party in class. I have told the students to wear red, white, and blue and we will create a few patriotic crafts. I was at the Hyatt today and saw the embassy folk setting up for the party.  I was able to take a few extra supplies for my classroom party.  Now I have balloons and streamers! Who needs the Hyatt?!
I almost forgot today was election day.  Living in Tajikistan I missed the daily phone calls and the persistent tv campaign ads. Don't get me wrong,  people do care who is elected but since they don't get a vote, they don't get the hassles.  Out of the few people I have talked to here in Dushanbe, most people I know want Obama to win.  It seems that Obama is quite popular among the state department employees and foreigners.
So, while everyone is gripping their seats until the end of the day to find out who has been elected, I get to go to sleep and wake up to find out the results!

Here is a picture from the Hyatt I took:

The Unibrow-A thing of Beauty?

If you were to google "unibrow" in the US, you would probably find thousands of links and ads to waxes and tweezers and most definitely how to get rid of the bushy caterpillars above our eyes.  In Tajikistan, the unibrow is a thing of beauty.  If you were to google unibrow here in Tajikistan using a Tajik browser (which doesn't exist, but if it did...) you would find loads of links to buy a type of paste to darken up those beauties.  The popular herb called Usma, which is dried in the sun for a couple of hours, ground up into a paste, is rubbed into your eyebrows (and the space between!) to give a dark, rich look.
I have also learned that women here will leave their eyebrows unkempt and unplucked until marriage. After marriage, they will begin to tweeze them.  On a personal note, if it were me, I would pluck until marriage and then stop!

Here is a picture of a woman at the bread store. She looks angry, but I think it's just because of her eyebrows. 

Great Eights and Nifty Nines!

Since I spend 60 percent of the week at school, I thought I would talk about my experiences here at work.

Let me start off by saying, that I have the best job in the world.  I love working with kids.   By American standards, I teach 3rd and 4th grades.  Since we are an international school, we call them 8 year olds and 9 year olds.  

If you are a teacher in America, you may want to stop reading.  You will hate me after you read about my experiences here.  If you are thinking about working overseas, please read on, you will be convinced to leave everything behind and teach abroad. 

I have eight students.  Yup, eight.  I once had 8 in a reading group at a previous school. Now, I get to have 8 students all day.  I have two different curriculums to teach, but it's amazing what can be accomplished and learned in a day with 8 students.  I have always differentiated for reading, writing and math.  The hardest part has been differentiating for social studies and science since they have completely different material.  Since I have two different ages to teach, I have been given an assistant.  So to recap, I have 8 students plus an assistant.  I may never teach in the US again!

My classroom is small and lovely.  I put some things up on the wall, so now it looks like my walls are covered just because I don't have a lot of space.  The kids are terrific.   We have a very diverse group of kids.  We have a big population of American, German and Tajik students here.  I get to use an American teaching curriculum here.  This is extremely beneficial because I am already familiar with the American standards.  

Materials can be difficult to get here.  Reading books are especially difficult and hard to get. They have to be shipped from the US which is costly and timely.  Our school was thinking about ordering some playground equipment from China.  Can you believe it is more expensive to ship it to Dushanbe than it is to America and Tajikistan is RIGHT NEXT DOOR! There are a lot of mountains between the two places, and the transportation system is not very good, but I was still surprised when I found that out.  

Well, I do love my school.  I have fantastic parents and even more amazing students.   I feel so lucky to be here.  Now, if I could just pick up the school with the kids and send it to location like Greece, or any place with a beach, I would have the best job in the world!

Conforming to one's surroundings

My mom would be so happy to know that I am trying to "blend" in with the native folks here in Dushanbe.  I received my first kurta today.  A kurta is a type of long, shapeless dress (much like a muumuu) and is almost always worn with pants underneath the kurta that is made from the same material. I believe the pants are called shalvar or a pocha.  

Just about every woman in Dushanbe wears a kurta on a daily basis.  There are thousands of different types of fabric here.  The best way to get a kurta is to go to a market and pick out a fabric you like.  There are many things to think about when buying your fabric.  Will this be for summer or winter? Is this an every day dress or do I need something fancy? It is very overwhelming, but extremely fun to shop for.  Sadly, I was just at a very large market a few weeks ago that had a HUGE selection of fabric and it has since burned down.  

Once you have bought your fabric, you get to find a dressmaker! I used my friend Mavzuna's dressmaker. I decided that I wanted a simple, every day dress that looks like I bought it in Central Asia for when I return to the States.  I picked out a very light cotton (as I still feel too hot here!) and asked for a simple kurta that didn't make me look like an old person.  I wanted a younger style! 

The shalvar isn't very comfortable, I think my dressmaker made the crotch a little too long. It touches my knees, but I don't think I want to wear the dress without the shavlar.  I don't see many people wearing a kurta without the shavlar.  

Some women do wear western clothes.  I don't see it often, but usually they are foreigners.  The people I work with typically tend to wear western style clothes, but I think that's because we work for an American School.  

Men's fashion here isn't nearly as interesting.  The clothes they wear are similar to what the men wear in America, jeans and a shirt.  The shoes are completely different here for men than in the States.  Here, men will wear sandals in the summer with their jeans. Not flip flops, but sandals.  They will be wearing tight jeans with sandals. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look like something a person in the US would wear. 

Kids Fashion-The poor kids go to school here on Saturdays! However they are so adorable when I see them.  All kids have to wear black pants (for boys) or a black skirt (for the ladies) and a white shirt.  The little girls all have these enormous hair bows on the top of their heads. I find it very sweet. 

Well that's all for now!

Hey Good Lookin', What's Cooking?

My friend Paula calls the first month abroad “the starving period.” You are desperately trying to shop at the grocery stores looking for a tortilla chip substitute or an alternative to vanilla extract and coming up shorthanded.  Thus, you begin to cook a few items that you know you will have all the ingredients.  For me, this has been rice and stir-fry chicken.

Dushanbe has the most exquisite fresh foods market I have ever seen. Right now raspberries, strawberries, and melon are in season.  The fruit looks so fresh and amazing.  I want to buy it all, but I can never eat it fast enough! I have to buy fruits and vegetables by the kilo.  Some stalls at the market don’t want to sell just one kilo because they are used to higher quantities being purchased.  Sometimes, Justin and I will split a kilo of fruit because we know we can’t possibly eat it all before it goes bad.

There is much more to the market than just fruits and vegetables. You can buy nuts, chocolate, flour and meats.  HERE’S A WARNING-Don’t buy meat from the market. They don’t keep it refrigerated so it usually sits in the hot sun until someone buys it.  

A supermarket of sorts does exist here.  You can buy your meat, butter, milk, yogurt, Kracks (a pringles knock off) bread, juice etc.  I tend to buy my fruits and veggies from the market and everything else from the supermarket.

I am finally at the end of my starving period.  Thanks to pinterest and some amazing people I have meet here, I am finally able to make some other dinners here beside chicken and rice.  Last night, a friend made a Quiche, which I am determined to make on my own.

A traditional meal here in Dushanbe is called Plov. I can’t tell you all of the ingredients in it, but I have included a picture.  It consists of rice, garlic, and either beef or lamb.  The rice is cooked then mixed with oils and spices. The garlic is baked and the meat is cooked and then combined together. It's quite delicious, but quite oily. 

A table of fresh fruits!

Tajiks love their bread (nan).  It's very cheap and you can find it anywhere.  I have heard if you place the bread upside down that it is considered back luck.  If you want some Nan, go early in the day to the stores.  Most stores will sell out by the day's end.  If it's a holiday weekend, stock up!

Plov

Samosas

Fresh Fruit at the Zelone Bazar

Yummmm....Bread

Does this really need a caption? 

Bills, Bills, Bills

As I write this, I can't help but sing Destiny Child's song "Bills, Bills, Bills" in my head, but this is in no way like the song.  Well maybe a little, because I can't pay my bills.

Wait, I mean I can't pay for them....as in I have no idea how to pay my bills.  I have the money, I just don't understand when/how to pay them.  

I was so excited on Friday night.  It had been a long week at school. I was tired and had no plans for the evening. I signed up for a VPN and I watched a few episodes of Drop Dead Diva.  I was as happy as a clam.  I could even watch Netflix! Instead of going out on a Friday night, I spent hours watching American TV and I loved every minute of it! On Saturday, I went to the market and spent 4 hours shopping.  If you know me, you know how much I hate shopping.  I was exhausted when I came back to my apartment. It was 100 degrees outside and all I wanted to do was come back and take a little nap.  I thought maybe I would try and catch an episode of Parks and Rec or How I Met Your Mother on Hulu.  I returned home and my internet was down! I was sad, but took my nap hoping that it would be up when I woke up. 

Sadly, it was not working when I woke up. In fact, I went to bed Saturday and woke up Sunday and it still wasn't working.  I was starting to get frustrated, but thought that I was just experiencing technical difficulties. It wasn't until I had some friends over for dinner that I was asked "did you pay your bill?"

Well, I hadn't paid my bill. I never SAW a bill.  It had been about 3 weeks since I signed up, but I wasn't sure when I was supposed to pay. Or how I was supposed to pay.  That's when my friend told me that you have to go pay your bills at the kiosks.  I have included a picture of the kiosk.  

How was I supposed to know? I have a prepaid phone bill so I won't be receiving bills for my phone. My water and my electricity are supposed to come to my door (although I haven't seen any bills yet, so now I am nervous that they are going to turn off my electricity any day). I guess everyone just knows you have to pay at a kiosk on the 31st.  Sarcastically, I thanked my friends for telling me sooner about the internet.  

So, a friend paid the bill for me last night.  However, something didn't work and the internet company said they never received my payment.  Since I don't speak Tajik or Russian (yet) my friend will call for me today to get everything worked out. Cross your fingers that I have internet when I get home today (FYI I am writing this while I am at school, but shhh don't tell anyone at my school!)

UPDATE-I got home and it still wasn't working! I wasn't able to post it until Wednesday, which is when it finally came back. I have no idea what happened. Nothing had been resolved yet, but it just started working! YES!

Tajikistan-the world's craziest drivers

So, I haven't been to a lot of other countries so I have no foundation to make this comment, but I am going to say it anyway. Tajikistan is full of crazy drivers!
It doesn't matter where you are on the street. You can be in a crosswalk, the sidewalk, an alley, or a staircase, you still have to watch out for drivers.  I heard a story about a car that hit someone while he was walking out of the store (a good 30 ft from the street and up a small stair case!)
I walk to school everyday. Everyday I am on the look out for drivers.  Luckily I only have to cross on street because most of the crossings are underground, but whenever I cross the street I triple check for cars.
Transportation here is quite interesting.  First you have the trolley bus. The trolley bus is very cheap, about 60 DRMs (which might be like 10 cents?) It runs on electricity through cables.  Sometimes the cables will come off and you will see a man trying to put the cables back on in the middle of traffic.  When the power goes off, you will see a group of people pushing the bus.   I wonder if you get a discount if you push the bus when the power goes out?
Another  popular mode of transportation is called the Marshuka. I am not sure if that's how it's spelled, or  if that's the right pronunciation, but that's what it sounds like.  It's a van that squishes people in that follows the bus routes.  They have numbers in the van and it costs about 2 somoni (roughly about 45 cents).  There are no seat belt laws here, so the drivers of these vans will cram people in. Sometimes I see vans full of people drive by with people on the laps of other people and children sitting on the floor.
My favorite mode of transportation so far as been the shared Taxis.  I am pretty sure they are illegal, but you will see a car with a number on the dashboard.  The numbers indicates the route of the car.  The car will drive you along the route and will drop you off.  Other people get in, and you all share the cost of the car.  It's 3 somoni for this.  I think it's illegal because every time we drive by a cop, I see the driver hide the number on the dashboard. I think the shared taxis are great. They work like a bus, but you see them much more often than the buses, and they are quicker.
Yesterday, my friend Justin and I took a shared Taxi home from school.  I don't normally take one home, but I had a lot of stuff to carry and it was HOT! There was already a guy in the front, and a guy in the passenger seat.  So Justin went in first next to the guy in the back and I followed because I have to get out before Justin does. The guy next to Justin was moaning and groaning in Russian.  So when we get close to my apartment, I get out.  I get a phone call from Justin later that said the guy next to him must have just come from the hospital and was groaning because he had a huge cut that ran along his stomach.  No bandage, just stitches! So when I got out of the car and when Justin was moving over, he lifted his shirt and showed Justin his wound! I think I might have sprang for a regular taxi if I were just coming home from the hospital.
There are regular taxis here too.  You bargain a price before you get in. You tell the driver where you want to go and he will always give you a crazy number.  That's when you bargain.
I will try and get some pictures and post them of all the different modes of transportations and post them for you to see! I am still trying to get a picture of the cable coming off the trolley bus!

Tajik vs Russian

Well I have been settling in nicely to life here in Dushanbe.  My apartment is lovely. I have been told that I live in the "Beverly Hills" of Dushanbe.  Ok, keep in mind that our standards and Tajik standards are very different! I must say, I feel like I am the luckiest person at my school to have this apartment.  Every morning I wake up and sit on my balcony and drink tea (the coffee here is terrible, so I have switched to tea.  Oh what I would give for a Starbucks!)

Life here is different in so many ways. I will try and focus on other aspects in later entries, but today I want to focus on my dilemma, which language to learn, Russian or Tajik.

Here are the pros to learning Russian:
I can speak to 144 million other people
(ok I can't actually think of any other pros to learn Russian)

Here are the cons to Russian:
IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO LEARN!
It uses the Cyrillic Alphabet, which I am struggling to learn.

Pros to learning Tajik:
It's easier to learn.
I like the idea of Tajikistan trying to form their own identity apart from the Russians.

Cons to learning Tajik
When I move away, I will only be able to speak to Tajik people and maybe a few other groups of people that would understand me.

I was over at Justin's house on Monday and his neighbor invited us over to sit and chat with him and his family.  It was refreshing to speak to someone not from school about the Tajik culture.  I asked him his opinion and he said Russian.  It seems as everyone in Tajikistan thinks Russian is a better language. I think it's because it was once used by the wealthy.  The Russian schools were much better for children than Tajik schools, so most families wanted their children to go to a Russian school (this was back when Tajikistan was apart of the USSR.)

Justin and I have been hanging out with a guy from our school named Sharif.  I doubt it's spelled this way, but this is how it looks phonetically.  When he talks to people on the streets, it's a mix of Russian AND Tajik. Justin's neighbor also confirmed that people often speak both languages in the home and on the streets.  That doesn't really help me.

So for now, I can say hello and how are you in Russian. I can say thank you in Tajik.

Do Svidaniya!

Dushanbe, I have arrived!

After 26 hours of traveling, I finally made it to my new home! I couldn't have asked for a better apartment.  If Dushanbe were Las Vegas, I would be living on the Strip. Minus the casinos, nightclubs and fun.  Okay, so it's not really like Las Vegas in anyway, but the street is wide like the Strip and it's the main driving road, with big wide sidewalks. 

Here are some pictures of my place.  I am living in a two bedroom apartment on the 4th floor across from the most beautiful park (which I will compare to Central Park.) My apartment is charming.  It has high ceilings, beautiful chandelier in every room, and french doors.  The walls are decorated in a gold/silver/beige wall paper.  The furniture seems to be pretty cheap.  I think the mattress might be about 3 inches thick.  There is no box spring. I have slept for a total of 3 hours in the bed and I already have a back ache.  My first purchase tomorrow will be a mattress pad of some sort. 

I have gone to the Rudaki park everyday since I have been here. It's quite beautiful.  I am so lucky to be living across the street.  It's the kind of place I want to take my lunch to and eat while I people watch.  I have this amazing balcony which faces the park.  I will have to say, this is the first time where living on the 4th floor isn't an advantage.  The tree leaves are at the same height as my apartment so I can't see much of the park. 

I haven't seen much of the city yet.  The weather is very similar to Denver (so at least its not humid!) but it is hot and doesn't have Denver's thunderstorms to cool everything off.  

I am very excited to take my first hot shower since arriving.  It's been two days of cold showers. The hot water heater is in the bathtub with you, and you first need to turn on the switch, close some valves and wait for a few hours.  Someone finally had to come show me how to do it.   But that is what I am doing as soon as I sign off. Ahh...hot showers (reason #210 living in Tajikistan is like camping).

Count Down-5 days to go!

Well, this will probably be my last post from Denver, Colorado.  Next time I am on here, I will be in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.  So, you must be dying to know how I have been spending my last few days in Denver, the city by the bay!

I have been having dinners and drinks with EVERYONE I know. I think I might have gained at least 15lbs just in the last month from eating and drinking.  I might also be turning into a Mexican.  I don't know if that's possible, but since I love Mexican food, that's all I have been eating.   So if it's possible to turn into another race from eating their food, I will be a full Mexican by the end of the week. Ay, Caramba!

My immunizations and medications are completely taken care of! I can't get polio, typhoid, hep A or hep B, so if you have any of these diseases and want to hang out with me, let's do it! I am immune from you!

I had a great experience at kaiser yesterday. They were able to get all of my current prescriptions for the next year to take with me.  It was a bit of a pain, but I am just thankful that has been done.

So, if anyone is reading this and will be planning a trip overseas, I have some advice for you below:
#1 Sam's or Costco is your best friend.  You can get 150 pills of Imodium for 10 dollars! I never really thought that I needed 2 gallons of NyQuil before, but I think it will be quite useful in Tajikistan.
#2 Think about designating someone as your Power of Attorney for Banking.  This isn't something I thought about, but I guess its good to get someone you extremely trust (in my case it's my parents) to be my power of attorney so they can take care of anything that may happen with my bank while I am gone.
#3 Roll and Pack is the best method in packing clothes.
#4  Don't put all of your clothes in one suitcase, medicines in another. Mix and match in case a suitcase is lost.

Okay, this is all I can really think of.  If anyone has anymore suggestions on packing or anything I should bring, please leave a comment! I am not leaving until Tuesday!

 Gracias Mi Amigo! See you on the other side of the world!

Countdown-36 Days to Go!

The time seems to be flying by as my countdown gets closer. 36 days to go according to the app I had installed on my phone.  I don't think I have ever been this busy in my live. I seem to be spending every moment with friends or family. I still have so much to do to prepare myself for this trip.  

I have been contacted by the American living in the apartment I will be renting.  She has left some supplies for me and has also been sending advice on things to bring, like duct tape.  I went to a survival store this weekend and also picked up an emergency dental kit (just in case!)

My friends like to joke about Tajikistan. My personal favorite has been when my friend asked my brother how he could let me move to a place google doesn't recognize.  

I sent my visa application in. It was a page and a half. I think they let everyone into the country. Anyone want to move with me? It will be fun! We can make shadow puppets with flashlights when the power goes out! 

Boulder Dushanbe Tea House

Did you know that Boulder and Dushanbe are sister cities? There is an amazing organization in Boulder dedicated to keeping up the relationship between these two great places. I have been in contact with Peter, the organizer of the group. He told me about a celebration the group was having at the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder on March 25, 2012. They were celebrating Noruz, the Persian New Years.
So I invited my family up to Boulder to check out the festivities. It was a fantastic set up. There was plenty of dancing and food. I met a few new people and it makes me even more excited to head to Dushanbe in the fall! I even met a woman who knows my soon-to-be principal.
If anyone wants some good tea, head up to the Dushanbe Tea House!

Shots, Shots and more shots!

5 months to go until my big move! It might as well be 100 years, as time seems to be going by slowly. My friend told me today that I have already mentally left and that I have "short timer's syndrome." There might be some truth to this statement.

Here's some advice I have to anyone leaving for a third world country for an extended period of time. I recommend getting everything in order at least 6 months prior to leaving. I need to get some serious shots before I leave. Here's the list of shots that have been recommended to me. Hep A, Hep B, rabies, polio, Typhoid, and maybe Malaria. It's crazy! I might opt out of the rabies shots as it seems like rabies only buys time (an extra 24 hours) to seek medical attention. I guess there has been a recent Polio outbreak in the stan countries, so I guess I will get that done too. My insurance doesn't start until the first of August, and I am probably leaving around August 8, so that doesn't leave me a lot of time to get this all done.

Trying to deal with the insurance company is ridiculous. I don't think they deal with people in my situation to often. I told them that I need to get a year's worth of medication to take with me, and I was told that most of it would be out of pocket. When I tried to call about the vaccinations, I was told that I couldn't talk to anyone until 3 months before my trip and when I tried to explain that I need a second shot that would require at least 6 months, I was still denied because of protocol. Luckily, I have a great friend and was able to get someone to talk to me. Now, everything has been worked out, I just wont be able to get my second round of shots before I leave.

I am going to Tajikistan!

So, I have made the decision to move to Tajikistan to teach English. You might want to look it up on a map, I had to. When I learned about the countries of the world, Tajikistan used to be part of the USSR. Once you look it up you you will probably notice that it's right next to Afghanistan. I know my family isn't thrilled about that part, but the border is closed and everything I read about Tajikistan states that it is pretty safe.

I am starting this blog to talk this big move and once I am there, to talk about life in Duschanbe (Duschanbe is the capital city.) It's February now, and I move in August, so that's 6 months to go. I can't find out a lot of information on Tajikistan, so maybe this blog will help people who are also thinking about moving there.

Leaving behind Colorado isn't an easy choice. I have wanted to move to another country for years now, and I finally made it happen. I have a fantastic family, but I have this desire to travel and learn about other cultures.
But I digress, this blog isn't about what I am leaving behind, but what I am going towards. Duschanbe. Tajikistan. I would by lying if I said I am not scared. I talked to my new principal and she is so wonderful, but at the same time I am a little freaked out. She makes comments about the power going out a lot. I tried to live in a small mountain town, but I am definitely more of a city girl. I am going to have to abandon a lot of my western culture.

Another reason I am making this blog is to talk about the process of going to Tajikistan. This is what I know about getting a visa.

VISA

Bring American dollars and bring change. 1s, 5s, 10s. The visa costs changes regularly and they never have change. It can be time consuming, so go to the bathroom as soon as you land. Bring extra passport pictures, just in case. Instead of going through the line, go to a separate room.

WHAT TO BRING

Lots of Warm clothes. Silk long johns pack nicely. Bring your own bedding as the sheets are pretty rough. Any medications you might need. A year's supply.

Okay well I think this is all for my first post. There will be some more to come.