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!
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!
Learn both! I know you can do it! But I'd have to agree with Russian from what little I know of the area--then when you visit any surrounding areas you can speak with people, read signs, etc. And my mother seems to think the Cyrillic alphabet isn't that bad once you get the hang of it. You could also practice with her--she's taking Russian lessons.
ReplyDeleteA few of the kids took Russian at Startalk and loved it. Of course they played games and sang songs all day. Love reading your blog and the pictures are great. Hope you are happy and healthy.
ReplyDeleteTerry & Taylor
This sounds a lot like what happens in the Philippines since the islands are so small and spread out several different languages started. All of Lee's family (originally from the Philippines, not the younger folks) speak both the national language of Tagalog and they local language of Bicol. If I were to pick up one of these languages I would choose Tagalog, in your case Russian. For just like you said, most people can speak both, plus the other 130 million other people outside of Tajikistan we will able to understand you. Ease of learning should be no problem for you… Josh
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're going to be very busy!! You are so smart and such a fast learner I am sure you'll pick up on the language quicker than you think. It sounds like you should focus on Russian and many Tajik words (slang and other common phrases) will come naturally.
ReplyDeleteLove hearing about your adventures and still very excited for you! I can't wait to hear about the school once that gets going. Take care and update often!!