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!