Here are some funny Tajik moments I can think of right now before my internet dies:
Seeing an advertisement for CARPETS FROM BELARUS!!!!!! I didn't know Belarus was so fancy?
While filming, my Tajik friend told me that after the men sit down I can go in and "shoot them". Hmm...freudian?
Eating the most disgusting lunch that was all sheep fat. I tried to swallow the pieces of fat as quickly as possible and wash it down with tea. Unfortunately, the older village woman thought I loved fat pieces, and she started scraping fat pieces from her plate and put them on mine. Plan foiled.
Before going to sleep, the girl I was staying with told me "Good-night and Indian dreams." I guess Tajik girls love Bollywood films. Since these movies are so fantastic and full of love, they wish those dreams on others.
Talking about my husband pretty much every day when men try to get my phone number. Common things I say, "Excuse me? My husband does not allow me to talk to men." or "I do have a phone, but this is my husband's phone, and he does not allow me to use it." "Yes, I'm twenty-two. I know, I know I need to have children soon. My husband and I are planning on having at least three when I return." And it totally works. Every single time.
While in Dushanbe and seeing Maria, the Russian bear that an old Tajik man walks around on the street, another Fulbrighter was worried that I was getting too close to the bear. "Ilana! It's okay! I just need to lose a limb or so, and then I MIGHT get medevac. I heard we get medevac in London--LONDON!!!"
"Hey girl!" (In Russian) and then in English "Come drink strong alcoholic drinks with me." At least he was honest.
The Tajik woman who power walked around the pool in her lingerie and headscarf.
"Hey girls! Where are you from?" "China." "Ohhh....."
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Reflections
Things here have been pretty good. I've gotten into a good groove with work and have found a small community of expats to have fun with on the weekends. The Sunday brunches are definitely good incentives to get through the week. I've also been swimming twice a week (on the two "women's days") at the pool. The pool is beautiful, brand new, nearly always empty, and the only 50m pool in Tajikistan. It's great to find a way to keep in shape, since running can be a bit dangerous and uncomfortable. A Tajik woman I know in Khujand goes running every morning, but she disguises herself as a boy. She puts her hair up underneath a baseball hat, wears loose clothing, etc. The pool and the other Fulbrighter's Yoga videos are lifesavers!
I've been doing some reflection on teaching. I just accepted an offer for Teach for America's Baltimore Corps, and I will be teaching ESL. I'm really excited about getting my top choice (last year I deferred TFA Mississippi Delta) and to get a masters degree nearly paid for from Johns Hopkins. A big thing that I have discovered in teaching is not to be afraid to try something new and to be creative. I think at first I was a bit hesitant to break the norms, but then I started experimenting once a week with a new game or activity. They were always really big hits! Students learn best by playing, and you don't have to be a kid to play. Adults can learn by playing--learning by games, activities, role-playing, etc.--after all, we are all children at heart. I think it's sad when adults lose the magic that kids see in the world. Everything is wonderful, and people should be happy.
Another big thing I learned was to not think of the country I'm in as a place to change. I think a lot of people working International NGOs and programs go into a developing country and view their surroundings as series of problems with set methods to fix them. No country is the same. No region within the country is alike. Neither is a village or neighborhood. I had a great discussion on Friday that was supposed to be around the topic "how to find a girlfriend" (the kids chose it, not me!), but it turned into a great discussion on the fine line between cultural norms and immorality (if morality can be objectified). I think the important thing here, especially for Westerners, is to not go in with an idea of how you are going the change everything. Work within the framework of the local community. Get out of your network of expats and visit the villages of your co-workers, stay with your students' families, and immerse yourself in a culture that is different than yours. Putting yourself in a situation that may make you feel slightly uncomfortable stretches your limits and forces you to grow.
There are practices here that I don't agree with, but I am willing to be open to learning and sharing. For example, young girls around the age of twelve are getting married in a neighboring village. The students asked for my opinion on this, and I had to be kind of strategic. I definitely am very opinionated about gender roles, female education, and women empowerment, but in order to make this a teaching moment, I couldn't force my opinion on the students. We had to discuss it together. I turned the question around on them and asked for their opinions, but then I asked them "why" they believed that. Thinking critically is the first step to making positive change. Even more so, critical thinking combined with discussion and debate will catalyze progression.
I'm learning a lot more, and next semester I am sure to have even more experiences. I will be teaching a modern American history class at Khujand State University and interning with the Women's Crisis Center, where I hope to lead seminars on women's health. I'm not sure how much of a positive impact I'm having, but I think the most important thing about Fulbright, is the cross-cultural exchange, and that is, I believe, where real learning takes place.
I've been doing some reflection on teaching. I just accepted an offer for Teach for America's Baltimore Corps, and I will be teaching ESL. I'm really excited about getting my top choice (last year I deferred TFA Mississippi Delta) and to get a masters degree nearly paid for from Johns Hopkins. A big thing that I have discovered in teaching is not to be afraid to try something new and to be creative. I think at first I was a bit hesitant to break the norms, but then I started experimenting once a week with a new game or activity. They were always really big hits! Students learn best by playing, and you don't have to be a kid to play. Adults can learn by playing--learning by games, activities, role-playing, etc.--after all, we are all children at heart. I think it's sad when adults lose the magic that kids see in the world. Everything is wonderful, and people should be happy.
Another big thing I learned was to not think of the country I'm in as a place to change. I think a lot of people working International NGOs and programs go into a developing country and view their surroundings as series of problems with set methods to fix them. No country is the same. No region within the country is alike. Neither is a village or neighborhood. I had a great discussion on Friday that was supposed to be around the topic "how to find a girlfriend" (the kids chose it, not me!), but it turned into a great discussion on the fine line between cultural norms and immorality (if morality can be objectified). I think the important thing here, especially for Westerners, is to not go in with an idea of how you are going the change everything. Work within the framework of the local community. Get out of your network of expats and visit the villages of your co-workers, stay with your students' families, and immerse yourself in a culture that is different than yours. Putting yourself in a situation that may make you feel slightly uncomfortable stretches your limits and forces you to grow.
There are practices here that I don't agree with, but I am willing to be open to learning and sharing. For example, young girls around the age of twelve are getting married in a neighboring village. The students asked for my opinion on this, and I had to be kind of strategic. I definitely am very opinionated about gender roles, female education, and women empowerment, but in order to make this a teaching moment, I couldn't force my opinion on the students. We had to discuss it together. I turned the question around on them and asked for their opinions, but then I asked them "why" they believed that. Thinking critically is the first step to making positive change. Even more so, critical thinking combined with discussion and debate will catalyze progression.
I'm learning a lot more, and next semester I am sure to have even more experiences. I will be teaching a modern American history class at Khujand State University and interning with the Women's Crisis Center, where I hope to lead seminars on women's health. I'm not sure how much of a positive impact I'm having, but I think the most important thing about Fulbright, is the cross-cultural exchange, and that is, I believe, where real learning takes place.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
IMON International
This week I started my internship with IMON International, the largest and most successful microfinance bank in Tajikistan. IMON's key supporters are Mercy Corps, Oikocredit, Kiva, and others. The thing that I really liked about IMON and one of the main reasons why I chose to intern there was their financial education and entrepreneurship classes. Unlike other microfinance institutions, IMON conducts financial education workshops for women. At the end of the course, women design their own business plans and present their plans in order to get funding. If approved, the women receive small loans for a start-up business. While other microfinance institutions provide small loans for ongoing expenses, IMON was the first I'd seen that supported business entrepreneurs with microloans. IMON consistently scores top marks for financial assessment and social responsibility. The company cares about the financial soundness of the loans and the financial officers are careful to minimize loan risk and defaulting, but there is also a human element to the process which IMON recognizes and upholds. IMON means "belief" in Farsi. The name could not have been more fitting.
However, as an intern I quickly discovered that I actually do not like working in finance. I spent hours looking through expense reports and projections. I like what IMON is doing, but I can't stand sitting behind a desk in an office looking at excel sheet after excel sheet of numbers. So today I decided to work for the Women's Crisis Center, which is an organization under the umbrella of IMON. I asked where the center was, and I got a ride from some people at IMON. The crisis center is in the back of an alley, and I totally would have missed it. I walked in and started speaking Russian with some people. They weren't expecting me at all, and the director who speaks fluent English was out sick. So, I had two hours of Russian conversation practice! We had great conversations about the shelter, their projects, and the dreams they have for the future of the crisis center. The Women's Crisis Center is a shelter for women who suffer from domestic violence. It is run by an all-female staff who are extremely passionate and dedicate to female empowerment issues. There is a lawyer, psychologist, and occasional doctor who provide free, on-site assistance. The building houses twelve women and their babies for up to 14 days, but there have been some cases where women have stayed three months. I'm going to start interning there next week. The project is up to me, but I am thinking of working with women's health. I'm not sure if there is a program ongoing, but I'm sure there is always a way to get a program going (aut viam inveniam aut faciam -- either I will find a way or I will make one).
I had one of those rare life moments today. Today I felt I was exactly where I needed to be. I'm still apprehensive about my future. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure if I will make any money doing something I love (which is a problem since I went to GW and have student loans...). Today, though, I made a decision to stop doing something I did not like and find something I was passionate about. The world is open and fresh, and I am the only one setting limitations to my happiness. Who knows where I will be in a few years, but at this moment, I know I am exactly where I need to be.
However, as an intern I quickly discovered that I actually do not like working in finance. I spent hours looking through expense reports and projections. I like what IMON is doing, but I can't stand sitting behind a desk in an office looking at excel sheet after excel sheet of numbers. So today I decided to work for the Women's Crisis Center, which is an organization under the umbrella of IMON. I asked where the center was, and I got a ride from some people at IMON. The crisis center is in the back of an alley, and I totally would have missed it. I walked in and started speaking Russian with some people. They weren't expecting me at all, and the director who speaks fluent English was out sick. So, I had two hours of Russian conversation practice! We had great conversations about the shelter, their projects, and the dreams they have for the future of the crisis center. The Women's Crisis Center is a shelter for women who suffer from domestic violence. It is run by an all-female staff who are extremely passionate and dedicate to female empowerment issues. There is a lawyer, psychologist, and occasional doctor who provide free, on-site assistance. The building houses twelve women and their babies for up to 14 days, but there have been some cases where women have stayed three months. I'm going to start interning there next week. The project is up to me, but I am thinking of working with women's health. I'm not sure if there is a program ongoing, but I'm sure there is always a way to get a program going (aut viam inveniam aut faciam -- either I will find a way or I will make one).
I had one of those rare life moments today. Today I felt I was exactly where I needed to be. I'm still apprehensive about my future. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure if I will make any money doing something I love (which is a problem since I went to GW and have student loans...). Today, though, I made a decision to stop doing something I did not like and find something I was passionate about. The world is open and fresh, and I am the only one setting limitations to my happiness. Who knows where I will be in a few years, but at this moment, I know I am exactly where I need to be.
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