Ramadan, or Ruza as it is known here, lasted from September 1st to
September 30th. Its end was celebrated by festivities that lasted 10
days. The first day was a national holiday with students having no
school and most businesses closed. The day is spent visiting friends
and family. This means a lot of eating! Special round loaves of bread
are eaten along with pilof. On top of this, they always have various
types of food spread out for guests such as nuts, candy, fruit and of
course tea. In addition, in the morning, children go door-to-door
collecting candy. I was woken early in the morning to the noisy of
children shrieking with glee in the streets. They also set our dog to
barking which created a cacophony of sounds. The holiday fell on a
Wednesday when there were English classes so I moved them to the
following day in order for the children to enjoy the holiday unimpeded.
The next day, the students brought candy to share with each other.

Even though it was a holiday, ADRA Tajikistan are passionate about
their work so carried on a regular business day. There were many things
that they needed to plan and complete for our trip the following week.
That afternoon, stopping work a bit early, I had the enjoyment of
leaving the city of Dushanbe to another city about an hour or so away.
It was my first time leaving the capital city since I arrived.
Normally, travelling along mountainous roads I am worried about rocks
falling on my head but this time, I was more concerned about donkeys,
goats or cows. It seemed as if they were super glued to the hills in
order to defy gravity on the steep cliffs. I was surprised at the
dryness of the countryside. In Dushanbe, the streets are lined with
shady trees and other plants are frequently watered. This was a small
taste for what was to come the next week when we went to Garm.

It has been over a month since I have been here in Tajikistan. In
some ways it feels as if I just arrived and in other ways, it feels as
if I have lived here much more than a month. To celebrate my month
anniversary, we ate a delicious cake with walnuts and chocolate. I also
received my year long visa which we were all thankful for. The process
to be granted the visa is one I do not know if I will ever fathom.

Sunday was passed in the Museum of K. Behzod of regional studies.
The museum displays the flora and fauna of Tajikistan. They have tigers
and snow leopards but not where I live unfortunately. It also discussed
some of Tajikistan’s main industries which are aluminum and cotton. The
country’s history is also represented starting from ancient times to a
whole room devoted to the current President. My favourite parts were
the sections of pottery and other artifacts such as lanterns and coins.
They had a replica of a prison that was a pit in the ground and very
dark. Jails of this type were used up until the Soviet Union era. There
were also two wings of the museum dedicated to various styles of
painting and fine arts. Some of the finest paintings were completed by
children as young as eleven. The skill shown was extremely high for any
age let alone so young.

The smell of damp concrete greeted me as I opened my bedroom door
this morning. I have not seen rain since leaving the airport in
Toronto. The light sprinkles we are having today are a refreshing
change to the dry, dusty heat that has been constant this past month.
Being a girl from British Columbia who is used to occasional rain, I
find a whole month and a half without it a bit unbelievable. The real
rainy period probably will not start for awhile longer though.

Ramadan

Classes are now in full swing and we are settling into routine
nicely. There are three groups of students studying; two in the morning
and one in the afternoon. The ages of the children are generally around
10-13 though we have a couple older and younger. Each group consists of
about five or six students. The class sizes are small for a few
reasons, one being that the classroom won’t accommodate too many more
and also that it makes it more manageable in teaching multi-levels. It
seems that there is some reciprocal teaching taking place as the
children teach me Russian and Tajik words.

We have been learning about the different parts of the body but have
now moved onto mealtimes. It is a cultural learning experience
discussing what the students eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The
most common breakfast item is ‘kasha’ which can be prepared from any
type of grain into something similar to porridge. It is also common to
put jam in tea. Of course, bread and tea are consumed at every meal.

Two weeks in, the students had their first spelling test which went
over well. The only problem is that I wasn’t sure how to mark it in a
meaningful way for them. In Tajikistan, their grading system is based
on a 5 mark scale. Now I knew this but wasn’t sure of the value
emphasized by each number. I have learned through the help of Victor
and some websites that if you receive a 5, that means your work was
perfect or really good. It can be compared to receiving about 90 -
100%. 4 is equivalent to 70 - 90% and 3 is a pass with approximately 50
- 70%. If you get a 2, well, that is most unsatisfactory and you aren’t
passing. I better go record their grades now. This system was
established during the Soviet Union period.

Oh ya! Last night, the classroom received a new chalkboard. I am
very excited with the fresh newness of it. It works very well.