CHAPTER 3: The Half-Way Update

I've been in Tajikistan for exactly 4 months and 2 weeks! Over this time, I've attempted to capture Tajikistan’s texture by taking tons of pictures. My working album is sitting at over 300 pictures, give it a quick look here: Tajikistan 2012/2013 – Up and Around Dushan-baby

My day to day in Dushanbe 

Working hours are 8:30am to 5:30pm. Generally people at the office arrive in the morning right on time and more importantly leave right on time. The bank’s head office is conveniently a 15 minute walk/2 minute bus ride from my apartment (a cost of 15 cents).

Although I've attempted to have as many adventures as possible, the majority of my time these past 4 months has in fact been spent in the office. So first of What do I do? I'm what the private sector calls an Analyst. I work with the Head of Business Development on Branch and Product management. On a day to day, I draft board proposals, manage openings/closings of bank outlets (work friends call me “The Terminator” because I've managed the closing of 4 mini-branches), perform data analysis and carry out field research.  I've also had some time to explore many interest-based projects such as: an FMFBT Mobile Banking study, research on how to cooperate with other AKDN institutions and Social Monitoring assessments. I try to frequently speak to borrowers and saving groups to hear directly from them what support would assist in building their capacity. 

A group shot with a Community Based Savings Group (CBSG) in Kulyab

I try to attend Jamat Khana (Mosque) daily however with the D’ua time recently being set to 6PM, it’s been difficult during weekdays. Daily JK attendance varies between 2000-3000 people and ceremonies are finished much faster than back in Canada. (Fewer recitations + No announcements + No Nandi = everyone in and out in less than 30 minutes) The Ismaili Center Dushanbe is the only formal JK in all of Tajikistan even though the Ismaili population is over 200,000. JK ceremonies have only started 6 months ago so processes are still being established. Differences between the Central Asian Ismaili culture and the Khoja/Western culture are quite intriguing and I've noticed a strong influence in the Ismaili culture from living and practising in a majority Sunni-Muslim country.

A few differences in JK include:

·      Wudu stations are located in the JK for men & women. (ritual washing before prayers)

·      People sit leaning forwards on their knees during D’ua.

·      Anyone under the age of 18 is not permitted to attend JK (as of yet) as per government ruling.

·      There are no morning JK ceremonies or no Majalis festivals.

·      Madhos/Qasidas are recited in replacement of Ashanji/Ginan. (see here for a link via DropBox to a collection of BEAUTIFULLY recited Qasidas I received from a friend)

The Ismaili Center Dushanbe

On evenings I sleep early like an old man and on weekends I generally try to go on at least one new adventure or try one thing new (recently, I've been learning to cook…I can now make a mean chinese mixed rice dish) 

The TOP 7 lessons learned to date 

1)   Being on your own is challenging but if you listen to music loudly and dance like no one’s watching, the loneliness goes away really fast

2)   The Government’s role and support in development is very important. Private sector can only do so much but if there is no enabling environment for development, progress moves very slowly

3)   The very poor in developing countries lack long-term thinking. The foremost concern for most people is to ensure food is kept on the table. When possible, having a long-term frame of mind (i.e. investing in a child’s education or understanding the benefits of insurance) is very critical to sustainable progress

4)   At least in Tajikistan, communication between different  organizations who are working towards the same development goal is weak; this makes me wonder about what role technology can play in improving this

5)   No organization, including AKDN and its counterparts, is perfect. These organizations are run by people and contrary to popular belief, people are not perfect. Having patience and persistence within your scope of work is super important

6)   Many individuals in Tajikistan would prefer a secure/stable job rather than pursuing entrepreneurial ventures; there’s a very low appetite for risk here

7)   Uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations put you to the test allowing you to grow and ultimately realize what your potential

A Taste of the Texture of Tajikistan

Car Shining – Cars are by far one of the most prized possessions in Tajikistan. I see people washing, shining and admiring their cars on a daily basis. Definitely a status symbol.

Green Tobacco Chew – At first, I always wondered why people talked as if their tongue was stuck under their bottom lip. But after seeing every tom, dick and harry with a small plastic bag of tobacco chew in their pockets, I realized it’s quite common in Dushanbe.  Tajikistan also has a big Vodka culture. (reminder: 90% of the population is Muslim)

Anti-glasses society – I have yet to met someone in Tajikistan who wears glasses. There are no eye-care/glasses shops in the cities and I highly doubt the whole country has 20/20 vision. 

That is all for now. Feel free to write to me if you have any questions! nadim.nasser3@gmail.com

To bosdeed,

Nadim-Bek

The crew. From left to right: Irshad, yours truly, Alim and Faheem. These are the Canadian Dushanbe Veterans and all have spent over 2 years in Tajikistan. Irshad taught Michael Jackson how to dance, Alim is the most connected person in Dushanbe and Faheem is a shrewd businessman disguised as a disaster specialist. 

Aga Khan Foundation Geneva Microfinance Specialists + the Head of the Micro Loan Office in Shurobod

Where I come home to every night. I live on the fourth floor (the one with the Satellite dish)

Opera Ballet fountains

A cultural performance (variety show) at the Ismaili Center Dushanbe

A glimpse of Iskanderkul Lake

Doing the Asian pose with our Driver

Man brodar as modar digar.

Translation: My brother from another mother.

A visit from my buddy Alykhan who was working in Afghanistan at the time. This is following a delicious breakfast croissant meal.

Nurek Pass – Has to be one of the calmest places on Earth.

CHAPTER 2: My Getaway to the PAMIRS

Hey folks,

It’s been a while.  So I recently spent two weeks travelling through GBAO aka Badakshan aka the Pamirs.

For the visual learners, here’s a public link to my photo album: Tajikistan 2012/2013 - A Journey to the Jewel of the Pamirs

A quick background: Badakshan is an autonomous province covering the eastern region of Tajikistan. GBAO has had quite a rough history since Tajikistan’s independence in 1992. This was also the same region where severe violence occurred this past July. So I travelled through: Ishkashim, Murghab and Bartang Valley; however spent the majority of my time in the spectacular city of Khorog.

From my perspective, the most mind-bending thing of Khorog was how the government there is Ismaili. The army is Ismaili. The teachers are Ismaili. The shopkeepers are Ismaili. The drivers are Ismaili. But so are the vulnerable - they are Ismaili. The wrong-doers too, are Ismaili. I had never been to a city or region which is 100% Ismaili. Here the whole spectrum of society and its positions/roles was filled with Ismailis. Fascinating to wrap your mind around.

En Route to Khorog

I travelled from Dushanbe to Khorog via Tajik Air (referred to some as Tragic Air) which is an 18-seater plane used back in the Soviet times. Travel guides mentioned that this was one of the only flights, where Soviet pilots were paid a danger premium to fly. Although none were on my flight, travellers are permitted to bring sheep/goats with them in replacement of their hand luggage. The other options for travel between Khorog and Dushanbe are by Jeep (quite a rough drive as this lady describes) or by the AKDN Helicopter which I was fortunate to get a seat for on the way back! As soon as I flew into Khorog, I was bombarded by Welcome Hazar Imam/Golden Jubilee Mubarak messages stone-engraved onto the side of the mountains.

Khorog: The Ruby of Badakshan

The city of Khorog, surrounded by mountains really feels like a land a little bit closer to the heavens. Although night falls early and it becomes dark by around 6pm, I wouldn’t really feel the darkness because a multitude of stars hung right above me. Every night I sat outside for a few minutes trying to recall what I learned back in Astronomy 101 attempting to point out constellations to some local friends (I definitely made up a few of them, but they definitely didn’t know this). Day or night; it was a great environment to be in to think about life, creation or simply to just take in how stunning our world is.

The city was also filled with wild dogs. In a 5KM radius there had to have been at least 100 dogs up and about. Some were big and vicious and some were the size of my shoe. As a former Globe and Mail newspaper delivery boy, I wasn't too thrilled about this but naturally, I quickly overcame my fears.

Some Highlights:

• Spent Weekend 1 of 2 in Murghab for a wedding celebration; Murghab is 3650 meters high, no cows/chickens (they eat yak meat/butter and drink yak milk), hardly any trees, a very small selection of fruit and EXTREME temperatures. Winter temperatures would reach -50°C and summer temperatures would reach +40°c. Strong winds blow all year and severe storms could appear suddenly. Staying here for a weekend gave me some perspective on real challenges people face in day to day life.
• Spent Weekend 2 of 2 in Bartang Valley in a village named Basid. Basid was the first place in Tajikistan where this is absolutely NO cellphone reception, NO USB-internet reception and very limited access to outlets or technology. Spending some time here was a nice reminder of how life used to be in the stone-age.
• Experienced the natural hot spring, Jelondi Chasma; an indoor tub of sulphuric water at extremely hot temperatures. Apparently very beneficial for your body/skin.
• Regularly attended an informal Jamatkhana (Mosque) in a region called Upeday. Ceremonies were led by a Calipha and the inside of the JK was designed like a Pomiri home (five pillars/chorkona roof) with incredible Quranic wooden engravings.
• Drank from the Nasir Khusraw spring
• Played a few 5 on 5 outdoor basketball games with locals
• Mastered Tajik Dancing 101
• Visited the Golden Jubilee Porshniev Darbar Site
• Led a workshop to Grade 9/10 students at Aga Khan Lycee on “Thinking Globally in Career Planning"
• Taught English for one week to Upeday Ismaili Volunteers

A few takeaways from the trip:

• Language barriers can’t stop laughter – Learning Tajik in Dushanbe was challenging enough for me but Badakshan had its own other 6 languages in the various districts! I didn’t attempt to learn the language in such short time but was still able to get my messages across quite well through over-emphasized/non-verbal communication tactics and of course a smile.
• From Canada to Honduras to Kenya, I’ve always found the same sort of things can make kids laugh which is always fun to test out. The iPad really does wonders to entertain; young or old.
• Poverty is a mindset – If you look at the data on the poverty levels in Badakshan you would see extremely low numbers. (By far, the poorest Post-Soviet Country) What really surprised me during my travels to GBAO though was that I could NEVER feel it. The poverty is disguised in their hospitality. I’d constantly be invited to people’s homes; I’d be given gifts/food for the journey. It was hard for me to classify people and their families as ultra-poor. Exceptional hospitality is really in the Pamiri people’s DNA.

Until next time,

Nadim-Jaan

Flight from Dushanbe to Khorog via Tragic Air; An 18 seater Soviet Plane

 The Khorog Botanical Gardens Viewpoint

 The view en route to Murghab

Murghabi woman trying to sell me Yak (rare/wild cow) milk

             Group Shot with wearing our Kyrgz toqi gifts

Nasir Khusraw spring (NK brought Ismailism to Tajikistan approximately a thousand years ago; there are many Nasir Khusraw based traditions within the pomiri Ismaili rituals (i.e. Chirag Roshan funeral ceremony)

One of the cuter looking dogs

Holding some gifts for my mom given by the Calipha's mother from the Upeday JK

Their response to funny faces I made at them

The recently built outdoor basketball court! So amazing.

Khorog City dogs

Words don't do this one justice... 

My Khorog Guesthouse Mother, Kholog Shezan

The view of one of the mountains on the helicopter ride back to Dushanbe; Looked like a sand mountain!