Coming together

Two women harvest grass by hand to feed the goats and sheep during the winter.

I just got the final tally of donations to this project and the number is at $3,956 which is a perfect amount due to international transfer fees and the need for us to leave a little bit in our bank account.  Thank you so much to everyone who has sacrificed for helping the poor in Badakhshan to start small businesses to bring down the 80% + unemployment rate.  We are hoping to send the money over either today or tomorrow and begin purchasing the final items for the office.

Within a week we are hoping to have several lessons prepared.  One will be for village presentations on how to start a cooperative to have a village owned business.  We are hoping that some very poor villages will start canning fruits that already grow nearby.  Another training will be four to five weeks long for potential and current small business owners to come and learn the basics of running a small business.  After completing the training they will continue to receive advice and assistance with research to help them succeed.  Last but certainly not least we will also be preparing a presentation for students in high school promoting small businesses.  Most students now dream of working in other countries to get rich or perhaps working for an international relief organization, but few seem to want to own a business of their own.

It's been an exciting ride seeing all the pieces slowly come together.  Two years of planning and it's finally happening.  I'm overwhelmed by the thought of the people whose lives will be changed for the better as a result of this office.

Moving on...

Well the President's visit is behind us with all the celebrations and ceremonies.  Things in town are beginning to get back to their regular routines of life.  And with all that, we are as well.  A lot of the daily grind of living, cooking, and cleaning.  The laptop is now ready and the office is just waiting for everything else to come together.  Our training material is starting to take shape and we're coordinating with a few other interested nonprofits in the area.  We are going to have a series of meetings in the coming days concerning the lessons, getting them the way we want them and making them interesting and simple.  Also we're getting ready to make our first international wire transfer of funds.

So in short we are on schedule and excited about everything that is going on with regard to the project. I am in good health and we are just getting ready for our first presentations and for our first class of business students.

Keep on rolling

Wow, my brain was feeling like it was going numb and my body was really lagging. I hit the ground running in Khorogh 4 days ago and it seems to not be letting up. It's been a productive and long weekend. We have reworked the whole budget and shifted the main office 40 miles. We have selected a part time business adviser and secretary to man the office. We have tested the internet connection and confirmed prices. Our laptop is set to being wiped and reloaded with Russian windows. We have requested a meeting with the local mayor and will be meeting with the district leader as well. Additionally there are the matters of living in Tajikistan such as washing clothes by hand and cooking from scratch. And on top of all that there is the building of relationships that is so vital in this area. As a team we are coming together and enjoy each others company. Whether it's toasting Coca Cola's or eating wraps down in the bazaar we are having a good time at it. We feel like things are being accomplished and it's a satisfying feeling.

But then came today. After conducting 2 forays out and walking 2-3 miles in the harsh arid environment I returned to my apartment again to prepare for my next three tasks, which included another 15 minute ride downtown, another 4 miles of walking, and two more meetings plus perhaps a dinner party. I sat down and my body just refused to get up again. There wasn't anything wrong other than exhaustion. My body was submitting it's final protest. Okay, so I spent the afternoon taking a nap and unwinding a bit. It's evening now and I had a healthy dinner of two eggs and a hotdog all fried in olive oil, classy right? Sometimes we have to take it a bit slower and today was my day.

I can't help but for it all to feel a bit otherworldly. Everything in Badakhshan seems so familiar, as if waking from a long night of dreaming. America begins to fade as unreal and the reality of blundering my way through the Pamiri language takes hold again. It seems like I've never left, so much is the same, but much has indeed changed. Familiar faces in the shops, old friends, and the mountains always looking over one's shoulder all seem to bring it back.

Tomorrow the President is coming and everyone is putting their final preparations in and the President's guard is already watching key points in the city. I'm hoping I can avoid any of the congestion surrounding the events as they tend to shut down roads.

The road to Khorogh

It may be Ramazan and all the men are fasting but that was certainly not stopping the ambitious renovation of downtown for the 20th Anniversary of the independence of Tajikistan. Pushing through their physical hunger the workers had torn up the main road to the airport diverting buses and foot traffic to redo one of the busiest intersections in the city. It was a problem for me since the only way I knew to the vehicle bazaar was through the barricades and piles of earth. It was 7AM and I had my large luggage bag winding behind me like a loyal puppy and like a puppy it was struggling to climb over the curbs, the sidewalks, and other hazards. My other bag containing the laptop for our first district office and my other laptop were in the expedition backpack hanging from my shoulders which was surprisingly heavy. I had to take a detour on a road I had never been on. Relying on my internal compass I hurriedly pushed down the road 6-7 blocks then took the first road to the left taking me in the general direction that I needed to go. It was going well until the road twisted further South than I wanted to go and there were no other options except back alleys leading into a laborynth network of storage buildings and homes. Just as I was beginning to doubt the way the road began to look familiar, not exactly but similar to the exit to the bazaar. Another block and there was the gate for the hidden parking lot. I passed through the gate into another world. The lowland Tajikistan was starting to fade and it was beginning to feel a lot more like the mountains of Badakhshan.

That evening after an exhausting 14 hour drive (we made great time!) we arrived in the provincial capital of Khorogh. I liken the road to being placed in a steel cube with a sandbox full of sand being shaken for 14 hours by an angry giant. I found a bed to pass out on for the night and got up the next morning to begin the process of registration and also to look for a place to stay. The registration process took a couple hours and so we got lunch, both me, the director as well as the assistant director of NGO Lojvar (Non-Governmental Organization) which is the organization that will be conducting our project. We discussed the budget and office needs as well as our Roshtkala office and what we would need to do to get it working. Afterward, we visited two different possibilities for me to sleep at. Selecting an option with a friend of our assistant director I found myself moving into a beautifully furnished apartment. It is nicer than anything that I had lived in before in the area and it has been a great experience so far. The location is a bit far from downtown but the hot water pot, refrigerator, and shower all make up for it. (my apartment while living in Tajikistan did not have running water) It feels a bit weird being able to shower here but it's a good feeling.

It's been two full days of all kinds of happenings and movement with a good deal more to come.

First day in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

The plane touched down at 3:50AM and the process of entering Tajikistan began.  The bus took us to the old hangar now used as a customs checkpoint.  Forms were handed out and we all lined up for our turn with the two manned booths.  Somehow I ended up at the back of the line like usually happens, even after my attempts to get a little ahead.  From there to twin old conveyor belts to pick up the luggage.  Then we lined up again to have our luggage stubs against our luggage.  Then comes the security check.  If you pass that you are allowed to leave.  The whole process took 40 minutes. Immediately upon exiting you're greeted by dozens of overly friendly taxi drivers who all want you as their passenger.  Did I mention that it's 4:30 AM?

One driver and I began haggling over price to go to a certain bazaar that was easy to explain. 
"The price of gas is really high," said he.
"Yes, but last time I only paid 25.  The price is too high."
"No, no God is my witness this price is fair," he said.
"30, 30 is fair," I said.
"No, the price of gas is really high."
I just looked at him as he went on.  He stopped speaking and saw that was as far as I was budging.
"Forty," he said.
I stuck out my hand and said, "Milesh" which means okay.
we hopped in his car and whizzed off into the night.  Jabbering about the weather, languages spoken, his wife and kids, my lack of a family, and of course a bit of politics at the gas pump, those Russians, Uzbeks, and the global financial situation.

Then I got out of the car a block and a half from my goal.  I began walking down the middle of the busy street.  Did I mention that it was 5AM?  The road was deserted except a few cleaning ladies were sweeping the street and sidewalks.  As I walked over the often repaired and lumpy road and the sidewalks I saw families starting to stir in the dark to get in one meal before light of day came and the fasting of Ramadan began again. I greeted an older man as he walked to the gate of his home.  He reflexively put his hand over his chest but was a bit startled by my greeting.

And here I am typing all this up in the living room of a friend who laid out a couple of blankets and a sheet for me to sleep on....

12 hours later I am posting this from a cafe in the center of the city.  More exciting things in the works so more to come...





   

Plans, plans, plans...

Plans have an annoying tendency not to come out the way we expect them, but they are invaluable anyways so here is my plan of what the next month will be looking like in my travels overseas.

Sunday, August 7th  Fly from Pittsburgh to Paris
Monday, August 8th Fly from Paris to Copenhagen
Tuesday, August 9th Fly from Copenhagen to Riga to Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Wednesday, August 10th  Arrive in Dushanbe, Register and Recover from trip.  Begin planning, shopping, and meeting with friends and other Non-profit workers.

Week of August 15th - 19th Arrive in Khorogh, meet with NGO Lojvar and begin drawing up contract.  We will also begin meeting with government officials to discuss the possibility of an office.
Week of August 22nd- 26th  Begin construction of offices and hire a Business Adviser, begin training.
Week of August 29th - Sept. 2nd  Meet with school children to deliver letters and do school presentations.
Week of September 5th-9th  Complete Business Adviser training, presentations, and recruit businessmen to start small businesses.
September 15th Return to Europe.