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.
