16-5-10 Cant think of anything .
on Pam Kerruish (Tajikistan), 11/May/2010 15:14, 34 days ago
Khojands main theatre.I was invited to the theatre by the "lady in the room next door's" niece,Mastona, yesterday. She is a lovely girl - about 20 , who acts very graciously and willingly as my intepreter within the extended family . I rushed to the theatre worrying that I might be late only to find that Mastona's mother was coming too and that she arrived much later. A lot of people,some very smartly dressed (I wasn't ) arrived with big flower arrangements in baskets and bouquets of flowers while I waited with Mastona. No-one seemed to be rushing. Eventually her Mum ( who I like a lot ) arrived and we went to take our (free seating )seats. The show was a tribute show to a show- biz couple who were celebrating his birthday and their 50th wedding anniversary. I imagine they married at about 15, 16.( which I understand they still do out of the towns.) She was a well known Tajik TVactress and he a musician . The show was concert like and included "turns"which included their contributions. I could understand the gist of a lot of it. As he was a musician ( he played the xylophone really well ) there was a lot of music which was good from my point of view.. Apparently the husband has supported a lot of young musicians in school and so they played with him -drums ( dorya- a bit like barrons ) which I really like , and an instrument like a thing a troubador would play - lute like , I suppose. All the way through people made their way up onto the stage to present them with their flowers .Loads of them. I'm not sure if they represented adulation or thanks for their support , both probably, but as so often , they gave the lie to the belief that Tajikistan is a very poor country. It is - for instance the staff in Degmai rarely have enough paper to write on , but there are lots of these contrary indicators. Someone is doing Ok. I expect a lot of the money is from funds sent from the huge Tajik workforce in Russia.They seem to keep the place afloat.Anyway the theatre was nice (hopefully photo above - there are two big theatres in Khojand) and it was a good experience. The show ended with everyone on stage dancing - the men with great gusto. Which reminds me when the music was playing there was often a female dancer too. Quite seductive dancing which seemed to have Indian and Turkish influences. Its always a suprise to me in an Islamic country . Although every restaurant you go into had western type dance videos - the more suggestive the better it seems.The contrary influence ( there always seems to be a "contrary" here) is that more women are dressing in Islamic clothes. They have their hair completely covered ( not just the headscarf which is normal here ) and some wear gowns which cover their ordinary clothes- Hijab? No Burkhas though, I'm glad to say. I have only ever seen one lady in a black hijab , but Mirzo tells me it is increasingly popular with younger women - eg in his university.And then there is serious Bling -as demonstrated by this girls shoes .They are completely coverered in rhinestones and wrap up round her legs -just to go to work! She is typically slim but probably dressed in a Russian way.We saw this wagon on the way to work yesterday.The big pots are bread ovens apparently. they will be built into a stand on their sides and the bread get stuck all around inside. -as below.14-5-10And by good luck, I have just been to watch the bread being made in Dom Invalide which is really interesting.Above , the outside kitchen of Dom Invalide where I live -closest part is a big Osh cooking dish , then small Osh cooking dish and place for making tea before the bread oven at the end. - a real "range".There is a conventional kitchen inside.Bread ready to be stuck on the oven wall and then in place -note Rabhoiroie's protective glove.The small square Things at the bottom of the oven are samboosas.When its baked the loaves are scraped off the walls.The warm bread is delicious and forms a large part of people's diet here.12-05-10After having seen how little has changed in Degmai at the weekend I decided that today was showdown day.Wednesday is meeting day. I am about half way through now and I am pretty certain if I dont make a stand things could just slide back to how they were . Actually with the EU coming on board they cant go right back, but I was disgusted with what I saw at the weekend and felt it was time to say so. I took the line that the culture is the destructive force at Degmai - it is in fact , but I used that line to duck out of direct criticisms -and said it is the culture which allows them to neglect children , to lie, steal and deceive- but that it is the same culture which could lead to their sacking in future inspections. I'm afraid the examples I chose may have been too direct anyway, but they are pretty thick skinned - time will tell. I am not flavour of the month today thats for certain. But what is good is that things immediately improved and that the director is supporting me. I dont know why she isnt more present in the actual running of things , but she told me they had been lazy and had not done proper walks when I was away. They took short cuts which she noticed and so she is pleased that I have started to be bossy. ( VSO in Birmingham would not be, but they have no idea about the Soviet style of running things - not particularly democratic, which is what they try to be. ) The general view is that people here got so used to taking orders in soviet times and being taken to task when they used their initiative ,they gave up and only do what they are told. It seems that at some level they are afraid of change. Of course that is only a generalisation , but I think it is true of government institutions more than in the general population.( but it doesn't excuse NOT doing what you are told. )And in respect of the playground the sewing of grass has been an education. I have got increasingly frustrated at the fact that we cant use it yet and the grass hadnt' been sewn despite the place being flattened and in my view ready. Anyway it seems some kind of "Specialist" declared it too stony and bumpy so it has been raked again -apparently to his satisfaction - and is now covered in white cloth! Thank goodness I am staying til Christmas so I can see it into regular use - its driving me mad but theres nothing I can do.I think this will be suitable for world -class cricket at this rate.Anyway, today ,Sunday, I went out with Anne -marie , Sharon plus Mirzo with his cousin Said driving us .We went to a lovely big resevoir where a giant Lenin Statue dominates the resevoir wall . We had a great time , had a swim , a walk and then went on to see a funny old castle in a different area before returning via lovely poppy fields. Oh yes we saw a couple of men on the road selling snakes (and a hedgehog) to eat.Sorry he's sideways ,but you'll get the idea.All for now. Pamx