Aram Sam Sam
on Pam Kerruish (Tajikistan), 05/May/2010 16:33, 34 days ago
Wednesday 5th. MayAram sam sam it definitely my favourite song at the moment- it has done wonders at Degmai! When I went in yesterday the carer in the picture , Mysarah , called me to come and see what she had been doing "for the last two days".She had the kids lined up against the wall and proceeded to tell me that she had been training them in Aramsamsam and then did it with them. ( Hence Amir , in the backround, flying round the room - he gets very excited when he hears it. )Sharroff posing for the camera can do it well and the rest are pretty variable . Mysarah's excitement preceded a pretty good day with all of the children ( I think ) getting out and enjoying themselves one way or another.Today wasnt bad either so I feel as if I am in a "one step forward " stage. As its getting warmer the kids are in the summerhouse now and I believe they will sleep there when it gets hotter still. There are two beds outside in Dom Invalide where I live but I have only seen someone asleep in one. A very civilised way to go on I think.I'm not sure if I've told you about how interesting riding in the Mischoukras can be. Today the one I got to work was reasonably full when someone started to load the goodies for their shop in it. ( Cant think of any other reason why anyone would have so much stuff . ) There was the usual boxes of biscuits stuffed under and by the seats and a big fancy cake put on the dashboard ( had to be kept flat ) but the unusual thing was two big sacks of sausage - like German sausage - the sizes of long balloons.To get in and out you have to climb over all this stuff.Friday 7thI have just written a longish e-mail and when I pressed sent it disappeared and said the internet isn't working ( tho it is still connected as far as I can see. ) that drives me mad. I usually try again and maybe a third time but after that I give up . I had this problem before Christmas so I hope its not going to last for long this time.I was out and about with Mirzo today and saw this traffic policewoman . Her heels took my eye - they wouldn't allow them in the Isle of Man!But to be fair Mirzo reckoned she would usually be doing office work.The poster on the flats behind is typical of everywhere. Its the President whose face is in and on every Government building - they wouldnt' allow that in the Isle of Man either!I feel sorry for the people in the flats behind the poster . Mirzo didnt think they would get a reduction in rent. Which reminds me there are flats just above and behind some huge skips which are for household rubbish in Dushanbe -pity help the people who live there. It really stinks.I was on tele last night . I was on a photo of the lady next doors daughter ,Firouza, who was 18 yesterday. Apparently when its your birthday you can send in photos and they will play them with your chosen song, poems and a Congratulations commentary. One of the photos Firouza chose was of a group shot of us in my room with the Russian lady. I was invited to her party which was very nice ,but I got the sense of being resented as a volunteer for the first time in a social setting . ( the presence of volunteers can be seen to be implying that the country is in need like Africa, something which people dont want to contemplate -and which ,looking at the above photo isnt very obvious.)They asked me if they could come and volunteer in Britain. It was good natured ,but there was an edge. I have felt the same in Degmai , but that was not in such a personal setting. We are warned when we come that there will be some resentment , but I havent sensed it very often. ................Apparently I have been on Tele here before, in an item about the work Rangicommon were doing in Degmai , but I didn't see it. As you will gather the programmes are pretty parochial.[The electricity has just gone off . There's no water here at the moment and now no electricity and an erratic internet.I didn't mind in the winter but its annoying now- though it illustrates the contradictions of this place -bearing in mind that I've just written that it didn't look like a poor country in the above photo]As I was coming home from the party I came across frogs in the yard again. They are a bit unnerving but quite nice.Also Quite nice is this picture of my gorgeous Islom asleep on his potty. Behind him , also quite nice, is a bit of Rachmon's leg.He always manages to assume a real nonchalance when he is sitting on his potty.And I've included this photo because its a nice one of the ESLC+Mark. We ate outside on the pavement tonight for the first time this year - apparently the pavements get quite full of tables . It was nice to be together as a group again - we have been without Anne Marie for a couple of weeks ..I woke up disgruntled today and put my bad temper to good use.I went out to Degmai in order to pick up a broken pram only to find the staff ( who were not expecting me ) sitting in the sun while the children had no toys .The lying down children were still lying in very wet beds -horrible. I was really cross and interestingly, they went to a lot of trouble to placate me.They dont get it though - there is no sense that they have to make it up to the children - just keep me quiet. I am also mad because I dont like the sunrooms Rangicommon have made . They are not like they said they would be.I dont like where they've put them either. Still a bad temper can give you a lot of energy - or at least not let you rest -not quite the same thing. I asked a guy I see around a lot at Degmai if I could get a taxi back with the pram and he fixed up a lift and proposed to me on journey . Actually, if he thinks I'm rich, he probably meant it!Sunday 9th May.This morning I went to what I hoped would be a Military Parade -tanks and the like, but in fact it was just a wreath laying ceremony. Very stirring music played over a loud speaker , and a sense of emotion , but a bit too informal( shambolic?) for my liking . Still the old soldiers "on parade" had undoubtedly been through it. Tajikistan lost a lot of people ( 400,000)in the war. There were little side monuments which I presume commemorated more recent conflicts and which are nice. Later I went for a walk and found a band of drummers at a wedding reception. I think they were waiting for the bride and groom who I saw on the road shortly afterwards. And I notice the rubbish burning on the streets has started again. Polluting the air for miles around. My day in pictures -The war memorial and a veteran + veterans below ( I wondered what the woman who was well decorated , had been doing )A smaller side MemorialDrummers drummingand Fires polluting!Bye for now . Pamx