I’ve been in Tajikistan for over a month now on an 8-month internship with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) of Canada. (Yes, Tajikistan is a real country, and no, it is not overrun by radical Islamists.)
My internship is with the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a Tajik NGO that is essentially the implementing body of rural development activities for AKF-Tajikistan. I’m working in the Natural Resource Management (NRM) unit on lots of different projects, including agricultural extension, sustainable land management, alternative/renewable energy, and eco-tourism. So far I’ve gone on several field site visits but have mostly been helping put together progress reports for donors and doing lots of reading and discussing with other staff to figure out how things work here. There are a couple really exciting new cross-border initiatives with Afghanistan that I’m hoping to get involved in, but I probably shouldn’t talk about them until they’re completely finalized : )
Contrary to some colleagues’ warnings, Heidi and I are having a blast living with a Tajik family in one of the micro-districts. It’s a huge bonus being surrounded by the local language, culture, and way of life on the home front, which is quite different from the workplace and (obviously) different still from being out on the town with local friends. Aside from the whole ‘full experience’ aspect of living with a family, it’s admittedly pretty nice coming home to the pitter-patter of little feet. Even though nothing can replace Bear, the laughs and smiles of the kids do wonders for the soul (and for making sure I don’t work too much/at all at home).
The other interns and I have befriended lots of locals and expats – almost to the point where we have to turn down offers for social outings! I’m happy to report that my sports and music are up and running as well. After asking about 20 people if girls my age could play soccer/football, I finally got a “yes” and promptly started playing three times a week. I’m planning on getting back into Tae Kwon Do, too – apparently Tajiks are pretty strong competitors on the world stage (which may or may not have something to do with KGB trainers). Heidi and I are hiking on Sundays and taking paragliding lessons, and hopefully will soon be rock climbing. I also had the random good fortune to jam with a famous Pamiri musician – then heard his single that we played together on the radio a few days later!
There are already so many stories to tell about what we’ve seen, heard, learned, and done. I’ve been posting pictures fairly regularly so have a look at those – they do it much more justice than anything I can write. I’ll get some more videos edited and online soon, but in the meantime, here’s our first view of Dushanbe upon arrival:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VxciKp3d0
