Peace, love and under ‘stan – ding

Mosque Near Panjshanbe Bazaar

Tajiki ‘standing, that is.  If I’ve learned anything in my 36 hours in Khujand, Tajikistan, it’s that trying to understand the local culture, language and history is like drinking from a firehose.  The challenge is muted, however, by the extreme kindness of the people here and their willingness to make you feel at home.  Here at Microinvest the feeling is that of a family more than a workplace.  This morning my desk was graced with a platter of cookies and candies and friendly faces greeting me in proud English.  At noon yesterday we all took lunch in the dining area – a hearty borscht of meat, potatoes, cilantro and carrots along with fresh bread and the ubiquitous cup of hot tea.  Last night I was treated to the Tajik national dish of Pilaf with green apricots and a tomato salad mixed with conversation on topics ranging from the economy to religion to family.  Clearly food is the social lubricant and I’ve been more than content to sit, talk and eat for hours on end.

Tomorrow I’ll journey to Asht which is a district in the north bordering Uzbekistan.  Once out of the city, the roads here are peppered with wandering cattle and donkey carts.  Occasionally there will be a man on the side of the road selling gasoline from glass jars or a small stand with fruits for sale.  The craggy mountains are a striking backdrop to the vast cotton fields where students are now spending a two month ‘vacation’ from school where they each pick up to 60kg a day of the national crop.  Many adults in Tajikistan have left the country to find work in Russia or the US and so students are conscripted to supplement the local labor pool.  I’ve already heard many stories here of educated people who are unable to earn a reasonable salary as nurses or teachers.  Instead they have found it is more lucrative to be a business owner or entrepreneur rather than rely on meager government wages.  There is reluctance by some to borrow money and they try to avoid having their neighbor merchants know about their loan.  But I’ve already heard many ‘rakhmats’ (thank you) for the opportunity Kiva lenders have provided to business owners.

A Kiva entrepreneur conducts her business in the bazaar

There is an interesting mix in Tajikistan between local traditions, Muslim religion, the legacy of having been a Soviet state and the influence of more modern (‘western’) conveniences and customs.  In Tajik homes, meals are traditionally taken seated on the floor cushioned by a korpacha – a colorful blanket filled with local cotton – but some have recently purchased sofas and kitchen tables.  Russian language is becoming less prevalent and Tajik is now emphasized as is English among the younger generation.  Daily prayer is common yet so is alcohol consumption.  Many marriages are arranged and the expectation is that one should have a spouse and children before the age of 25.  Television seems to be predominated by music videos.  I caught some Justin Timberlake the other evening but mostly it’s Tajik performers in traditional dress.  There seems to be more awareness sometimes of current events outside of Tajikistan than inside.  I was asked whether the US economic crisis had affected me.  In turn, I asked what the feeling was regarding the IMF’s commentary on Tajikistan’s misstated finances.  Nobody really knew much about it.  It seems like nationalism is making a comeback and the Russian influence is waning, but there’s no clear direction on how the country will evolve from here.

Overall, there is an overt sentiment among most people that it’s a hard life in Tajikistan and the debacle of last year’s electricity shortages is still fresh in their minds.  They frequently talk of moving to America or other countries as nearly 1 million Tajiks have already done.  Yet they retain an ability to distinguish government from nation.  Tajikistan has its history and traditions and customs which are worthy of their pride despite the shortcomings of its infrastructure, leadership and economy.

Rob is in Khujand, Tajikistan working with MLF MicroInvest.  You can also join the Tajikistan lending team at http://www.kiva.org/community/viewTeam?team_id=1317