Even people who don't like to leave home should take at least one international flight in their lives. I like them. Lufthansa is a great way to go...awesome movie choices and comfy seating. The food was kind of lousy which was surprising, but seeing the Deathly Hallows made up for it. Stopover in Frankfurt found me trying to sleep stretched out across three chairs. Both flights after that were 100% packed. The layover in Istanbul was AMAZING. If it's not the world's most beautiful city, it is certainly a contender. Emin and Sarhat were really fun, it was so good to see them. What nice guys. And they tried to feed me enough to last a week: baklava, doner, ayran, ice cream. We had coffee near the Blue Mosque, walked along the sea of Marmara, fought traffic like modern day superheroes...it was a great few hours. I still am not successful with Turkish phone cards, but that's something to conquer on my return trip.
Arrival in Dushanbe (after the new Narnia movie on Turkish Airlines...great food too, btw) was promptly at 3:20 in the morning. Paper processing took 45 minutes, but I found Malik, or he found me, and we made it to Michelle's apartment with no problems. Michelle is originally from Florida and teaches at the international school here. She has kindly offered to put me up during my stay here, and I am thrilled to have such an interesting and informative host. She worked in China for 3 years, then taught at an Eskimo school in Bethel, Alaska. This is her second stint in Tajikistan, and she says once you get past the intestinal challenges, this is a neat place to be, mostly because of the incredible people in this country. I look forward to hearing more about it.
Michelle worked in Khujand for a year (2006-07) and knows my host Nina fairly well. Apparently I'm going to have to rework my workshop plans, but I was half expecting that. I might try to get some basic teaching supplies while I'm here. Michelle thinks the school in Chkalovsk might have different practical priorities than I had envisioned. Good to know before.
Can't post photos just yet but will soon!
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