Photography

So, I did say that I would be posting some actual photographs and not just snapshots...

Here's a couple of photos I took the other day.  

This gentleman stopped us at the Rangorang festival and invited Sharon to his home.  He said he would kill a cow for a big meal but in return, she would take him to America to find a cute (and presumably) young American wife.  He was quite funny, had a great sense of humor, and didn't speak anything but Russian.

There is a new tea house being constructed in Dushanbe (it's huge) and we got to tour it since we know one of the artisans who has worked on parts of the building.  There is scaffolding all around the building and this was a shot of a connection point that caught my eye.

Doo, doo, doo, Looking out my back door.

Er, I guess it's my window actually... 

Several people have asked me to post pictures of our apartment, both inside and outside.  

In comparing the apartment to where we've lived in Bend, OR and Lebanon, OR, this is most definitely not our regular standard of living. However, before we arrived we basically envisioned ourselves into "worst environment imaginable" expectations. 

I routinely read articles on lifehacker.com on how to build a makeshift air conditioner because we knew the temps would be 100+ but expected no A/C available. 

Our expectation wasn't exactly mud huts, but knowing this is a former Soviet satellite country, we did picture squat concrete buildings with no windows and no paint or 10-story tenement buildings with dripping water and one bare lightbulb in the stairwells. 

So when we arrived and were asked "how's your apartment, is it OK?", we both said "it's fine".  

Although the outside looks like it went through a war, (which it did in the 1990's), the inside is "modern" and has all the amenities you would expect to find... Tajik-style :)

Next blog: the inside!

Sunrise through the kitchen window... I think it's nice. 

Looking at the "yard" from the kitchen - it's dirt, weeds, and some random detritus (read garbage). The two paths converge on a point where the kids (and some adults) climb the wall to get to the streets behind.

Above the yard it's pretty - trees & rooftops. (Yes, there's security bars on the windows). 

Out the living room window.

Outside (LR side) - that big cable running across @ head level is 480V electrical supply running from one building to another. 

There's the panel box the cable runs from/to.

Side of building - our sidewalk to get into the apartment building entrance. 

Rounding the corner...the blue door on the left is our main entrance. Further along the path is another entrance for the apartments on that end. 

Our building (from the courtyard wall). Top left is our kitchen window. Like I said, looks like it has survived a war (note the right side of the peak is missing the roof). 

Greener

Dushanbe is a large city of approx. 1 million people (if it helps, imagine Dr. Evil with his pinkie to his lip saying "one MILLion").

The elevation sits close to 2,200 feet and approx. 97% of the country is mountains (leaving only 3% flat enough for a city like Dushanbe).  

The fact that it's a high, mountainous, dry region, we expected to see little in the way of greenery (like in Bend, OR), and expected lots of evergreens and dirt.

Well, there's a lot of dirt that blows in from the mountains!  However, there are a TON of trees, plants, shrubs, and grass.  Banana plants can be found growing throughout the city and very large trees line the main road Rudaki Ave.   

Main park. 

Rudaki Ave. - lots of trees & shade. 

Some days it's better to walk - Rudaki Ave. 

Lots of hybiscus and Rose of Sharon grow here. 

Inaugural Post! :)

I can't believe its already been 32 days since I left the comfort of the US!  

There is a great deal of differences between "there" and "here". But as Vincent says in Pulp Fiction; "It's the little differences.  I mean, they got the same sh*t over there that we got here, but it's just...it's just, there it's a little different."

I'll be posting some of the differences, some pics, some video clips, and some photos. 

*And no, there's no "Royale with cheese" as there's no Burger King, McDonalds, or other American food franchises!

Hard to see, but first restaurant we went to had their menu on a tablet (iPad). 

Very green & lots of trees. 

I get paid in Layers!  Actually, its acceptable for your change to be given in gum if the till is out of coins. This was in lieu of 60 Diram (cents) which equates to approx. $0.12 - guess that's OK. 

Moose goes out a lot too...

  @ lunch...

on the bus...

in a taxi...