I’ve been in Tajikistan long enough now that I’ve started to feel familiar. Familiar with places, people, routines, and even the expected unexpectedness of certain things that shape life in Dushanbe.
This is qurutob, one of my favorite dishes.
When I take my daily morning walk to the American Council office for class, I recognize those who also have their morning route which overlap with mine. There is an elderly man who takes his morning walk at the same time every day. He walks slowly and with a cane, and no matter the weather, he is always wearing a crisp suit. I’ve never spoken to him, but I look for him when I walk.
I have a national library card. Nearly every day after class, I go there to review my lessons and complete my homework. Several of the khalas that work at the library bag drop have likewise become familiar with my daily comings to the library. Sometimes, I am not given a number to retrieve my bag and instead told that they know which bag is mine. One khala even commented that I was arriving later than usual one day, laughingly saying “where were you? I’ve been waiting for you.”
When the library is closed, or I need a place to meet friends, there is a specific coffee shop that I’ve come to love because of its relaxed atmosphere, nice décor, and community events. A friend of a friend opened the café some months ago, and I was one of the first customers. When they first opened, sometimes there wasn’t enough change in their register to pay me back for my order. Now, instead of paying every time I come, I have an ongoing tab where I periodically pay whatever amount has accrued over several of my visits to the café.
Mixed nuts and café décor.
To feel familiar in a place, for me, it is in these small but significant moments and exchanges. Recently, I was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship which will extend my stay in Tajikistan by about another year.
Dushanbe is the city of flowers. Here even in a somewhat nonfunctional greenhouse, roses grow.
I still have serious doubts about participating in Fulbright, regarding my language level and ability to adequately, intentionally, and thoughtfully organize such independent research to be the highest quality it should be. But my level of comfort and confidence in living here has increased, especially in these past few weeks, and that has helped me feel more capable to do this research.
Sites of Dushanbe, from the flagpole gardens.
I am grateful that my participation in the American Councils Eurasian Regional Language Program for Persian in Tajikistan strengthened my application to Fulbright, and in the end, I was selected as a Fulbright researcher. Though my next steps beyond Fulbright in Tajikistan remain uncertain, I am excited to see where these experiences and skills lead me.
Title VIII Fellowship Recipient
Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP)
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Summer 2023