Ruze...um...what day is it again?

Yesterday was a very, very busy day in Dushanbe for us! In class we spent some time singing Persian songs and then read a couple passages on the fly from a book our professor brought. It was pretty amazing. We had just a few minutes to prepare a section, and then went right through, and I was surprised at how much I understood on the first go around. Nick and Mark seem to be having a good time in class as well, which is great because it makes for a pleasant learning experience. Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again: our professor is a rockstar.

After the morning class, we went and found a great restaurant right around the corner from the university. We had chicken kabobs with onions and 'kompot' (a fruit juice-type drink that is very popular here) and had a conversation in Farsi about learning Farsi and Tajik. The server came up to us before we left and asked to have a picture with us, probably because we were the strangest group of people sitting at a table at that restaurant. Besides me - and you should know that they do not see many black people here, so that is a treat in itself - we had Nick, Jill, Dietta and Mina, meaning a normal height white man, a tall white woman, a short white woman, and an Iranian woman. I think they were especially surprised that we were speaking their language. It was all very entertaining, and the great food made it even better.

After preparing a 10-minute presentation on Afghanistan, I went with the group to the American Corner in Tajikistan which runs through the embassy. We spoke with Nicole Bayer, who explained to us how the center works, and gave a run-through of all the programming they do. There are various clubs on different days, such as the Movie Club (which was yesterday), Writing Club, Music Club, etc. I am hoping to start a Poetry Club and possibly a Chess Club which will run until we leave; hopefully I'll be able to get at least some kids interested. At any rate, the kids there spoke fantastic English, and were interested in everything American they could find. It is very interesting since much of the information shown here about the US is a bit skewed by the Russian media, and so the American Corner gives a different perspective on how things are back home.

After the embassy we returned home for a great dinner with our family. Our host father's father was in town as a guest last night, and Nick and I had a long conversation with him about Persian poetry and other things. Both he and Sharif are hilarious, and listening to the two of them together is lots of fun and really interesting. I feel like I am learning just as much at home as I do in class, if not more. Every night he is really good about teaching us new words and getting us to speak on different topics. We also spend time with the extended family nightly, so there's lots to speak of and learn. Just be prepared to answer the question "Are you married?" multiple times a day if you're here, and if not, to explain why not.

I am really, really enjoying my time here. It's only day 4 and I already know my Farsi (and inadvertently my Tajiki) is getting better. The most interesting thing I've noticed about the people is being stared at; people just openly look at us as we walk down the street, especially at me (I know, so beautiful, I can't stop either). I've found people smile and get excited once I start speaking with them, and they immediately start teaching me new things about the language, so I've found it a good thing that I stand out. My language skills are getting the benefit, so it's worth it!

I think tomorrow I will start blogging subject by subject, because each day is so full and there's just no way I can realistically write about everything. I am sure I am missing so much but I hope to make up for it. Also, I promise AS SOON AS I can get to a computer fast enough, I will start with the akaas (pictures) so you can see all the wonderful things we do. Until next time!