I guess this was the high point of my trip, regardless of how great it was before and how it will be after, because Isfara is where my partner schools are. As soon as I knew I was coming to Tajikistan I started preparing items and supplies to bring and to leave. As I have mentioned earlier, I was able to get nice equipment such as the Classroom Performance System, plus sensors from HOBO and Vernier. I got posters and other materials from a multitude of sources. I also bought many items I hoped would be enjoyed here, and I guess right. Simple things like the ‘glow stick’ bracelets, the kids here have never seen anything like that. I had about 25 of those to give away. I was able to include a laptop as part of the CPS system, so it would be a dedicated system that could be moved between rooms. I was also able to give my previous laptop, to my main contact, Ibrahim.
Well, we flew out of Dushanbe about 9am over some mountains. I was in the last row of the plan, and I didn’t have a window. George was in front of me, so he would take a picture with his digital camera, then show me and Andy the LCD screen so we could see what was out the window. Kind of funny, but we were better off then the 4 people behind us who didn’t have seats at all! We think they we crew related. We think one guy had the bathroom door open and sat on that seat.
We arrive just fine, as did our bags. We see some people waving, so we assume that some people from the local school; it was. We go out the front of the airport and we get the ceremonial welcome treatment, with 5 beautiful girls in traditional dresses presenting us bread (non) and salt. We were given flowers and recited poetry. This was strictly an airport welcome as we were off to Isfara. The local school did all that just so we would have a welcome. Are these people great or what?
After a very scenic journey, and a small ‘misunderstanding” at a checkpoint (and I was asked to erase certain images from my camera, we made it to Isfara. We arrive at one school, minor attention from locals, then walk to another for an outstanding treatment. First the confusing part. The ILC had been setup at a public school. Just the week before, the director of that school and all the staff basically went and formed a private school (teachers go because they pay better). So we walked to this school from the school where the ILC was, because the ILC is where Ibrahim works.
The ceremonial bread/salt, flowers, recitations in Tajik and English, cheers and claps from the two long rows of well dress students. Luckily I was playing photographer because the next event was teaching Americans Tajiki dancing! I got great shots of George and Andy and the crowd with big smiles on their faces.
Now comes the impressive part. These schools each somehow manage to present something original to us, and none have coordinated with each other, which impresses me. This time our unique treat was we were treated to a martial arts demonstration. These students were great. I got another one of my favorite images, a girl in the front row was trying to be very serious and a friend was at a window in front of her and somehow made her laugh and I captured that moment. Such natural joy and beauty combined in one image, I am proud of it. They did part of their routine to a Mortal Kombat theme, too cool. They even broke tiles. Then to top it all off, we find out from their instructor later, they have only been doing this for one year.
We are treated to a sample of a Physics class and a history class. I thought it was impressive that a section of the class learns in Tajik language and the other portion learns in Russian in the physics class. So he had students come to the board and do Speed/Distance problems. The two girls that came up each did it one in Tajiki and the other is Russian. After the history class, was a typical multi-course feast. You have to understand, when we arrive at a table, there is barely space for your tea bowl, the table is plate to plate of nuts, fruits, cookies, veggies, candies, bread, jams, raisons, everything! Before you know it, you have to start shifting things and make room, so you pile stuff on top of each other. We ate with other teachers and had a few interesting questions, and a few laughs as usual. People every meal tell me to eat, like I don’t know how, too funny.
After lunch, some dancing by the young girls, seven of them. Was a wonderful thing to view, and again, totally different routine, nothing we had seen before. I think we walked about for a few minutes then headed back to the ILC. I get tons of pictures this way because students will be on courtyard and just freeze when the new visitors come by; snap snap!
We enter the ILC and guess what, a traditional greeting with bread and salt! These kids were especially happy to see us because they knew I was their stateside partner. It was planned that I would be doing presentations for these students for this reason. I did the the PowerPoint about my students, school and home, and then answering questions. Then for the biggy, I got out the CPS system and we did a 10 question test, most questions had illustrations this time. It was designed for a younger crowd, but the English was enough of a challenge to keep these kids involved. I gave the e-instruction hat to the highest score, and other e-instruction items to two students tied for second. Then I used the random student selection feature to distribute the rest of the e-instruction bracelets and pins. So after all this I ask the class if they liked it, they understood my English and responded back in English. So then I asked should I leave the system there or take it back to USA? They excited replied to leave it! So I told them I was going to, but they must use it and Relief International was going to check up on them. I let them know how special they were to be using it and they were the only people for over 1000 kilometers in any direction to have that technology available for their classroom. They were extremely pleased at this point. So now I spoke through a translator and told them how lucky I felt to be there and how it was like a dream to come true for me, and unfortunately I was getting “emotional”. We’ll I continued on and told how I had been communicating with their leader and he had expressed that his dream would be to have his own laptop, and I told the class I was going to make his dream come true also. I whipped it out of the bag and held it out to give to him amongst many cheers and claps. He was even more emotional than I was and hugged and cried and squeezed tears of joy from me too. This had everyone on their feet clapping for him. After everyone finally calmed down, he made a moving speech about dreams and tried to inspire the students, and when it got translated, he had said everything additional that I was going to say. This was absolutely great to me of course to be able to give so much to my partner school.
We interacted with the students, did question and answers formally and then individually as students wanted to talk to us. We did our “can I take a photo with you” images, gave and received emails and so on until it was our scheduled departure time. Everyone was happy when they left, as almost everyone in the room left with some kind of gift.
Ibrahim, the ILC manager, was going to host us for two night at his house. So the first night we met everyone but we treated to an exhibition on how they make their non (bread) because here in the north, the have a ‘side load” over instead of a “top load” oven, and I have seen both and its quite different. Every home we have stayed in seemed to have at least 3 generations present, plus a brother or sister with their family. This one was no different, and that what makes it great, there are people or children everywhere, and everyone wants to make sure you are comfortable and enjoying yourself in their home. We were also excited because it was semi-indoor plumbing, so I got to enjoy a “Tajiki Shower” and was quite refreshed.
Ibrahim’s mother is at the top of the family pyramid in the house and she is fantastic, wonderful sense of humor and very caring. She another one of the people who decided I have a “Tajiki” look about me, so translated that means I look like family! So I was treated great, like Ibrahim’s brother. Well, everyone sleeps on the floor, on mats, so they were making up the ‘guys’ room for the 3 teachers and Ibrahim. They were stacking the mats so we would have cushioning. She when to mat #2, and unfolding the mats the younger women had to folding in thirds, folded in back in half in stead, put it back on the ground, and told me that was my bed because it was wider! She said this without a word of English but all 6 people in the room including myself were absolutely cracking up laughing. The rest of the evening was all pleasant like that and I gave the kids coloring books and painting books. Sleep came soon after.
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