Lately It’s So Quiet

Relatively speaking, September has been an uneventful month. Tajikistan celebrated its 25th Independence Day on September 9, but Sean and I were simultaneously not important enough to be invited to the celebrations and too jet lagged to leave the house for a few days. We did catch a glimpse of the fireworks from our bedroom […]

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Taking a Breath

When we left for Dushanbe last summer I had it in my head that we wouldn’t return to the U.S. for a full two years. That solidified after the longest travel day of my life with three animals, six suitcases, and one crabby husband (ok, I was the crabby one). I was not in a […]

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Our Protectors

When I was little I was always taught the police were your friends. They were the people you could go to if you needed help. They were the ones who came if you got in a car accident or were on the other line when you called 911. They were our protectors and our first responders. […]

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How Mail Works

I’ve had this post up my sleeve since we arrived and I’ve been saving it for a dull moment. Guess what, it’s a dull moment. We’re seriously ready for a break. Not just seeing family and friends, but also getting a much-needed seperation from the day-to-day struggles of life in Tajikistan. Just tonight we had a […]

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Contaminated Water

One hugely negative aspect of living in a third world country is the lack of clean water. It’s truly heartbreaking to see kids drinking out of the ditches. The same ditches that carry garbage, bleach, human and animal waste, and goodness knows what other contaminants. It’s also horrible to see people taking a “refreshing” swim in […]

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Dust

I was sick on Thursday (nothing major, just a quick 24 hour bug that knocked me down for a day) so I didn’t notice until the afternoon. After ignoring them as long as I could, I summoned the strength to walk downstairs and let the dogs out. Until that moment I was glued to the […]

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When Your Friends Leave Post

One caveat of the Foreign Service life is you’re faced with a rotating cast of characters at all times. No one is permanent here and tours end all the time. Summer is heavy transfer season. It started in May and will continue through August. In our year here we managed to make friends with some […]

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Khujand: Tajikistan’s Northern City

Sean and I are approaching one year in Dushanbe. My theory with CLO trips has been that I’d do everything the first year. That way we could pick and choose which ones we wanted to attend for the second go-round, and I’d have hands-on experience to share with people when we didn’t go. This past […]

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The Almost Dog

I’ve mentioned her before. She was the dog we almost adopted before we found Soya. There was about a 14 hour gap between Tony taking her home and Sean and I carrying Soya from Leslie’s house last October. An odd series of events that made Soya our dog, and Roxy the almost dog. She’s been staying […]

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Berrypaloza

There are many excellent things about summer in Dushanbe. The Embassy pool is open, the weather is hot, CLO trips are planned to Iskanderkul, Khujand, and Nurek. It’s easy to get excited about life here. This is our first and really only full summer in Tajikistan. Last year when we arrived in August it was […]

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