When I got back to Dushanbe, my first priority was to get the internet connection working at the house so I could stay in touch with Stephanie and Aiden. It didn't happen. The company came once and said they'd have to check at the headquarters to see if the account was activated properly. They came a second time and said everything was fine, but after two hours with no success, they discovered that the internet line was carrying radio signals instead of the internet. They fixed that and it still didn't work, so they tried changing the modem. No luck. By then, an entire week had gone by and since they don't prorate, it didn't seem worth paying for an entire month's internet service for only two weeks of usage.
So, this post will cover the entirety of my final three weeks in Tajikistan. Luckily, the embassy has an excellent long distance plan with our cell phone contract (courtesy of yours truly), and I was able to talk to Stephanie every night. Sometimes I got to talk to Aiden too, but mostly he tried to eat the phone. A good friend of ours had me over on Sunday evenings so that I could use her internet connection to skype, so I at least got to see my family once a week.
Being back in Dushanbe without Stephanie and Aiden was sort of like not being back at all. It just wasn't the same. Add to that, the demands of getting our house packed out and trying to simultaneously train one of the new GSO's and wrap up my responsibility, and I didn't have a lot of free time anyway. So no great hikes, no camping trips, and no wild parties. Still, even the more mundane parts of life held some newsworthiness.
Of course, I got to enjoy more death defying marshrutka rides. One driver seemed determined to run over a pedestrian and another alternated between texting and screaming into his phone - which left very little time to watch the road. I got into an argument with another driver when he tried to drop me off far from the embassy. He claimed that they never go any further than that and didn't seem impressed when I told him I had been going all the way to the embassy for two years.
In general, August isn't a nice time to be in Dushanbe. It was the same when we arrived - very hot, and very dusty. No beautiful mountain views and this year, Ramadan fell during August so there were fewer activities going on. Actually, the thing I enjoyed most was going to the bazaar. They had those great pink tomatoes that we love -
and I bought garlic to roast and enjoy with dinners. One time I was able to get eggplant for less than 10 cents per pound. And where the bazaar was sometimes a stressful place when we first arrived, I found I was comfortable there by the end of my tour. I enjoyed bantering with the vendors and just taking my time to enjoy the sights and sounds.
During my second week back, the movers came to pack up all of our things. They were so professional and efficient, I couldn't believe it. It was nothing like when we packed out from New York. I have full confidence that all of our possessions will go where they are intended to go. But packing out also made the house seem that much more empty and that much less like home.
During my last week, I started working on eating all of the foods I liked best. I went out with my team to the local teahouse for shashlik, and we went to lunch at my favorite plov restaurant. One of my former employees happened to be in town as well and he invited me to his house for a traditional meal, which was a nice treat.
My last weekend at home, I realized that I never documented the Green Bazaar very well. So even though I didn't need any food, I took my camera for a last grand tour. I chatted and got permission to take some really nice pictures. Since it was only a few days until the end of Ramadan, the place was bustling as people shopped for the feasts of Eid. In particular, the butcher section was busier than I'd ever seen it.
The vendors were very friendly. Some asked me to only take pictures of their produce, others couldn't wait to be in pictures.
One lady demanded that I give her my camera as a gift. I tried to explain to her that it was expensive, but she was convinced that for an American, $200 is pocket change. So I pointed out that if I gave it to her, she wouldn't have the charger, or the equipment to download the pictures, and that at least made sense to her.
After my last weekend, I moved out of the house completely and into the Hyatt. My replacement arrived the same day I departed and she was slated to go in my house. Even empty, it was still a little sad leaving the place we called home for two years and knowing I won't be back. But then, moving into the Hyatt went a long way toward making up for it.
The last few days went by quickly. I said my good byes at work and finished up with my responsibilities there. I had a last meal of shashlik and lagman at the teahouse and was even visited (attacked) by a meat eating bee. I outsmarted it at first and put a piece of meat that was mostly cartilage out on a separate plate to try to lure it away from my food. It took the bait, but then returned again before I was finished and that time it ignored my offering. But I showed that bee - I stuffed the remaining shashlik in my mouth all at once where the bee couldn't get it and then paid my bill and left.
My final days went even more quickly than I expected because it happened that Eid fell on Wednesday, which would have been my last day at work. Since the embassy was closed, I got to enjoy my last day in the Hyatt. I went to the gym and ran, lifted weights, swam, and enjoyed the sauna. Then I sat down to the buffet breakfast for a full hour. It was enough to hold me until it was time to head out for dinner.
I walked from the Hyatt into town to enjoy the sights. Despite rumors that it was built incorrectly, they actually hoisted the flag on the world's tallest flag pole (until the new one is built), which made for some nice parting shots as I made my way through town.
Preparation for next weeks 20th anniversary of Tajikistan's independence from the USSR, are in full swing as they race to complete numerous construction projects undertaken for the occaision (or at least make them look presentable).
For my last meal, I met some friends at the Ukrainian restaurant, Traktir. I suppose it's a little weird having Ukrainian on my last night in Tajikistan, but their homemade sausage and potatoes was one of my favorite dishes (and since it's made by that restaurant, I consider it unique to Tajikistan). Besides, I made sure to eat more than my share of the staples.
After dinner, I took one more walk through town on my way back to the Hyatt and got a surprise. What looked like the entire armed forces of Tajikistan (and I mean that, it might have been), was lined up on the main road, Rudaki. From the Somoni statue all the way into the city center, the entire four-lane road was full of soldiers. I tried to take some pictures surreptitiously, but it was too dark. Considering that every single one of them was holding a Kalashnikov, I wasn't about to set up my camera for a good picture. All the same, it was nice seeing something new after living there for two years.
Leaving the hotel at 2:45 am gave me the feeling that I was sneaking away. Of course, there was no other choice since all of the international flights leave in the middle of the night. But it did feel a bit anticlimactic considering that it was such a momentous occasion - completing my first tour. On the other hand, it was very much like the conditions when we arrived, only Stephanie was with me then.
No hullabaloo at the airport, nothing to report. The plane took off on time at 5:10 am. There was just enough light from the rising sun to sillouette the mountains against the sky for a few last pictures.
Below, too dark for the camera, I could make out the presidential palace in the city center, and then followed the road out to where I could see the lights of the embassy compound. It's still a little hard to believe I'm not going back, but then, there's so much to look forward to, I think I'll get used to the idea.
Addendum: The Journey Home
I've decided that it's impossible to travel halfway around the world in two days and have nothing to say about it. Anxious as I was to see Stephanie and Aiden, I decided that the layover in Germany was too short to try to go through customs, get my luggage, and recheck in time to board the connecting flight. It was a good thing I did, too. Our flight from Istanbul was almost an hour late landing and then there was a hold up on the tarmac. When it came time to go through customs, there were these ridiculously long lines. I got in what looked to be the shortest one, but while I was zoning out, another American guy decided to come up from the other side and have the line continue from him instead of me.
I was snapped out of my reverie when he shouted 'Hey, the line goes from here!' and indicated the extra dozen or so people who were now behind him. I was too tired to argue, and as I thought to myself that there really is some truth to the stereotype about obnoxious American travelers, I noticed that there was a much shorter line under a sign that said 'Crew' and 'Diplomatique'. I wasn't sure if it referred to foreign diplomats or German ones, but I figured I didn't have much to lose, so I went in the shorter line and was welcomed right in. I even had the satisfaction of catching the idiots eye as I went through. He was still about 20 people back from the counter.
My satsifaction was shortlived, however. When I got to the baggage claim, the bags started coming out almost right away. But I guess the long lines in customs kept most passengers away and the bags stopped coming out when the carousel filled up. So we had to wait, and wait, and wait, for people to start taking their bags and eventually I got mine.
It was a great feeling of relief when I got to the hotel, and after sitting on planes for most of the day, I went for a nice long walk around the city. I got to see the Opera House, although I missed a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show by a day - that would have been something to see. From there I walked through the historic Romerberg district and crossed the river Main to the Sauchenhausen district, which is known for it's Apfelwien. I don't think there's much that could have made me feel better than a couple of tart glasses of Apfelwien along with some wurst, saurkraut and potatoes. Of course, pictures were taken.
By the time I got back to the hotel, I was pretty bushed, so I wrapped things up and headed to bed.
I thought the flight from Frankfurt to DC the next day would never end. Mostly because I was so excited to see Aiden and Stephanie. And of course, it did eventually end and I got my rental car and was reunited with my wife and son a short time later.
I joined the Foreign Service to serve our country, and to see some of the more exotic places in the world. I'd say we're off to a great start on both counts and can't wait to see what comes next. Now we have a whirlwind of doctor's appointments before heading to New York for a short assignment there. Stay tuned, updates will recommence once we hit the Big Apple.
Oh, and there are more pictures both from Dushanbe and Frankfurt for those interested:
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