11. You go to the market and the sellers tell you "we have spinach today" or "come back tomorrow for broccoli" because they remember you and what you buy.
10. After a car has been pulled over by a cop, the driver and cop first shake hands and ask about each others' health.
9. The fruits and vegetables have great flavor and they're generally either in season or you can't find them at all, meaning they haven't been preserved with weird chemicals.
8. You can go to someone's house without being invited. In fact, your host will grill you about why you haven't come in so long.
7. You can get in a taxi, start talking with the driver who speaks English, and find out he was in your colleague's English class last year.
6. If you live in the "center" you can be a 5-10 minute shared taxi ride plus no more than a 10 min talk from almost all your destinations.
5. You can eat lunch at a local "oshhona" for $1-2. That will buy you osh (national rice dish) or lagman (filling noodle soup), bread and tea.
4. Being called "Big Sister" as a term of respect, calling others "Big Sister," "Big Brother," or "Aunt."
3. You can meet the post office lady on the street outside the PO and she tells you that you don't have any mail. Then you have a 10 minute conversation. Reminds me of my hometown of 1,000ish people!
2. In the country's capital city, you can look up and see constellations on a clear night.
1. And...arguably the top thing I love about Dushanbe...being able to look up and see the snow-covered peaks of the mountains.
This is so interesting and I've learned some new things to help me picture your life there. Thanks for sharing! Love you much!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list!! I hope to experience many of these things one day. I smiled to see that you put the beautiful mountains as #1!!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me want to come and visit!
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