Generally speaking...

Finally I arrived in Khudjand, Tajikistan. After some problems with my visa application, I could start my journey in an adventure which I didn´t expect to become so great. I met a lot of nice and helpful people who became really good friends to me. I have to admit that before my trip to Tajikistan I was worrying about the political situation and the Muslim population. Me myself I am a so called “Russian German” (what was in this case really advantageous for me) which means that I grew up bilingual and as I realized in Khujand I was familiar with a lot of Tajik traditions already. Because the most important fact about Tajikistan is to know that it is all about traditions - the whole life there is ruled by traditions – even nowadays! On the one hand it was really exciting for me to get to know all the traditions in detail but on the other hand it made me also realize that I couldn´t live in such a traditional country. Every second you have to consider: “What will the neighbors think about it? Am I allowed to wear this or that? Is it “krasiva” (pretty) to do it in this way?” In that moment when I got in conflict with this reality I understood immediately a lot of the mentality in my own family. I was born in Kazakhstan which was also one of the Sowjet Union States back in time. I understood that in fact, the peoples mentality is quite the same in all these former Sowjet Union States so that now, after my trip to Tajikistan I understand the attitude of my family towards a lot of topics much better. So, on this personal level it was really worth to go to Khujand to do an internship. Concerning the students I met there, I just have to mention that they are just amazing. I really fell in love with Khujand, Tajikistan and the Tajik people. Not only the Tajik IAESTE family but also most of the Tajik people are really warm-hearted, open-minded towards tourists so that they behave in a really polite way and try to help you as much as they can. According to that point I never met a country which is friendlier towards tourists. Whereas in typical touristic countries you have to fear thieves, in Khujand you can leave your car even unlocked at the street fearing nothing. Actually, you have to imagine the opposite. Tajik people are really hospitable so that tourists are regarded as guests. So, you have to respect and to welcome them as friendly as you can. This means that you are not cheated at the bazar or another place – in contrast you get some “skidka” (sales discount) just because you are a guest of the country! Jackpot I would say ;) Of course, all tourists would appreciate such an attitude.

Workplace

This point leads me to my impressions from my IAESTE workplace. Even at the workplace I was treated more as a guest instead of a worker which means I was welcomed really warmly. At the beginning the work was pretty boring I have to admit but after some days it got funnier because I met all the workers and had even a close relationship to some of them. I appreciated that everybody was so nice and friendly to me. If I had a problem I could ask everybody to help me and that´s also what they did. When I told them that the food at work is not so good for my stomach they immediately found the solution that I can eat abroad in a restaurant. In this way I got to know many nice places to have lunch in Khujand :P
And also together with my co-workers we did some trips when we got some days out of work. Usually, they work for twelve hours per day without a day off per week in summer time. But for one weekend, we were lucky to be able to go swimming in the sea.

Food and helpful information

And I have to stress that the food in Khujand is much better than in any country I have been before. It tastes so delicious – especially any kind of meat, fruits and milk products. I will definitely miss such kind of food quality. The taste was more intensive and just delicious! Me personally, I also liked the fact that having lunch or dinner was an event for itself because in Tajikistan having tea together or a meal means a lot. It is not only about eating and drinking but also chatting and spending a nice time together :)

To add some information about the food in Tajikistan: As I have already mentioned, the food is for almost 100 % local and seasonal that´s why it tastes much better than the food in industrialized countries like Germany. For future interns it is necessary to know that the food is really fatty there and in some places the sanitary equipment is not that satisfying so that it is pretty normal to get diarrhea there. It can also last for some weeks so that it is really recommendable to take enough protective medicine with you if you are on a journey through Tajikistan. Apart from that toilet paper as well as Anti-Mosquito spray and Anti-Sunburn Spray may be really helpful.

IAESTE Khujand, Tajikistan

Concerning the cultural program of LC Khujand I guess all the interns of 2016 agree with me saying that it was just amazing. We have been to places like Schahriston or Iskanderkul which were just wonderful and worth to see. Schahriston is better known as the “Small Switzerland” and Iskanderkul is popular for its beautiful landscape consisting of the Fann mountains and its glacial lake. That´s the reason why the water is freaky cold but nevertheless good for swimming. We made a lot of hiking in the mountains, played volleyball or football and ate a lot of Shashlik and Damlama.

Conclusion

So, all in all it was really worth to visit Khujand! I felt in love with the city and the Tajik people. That´s also the reason why I would recommend the internship to anybody who wants to visit a Muslim country with Russian historical influences. That´s the reason why the majority of the people speaks and understands Russian language really well. It was a really funny time for me and the other interns seeing a lot of different parts of the country and got to know a breath taking landscape.