Below are a few pictures of our outing.
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| Chorsu Market, closed because of Eid |
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| Jeanette with local "non" seller. It's really good when hot! |
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| Old City |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Tile work |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
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| Old city |
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tashkent Old City
We have today and tomorrow off; today for Eid, the Muslim holiday, and tomorrow we are off for Uzbek Independence Day. We spent today doing some sight-seeing around Tashkent. We rode the very affordable ($.25 per ride) metro north to the Chorsu market and walked a few kilometers north to the Old City which is the "pre"-Soviet area of Tashkent. Here we visited a madrasa, which, according to my on-line sources is, a building or group of buildings used for the teaching of Islamic theology and religious law, typically including a mosque. You have to love the internet!
Below are a few pictures of our outing.
Below are a few pictures of our outing.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Brrrr... August in the Uzbek Mountains
The weather hasn't dipped below 35 degrees C here since we arrived and Jeanette is in heaven. The only time she gets cold is in her classroom which is well refrigerated, but there she's moving most of the time.
Until this weekend... She decided to go out on a hike with the local club and a friend from school. Here is a picture of friend Ursula and Boris the guide near the top of Little Chimgan.
Until this weekend... She decided to go out on a hike with the local club and a friend from school. Here is a picture of friend Ursula and Boris the guide near the top of Little Chimgan.
Yes, Ursula looks like she is freezing because she is! It was snowing! Jeanette was only able to snap this one picture before she decided to shove her hands in her pockets :)
The rest of the hike was interesting. Beautiful scenery, but that was drowned out by snow, rain, and fear. The trail was one of the most harrowing she has been on. Most of the hikers agreed that they felt like reaching the van at the end was more an accomplishment than the end of a hike.
Today J is taking Ibuprofen and hobbling just a bit, but she's actually contemplating a future hike with guide Boris. Insane?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Cheese dip and tortilla chips
Thank you U.S. Embassy! The U.S. teachers who work at TIS can purchase goods from the commissary by submitting a weekly request - we get a spreadsheet of goods available and tick off what we want. Prices are comparable to supermarkets at home and we pay only a $3.00 delivery fee. I never tried delivery from Safeway or QFC, but I imagine it is much like this.
Well...what was in our first order? Tostitos cheese dip and tortilla chips (lunch today) and popcorn (possibly Jeanette's dinner tonight). OK, so we also got a few real food items like black beans, but most of this box was goodies. I wonder how long the box of sweet-n-salty bars will last. It's funny how comforting these junk food items are. It's been since we left the States 15 July that we've had most of this stuff.
Well, the jar of cheese dip is gone now. Guess it's time to move on to popcorn. Our landlord delivered a brand new microwave last night; what better to try it out on!
Well...what was in our first order? Tostitos cheese dip and tortilla chips (lunch today) and popcorn (possibly Jeanette's dinner tonight). OK, so we also got a few real food items like black beans, but most of this box was goodies. I wonder how long the box of sweet-n-salty bars will last. It's funny how comforting these junk food items are. It's been since we left the States 15 July that we've had most of this stuff.
Well, the jar of cheese dip is gone now. Guess it's time to move on to popcorn. Our landlord delivered a brand new microwave last night; what better to try it out on!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
What a blur!
Whew. I just saw that it was 14 August the last time we wrote to the blog. Let's see...The 15th was the day new students arrived for orientation, the 16th was the first day of school, and it's been a delightful whirlwind since.
We are settling in nicely to our new home. Our big adventure this past weekend was to go to the bazaar and special order a mattress topper. People in this part of the world believe that hard mattresses are better for your back. We believe that soft mattresses are kinder on our hips. We found a place that makes "mattresses", nice thick quilts with heavy outer fabric that are comparable to outdoor lounge chair cushions. The thickest one on offer didn't look like it would cut it for us, so we had a special order made - we gave dimensions and requested twice-the-thickest stuffing. The kind young man who was helping us asked "Do you know how much a kilo of cotton costs?!" Common knowledge for him, but we were at a loss :) He quoted a price which would be exorbitant to any local, but we were quite pleased that it landed well under $100. And...it was hand-made that day and delivered to our bed the next day. I love this!
Our next big adventure will happen this weekend when we go out to purchase a treadmill and/or elliptical machine. The PE teacher at school will lead us on this expedition because (1) he has connections here and (2) he speaks russian from birth and (3) he's just a really nice guy.
The house looks like ours now that our shipment has arrived and our rugs are on the floor. We're having fun seeing how well (or not in some cases) our things blend in with the existing furnishings. All in all it looks like home.
We just got our first shipment from the U.S. Embassy Commissary today and of course we picked microwave popcorn. Would you believe our microwave chose this morning to go on the fritz? It sounded kind of like there was a piece of tinfoil stuck inside - just a bit scary to reach over and turn it off. Was it vibrating or was that me???
Hope all of our friends and family are doing well. Thanks for your patience as we focus on settling in.
We are settling in nicely to our new home. Our big adventure this past weekend was to go to the bazaar and special order a mattress topper. People in this part of the world believe that hard mattresses are better for your back. We believe that soft mattresses are kinder on our hips. We found a place that makes "mattresses", nice thick quilts with heavy outer fabric that are comparable to outdoor lounge chair cushions. The thickest one on offer didn't look like it would cut it for us, so we had a special order made - we gave dimensions and requested twice-the-thickest stuffing. The kind young man who was helping us asked "Do you know how much a kilo of cotton costs?!" Common knowledge for him, but we were at a loss :) He quoted a price which would be exorbitant to any local, but we were quite pleased that it landed well under $100. And...it was hand-made that day and delivered to our bed the next day. I love this!
Our next big adventure will happen this weekend when we go out to purchase a treadmill and/or elliptical machine. The PE teacher at school will lead us on this expedition because (1) he has connections here and (2) he speaks russian from birth and (3) he's just a really nice guy.
The house looks like ours now that our shipment has arrived and our rugs are on the floor. We're having fun seeing how well (or not in some cases) our things blend in with the existing furnishings. All in all it looks like home.
We just got our first shipment from the U.S. Embassy Commissary today and of course we picked microwave popcorn. Would you believe our microwave chose this morning to go on the fritz? It sounded kind of like there was a piece of tinfoil stuck inside - just a bit scary to reach over and turn it off. Was it vibrating or was that me???
Hope all of our friends and family are doing well. Thanks for your patience as we focus on settling in.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Russian Orthodox Church
Today we did some more shopping for our home and a little sight-seeing. We have been driving past a beautiful Russian church every day to and from work and we finally decided to visit. It is just a short walk from our home and it is quite striking. It is currently being refurbished, and the inside should match the stunning exterior soon. A picture is below.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
It's the weekend!
It's our first "free" weekend in Tashkent, so we naturally spent it walking everywhere we could. Started off by trying the local coffee shop, Jum, which, of course, was closed. We are beginning to think it is a front for some nefarious organization. Headed to Bon! instead which is always open at 8:00 and does a great espresso or Americano.
We then decide to venture to some new grocery stores. We went to a nice Korzinka where we found more coffee--Nescafe AND real coffee. We tried to buy an extension cord but were told that we could not because they were just putting them on the shelf. We also wanted to purchase a trash can. Jeanette picked it up, the the store clerk took it away from her; it was also not ready for sale. We can return on Monday though and it will be officially available. Went to Mirabod bazar instead where they will sell you anything that they have in the store, even the fan that is keeping the shop owner cool :)
We also visited the local gym to take a look. It was nice with lots of new equipment, but rather expensive compared to the US, about $900 a year per person. The price may seem rather steep, but it did include 2 free doctor visits.
More walking tomorrow before returning to school on Monday for New Student Orientation. School begins on Tuesday. We are extremely excited and can't wait.
We then decide to venture to some new grocery stores. We went to a nice Korzinka where we found more coffee--Nescafe AND real coffee. We tried to buy an extension cord but were told that we could not because they were just putting them on the shelf. We also wanted to purchase a trash can. Jeanette picked it up, the the store clerk took it away from her; it was also not ready for sale. We can return on Monday though and it will be officially available. Went to Mirabod bazar instead where they will sell you anything that they have in the store, even the fan that is keeping the shop owner cool :)
We also visited the local gym to take a look. It was nice with lots of new equipment, but rather expensive compared to the US, about $900 a year per person. The price may seem rather steep, but it did include 2 free doctor visits.
More walking tomorrow before returning to school on Monday for New Student Orientation. School begins on Tuesday. We are extremely excited and can't wait.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Our New Home
We are in our new home which is in the Mironshon neighborhood for those of you familiar with Tashkent. It's a fairly working class area with a mix of families--Russian, Uzbek and, well, us. Our neighbors all seem very nice and friendly, but the area dogs are still getting used to us. And the sheep greet us every morning as we walk to the taxi stand. Ah, life in the big city.
Our house is 3 bedroom, 2 bath and is eerily similar to our townhouse in Vancouver. It is already beginning to feel like home. Below are a few pictures to give you a feel for our new place.
Our house is 3 bedroom, 2 bath and is eerily similar to our townhouse in Vancouver. It is already beginning to feel like home. Below are a few pictures to give you a feel for our new place.
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| Our entry and garden--cherry trees! |
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| Our outdoor bed |
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| Outdoor kitchen |
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| Kitchen |
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| Living room with pink curtains |
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| Our dining room |
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| Master bedroom |
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| One of our bathrooms + washing machine |
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| Local Italian restaurant with nice pizzas and adequate red wine |
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| Bon!, Our coffee and croissant hangout |
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| Our local market--walnuts, figs and grapes now in season |
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Settling In
We are slowly settling in to our new home. We've been moving furniture and buying small things to help it feel more like our home. Now we just need our shipment to arrive so we can unpack all of our goodies.
School has been very busy but a lot of fun. The new and returning staff are fantastic; they are fun to be around and very enthusiastic. We've been in and out of meetings and working on our rooms in between. We both have teaching assistants who are real life-savers. They really take care of us and make our lives so much easier by helping us set up our rooms, copy, laminate, paste, etc. Now we just need to prepare for the first week of school which begins next Tuesday.
School has been very busy but a lot of fun. The new and returning staff are fantastic; they are fun to be around and very enthusiastic. We've been in and out of meetings and working on our rooms in between. We both have teaching assistants who are real life-savers. They really take care of us and make our lives so much easier by helping us set up our rooms, copy, laminate, paste, etc. Now we just need to prepare for the first week of school which begins next Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Yes, we're still here
Hi friends and family,
Yes, we are still in Tashkent and loving every minute of it. We moved in to our house on Saturday and spent the weekend trying to settle in a bit. Monday was the first real work day, and while thing are really quite wonderful, we are having a few moments of feeling a bit overwhelmed, wondering how we'll have rooms set up and lesson plans ready to go on Tuesday 16 August when the kids arrive for day 1 That said, please stay tuned. We have taken picture and will get them posted (and visible) soon.
Yes, we are still in Tashkent and loving every minute of it. We moved in to our house on Saturday and spent the weekend trying to settle in a bit. Monday was the first real work day, and while thing are really quite wonderful, we are having a few moments of feeling a bit overwhelmed, wondering how we'll have rooms set up and lesson plans ready to go on Tuesday 16 August when the kids arrive for day 1 That said, please stay tuned. We have taken picture and will get them posted (and visible) soon.
Monday, August 1, 2011
First time for Shashlyk
We went out for a group dinner tonight with TIS staff. Dinner was wonderful. Lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, light cheeses, bread and fresh water fish. Yummy stuff.
We also decided to try one of the main courses in Uzbekistan, shashlyk, which is mutton, better known as sheep. It is done mostly in kabob form and roasted. We topped it with some sliced onions and an unidentified red sauce (not blood for anyone who has heard our China story about tofu on a stick). It was quite tasty, sort of like the meat in a Greek gyro or Turkish donner kabob. While it was nice to try, there are enough beautiful, locally grown fruits and vegetables to keep us on our fish-etarian path.
We also decided to try one of the main courses in Uzbekistan, shashlyk, which is mutton, better known as sheep. It is done mostly in kabob form and roasted. We topped it with some sliced onions and an unidentified red sauce (not blood for anyone who has heard our China story about tofu on a stick). It was quite tasty, sort of like the meat in a Greek gyro or Turkish donner kabob. While it was nice to try, there are enough beautiful, locally grown fruits and vegetables to keep us on our fish-etarian path.
Apartment hunt...
Our apartment hunt begins today, Monday 1 August. We had thought that this would happen tomorrow, and we're excited that things are moving so quickly. There are about 15 new teachers in the hotel now. We were #6 and 7 to arrive, and it was nice to have an extra day to settle in and wander about a bit. I'm so glad that I'm not the teacher who arrived this morning at breakfast time - I need a good night's sleep before doing much of anything, let alone choosing a place to live.
We headed out on our first adventure yesterday. We took a taxi and then metro to a park in the center of the city.
Here's a snap of one of Uzbekistan's most famous people from history - Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane. I'm definitely going to have to do some history reading... Maybe after we get settled in, or perhaps over the winter break :)
Getting a taxi is super easy. Almost every driver on the street is willing to pick up riders and it costs only about $2 to get most places. The taxi dropped us at a metro stop and we paid an outlandish 30 cents for a token to ride. The center of the city is quite beautiful with big broad streets and impressive buildings like the hotel you see in the background of this pic. Nearby there was a park with lots of big shade trees and a nice fountain in which local kids were cooling off.
Until next time.
We headed out on our first adventure yesterday. We took a taxi and then metro to a park in the center of the city.
Getting a taxi is super easy. Almost every driver on the street is willing to pick up riders and it costs only about $2 to get most places. The taxi dropped us at a metro stop and we paid an outlandish 30 cents for a token to ride. The center of the city is quite beautiful with big broad streets and impressive buildings like the hotel you see in the background of this pic. Nearby there was a park with lots of big shade trees and a nice fountain in which local kids were cooling off.
Until next time.
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