Attack of the Bugs

Hi Folks,

Well it’s a feature of my life here – Cockroaches. They are huge (1 inch), very, very, fast and blend into the carpets. (I know now why they are all brownish in colour). So off I went a bought myself some powder stuff that kills them.

Monday night saw another one and went to put some more powder. He starts to climb the wall behind the sink. So to be honest I’m freaked out – they are really scary. And next thing he flies towards me!!

Ah lads seriously – I was stunned. I did an Olympic style dash into my bedroom and the little fecker followed me in. So there I am standing in my room wrapped in my bed sheet (for protection??)  screaming and jumping around like I’m on hot coals. Now in hindsight I appreciate that he was probably only reacting to my overreaction but that’s life!!

Now I can sense the sniggers and laughter but seriously a one inch bug that flies. No one and I repeat no one told me that the damn things fly. My poor neighbours were probably wondering what the mad foreigner was up to?

So my apt is now a booby trapped fortress for cockroaches I have lying around in no particular order:

Cucumber, Garlic, Powder, Several jars of water

Some dubious Chinese stuff I brought that’s supposed to be good

Huge quantities of cleaning products – my apt is spotless!!!

So if the damn food/water does not make me sick the various cockroaching killing products I have brought probably will.

Vegetarian Status:

Well back to favoured topic of mine. I decided to take the plunge and buy some minced meat in the market. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t dream of buying meat in this kinda place. I mean slabs of meat hanging up with flies buzzing around???

So I brought it home salted it overnight –not sure why something to do with the heat. And the following night cooked some spaghetti Bolognese and OMG it was yummy. So happy have found meat again and am no longer vegetarian!!!

Local Fashion

For those of you on face book you will have already seen my dresses. But picture below is one of them. Now I appreciate that calling the garment below a dress is probably a slight exaggeration. SITC it isn’t – it’s sort of like just one large piece of material with matching trousers!!! Mind you haven’t actually worn it yet a bit nervous will wait until July when weather gets very hot!! The dressmaker lady in the picture invited me to dinner to meet her family which was very kind of her.

Royal Invitation:

Well sort of allow me to explain. The British embassy invited me to a reception next week to celebrate HRM 85^th birthday. I am registered with their embassy whilst here hence the invite. Very nice of them and it would have been lovely to have some nice food and wine – but not paying the $200 air fare sorry Lizzy!!

Swimming:

Yeah got out today to this huge man-made lake about 30 mins outside the city (see picture below).  The locals refer to it as the sea but it is one huge lake!! God it was great there are about 3 – 4 locations where you can go to swim. Oh thought I had died and gone to heaven – the water was lovely, cool and clean. Technically summer here doesn’t actually begin until 20/6/11 so it was quiet there today. But it’s a huge attraction for people from all over Tajikistan to come for their holidays. There are cute little houses all around the place for hire. There was no problems with us swimming but did wear shorts and t/shirt to be safe. Mind you would have done regardless because the sun is very strong here. When I was out of the water I was wrapped up in my towel terrified of getting burnt.

Oh so happy it was brilliant we plan to go now a lot more regularly if possible one evening after work and a weekend day – happy days!!

Tajik Lessons:

Yep starting the next week first up the alphabet!! It’s obviously very different but hopefully between the lessons and just general exposure I’ll start to improve. But I do find myself speaking a good few Russian words as so many people speak Russian daily. There is a little fella in my local shop who loves to teach me a new word every time I’m in there. Mind you as soon as I walk out its forgotten but he asks the next day. So we have now developed a little routine and that’s helping me too!! So who knows folks might well be speaking Tajik when I’m back.

It is actually a bit embarrassing my lack of language skills. Last night I was out with Germans/Ukraines/American and they all spoke 2/3 languages. My only saving grace is that I tell them I speak Irish and then when asked I honestly say ‘an will chead agom dul go di on Leitreas’ as that is probably the only bit of Irish I can speak

So that’s it folks another week gone time going fast here!!

So from me to y’all good night!!

Lainey xx