Everybody

In my opinion Americans live in fear too much. Actually I believe most people live in fear too much. I remember before I came here people were advising me to be careful because I was going to a Muslim country. If people knew about Islam they would know that 99% of muslims are peace loving people who by and large have the same beliefs as Christians. I've never had any problems here, I know I'm safter here than in a lot of big cities in the U.S. including Tacoma. As Americans we need to do a better job of learning about and understanding other people instead of expecting others to learn about us. Turn off Chenney and the fear and turn on hope and understanding. Besides the U.S. has done much more in the past to harm its reputation than any terrorist ever could.

Now enough of that. Last week was American week in Khujand so I was super busy the whole week. On Monday the Ambassador came and we went out to Kanibodam to visit the Micro-Access scholarship site. The first thing the Ambassador said to me was something like, oh you must be David you are famous. That made me feel pretty good that the U.S. Ambassador called me famous and I in turn said she was famous. The welcome by the students was wonderful they asked the Ambassador many wonderful questions in English. There were about 40 students and 10-12 teachers that came. We stayed for about an hour and then went back in our armoured Toyota Landcruisers to Khujand. The Ambassador is 44 years old and a very intelligent, wonderful woman who acts like a normal woman she strikes you as ordinary and normal, no flash no ego just a regular person. Four years ago when she became ambassador she was the first woman diplomat to serve in this country period from any country. She played cards with former president Bill Clinton and beat him and before this she was in Turkmenistan and Latvia.
So back in Khujand Monday night. David Korevaar came from Boulder to play the piano. The theater was jam packed 30 minutes before the concert was to begin. Unfortunately a lot of these early arrivals were people who didn't care about listening to piano music and only came because it was free. So David had some problems with the noisy audience throughout the first half of the concert. He asked for quiet but it didn't really work. So he came out before the second half and with a translator asked for people to be respectful or leave and this was all translated into Tajiki. As a result during the second half the people that didn't want to be there left and so it was much quieter and enjoyable. People really applauded and were very appreciative of his playing it was beautiful music.
Then we had a reception at a restaurant with David and the Ambassador etc. It was a lot of fun a lot of my friends were invited so I had a lot of people to talk to.
Next day Anne from the embassy spoke at my university about U.S. government funded exchange programs this was also well attended by teachers. A big part of studying in the U.S. is proving you know English well by doing good on the TOEFL test. This subject came up and people said we should make a U.S. funded TOEFL class at the university. The embassy can't do this. But I was proud to say that I've run a free TOEFL class everyday for the last 8 months. It's all up to the individual and their thinking processes. America is a popular destinaton. Then that afternoon the Ambassador came to the American Corner and again called me famous and talked to as many students as could fit in the A.C. for about an hour. Most of the questions centered around "how can I get to the U.S.?" She loved all the projects I started and especially the garden.
Then wednesday Dr. Brenda Flanagan took Khujand by storm. She came to the Philology Faculty and read from her stories. She is a professor at Davidson College in N.C. She is 61 and a novelist and poet and an African American. She came to the U.S. in 1967 when she was 19. But she just didn't read the poetry she acted the stories and poetry. She used her whole body to tell the stories. She sang for awhile, she chanted, she cried she got all the women to stand-up and say "phenominal womannnnnn" and the men to say "yaaaa." She was quoting Maya Angelou. People here had never seen a black woman before in real life let alone one with dreadlocks. People had never heard someone speak like her before full of emotion and life. People here are reserved proper etc. the contrast between Brenda and the dean of the faculty who was also a woman was very stark. I loved it Brenda was like a breath of fresh air. Afterwards she was just mobbed by autograph seekers, people wanting her picture, and people videoing her wherever she went. She could have stayed there all day and taken questions.
Next it was lunch with Brenda and embassy people. Then they went up to Kanibodam to the same place but I didn't go because I had been there on Monday plus I had lessons to teach.
In the evening another nice sit-down meal at the fanciest restaurant in town with Brenda and others. I didn't get home till 11. By the way the best restaurant in town is still really cheap 3 people can eat well for $10.
Next day Brenda came to my faculty and went to the biggest lecture hall in the Bld. but it wasn't close to big enough. I think more than 300 people crammed in it was standing room only. And Brenda again put on a show but this time she was talking about civil rights. She talked for almost 2 hours and no on breathed loudly during those two hours. No one had ever heard a woman like her or seen a woman like her. She spoke from her heart about her experiences being a black woman in the U.S. She recounted a lot of difficult times in her life when either her or her family were treated poorly because of their skin color. Most of her examples were from 30-40 years ago but she had some more recent examples of racism too. She cried when she told about how her son couldn't go to the pre-school in the town because he was black. She told the real truth from her life no gloss no holding back. Again her oratory style was most impressive. She read a poem that she wrote to President Obama and it wowed people. At the end it was the same reaction a ton of questions, a ton of photos and autographs she was just mobbed and couldn't move. She just yelled her e-mail adress to me and I wrote it up on the blackboard for her. The embassy people finally got her out of the lecture hall.
Then off to lunch by the river. Then to the market where I felt like we were a traveling circus, embassy women, our driver looking out for us and Brenda and me.
Then to the A.C. where she was very generous with her time and took questions for more than 2 hours from students. There were so many people that people couldn't even come inside anymore through the door. We had to take the group picture standing on the steps and the photographer standing above us so we could all get in the picture. The photos and the autographs were endless. But she really gave the kids a great message about being creative and free with their minds. She didn't shy away from taboo subjects like going to the bathroom or pre-maritial sex it was shocking for the people here but that was ok. I give the embassy credit for organizing this week and paying for these Americans to visit Khujand. I just wish these Americans could stay. I am who I am and that is great but I'm not and never could be Brenda or David K. Different perspectives are vital.
A lot of what Brenda said was less than flattering about the U.S. but it is important to let people see that the U.S. really does have freedom of speach and that black people have different experiences.