Thefts/Winter Coming/Expat Extravaganza

Day 8:
I can't believe it's been only a week +1 day. I am at the office right now, working busily on translating Russian news about human rights in Tajikistan into English. This is good for my knowledge of Tajik government and my Russian skills, but I am waiting for more substantive work related to the annual report writing on the country's human rights situation. Did I tell you all that I found a new apartment near the center of town with a single Tajik woman. Her son visits on the weekend. It's a nice flat, but I'll be taking the bedroom and she'll take the living room, so it's not too big. It's the most modern place I've seen so far, but not too large. Tonight is the next installation of the Thursday night dinners for expats. I'm especially looking forward to tonight's dinner because it will be at DBD, the Iranian restaurant in Dushanbe. Yesterday was an adventure. Went with Christine to Gissar, the fortress about 20 kilometers outside of Dushanbe. I wasn't feeling that great, so I sat in the car. She went to the top, and while standing on the ledge, with only three people in view, she had 250 dollars stolen from her bag. We proceeded to find the two young boys who helped her up to the edge of the top of the fortress and tried to get the money back. The only other person on the ledge with her or in reach of her bag when it wasn't on her neck was the man who takes the money for viewing the fortress. We spent over an hour arguing and asking for our money back, but 250$ is a lot of money, and surely they had no interest in giving anything back. I actually pulled the ramazan card because I was soo tired of them lying to us, and I said to them in bad Tajik that I had had enough of such conversations about who was lying because it was ramadan. It was really quite unfortunate for Christine. Went last night for Iftaar to my old host family with Christine. She thought the food there was amazing. The pumpkin filled samosa were especially delicious. The parents were soo nice and even drove us home.
Winter's coming soon. It's getting cooler and cooler every morning. Every Tajik person says that Dushanbe is not so cold, but then I ask "as what?" and they reply Siberia, so I don't really know at all how bad it's going to get. I brought with me no winter clothing because I didnt want to take up space and I didn't know what the winter fashion was here. I decided I would buy the essentials here. Mavluda, my old host mother, wants to take me shopping on Saturday, and since I have been paid my first two weeks' salary in Tajik Somoni I have plenty of money to get the necessary clothes. The other question is how the Tajik women wear their dresses in the winter. I asked Mavluda yesterday and she said that they don't - that instead they wear Bryouki, or pants. I find this hard to believe. I guess since I don't plan anymore on going to the Pamir, that I shouldn't need anything too crazy.
For those of you wondering, I do have a cell phone, but it's from an awful company called MLT which takes money off of my prepaid card whenever I get a call or make a call. In other words, I'll call you, or you may continue to send me emails.
There's one book here for foreigners to learn Tajik, but they are charging nearly 30 dollars for it. I can't imagine paying this amount for a book here, but I also would like to have something that I can look at for Tajik in my non-existent spare time.
My camera batteries have died, and I am looking for the charger. Hope to bring you more photos soon.