Mr. Splashy Pants!

If you want to know why I titled this blog's entry, Mr. Splashy Pants, check out the following website (courtesy of Julia): http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/whaling/great-whale-trail/gwt-vote?utm_sour
I think the voting will be going on until the 7th of Dec.

Otherwise, I'm trying to decide if I really am a horrible blogger, or if my lack of regular blogging is due to the fact that time in Dushanbe doesn't exist -- sort of a twilight zone. I had absolutely NO idea that it has been since November 19 that I last posted. I have been quite busy with work and life developments in Dushanbe.
Fred, my classmate from Grad school in Geneva has been here - she has hired me as an editor for a project (of our grad school) that will publish a book on dialogue between the government and the religious opposition. It's interesting reading, for the most part, but it's about 200 pages of work. In any case, sadly enough, Fred left for Geneva last week -- I was sad to see her go, as she's such nice company here. She had a small going away get together at the Irish pub - which oddly enough has no beer on tap, but hey, this is Dushanbe - you can't expect the world! It's enough that there's even a pub at all in this city. I had pringles and sprite when I went -- far better than Baltikas, which you can get everywhere.
This weekend I crashed what I hope will be the last wedding of my stay here. I made everyone happy too, by dancing tajik style "with my arms" -- Tajik dance is very busy with the arms twisting and hans circling. There's next to no hip movements...I have no idea how many weddings I've been to, but I have to admit that this last wedding was by far the most exhausting, because we left the house at 11 am, picked up other passengers, and arrived at the restaurant before 1pm. During most the of meal there, a little girl (maybe four years) kept getting in trouble with one of the male cousins helping with arrangements because she would keep running out onto the dance floor, where they were walking through to carry the food to the guests. He kept bringing her back and putting her on my lap...as if I were her mother and responsible for her. This brat insisted, however, on squirming off me and going back to her business -- which made me feel guilty for being unable to control her. I didn't care too much, until I realized that the monster was continually sticking a tiny safety pin in her mouth. I ran to the girl and tried to take it away...causing her to scream -- but all the other women, gave me bad looks - telling me to take it easy. Exasperated, I said, "she has a needle"....and they simply said, yes, yes...a needle... ARGH!
There's a very different idea of childhood here --- I guess it's that saying, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Anyway...after the restaurant, the family said, "Now we will go to house of the bride...OK?" I didn't know this meant that we would drive out of the city, and sit there for four hours, waiting for the bride's mother to come so that she can wash the bride's hands in oil and then flour...at which point more presented would be presented to the bride, and ONLY THEN would we eat the wedding cake. I must say, after all the many weddings I have attended, it's only NOW that I understand what happens to the wedding cake...it gets eaten by the women who sit with the bride after the wedding party. I wouldn't have been so tired from those four hours if I hadn't been forced to eat a fourth lunch/second dinner, and to sit in a mostly empty room with two women who drummed and sang the same two songs for over two hours. BUT the wedding cake was the most delicious cake I have ever tasted in my life --- the frosting was the BEST EVER!!
On another note, I have been to Korvon - the big bazaar of Dushanbe yesterday - and I learned for the first time, that I have ZERO patience for pushers. If someone, anyone, I don't care how strong or big pushes me, I WILL PUSH them back... (please, dear friends, do not push me to test this comment, haha). The first snow of Dushanbe came on Saturday morning - and apparently the whole city of Dushanbe went to the open and closed bazaars of Korvon to get winter clothing. In the shoe department, the worst crowd I have ever been in (Liz, this story is not for you) was surrounding me. We tried to rest against a shoe display to let the others through/pass us, but some horrible women and men were pushing me and my host mother and brother into the shoes. we told them to stop pushing us over, and I could sware they were pushing and punching into us on purpose. I lost my patience and nearly started a fist fight with some people, yelling at them to stop, until I decided to join the wave traveling down the aisle of shoes (moj) for my own safety - as to not get trampled. But seriously, I didn't realize I had it in me to fight back physically, and I hope I never have to deal with such a situation again...It wasn't nice to punch people...but what else can you do in such a situation ---??? If I could have ducked out I would have, but some of you may know how closed bazaars are in these countries, and how the aisles between tables are only about 2 meters wide...
Otherwise, life is not too exciting. This week is the human rights film festival of the organization I work for here. I probably won't be going to them very much, though, because of my many commitments and the films are all in Russian. Apparently, for the opening too, only the organizers showed up.
---I leave Dushanbe on the 17th and get to the U.S. after 9 days in Dubai on the 27th.
The Kazakh government is considering my case on the 5th of December for getting a work permit. Wish me luck!