Afghanistan is, without a doubt, still a country in evolution. It’s history is tightly tied to it’s people groups and language, found in history books when discussing the Indus river civilizations, Indian and Chinese influence, and travelers such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Alexander the GreatRead More
A Cup of Tea
In Murgab, even though I opted for the :no electricity: guesthouse to save some money, I slept very well! It was mainly due to the fact that the first blanket weighed at least 10 pounds, and there were collections of furs on top of that one, so endless to say, I slept like a baby. Murgab operates kind of on it’s own time, literally. As in some people go by Dushanbe time, and some Kyrgyz, so having to meet my taxi driver at 10:00 was incredibly confusing. Naturally, he didn’t show up, and randomly meeting a girl who spoke english, she called him up. “Oh, I’m in Khorog now”. This, the guy who JUST LAST NIGHT was in Murgab, 7 hours from Khorog. She apparently swore at him a bunch and told him to fix it. So sooner or later, this guys buddy came to pick me up. After filling the rest of the SUV with passengers, we were off to Khorog.
This was the heart of the Pamir highway, and the essential reason I came to this part of the world. Known as the “roof of the world”, this (albeit mostly dirt and potholed) road soars alongside endless peaks of incredible ruggedness that went on seemingly forever. This is a nations of mountains, and we were in the heart of them.
One of the passengers, a customs officer, spoke English (and 5 other languages of course), so we naturally had a lot to talk about on our journey. Of note was the role of Tajikistan in Central Asia. He had a bit of a negative outlook on things, which is unfortunate. He spoke of a fundamental lack of natural resources or exports for their economy, and complained of the incredible corruption in the government. I didn’t have too much to say to this, since I never sort to telling somebody what I think their country should or shouldn’t do, I simply lack that knowledge or insight.
A Cup of Tea
Arriving in Khorog, the driver and I struggled to find the hostel I was intending to stay at. I opted for a homestay listed in my travel book right downtown. A very welcoming family, their home is attached to the city’s central park, and after settling (and SHOWERING), I went for a walk.
Immediate observation is the incredible freshness to the air here. It’s amazing, and reminds me only of a few mountainous places in the US. Secondly, mountains, mountains, everywhere. There is a beautiful clear river bisecting the town, and about 500 yards down, this E-W river joins another N-S river. Well, on the other side of that N-S river only 500 yards away? Afghanistan. Weird. Kinda cool. About 40% of my horizon is Afghanistan, and from here, it’s gorgeous. But another odd reminder that although most borders do have a geographic element (river), it’s still a political thing. These mountains all just seem one and the same, and the language here (which, is not Tajik actually), is spoken over there as well.
As I was walking, a guy roundish my age walked up to me and asked if I was foreign (how polite of him, since it’s dreadfully obvious). We started chatting, and I was refreshed by how good his English was. We just kinda shot the breeze, and it turned into a bit of a tour around town (this is how I learned about the border and immediate location of Afghanistan). Surush invited me to his home for dinner, and I accepted, and am so glad I did.
Here was a young guy (22yo), with a drive and passion for his country that struck me all at once as particularly unique, and all together familiar to some of the stories I’ve been hearing along the way. Having already received his Bachelors in Telecommunications (another theme), he did well, got an internship in China, and wasn’t satisfied. His dream is to make Khorog a better place. So he returned here. Unable to find a job, he took up a civil engineering position, and has been teaching himself the field as he goes in his spare time (as in actually- he attends the university here, etc). In addition to this, he has been attending English classes. All in all, he is unsatisfied.
We spoke (over a delicious dinner and lemon tea) for 3 solid hours. And it was mostly him. He spoke of a philosophy that the point of life is to make the world just a little bit better. He spoke of idea after idea of how Khorog could be modernized and improved (both telecommunications and civil engineering). He spoke of a dream that he could get a higher degree from Europe or the States “to have that life experience, to take something from there, and bring it back here to Khorog”. He has a vision to start construction projects to provide more jobs to the area. Of particular pride was the current construction (phase 1 of 8) of The University of Central Asia right here in town. He spoke of how the environment here makes it better to study in (it’s peaceful, quite, fresh). He spoke how they have done research on what makes a university great and are planning to implement those ideas. He went on about the civil engineering feats they are planning for it. He didn’t stop. And it was inspiring to listen to. He looked at me and with complete conviction said “this could be the best university in all of Central Asia. Maybe one day, one of the best in the world. Maybe your children will come to study here”.
When was the last time I was that passionate about something? When was the last time I was so proud of my country, of my hometown, that I wasn’t even faking it when I spoke of it’s potential? That I meant it with all my heart? Even typing this I start to think of excuses, all related to negative outcomes or why a place can’t become successful, etc. But, in a sense, Khorog, Tajikistan, a place may of you may have never, ever heard of in your lives, has many reasons NOT to become that. But hearing Surush speak, it melted away and I believed him.
It seems the fundamental difference is not only perspective, but an unwillingness to accept something less than your dream. I’d like to pretend I have that, but the truth is, Med school feels like a conveyer belt, and as long as I work really really hard, I’ll flop off the end, a doctor. Maybe the difference between him and I, is his ability not to just maintain a dream, but to not give up the act of dreaming.
Surush is actively following a dream. He is doing something about it, and it’s neat to see. I’m genuinely looking forward to the emails him and I will send over the next few years as we follow along in our lives. But I’ll tell you what, I’m inspired to rethink not just goals or “dreams”, but to remind myself of that ability to keep dreaming, to keep learning, and to stay active and alive about it.
One of the best cups of tea I’ve had.
-BK
A Farmer, a Consultant, and the USA
Occasionally, when people find out I’m American, a political discussion ensues. I certainly don’t mind talking geopolitics, and going over the complexity of the whole thing. But usually I’m asked very pointed questions, questions I’m not entirely sure hoe to answer. I’m called on to answer on behalf of the United States, and sorry, I’m not secretary of state (yet…). To be specific, there are two conversations in particular that I thought highlighted some points we tend not to think about. Firstly, the financial aide given by America to developing nations, and secondly, how our involvement in development projects may be hindering more than helping. I apologize in advance for an overwhelming lack of knowledge on these topics, but I’ll highlight these conversations, and hear out what people said.
Valentine and the farmer.
You may remember Valentine from my adventure in Altyn Arashan. This hard-as-nails manly man had a few strong opinions regarding our involvement in global politics. We both agreed that the situation is complicated, and that our history with Russia could have gone over a little more smoothly (and still could be…). The example he cited was the following:
When we give aide to foreign projects, specifically food donations, we as Americans will give a lot of money to see that cause come to fruition (we agreed this is a good thing). When that food arrives in target country, we would expect that said food programs are put into place and people are fed. Ideally, this food would be donated, free of charge, to those in need. We were in agreement that many programs do this. However, from his experience on the distribution side of things in a past life, he stated that most programs will SELL that food at a highly discounted price. This gives slight profit margins (maybe not even profit, perhaps just covering some operating costs) to the program, and gives buyers a better deal. Now here’s where Valentine gets aggravated. Think of the farmer whose small crop yield took quite a lot of labor, who then brings it to market (often great distances at a cost to himself). He is selling at $10…while the US food program is selling at $5. You can see where an issue starts to arise. The farmer sells no product, and now has less to go into his crop yield later on. When this farmer gets bought out and cannot afford to sell anymore, a monopoly arises with the food aide program…who then start to sell at $10..$15. You can see where his frustration came from.
Shaktybek and a certain consulting company.
I met Shaktybek while in Karakol, and he was an absolute pleasure to get to know. His background is in telecommunications, and for years was involved in implementing the telecommunications infrastructure here in Kyrgyzstan, and eventually sat under the vice minister of the country. When politics became complicated (the most recent revolution, as it were), it was expected that Shaktybek would start taking bribes for himself and those above him (among other things), as the proletariat could become stronger. He couldn’t do it, and resigned his position. He then entered international consulting, living in London, Switzerland, and the US for some time. He did this in the telecommunications field at first, and then found himself working on a development project at home in Kyrgyzstan. It was through this project that he transitioned into becoming heavily involved in Kyrgyz development projects. Though we talked for hours about many issues, this one frustrated him the most:
He was incredibly excited when a project he was working on was approved for aide from the USA. He thought to himself “ah, the United States, now we will have the help we need”. We donated a sum of money, and instead of sending consultants directly (as he was used to doing in his prior experience), the US hired an outside consulting company, one with quite a famous international name. He was unused to the idea of a third party, but was still excited because of the name of this company. They sent somebody to Karakol to head up the project, and to meet with Shaktybek, the local point man. As he began talking with this consultant, he learned that they had almost zero experience whatsoever. Not only regarding the project they were accomplishing (something about tourism and a cheese factory), but almost no experience….at all. He continued to give two additional examples of almost the same thing happening; You can imagine how disheartened he was to learn that with the USA at the helm, hiring a well known consulting company, the nation of Kyrgyzstan took a back seat.
It was this last though that struck me. Sure, every international consultant may start somewhere with no experience, but you wouldn’t expect it from such a large company. However, it was this idea that Shaktybek felt that his country is not taken seriously as a nation to be invested in. He explained to me their vast natural resources (which, recently, a mining contract was turned down by the USA…), their desire for democracy and education, and to be considered globally minded. He passively mentioned that most global councils have yet to add the Kyrgyz language to their texts.
So what am I trying to get at here? I know far too little about the details of food programs, government aide, geopolitics or consulting, to state whether things are true, how complex they are (and I’m sure they are very complex), and what goes on in the background. But that’s not my point.
My point is that people see what we do in a very different light than what we think. We watch a moving film on Sunday, and pour our money into companies, programs, and websites. A few people even work abroad, and yet sometimes, it’s not being done in the right way. The perspective of what we do is undermined, and perhaps with due cause to think so.
So like…do I have a solution for the entire development project side of the US government? Haha…no. But I think it’s good to have these conversations and to think about things. Valentine and I applauded US companies that stimulate local economies by doing things such as digging wells, irrigation systems, giving farming tools, seeds, and business micro-loans. Shaktybek and I were happy to talk about the success of many projects done by various US companies who found the right people for the job to develop a clear strategy, set up the right people, and follow through with the plan. There were still positive sides to these conversations.
And I think this matters. I think it matters how people view us. I think it’s a matter of fact that our actions, as a nation, have weight (amongst every other nation!). We have a reputation of being able to help, and we should guard that reputation by appropriate actions to see that help go through.
I guess the take home is that if you want to give money to a program, give time in an office, or even go abroad and work, to do your research and ask a lot of questions as to implementation. More than that though, don’t forget that we’re living in a truly global time, and that each place has something to bring to the table. Nobody deserves a back seat, or to be forgotten or thought lesser of.
A final note- I’m sure many of those reading have positive examples, and I’m glad of that. A few of you will want to do a fact-check rant, I’m not looking for an argument. I’m just hoping to bring to light some interesting conversations I had with real people on the ground, highlighting some areas to work on. I hope this all stimulates and inspires you to follow through and be excellent in whatever you’re doing. Thanks for reading!
-BK