Blog October 1,  2012

From september 1st onwards, Robert stayed in the Alitravelguesthouse, where we know and like the young manager, Anvar. But for the 3 months that we still have to be in Tashkent, Robert looked for a small apartment and found one! Well done! It is in the same neighbourhood  where we lived before, a quiet and green area with lots of tall Ash trees. The flat  is only just done up and well equipped, so we don’t need to buy stuff. Great!

This is the sun coming up over the desert

On arrival at the airport (september 29th at 07:00) I had to wait 1,5 hours to get through customs. Since a plane had arrived just before ours, the whole arrival area was one big crowd. Also, Uzbek people bring in lots of goods, like televesion screens, children’s  bicycles, kitchen machines,  rollerskates, all of which need to be checked in and searched thoroughly.  Then, there was only one entrance form left in English, which I hyjacked, filled out for myself and used to help other foreigners to fill out their forms, which were in Russian only. In such situations , being stuck together, people turn into brothers and sisters very quickly.   

The view from my room

Robert was waiting for me outside and ‘our’ taxidriver, Djamsheed, picked us up. He has a bigger car now, but I was not quite sure if that was a result of his business running better. Passports for registration fiorst! Then to the appartment which is good, a bit too much beige and shantung colours, very Uzbek lacy curtains and flowery patterns on the furniture, but not bad at all!

Lovely weather! I hadn’t expected that, 22 degrees Celsius! Robert , who also hadn’t had breakfast yet, and I first walked tot the ‘French cafe’ in the neighbourhoood where we could sit outside. We  had a large cappucino with muffet/ carottecake. Then some shopping for food, in the cornerstore and time for a nap.

Roberts tiredness developed into a fever that afternoon. It looks as if he suffers from foodpoisening, with a bad stomach and cramps in lower abdomen. On Sunday it seemed a bit better, we even made a walk to test his delayed birthdaypresent, a Garmin GSP, but at 12:00 the feverw as back, lighter this time, but rice, riceswater  and bouillon is the diet for now.

The house is behind the trees, first floor

Despite all that I quite feel at home already, having washed and ironed the laundry, and got some nice brown bread and fresh veggies and fruit; cooked us (me) a meal. The basics are there: lentils, rice and flour, coffee and teas, honey; milk eggs, butter; cheese and salami from Holland. So what more does one need?

Television programmes? 12 channels, but only in Russian, pity, so we will read the news on internet.  Music? I-tunes! That is the playing lists Joost put into that for me, still grateful for that! So....time to read books. I am finally getting through “ When the sky fell” about why Antarctica is the lost Atlantis. And I brought “the number FU” by Ayu Utami, presently a well knowm writer in indonesia. Not phi, or pi, but Fu.  Jan Willem, from my intervision group, recommended it to us; it is about Indonesia and its present cultural transition, but also a evry exciti ng story it seems. I will keep you informed, once I have read it.
Bye for now!

Back to work!

September 2012

So, working life started again. On September 1^st Robert returned to Tashkent to continue the team leadership, since, somewhere in August, his French employer and the Uzbek partners agreed to continue the project. Life hasn’t changed much and Robert was happily welcomed by our friends there. Only Internet is not so good anymore since the biggest provider went bankrupt.

What lies ahead in our labyrinth?   

I, Jelleke, will join Robert on th 21^st of September. For the time being Robert found a comfortable hotel to stay in. He is presently looking for a small apartment for us together, so that at least we can cook our own meals. I am looking forward to finish my book once I am back there. While still here I use the 3 weeks in the Netherlands well, a.o. to see some people I need to interview or to talk to for my book and attend a workshop about the sustainability of food-chains.  

Meanwhile, Meike started a new phase in her life. She lives now in Belgium, Hodeige, near Liege, with her boyfriend Michael. And she started a 2 year educationcourse as a teacher, nearby in the South of Holland, Sittard. Joost is urgently looking for a job as interactive designer, but it is hard with the economic situation. He will take care of our house till Christmas, and then we will see what next.  His girlfriend Emmy just started a 2 year masters programme in Breda, in graphic design, which she enjoys tremendously, but it is a bit of a distance from here. .

As always, the beginning of September brings a special type of weather that somehow ‘belongs’ to this week’s going back to study and work; I love it, with spider webs everywhere in and outside the house and lovely golden bundles of sunrays cascading through the woods.

 Dear reader, I will be back on these pages once I am back in Uzbekistan again.

Keep up the good spirits!  Until then!