It is hard to believe that I left Denver for Tajikistan 2-weeks ago. So, I guess the saying "Time Flies When You Are Having Fun" is correct. Or there are just so many tasks needing to be done with the project that it makes the time go by fast.
This week I decided, since I will be staying longer than originally planned, that I would move from the hotel into an apartment (see photos of the apartment at my Zenfolio site). I am in the second phase of my diet, starting once I arrived here in Dushanbe, and it has been really hard to follow the prescribed diet while living in a hotel and eating all meals out. Although, I have managed to lose an additional 7 lbs. since starting the 2nd round of shots on the 18th. I hope living in the apartment will help me get back on track with the diet as it is supposed to be followed. But it took a long time to get to where I was weight wise, so as long as I am continuing to lose weight while I am here I am happy. I still have the goal of where I want to be, come the middle of June in my head and I am striving to chip away at the weight so I can get there. Wish me continued luck.
This week has focused on starting to inform farmers, dealers and processors of the upcoming Regional Agriculture Fair, next week in the South. Or staff will go down there on Wednesday, in preparation for the Thursday Fair. In addition, we are making it possible for 11 dealers from the North and the RRP (Dusanbe and surrounding areas in Central Tajikistan) to attend the Fair and show and hopefully enter into contracts with farmers from that area for improved seeds, fertilizers and Crop Protection Products (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides). Many people are being invited to attend from the North and RRP Regions, in addition to those from the South. The location of the Fair had to be changed at the last minute, because the newly appointed Governor of that area refused to give permission for the event to happen. Our staff went down there to meet with the staff of Mercy Corps who will be hosting the event in cooperation with our project. At that point, they did not know for sure if the Governor would meet with them or not, which he didn't, so the location was changed to a community where their Governor was much more receptive. The only problem is this will cause the target group of farmers to have to travel an additional 20 KM to attend. So hopefully, this will not effect the attendance at the Fair. Our project will offer a number of training opportunities in addition to having an informational booth to explain our project and to disseminate informational brochures on the five target crops of our project.
This week one of our staff finalized plans for a CNFA Farmer to Farmer Volunteer that is coming here to work with the Meat Cutters and Processors. One of our project's cooperators would like to establish a new Slaughter Facility near the major market in town. I served twice as a Volunteer with CNFA in Moldova doing Recordkeeping with farmers of four different cooperatives that had been formed since the break up of the Former Soviet Union. This is a nice program for folks that are willing to give of their time and knowledge to help others around the world. The program pays for their travel costs and they volunteer their time. Nice way to see the world, while at the same time, help others that are less fortunate than we are in America.
Last night I was working later than normal and saw a lot of commotion outside my office, I just thought it was something in conjunction with the staffs English classes. But turned out to be a Staff Party, to say thanks for all your efforts last year in the project. Was a nice way to end the week. They had also invited some folks from another project down the street so that was nice having an opportunity to also meet them.
This week, I had the opportunity to meet with a couple of different Input Dealers that are working with our project. If you check out my photos, you will see me with one of them. She wanted her picture with me, sad "You are a big man and I am a big woman, I want a picture with you". So we took the picture. I later saw her in the office and told her that my wife is mad at be having my picture with another woman. We all laughed. She said she is going to send the photo to her husband, too, who is a respected Cardiologist. While talking with the other dealer, I learned that he has expanded his business as a result of the recent Onion Voucher Program. In the past he just sold fertilizer and CPPs, and now farmers are asking him for improved seeds for other crops in addition to the Onion Seeds he started to sell during the Voucher Program. This is the kind of information that I need to get the staff here to document. I call this the "So What" of the program. Documenting you did a task is good, but document what changed because of the task is what is needed to show the effects of the project.
Well, I have gotten very windy this morning. So time to wrap this one up. Not sure what I will be doing for the rest of the weekend, but I do hope I can catch up on some sleep this weekend, since I have been on the go since I have been here. I hope the new apartment warms up some by the time I get home - have a number of space heaters plugged in. Oh by the way, I am told if I take a taxi, just tell the driver to bring me by the President's house. Guess I am living in a well protected area.
Check out my photos at http://www.zenfolio.com/farmeray/p828498799
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