2003-08-01 - 10:11 a.m.
Summer in Uzbekistan consists of accelerations and brakes. I have worked several summer English camps across the country, and these weeks move quickly. Between camps, I return to Parkent, where life is slow. The family works the field in the morning and early evening, and I usually lounge- reading, writing, visiting and preparing for school next year. However, this past week I have transitioned again into a furious pace, working a lifestyle similar to an American office arrangement. I am in Tashkent with a volunteer, Dan Behn, and we are preparing and presenting project proposals to anyone who will listen (and more importantly, anyone who has money). As we say, we're diggin' for DENGI (Russian for money). It's been a tough week. Calling and scheduling, traveling across the city, waiting in offices, translating, speaking Uzbek or Russian, and urging our voices to be heard. Dan has the King of all Projects, to rebuild his school. The pricetag is $70,000 and the Japanese have signed on, although the red tape is a series of headaches. As for me, the success of several small projects at my site (water is running to 152 homes-including my home, TV/VCR/CD Player are set for use at school this year, and IREX -USAID have agreed to put 10 new computers in my school) has excited a small core of people, who are spitting out ideas and proposals at a steady rate.
This week I have visited the French, German and Swiss Embassies, as well as the Charity Fund of Kuwait. Other Embassies and NGO's have been contacted and we are scheduling meetings. I am working on three projects, one to finish water for all sections of the village where I live. The second is to bring gas to 70 homes in a nearby region. And finally, I have adopted the fund-raising directorship of a dictionary project produced by PCv Frank Adams. He has produced the most comprehensive and affordable Uz-Eng dicitonary available. Six Uz speakers assisted with the project that has also been formatted to CD-Rom and will be made available free on the Internet. This is significant because no affordable translation dictionary exists in UZ for English. Yes, that's correct, for the last year I taught English to Uzbeks without a comprehensive dicitonary available to them. Most use Russian-English dicitionaries. Frank needs $10,000 to print 5000 copies, then sell them for $3, and have enough money left over to reproduce more if needed. A great need, a student dictionary, is in existance. But a printing loan is needed. However, in Uz., nothing is simple. Frank petitioned the American Embassy, but they balked on Frank's proposal.
So, after a visit to the Swiss Embassy, meeting with a Mrs. Marty, the deputy head of mission, and after she kindly explained that Dan's school project and my water project fell outside their scope, she picked our brains about the Peace Corps expereince. During the talk, we explained the process of living with families and learning Uzbek. She said she was also attempting to study Uzbek, but found it difficult because access to dictionaries is limited. I then explained Frank's project, and she latched onto this idea, So, now I am in discussions with the Swiss on funding the most affordable and comprehensive Uzbek-English dictionary available. We'll see where this goes. But, I must admit that searching for money here to fund projects that significantly improve the quality of life for thousands of people is the most exciting work I have done here. Its such a challenge and the rewards are great. Wish us luck!
