It's dusk. I'm lying beneath a large, swaying tree in a park in north Dushanbe. A sudden, cool October breeze shakes leaves onto the grass beside me. Two 15-story apartment buildings enclose the park – heights as close as you’ll get to skyscrapers in Dushanbe. A row of brick and steel structures jut into the …
I’ve been keeping busy here in Tajikistan! The program is still amazing and my language proficiency is improving every week. Although I haven’t been able to explore the city that much since my last post, I have been able to take a few trips around the country. Even though I don’t have a lot of …
I’ve been in Tajikistan long enough now that I’ve started to feel familiar. Familiar with places, people, routines, and even the expected unexpectedness of certain things that shape life in Dushanbe. This is qurutob, one of my favorite dishes. When I take my daily morning walk to the American Council office for class, I recognize …
Reflections from one month in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
As a current master’s student in Russian East European and Central Asian studies with a focus on the Black Sea region and the Russian and Romanian languages, my summer in Moldova has been truly formative. I can’t help but compare this experience to my previous experience when I was here during the Covid lockdowns in …
Continue reading ERLP Chisinau: a Summer of Growth, Adventure, and Profound Immersion
Spring has arrived in Dushanbe, and it has been a beautiful last month of watching tulip foliage emerge from the soil and become vibrant blooms on nearly every block in central Dushanbe. I have come to love my walks through the city, frequently stopping to marvel at the variety of colors and shapes to behold. …
2022 Summer ERLP participant, Jacqueline Baumgartner attends a wedding in Azerbaijan When I got invited by my host mom Lala’ciğim[1] to go to a wedding, I was ecstatic. She and my host dad, Oktay, had been to a wedding the weekend prior and had shown me some photos and videos. It was a grandiose event …
Last summer, I spent over 120 hours learning Persian with American Council's Virtual Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP). My schedule consisted of Persian Mass Media, Conversation, and Reading classes. Through small virtual lessons delivered from Dushanbe (Tajikistan's capital), I got to prepare oral presentations dealing with complex topics such as climate change, the black market, …
Continue reading 120 hours of Online Farsi Language Training
Bagh-e Babur One of my cultural activities during my Dari studies on the American Councils Eurasian Regional Language Program was a virtual excursion through Bagh-e Babur or Babur Garden in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the activity I was able to see the garden and the surrounding architecture. What struck me about this historical location in Afghanistan …
Continue reading A Virtual Excursion to Bagh-e Babur, Afghanistan
Nina Kaur discusses her academic experience while participating in the online Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) as a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad scholarship recipient. As the fall semester starts to kick off virtually around world, I decided to take advantage of virtual learning and maintaining my Persian language skills (which are very much still in …
Continue reading Fulbright-Hays Scholarship Recipient Profile: Nina Kaur
AC Study Abroad 