- stan

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kirghizstan and so on.

In Cyrillic they are written with an ’o’: Tajikiston, Uzbekiston, Kirghizston.

I wasn't thinking this minor discrepancy could create some effects, until the day my water heater in Ivstaravshan, properly hanged next to the roof inside the shower box to save maybe 30 cm of water pipes connections and electrical wires, decided to give up its screws and prolapsed dramatically in my arms, while naked as a piglet, I was looking for respite from the Siberian cold with a quick hot shower.

It was full, so around 70 kg…

Before been founded dead, smashed naked in a shower, I start screaming for help while I was sustaining the load that could not be lying calmly in the ground, because still connected with the water pipes.

Abdulrashid, the nostalgic logistic,  back grounded the door and saved his prince charming. Always naked as a piglet. With no more possibility to respite from the Siberian cold with a quick hot shower.

Five minutes after, the emergency was vanished  and I was drinking a hot tea prepared by Saodat, my lovely cleaner standing in the bathroom and looking incredulously at the rubble captained by HIM: the water heater.

White, cylindrical, shining, whit the brand proudly superimposed in red metal letters: Ariston.

Abdulrashid and Saodat were still with me to give me support and because was so far the most interesting thing to see and discuss about in all Ivstarashan in January. And they were discussing, but in Tajik and I had no interest, in that particular moment of reflections over life death and doom, in understanding. Until their discussion started to become more and more animated:

”Niet!  Tajikiston, Uzbekiston, Kirghizston...”

Looked like a children lesson. But they were obviously  disagreeing on something.

”Afganiston…”

”Kazakiston, Turkmeniston…”. They felt silent, whit their fingers half deployed to enumerate and looking at each other helplessly.

At the end they gave in and asked me: ”Where is Ariston?”

Tajik couple. Love is everywhere