Tajikistan: Travel guide, visas and free housing · 2026

ЛЧЛена Чернецоваlena_chernetsova · Oct 31, 2012Read

My first time in America: - Cooked a three-course meal in the microwave - Got hit by a car - Met a homeless person - Performed miracles of diplomacy to get hired - Rented a hotel room - Got kicked out of a casino - Got arrested at the airport - Saw Niagara Falls by day and by night - Received my first paycheck - Was invited to join a jazz band by a wonderful elderly Black man - Used eBay - Wandered through shops until 3 AM - Got soaked to the bone in Times Square - Received a questionable compliment from a citizen of Tajikistan - Talked trash about New Jersey while in New Jersey - Walked the wooden boardwalks of Atlantic City - Fell in love with a street cafe - Fell asleep on the subway until the last stop - Took a photo of my feet against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon - Learned to ride a bike - Argued with an American about WWII history - Baked a pancake - Made an espresso - Said about New York: "Let's go home." - Realized that the only Superman who will never let me down is me. - Saw an opossum - Grew up. America, thank you for everything you taught me. Especially for the face-plant into the asphalt—no joke, that was unforgettable! With love, me.

DDDmitrii DvornikovBonhamJohn · Oct 30, 2012Read

We were so happy to be back in New York: for Lena, it had become home over the last few months, and I was still in awe of this city. The first thing to do upon returning was to find me a place to stay for the next 5 days in New York. A hostel was too expensive, and I couldn't stay with Lena. Oh well, let's keep looking. You won't believe it, but I found a place with a guy from Tajikistan. Lena has a work friend from Tajikistan, and he put me up with his brother. I am still grateful to him, as I saved a ton of money. Thank you for your hospitality. Anyway, that's how we returned to NY, and the housing issue was solved. Lena decided to pick up some extra work for the remaining days, as it turned out the trip to Vegas had hit our wallets hard. I lived on Staten Island, an island a half-hour ferry ride from Manhattan. This ferry is called the Ferry, and it's actually free. So every day I took a 20-minute train ride to the Ferry, then sailed for half an hour, and only then ended up in Manhattan. But that didn't bother me at all, because it offers a beautiful view of Manhattan. Also, we didn't regret spending $30 each to buy weekly transit passes so we wouldn't have to worry about transportation. It's really very convenient, considering that a single ride costs $2.25. And we rode the subway quite a lot. By the way, about the subway - it looks terrible, it's wildly stuffy, and New York itself is stuffy, but when you go down into the subway, it feels like you've ended up in hell. Huge rats leisurely crawl from one track to another. However, I fell in love with this subway immediately - it's very, very, very convenient. You can really get to almost any point in New York without breaking your head over it or wasting a ton of time. And in the subway cars, just like in all public transport, there is air conditioning, so the heat isn't that scary there.

SAShakhrom AvezovShakhrom · Sep 17, 2011Read

Hello, Like everyone else, I had issues with university, which meant my departure was very late, i.e., June 21st. Anyway, to hell with those problems. The long-awaited moment finally arrived—my first flight from Dushanbe to Istanbul. We waited at the airport for about 5-6 hours. A lot happened at the airport during that time. One poor Chinese guy was sleeping while sitting, swaying back and forth for several hours. It’s a good thing there were guys from Tajikistan there, otherwise, I would have fallen asleep just like that guy. Turkish Airways planes are just beauties, but it’s a pity I had a different airline. British Airways—to each their own, but I didn't like this company. The food was disgusting, and the staff were all Indians and Africans. In short, I recommend the Turkish company. After that, I had a flight from Istanbul to London, where I waited for about 3 hours. The plane from London to New York was disgusting, but it was good that every seat had a monitor on the back where you could watch various movies. As soon as we landed, we ran straight to the passport control area, because 2-3 more planes had landed after us, and the line at JFK Airport was huge. I waited for 40 minutes, and then I was going through passport control; the officer froze with my passport for about 10 minutes, then took my fingerprints, couldn't find something there, and took me to the police station. I sat there for about an hour, they were walking back and forth with my passport but didn't understand anything. Then they found a smarter person, and after they did something there, they said I was clean and told them to let me go quickly. Finally, I got my luggage and walked out. It’s a good thing my friend was meeting me, because I flew in late and there was no one from the agency at the airport. We immediately got into a taxi and went to my friend's place in Queens. Usually, everyone chooses the subway because it's cheaper than a YELLOW CAB, i.e., a taxi. They took us for 20 bucks, which seems normal, because if we had taken the subway, it would have cost almost the same since there were two of us. So, we got into the taxi and drove off; I somehow couldn't believe that I was already in the States.

КСКамиль Сайдашевkamil89 · Feb 23, 2010Read

The difference between failure and success lies in doing something 'almost right' and 'exactly right'. Edward Simmons Finally, I want to share with you information about how my interview went) in principle, yours should go exactly the same way) February 5th. -25C. Moscow. In the morning, we arrived at the embassy 2 hours before the interview. It turned out to be easy to find the consulate; on the street in front of the building, crowds of guys were standing with only one thought, and it was visible on their faces - how to get a visa) just give it to me already). It didn't take long to find the CMO group - there was the largest delegation from InterExchange) you just couldn't miss it) At the monument to F.I. Chaliapin, a representative of CMO stood and called out names through a megaphone (like a Spartak fan). The guys approached and had numbers stuck to their jackets and bags, into which all unnecessary things were put and left outside the embassy walls, since you cannot bring metal, sharp, and other unnecessary things inside (you never know, someone might not handle their emotions and start throwing cigarettes at the consul or threatening with nail scissors)) anything happens=) In front of the embassy, there was a car from CMO where we put all our unnecessary things: 1) Mobile phones 2) Lighters 3) Bottle openers 4) Cans of drinks 5) Nail scissors 6) Apartment keys 7) Players 8) Belts 9) Cigarettes 10) Relatives, they won't be let into the embassy anyway, and they won't help you during the interview:) Except for documents, you cannot bring anything into the embassy. We entered the embassy in turns (the guys from CMO stuck numbers on everyone's clothes, in alphabetical order). In front of the embassy, a Russian policeman checked passports, and then an American "cop" searched us with a metal detector) while saying "ryuki f styorony" (hands to the sides))) and don't gaze:) Further, inside the embassy, there is a queue before another metal detector. There is no cloakroom in the embassy, but fortunately, there is a toilet)) We pass through the metal detector gate)) then we sit in the waiting room and wait for our turn) we receive documents from the representative, we go to do fingerprint scanning. Then the next room – the interview. The interview room is quite small, there are chairs, so you can sit down) If I'm not mistaken, 5 booths) yes, you can't call it anything else. Just a window, partitions on the sides, the booths are open and everyone can watch you, which confused me a little. The queue to the windows) is live, so we can choose which one to go to ourselves) - democracy) No one announces your name - so while you are standing in line, watch and listen to what is happening in different windows) In some, everyone passed quickly and with smiles, and in others, almost everyone stood for a long time painfully. There is a hanger by the windows, so we hang our jackets so that our hands are free to hand documents to the consul. I was at window 13, a very pleasant consul, asked the main things, wished me a good trip. My dialogue with the Consul: I: Hello! Consul (K): So, Kamil? I: Yes! K: Where are you going to live in USA? I: I'd like to visit USA next summer! (I was nervous, didn't understand the question) K: Where in USA? I: I'd like to live in New York, Brooklyn! K: OK. Why Brooklyn? I: Because it's near to New York! (I agree, I was slow) K: Brooklyn is New York (with smile) I: Yes, I know (with smile) I want to see New York and I want to visit big city! K: Who did pay for this program? I: My parents! My father! K: OK! Is your father from Dushambe? I: Yes, but my mother is from Uglich! (Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan, Uglich is in the Yaroslavl region) K: Ok. What's your father's job? I: He is owner of business. K: Ok. What business does he have? I: Shop. K: What's the shop? I: uh (forgot how to say groceries)...goods K: What's kind of goods? (waits a little and sees that I'm not answering, starts asking)... food, drink.

ЭКЭкономист, Кризис, США или Джамшут в Америкеguest_15638 · Sep 21, 2009Read

Day 64 I called the boss, he said, "Rest up, Vanka, you'll be back on Monday." I was happy because my back was killing me after 2 days of that kind of work. Nikita and Parvis went to the beach, but I just felt like lying down. I lay around, sat on the porch, went into town, walked around, and came back. Since the day was monotonous, I'll tell you about our roommates, since I promised and hadn't told you anything yet. Let's start with the apartment owner, Yura, 40 years old. 10 years ago he won a green card and moved here to live and work. He’s a history teacher by education, which is obvious from his 3-hour lectures. I'll try to take a photo of him, but for now, I'll describe him: big dark circles under his eyes, it gets scary sometimes if you see him in the evening without the lights on. He wears interesting glasses without temples; they are on a rubber band, meaning when he doesn't wear them on his nose, he wears them on the side of his head. When I saw that for the first time, I could barely hold back my laughter. Here are a few typical phrases from him: "W-w-w-w-w-what?" He doesn't stutter, it just sounds like that when he says WHAT! "W-w-w-w-w-what did you hear?" "Where?" "Well, in general?" "Can you hear the music?" He realizes I won't talk to him and leaves. You can also hear: "Tomorrow the weather is nice, we should go to the beach, but then again..." "Need to cook borscht, but then again..." "Tomorrow I'll go to work, but then again..." "Need to go get groceries, but then again..." and a bunch of other examples. This is his favorite phrase; he plans something and then "But then again..." and goes to his room to drink. Also, he doesn't know how to listen, he only likes to talk, and he repeats everything several times and gets indignant when we say, "You already told us that." Here is a typical dialogue with him: "I was at the beach today, it's great there and the water is very warm." "I see." "So, you know what's interesting? The water was warm." Silence. "The thing is, it seems like it's not really summer, but the water is warm." Dead silence, Nikita coughed. "I was just there a week ago, it was cold, but this time the water was warm." For fun, I mimic one of his phrases: "So you're saying the water was warm?" "Well, yes, it's very strange, the water was very warm." Nikita went to the room to laugh, I also found it funny, but he doesn't pay attention and continues to lecture about how good it was there. Another favorite phrase: "So you're saying..." You tell him something half an hour ago, he comes out of the room and says, "So you're saying..." You don't even need to answer him, he'll just go back to the room. For example, when I arrived with my laptop, he asked me, "How much did you get it for?" "300 dollars." "I see." He leaves, returns about half an hour later: "So you're saying 300 dollars," and leaves. This can happen several times a day. He has no wife and never had one, no kids either. He served in the construction battalion where he was bullied, and you can tell by him that he's somehow skittish. In general, that's Yura for you. Now the next one, the well-known Tajik Parvis, born in Dushanbe, believes that Tajikistan is currently a pornography of politics. He has political asylum here because he shot at his own people in a local conflict, although that's also unknown. The thing is, he lies constantly and doesn't even notice it himself. And also, in his eyes, you are complete garbage; everything you have, he already had, and 100 times worse or better, depending on the situation. He said he fought in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Dushanbe—in short, he named a bunch of places. He said he is personally acquainted with the Pope, says half of Brooklyn knows him, in short, he twists the whole world on his censorship. Here's an example: "We went to the cinema in Manhattan yesterday, the biggest one in New York." "You went to the wrong place, that's all garbage, the biggest one is here in Brooklyn, why didn't you ask m

SAShakhrom AvezovShakhrom · Sep 17, 2011Read

Hello, Like everyone else, I had problems with university and because of that my flight was very late, i.e. June 21st. Oh well, to hell with those problems. The long-awaited moment arrived — my first flight from Dushanbe to Istanbul. We waited at the airport about 5-6 hours. During that time a lot happened at the airport. One poor Chinese man was sitting asleep, rocking back and forth for several hours. Good thing there were guys from Tajikistan there, otherwise I would have fallen asleep like that Chinese man too. The Turkish Airways planes are just gorgeous, but unfortunately I had a different airline. The airline was British Airways; everyone has their own opinion, but I didn't like this company. The food was disgusting, only Indians and Africans work there. In short, I recommend the Turkish airline. After that I had the Istanbul–London flight; in London I waited about 3 hours. And the plane from London to New York was awful, but fortunately there were monitors on the back of every seat where you could watch various movies. When we landed we immediately ran to passport control, because after us 2-3 more planes had landed, and the line at JFK Airport was huge. I waited about 40 minutes and then I went through passport control; she hesitated over my passport for about 10 minutes, then she took my fingerprints and, since she couldn't find something there, she took me to the police department. I sat there for about an hour; they went back and forth with my passport but didn't understand a thing. Then they found someone smarter, and after he did something there he said I was clean and they released me quickly. Finally I got my luggage and went out. Luckily my friend met me, because I flew late and there was no one from IEC at the airport. We immediately went out, got into a taxi, and drove to a friend's place in Queens. Usually everyone chooses the subway since it is cheaper than YELLOW CAB, i.e. a taxi. They took us for 20 bucks, seems normal, because if we'd taken the subway it would have come out almost the same since there were two of us. So we sat in the taxi and left; I somehow couldn't believe that I was already in the States.

МДМуллоходжи Джураевjura · Feb 19, 2010Read

Juraev Mullohoji The student of 1st course economic Faculty of the Khujand state university Name of academician B.Gafurova . Undoubtedly America is the developed country of the world, but Tajikistan should be one of the most attractive countries of the world in future. I wish to begin the compositions with the description of Soviet times. I sit much and I talk to people of the old generation, and they compare much and argue on how there was a life in the Soviet Union and what it became now. And when I said to them that I wish to go to the USA under program Work and Travel, they willingly recollected how they spent the vacation in student's building groups, and it gave the chance to them to go in other cities of the former Soviet Union. It certainly gave them the chance to study culture, traditions, and customs of other people. But it is necessary to tell, that they had rare possibilities and the moments to go out of Soviet Union. The Center of the International exchange was created in Soviet time, In 1989. I think, the program has opened different world for young generation. It is the program for those who thirst to expand their outlook. This program gives the chance to meet western culture, especially American, with which we are familiar on films, under stories of others. But it gives us possibility of personal meeting with people, dialogue, and work with them. Undoubtedly America is the developed country of the world. However what is secret of its success? May be they have more favorable nature? May be it depends of nature of people who live there? And there can be a secret of their prosperity in their aspiration to freedom when each person has possibility to realize? These and other questions always excited me, and I consider, that if I would get to America I would try to answer to these questions by all means. However my dream does not consist in remaining there, by no means. But I know, already today, that I wish to be the diplomat. Whom I would not become, I wish to see my country developed, attractive as America. All is learnt in comparison. Tajikistan became recently, the Independent country. It is necessary to make much that it became independent in literal sense of this word, has got economic, power and food independence. On what the future of Tajikistan depends? It is better to tell from whom the future of Tajikistan depends? Definitely I can tell from youth. How it should be youth? The youth should have the purpose before him/her The youth should aspire to knowledge. Youth should love the native land. But he/she also should be opened for perception of values of other cultures, to study experience of other countries, and to be able to apply this experience in the homeland. Only in this way each one can bring the mite in development of the country. Everyone think of the future, wishes to get good education. When I have learnt for the first time about this program, I have understood that it was for me. It became a surprise for me. Because I wished to continue the study abroad. This program could help to carry out to me my dream. I will have possibility to meet my contemporaries from the different countries, Eastern and Western, with their culture, psychology, with their attitude to a life and many other things. Many foreigners have no idea about Tajikistan , and as I am Tajik I could tell them about our culture, our traditions and customs. I wished to become the diplomat and as the future diplomat should find with all common language. For the diplomat it is necessary to know languages, history of the people and to possess leader’s skills and the main thing to form in him ability to understand others, and for this purpose it is necessary to study others. I am assured that program Work and Travel can become a starting stage for my Education and the future Career. And How I see 2009 for the International an exchange centre. I think that activity of this program has been most of all connected with sending youth to America