Tashkent

There is a famous madrassa very near the place I am staying. It was constructed in the 1500's, and was a school for many years, later a caravanserai, and still later used by the Russians for secular purposes. After Uzbek independence, it was converted back to a madrassa.

Historically a madrassa education has been narrowly focused but intense within the confines of that focus. In the 1600's, a young man studying there would have been schooled in Islam, literature, ethics, math, geometry and astronomy. Instruction would have been in Arabic and Persian. Today, it is still young men only who attend, but the curriculum is expanded. It is still heavily based in the Koran and various commentaries and interpretations, but students are also taught Uzbek language, literature and history, geography, English, and physics.

After visiting a famous mosque, I wandered in the streets of the old city. I can't think of an American comparison to the way old sits beside and coexists with modern and new here.

I saw a woman walking by as I sat in the shade outside the mosque who looked English, and she was alone. So I said hello as she went by, quietly and not assuming anything, so that she was free to ignore me or just say hello and keep walking. But she stopped and we had a nice conversation, sharing stories. She is off on the train this evening. I've seen/heard so few travelers whose first language is English, it was nice to spend 20 minutes with her.

Most cars here are small, they have to be to fit the places they go. Lots of Chevy Sparks, and even a few of the old Russian cars. It's a beautiful day, but the chill of evening is falling, I am off to add layers and go in search of dinner.