Up on the roof!

We recently attended a birthday party for one of our Russian friends. The gathering was held on the rooftop of our dormitory. It was great fun. Here Kalila is pictured with our friend Nargiz from Tajikistan. Tajikistan is a Central Asian country that used to be part of the Persian Empire. The Tajik language is derived from Farsi although it differs greatly because it has been influenced by Uzbek, which is a Turkic language. 'Tajik-o-Turk' is a way of referring to 'everybody' in Central Asia, somewhat similar to the phrase 'Jews and Gentiles' in English. Tajikistan was also part of the former Soviet Union. Most students from Tajikistan speak Russian and Tajik and are excellent students of Mandarin Chinese as well.