New international English speaking group in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

fobtash · Member

New international English speaking group in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hey, welcome Fobtash! And what a coincidence - I was in Uzbekistan in October, starting and ending the trip in Tashkent, and as a matter of fact that trip was how I found this discussion forum. While I was planning that trip, I had been trying to find AA meetings in Uzbekistan and didn't have any luck searching on line. I found this site so I came here originally just to ask if anyone else here had any experience finding meetings there, and I've been participating here since then. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any info about meetings in Uzbekistan at that time so was not able to make any AA contacts on my trip.

But it was a fantastic trip! Uzbekistan is an amazing place. Really sorry we didn't get a chance to meet face to face while I was there, but I'm very glad to 'meet' you here and very glad to hear that there is indeed AA in Uzbekistan. I know that starting new meetings in places with sparse AA presence can often mean sitting in a meeting room alone, so please feel free to hang out here with us! And please be sure to notify AA World Services so they can refer folks to you and your site.

BTW, here's a link to a few pictures I took during the trip (sorry, this batch doesn't include any from Tashkent):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18095676@N02/sets/72157637167879013/

RubyTues · MIP Old Timer

I love these connections. And way to go, Susan, on starting a new group.

Jerry F · MIP Old Timer

"If you build it...they will come". I know what sitting a meeting with the spirits of those who came before me and those yet to come and no one other than my HP and I ready. It happens that way and sometimes it gets soooo crowded we've extend meeting time another half hour. Good for you and AA and the location you are ready at. Keep on keeping on...you're special...unique and I can learn from that. ((((hugs)))) smile

gonee · MIP Old Timer

Great news, Susan.

Pythonpappy · MIP Old Timer

Welcome to MIP Susan, ... you have my support and prayers from the other side of the planet ... it's tough getting the word out that you're there when we try to stay 'anonymous', but I'm sure the message will spread once a few people become aware of the help available to them ...

Love you and God Bless,
Pappy

betterthanyesterday52 · MIP Old Timer

Welcome Susan and good for you for starting a new meeting! I hope that you keep us updated. It is exciting to know that you are making an effort to help other alcoholics recover.
((((Susan))))

BTY

Mike D · MIP Old Timer

Quite a few years ago I was on a week-long retreat at a Trappist monastery out in eastern in Iowa. The retreat was fabulous -- and I was getting tons of good stuff out of it -- but, by Wednesday evening, I was really missing going to an A.A. meeting. I asked the monks about a meeting in town, and they provided me with an A.A. meeting guide for that area -- and verbal directions. When I looked at the times of the meetings, I knew I'd be very late getting there. So, I just decided to forget about going to a meeting, and I wandered down to the coffee room to get some coffee and relax before evening prayers. When I entered the room, I saw two guys sitting and talking at one of the tables. As I walked past their table, I noticed a Big Book laying there in front of them. So, I introduced myself as "a friend of Bill's". After telling them I'd been wanting a meeting, they said, "Let's have one right now! We've got 3 alcoholics, a Big Book, and a pot of coffee! What more could we need?" After that, those guys started a new 7:00 o'clock meeting on every Wednesday night at that monastery.

Mike D.

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

That's awesome, Mike. I LOVE stories about finding AA where we didn't expect to. I got a few of 'em, here's one:

A few years ago I spent a couple of weeks traveling up the Mekong River on a large riverboat heading north from Viet Nam through Cambodia. I have almost always been able to make a plan to get to AA meetings before I travel to some new destination, but that didn't happen with this trip. I did find info about some meetings but the schedule of the riverboat didn't coincide with the meeting schedules, so I figured I would not find any meetings on this trip.

But a couple of days into the trip, when I was getting some coffee up on the deck one morning, another passenger who was also getting some coffee said to me "I noticed that you don't drink. Are you a friend of Bill's?" (there had been a celebration on deck the previous night, and I had repeatedly declined drinks from the staff). I said yes, and he pointed to a woman sitting in a deck chair near the front of the boat and told me she was his sister, and she was in AA.

So I introduced myself to her. She was "Erline from Indiana", a long-time AA member, and quite a character! For the remainder of the trip, every other morning she and I would grab some coffee and meet on the upper deck near the front of the boat where we would hold our own little AA meeting while we watched the sun rise as the Mekong jungle rolled past.

-- Edited by davep12and12 on Thursday 20th of February 2014 02:52:05 PM

Stepchild · MIP Old Timer

What a great thread...Amazing. Welcome Susan...What a great thing you are doing. And you just missed Dave.

Mike D · MIP Old Timer

Dave, I really liked that story! Isn't it amazing how we seem to unexpectedly cross paths with other A.A. members whenever we need to...or, when we just want to?

Like the song says, "Amazing Grace.........."

Blessings, Mike D.

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Here's another, and this one has a real 'twilight zone' amount of coincidence:

I was in Prague, looking for a meeting near the end of the trip. The meeting was way across town so I made a day of it, working my way there via the completely baffling public transportation system, getting lost and found a couple of times, and a lot of walking. I nearly gave up but I finally found the church, then the alley around back, then the basement door with a little sign that had the AA symbol. I arrived just a few minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start and there were already several people there. As I sat down, I heard a loud laugh and a familiar voice shouted across the room - "Oh my Gawd, I guess they'll let ANYBODY into these f*kkin' meetings!!". It was my old friend Dennis, who had moved away from our home group in California several years earlier. He had been living in Prague for a while, and he was moving again, to Washington, the very next day. It was his last meeting in Prague. We got to spend the rest of the day running around with several other folks from the meeting and catching up on things. It was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.

I have another story that's even better, from Zimbabwe, but I don't want to hijack the thread. I want to hear from Susan again!! What's up, girl? How is Tashkent treating you?

Pythonpappy · MIP Old Timer

This has turned into an awesome thread ... talk about 'Grace' AND 'Miracles' ... wow ... thanks everyone ...

Mike D · MIP Old Timer

You're right....this has turned in to an inspiring thread -- a collection of the various miraculous ways that our Creator has acted in our lives to help us along. He sure must love us! I could listen to these stories all day long.

Blessings to all, Mike D.

betterthanyesterday52 · MIP Old Timer

I love all of your stories! Very inspiring!

RubyTues · MIP Old Timer

I love this thread! Dave, do you travel for work?

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hi Ruby,

Not really, I have always just been very passionate about the idea of really getting to know the whole world. I used to daydream about adventurous travel when I was drinking (and too broke to do it). I started traveling a couple of years after I got sober. I don't take much more vacation time than most people, maybe three weeks a year total, and I usually visit one or two countries per year. So far I've been to 43 countries and I've found AA all over the world, sometimes in the most amazing and unexpected places. I still haven't seen much of Europe, partly because it's cheaper to go to the more exotic places, partly because I really prefer the more exotic places, partly because I figure I ought to do the more arduous and adventurous travel first. I can always sit in a café in Paris and sip coffee when I'm ninety years old, but if I want to ride camels and hike through jungles I ought to do that stuff first, ya know?

Although there was a recent period when I was doing a lot of travel for work to Hong Kong / southern China. Every two months I would go over there for about ten days, and this went on for a few years. I found a great English speaking group on Hong Kong Island which became my 'Hong Kong Home Group". I don't work for that company now so I don't get to go over there these days. I miss those folks over there.

I do hope the original commenter stops by again to say 'hi' and let us know how things are going in Uzbekistan...

BTW Ruby, folks are asking about you over on your "struggling" thread. You feeling any better today?

fobtash · Member

Folks,

I am overwhelmed by your warm responses. Thank you all so much for taking the time to get in touch and offer support.

I am about to head to the clinic where I hold the meeting with the brochure I have made (attached), which will be distributed this afternoon to the members of the Board, who are bigwigs at Embassies and NGOs here. Hopefully when they get distributed I will stop being the lone ranger every Tuesday night at my meeting!

Frankly I am close to desperate, as I am in relapse and of course living in dread of discovery.

Again, thank you so much for your time, good wishes, and support.

Best,

Susan

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hi Susan! I'm sorry to hear that things have been rough for you. But hey, you're going to meetings, and you know you can stay sober a day at a time because you have already given yourself evidence that you can do it. If you have regular access to the internet, please consider making this site your 'virtual home group', at least until the Tashkent group gets well established, ok? There is a lot of experience, strength and hope here, and lots of folks who are ready and willing to help and encourage you to get your sobriety back on track. As you know, it's One Day at a Time, so maybe it would help you if you check in here daily. Many of us treat this place a lot like any other meeting, or at least like the 'meeting after the meeting' where we all hang out together and talk about AA stuff and what's going on with us. Please feel free to join in and let us know what's going on, ok?

fobtash · Member

Hi Dave,

SO sorry I missed you when you were in town. I am so looking forward to a meeting with more than just myself! Glad you enjoyed Uzbekistan! Thanks for the kind words.

Susan

fobtash · Member

Thank you so much, Dave. I think that is a great suggestion. Sounds like a wonderful group. And yes, you are right, I have had years of sobriety so do know that it is indeed possible!

Late here, so won't properly share right now, but will say that I was given two bottles of wine at work today but did not bring them home and drink them! That feels good. But I drank a lot of vodka last night.

Thanks again for the invitation to share. Also, any feedback on the brochure would be welcome.

Susan

fobtash · Member

Dave,

Like everyone else on this thread I love these sorts of stories. Just marvelous. I was in Barcelona on holiday a few December's ago. I turned the corner to see two good friends (now in Ethiopia) from when we all taught in the Dominican Republic talking to another couple with their backs to me. When I got closer, I could see that they were talking to another couple who were still in the DR. We were all amazed to find one another - but I like your AA meeting reunion stories even better! Please do tell re Tanzania - I work with a couple here who worked there.

Susan

fobtash · Member

Any traveling with your new job?

fobtash · Member

Oops! I meant Zimbabwe, not Tanzania.

fobtash · Member

Wonderful story, Mike. Seekers finding one another and adding another layer to the experience. Very cool.

fobtash · Member

Thank you very much for the kind welcome, and please forgive my late response.

Susan

fobtash · Member

Hi Dave,

Great shots of Uzbekistan on your flickr page. Good work. I especially love the one of the old fella practically engulfed within his coat.

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hey! Great to hear from you again, Susan. You asked about feedback on the brochure. I think it looks really great! I did want to verify that the guy in the picture is just some kind of 'stock photo', right? He's not an actual AA member? Using a photo of an actual AA member might be considered going against the tradition of anonymity. Also, the brochure mentions that all expats are welcome, but what about any native Uzbeks who happen to speak English? It might be a good idea to make it clear that everyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, but the meeting is in English. If an English speaking Uzbek citizen sees the brochure, you wouldn't want to give him the impression that he shouldn't attend just because he's not an expat.

I'll post again with my crazy Zimbabwe story a bit later. I think I'll start a separate discussion thread about finding AA in far-flung places... Great to 'see' you here!

-- Edited by davep12and12 on Thursday 27th of February 2014 01:08:59 PM

-- Edited by davep12and12 on Thursday 27th of February 2014 01:10:41 PM

fobtash · Member

Thanks for your reply, Dave.

Yes - a stock photo, for sure!

Unfortunately Uzbeks would not be allowed to gather this way; the government would not allow their participation. Very, very sad.

Looking forward to the Zim story. Loved your Cambodia photos. Giving me itchy feet!

Susan

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hi Susan! How ya doing today? I noticed a few comments from you popping up on some of the other threads around here today and it's really great to 'see' you joining our virtual community. Even though you're just getting back to sobriety now, you DO have plenty of AA experience to share with others, and that's what it's all about.

OK, you've convinced me - in a few minutes I'll start a new discussion about finding AA in remote or interesting places.... I hope you can chime in as well!

UPDATE - ok, the new thread is called "Where in the world.....?" Hope to see you there, Susan!

-- Edited by davep12and12 on Friday 28th of February 2014 12:47:55 AM

Milandi · Newbie

Hi folks, I'm planning to visit Uzbekistan/Tashkent for the first time in 15 years in july and august 2015, to meet for the first time my father))) It's gona to be a very emotional trip for me...

I've searched Russian spoken meeting, but didn't find one. Is there some people who still joins the AA or NA meetings in Tashkent??

Thans for your reply!!

M

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Hi Milandi,

I have found some links for information about AA and NA meetings in Tashkent:

http://aatashkent.weebly.com/about.html

http://meetings.intherooms.com/meetings/search?latitude=41.351083&longitude=69.205191&proximity=100

But I did not know about these meetings when I was in Tashkent and so I have not attended them and I cannot confirm this information.

I suggest that you go to these links and try to contact these people directly and confirm if this information is still correct about the meeting times and locations.

Good luck!