OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019117unlimited hotwater wasspecial.Mashaalsohad herteeth
cleanedbya professionaldentist,toppedoffbya manicure
anda visittoa hairsalon.ThetwogirlsreturnedtoKhorog
bythemselves,bythestandard14-to19-hour4WDtaxiinto
themountains,theirmindsswirlingwithimpressionsfrom
anotherworld.
OurchancemeetingofMashaandourabilitytospon-
sorherandwatchherlearnandgrowhasbecomeoneofthe
highlightsofourlives.It hasbeena realtreasure of overland
travel,andanexperiencewerecommend.liesarerelated,sowhena sheeporgoatis slaughtered,the
meatgoestomanyhomes.
Atthiselevation,wintersarebrutal.Animalsmustbekept
inclosedshedsbecausepacksofwolvesarea problem.Wood
gatheredduringtheshortsummer,anddriedcowandsheep
dungaretheonlysourcesoffuelforheat.
Wenowhada muchclearerideaofMasha’sbackground
andthedauntingchangeinherlifethatwemusthaveof-
feredher.Whenwemet,herfuturewassomewhatpredeter-
mined.Nowherchoicesareplentiful,andnodoubta little
overwhelming,especiallyatfirst.Withtwoanda halfmore
yearsbeforeshegraduates,hercurrentaspirationsofbeinga
musician,actress,ordoctormaychangemorethanonce.Our
primarygoalis tokeepherhealthyandhappywhilesheis
learningandtoallowherthepowerofdreams.
Beforewe leftTajikistan,we tookMasha and Sheroz’s
niece toDushanbe,thecapitalofthecountry.Itwas their
first travelbyairplane,andwe hadfun spoiling themina
newworldofmuseums,zoos,shoppingmalls,hamburgers,
Baskin-Robbins ice cream,pizza,escalators,elevators,and
even a 3D movie. A comfortable bed in a nice hotel with
Clockwisefromtop left:FromPamirimountaingirl to city teenager,
Masha’slove of life has not changed.In the mountainsof Tajikistan,
songand danceare an integralpart of life. Despitelimitedschool-
ing in her village,Mashamadea remarkabletransitionto a full-time
student.Sponsoringthis younggirl has beenone of the greatjoys
of overlandingtravelfor us.Opposite:There was a magical aura
around Masha that touched our hearts.GETINVOLVEDTo sponsoranotherPamirichild'seducation, visit
donorbox.org/turtleexpedition-pamir-children-education