by Hira Wajahat Malik, Junior Research Fellow from the Estonian Business School
A plan to visit to a new country comes with anticipation and excitement of what to expect, what to eat, which places to visit. Indeed, when my research secondment to Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) as part of the MOCCA was confirmed, it was the same. I read as much as I could online and prepared myself on what to expect in Uzbekistan. But nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced.
Uzbekistan is young, modern, very open and very accepting. From the faculty that received me at WIUT, to the people I met in formal and informal settings, to the discussions that we had and to the information I gathered, there was a buzz of rapid modernization, desire for change and carving a niche on the global arena that you could experience.
Tashkent, the base for my secondment, was a blend of old and new. Keeping the rich history as the state capital of Uzbekistan alive, the evolution and acceptance of digital technologies and transcendence to becoming the Silicon Valley of Central Asia was quite visible. The surprises for me began with the ease of connectivity and speed of internet provided by the sim card I purchased at the airport.
Landing at 3:00 am in a new country for the first time, I didn’t realize how easy it would be to navigate my pick-up from the airport using the Yandex app. Yandex is a super app for all personal logistics including taxi, navigation, food delivery, bus schedules etc. Even with the language barriers as Ozbek and the more widely spoken Russian were both new and different languages for me, the convenience and ease of managing all personal logistics on one app was super-efficient. I was able to book a cab from the airport without any complications or challenging communication scenarios and I arrived at my accommodation without the need to call any one or take external help.
At WIUT, I was able to meet a great team who hosted my research stay. Since my core research interests are around sustainability transitions and innovation, I had decided to focus my paper on the critical role of transparent policy in enabling green initiatives in business. I started to do secondary research to get a sense of the existing green policies of Uzbekistan. This came as a surprise to me again because I didn’t expect an emerging, transitioning economy to be so well prepared and have a clear national strategy and policy directive for green practices implementation at the country level that engages the private sector directly.
During my visit I also got to meet with InnoWIUT, IT Park Uzbekistan and Plug & Play Accelerator, leading innovation hubs in Tashkent that are supporting new venture creation and experimenting with new business models for growth.
My joy of meeting such brilliant minds was enhanced by the fact that each person gave me one recommendation at least of a café or specific food to try in Tashkent.
Uzbekistan in general and Tashkent in particular is heaven for food lovers. 30 days were not enough to try everything and do justice truly. In addition to the extremely delicious Uzbek grills and national Uzbekistan plovs (there is a different one from each region and for each occasion), I also got to eat some amazing steaks as well as try Georgian food for the first time. I could go one about every single dish I tried, and it wouldn’t end.
But then there is the historic significance of Uzbekistan as part of the old silk route that cannot be missed and had to be visited as well. Samarkand and Bukhara were top of my list. Growing up in Pakistan, our history is tied closely to Central Asia. Our ancestors, the Mughals, came to the subcontinent from Uzbekistan and are direct descendants of Amir Temur, the founding father of the nation. It was interesting to relive my history lessons during my visit and explore shared history and narratives that highlighted the importance of several cities and locations in Pakistan.
Having a natural pull towards academia, I really enjoyed my visit to Bukhara which is known as the city of Madrasahs. Today, using the word madrasahs denotes a place of religious instruction, however that is not true as the madrasahs are traditional variant to what we call a university today. Bukhara was quite charming as a historic hub of science and learning with the number of specialized madrassahs and the scholars it was home too. In Samarkand, visiting the astronomical observatory that laid the foundation of modern astro-physics was a treat. This learning and growing is also reflected today in the number of universities in Uzbekistan and the evolution that the country is going through.
At the end of the day, MOCCA project was instrumental in introducing me to a new country, culture, making new friends and connections on a personal and professional level that I carry forward. Thus, I don’t think this small reflection will do justice to my time in Uzbekistan, and I look forward to returning on subsequent opportunities.