A rest day from my Dagestan MMA camp turned into a journey to Terekli-Mekteb and an unexpected connection with Nogai culture, hospitality and a place that somehow felt familiar.

The second day ç was one of those days that reminded me exactly why I came here. I woke up around 7 AM and had a simple breakfast: oats, kefir, honey, and walnuts. Enough fuel for what was waiting for us. At 10, Arsen picked us up. We headed toward Eagles Gym and from there drove to Tarki-Tau for our running session. No Warm-Up. Just Run. I’m used to the usual runner routine. Get out of the car. Warm up. Move around a little. Maybe start with an easy jog. Not here. We got out

I arrived in Makhachkala late on the night of August 13 to join Dagestan MMA Training Camp (https://dagestantrainingcamp.com/) Salman and Arsen are our hosts. The airport was small, quiet, and unfamiliar. Arsen was supposed to pick me up, but my phone had no internet connection and I couldn’t connect to the airport Wi-Fi. I had no way of reaching him, so all I could do was wait. Almost two hours later, we finally found each other outside the airport. Communication was not eas