Two days in Ashgabat for the conference before we take off to check out where we'll be living for the next two years...
My giardia has left me so I'm in full celebration mode.
At a Turkmen disco last night the DJ played a techno version of Pink Floyd.
I ate a big plate of spagetti with a heap of delicious cheese.
A fabulous hotel party and copious amounts of vod ensued...
The highlight:
Running out ten minutes before the countrywide curfew to find no stores open. A man on the street directed us to a dark opening in the wall across the street. We proceeded into a dark, narrow alleyway and found ourselves in the tiniest store on the planet.
Do you have any vodka? we asked the lady.
She nodded and crawled through an actual hole in her wall to retrieve the bottle for us.
We slapped some Fanta on top and it almost sort of didn't taste like rubbing alcohol.
Simply fabulous.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Giardia Stinks
I have giardia, but I'm dealing with it.
It caused many strange things to exit my body and also caused me to officially become a Peace Corps Volunteer. Yup…that’s right…
Honestly, it was a pretty rough week.
Yet after a riveting discussion on pinworms last Tuesday, my giardia seems quite lovely.
In other more important news, I found out where I’ll be for the next two years…I’ll be in the fabulous city of Yoleten in the region Mary, in southwest Turkmenistan. It’s a pretty big city, of about 25,000 people. I’m surprised because it means that things are going to be a lot easier for me than I expected. I might even have an internet café!
It couldn’t be a better fit…people just light up when describing Yoleten. Apparently it’s very green and they have a disco. That’ll be interesting…
The best part is that my new host mom is a Russian teacher, which makes my next project to commit as much time as I can to learning Russian.
What’s even more awesome is that I have fabulous people in my velayat (region) and I’m only about an hour from the velayat capital city Mary.
The next two years are going to be amazing. As long as I can fend off the pinworms, anyway…
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Worst Day
November 19, 2007
Yesterday was my worst day here.
My stomach was boiling but I went into Ashgabat anyway because I had so many things to do. Then I got to the office to find the Internet was down…on the one day I had to use it.
That was incredibly irritating.
Then my stomach was boiling more than ever and I was visiting the toilet constantly.
I had told my host family I’d cook for them in the evening though, so I didn’t want to let them down. I found myself wandering around the bazaar with a massive headache, a fever, a boiling stomach and a colon that was screaming for a toilet.
Then I felt myself become delirious. It was all I could do to keep from curling up into a ball right there on the dirty ground of the Teke Bazaar in Ashgabat.
So I made a few purchases without really being sure of what I was buying and got into the first taxi that would take me home. I paid way too much and the driver was complaining about something but I wasn’t listening. I just wanted to die.
I arrived home, took my temperature and swallowed some Ibuprofin, but it didn’t help. I started cutting up onions and felt myself getting hotter and hotter until one of the family members saw me and put her hand on my forehead.
That was the end of my cooking experience in Turkmenistan.
But I will say this…when Gyzulgul (the family gilneje) saw that I was so sick she was genuinely concerned and she took care of me. She brought me bananas (that I refused to eat) and made some weird grass and spearament concoction that she rubbed all over my back. Then she brought me tea with blackberries (although it sent me right to the toilet).
It’s good to have someone there for you when you’re away from home.
Yesterday was my worst day here.
My stomach was boiling but I went into Ashgabat anyway because I had so many things to do. Then I got to the office to find the Internet was down…on the one day I had to use it.
That was incredibly irritating.
Then my stomach was boiling more than ever and I was visiting the toilet constantly.
I had told my host family I’d cook for them in the evening though, so I didn’t want to let them down. I found myself wandering around the bazaar with a massive headache, a fever, a boiling stomach and a colon that was screaming for a toilet.
Then I felt myself become delirious. It was all I could do to keep from curling up into a ball right there on the dirty ground of the Teke Bazaar in Ashgabat.
So I made a few purchases without really being sure of what I was buying and got into the first taxi that would take me home. I paid way too much and the driver was complaining about something but I wasn’t listening. I just wanted to die.
I arrived home, took my temperature and swallowed some Ibuprofin, but it didn’t help. I started cutting up onions and felt myself getting hotter and hotter until one of the family members saw me and put her hand on my forehead.
That was the end of my cooking experience in Turkmenistan.
But I will say this…when Gyzulgul (the family gilneje) saw that I was so sick she was genuinely concerned and she took care of me. She brought me bananas (that I refused to eat) and made some weird grass and spearament concoction that she rubbed all over my back. Then she brought me tea with blackberries (although it sent me right to the toilet).
It’s good to have someone there for you when you’re away from home.
I love Letters
November 17, 2007
I walked up over a thousand steps today on the Health Walk outside Ashgabat…It was spectacular.
We find out on Tuesday where we’ll be for the next two years…I have a weird feeling that they’re going to put me in Mary, which is the southeast region of T-stan.
Turkmen words are replacing English ones, and conversation is flowing out like water.
With our Enlgish club theater work my load has quadrupled, but I love it.
Please send me letters by post mail (and include some waxed dental floss if you can). I love them, and all of you back home. Thanks for being so incredibly awesome.
I walked up over a thousand steps today on the Health Walk outside Ashgabat…It was spectacular.
We find out on Tuesday where we’ll be for the next two years…I have a weird feeling that they’re going to put me in Mary, which is the southeast region of T-stan.
Turkmen words are replacing English ones, and conversation is flowing out like water.
With our Enlgish club theater work my load has quadrupled, but I love it.
Please send me letters by post mail (and include some waxed dental floss if you can). I love them, and all of you back home. Thanks for being so incredibly awesome.
English Words Are Flowing Out Like Endless Rain Into a Paper Cup
November 14, 2007
Our English club is in full swing and it’s my absolute favorite time of the day now. On Mondays and Wednesdays we work with 9th form kids and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we’re with 1st and 2nd form kids. So far they are absolutely loving it, and it puts a huge smile on my face every day.
Especially now that we’re going to be putting on a play in a few weeks…I’ve never been so excited about a project before!
The kids in the school love us beyond what you can imagine. I’ve received candy, cards, hugs, cheek kisses, handshakes, cookies, flowers and artwork from them since I’ve been here. And every single one of them knows my name and screams it out whenever they see me.
Never have I ever been so popular. It’s an awesome feeling.
Our English club is in full swing and it’s my absolute favorite time of the day now. On Mondays and Wednesdays we work with 9th form kids and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we’re with 1st and 2nd form kids. So far they are absolutely loving it, and it puts a huge smile on my face every day.
Especially now that we’re going to be putting on a play in a few weeks…I’ve never been so excited about a project before!
The kids in the school love us beyond what you can imagine. I’ve received candy, cards, hugs, cheek kisses, handshakes, cookies, flowers and artwork from them since I’ve been here. And every single one of them knows my name and screams it out whenever they see me.
Never have I ever been so popular. It’s an awesome feeling.
Ups and Downs
November 12, 2007
My belly is full of amazing Turkish food and delicious cranberry juice. Man, it’s been awhile since I had juice. It’s sooooooooooooooooo GOOD.
The Turkish embassy hosted a concert and art show in Ashgabat tonight and so Kevin, Sarah and I went along. Dressed in our best, we hung out with ambassadors, enjoyed some spectacular music put on by the Turkish orchestra, and ate and ate and ate and ate.
What’s hilarious is that last night and this morning I was feeling like crap, thinking my stomach would never feel normal again, completely lacking motivation, depressed about how crappy my Turkmen language skills are and wondering what the heck I was doing in this country.
Eight hours later I’m at one of the finest cocktail parties on the planet.
The moral is that no matter how icky things seem, it’ll always get better.
And cavier & cranberry juice with embassy people from around the world is AWESOME.
My belly is full of amazing Turkish food and delicious cranberry juice. Man, it’s been awhile since I had juice. It’s sooooooooooooooooo GOOD.
The Turkish embassy hosted a concert and art show in Ashgabat tonight and so Kevin, Sarah and I went along. Dressed in our best, we hung out with ambassadors, enjoyed some spectacular music put on by the Turkish orchestra, and ate and ate and ate and ate.
What’s hilarious is that last night and this morning I was feeling like crap, thinking my stomach would never feel normal again, completely lacking motivation, depressed about how crappy my Turkmen language skills are and wondering what the heck I was doing in this country.
Eight hours later I’m at one of the finest cocktail parties on the planet.
The moral is that no matter how icky things seem, it’ll always get better.
And cavier & cranberry juice with embassy people from around the world is AWESOME.
Irritation
November 11, 2007
I’m sick of all the flies in my room constantly.
I hate chewing slow because there are tiny pebbles and bones in my food.
I really miss my iPod.
I hate how all my sweatpants are too baggy now that I can’t throw them in a dryer to tighten them up.
I sound like a whiny brat. I need to shut up.
I’m sick of all the flies in my room constantly.
I hate chewing slow because there are tiny pebbles and bones in my food.
I really miss my iPod.
I hate how all my sweatpants are too baggy now that I can’t throw them in a dryer to tighten them up.
I sound like a whiny brat. I need to shut up.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Who Was I Then?
November 7, 2007
Today all 37 volunteers (yes, someone did leave back to the U.S. so we are 37 now) for some hub day fun and the topic of ‘who was I before I came here?’ came up.
It’s interesting because you find yourself settling for things you wouldn’t normally settle for, feeling stupid on a daily basis because you can’t communicate, eating things you wouldn’t normally eat and hiding things about yourself that you wouldn’t normally hide. Vegetarians aren’t vegetarians anymore and broccoli lovers just have to settle for cucumbers. And I’ve been eating tons and tons and tons of cucumbers.
So who was I six weeks ago?
I would have been a lot more irritated by how much gas I have.
I didn’t eat as much chocolate…and didn’t abuse it when I was feeling down.
I didn’t get excited about pooping solid.
I was much more irritated when I didn’t have internet access.
I didn’t care and didn’t think about the limited access to education in other countries.
I didn’t have to fend off wild dogs on my afternoon run.
I wouldn’t have accepted oily soup two times a day every day as acceptable nutrition.
I didn’t have to constantly watch where I step
I didn’t get drained and frustrated when I couldn’t communicate something to find myself giving up and looking like a fool in front of people who really want to talk with me.
I didn’t have nearly as much patience.
I hated eating fruit…now I am happy to eat at least two apples a day because it’s the best way for me to keep healthy over here.
Six more weeks until training is over…
Today all 37 volunteers (yes, someone did leave back to the U.S. so we are 37 now) for some hub day fun and the topic of ‘who was I before I came here?’ came up.
It’s interesting because you find yourself settling for things you wouldn’t normally settle for, feeling stupid on a daily basis because you can’t communicate, eating things you wouldn’t normally eat and hiding things about yourself that you wouldn’t normally hide. Vegetarians aren’t vegetarians anymore and broccoli lovers just have to settle for cucumbers. And I’ve been eating tons and tons and tons of cucumbers.
So who was I six weeks ago?
I would have been a lot more irritated by how much gas I have.
I didn’t eat as much chocolate…and didn’t abuse it when I was feeling down.
I didn’t get excited about pooping solid.
I was much more irritated when I didn’t have internet access.
I didn’t care and didn’t think about the limited access to education in other countries.
I didn’t have to fend off wild dogs on my afternoon run.
I wouldn’t have accepted oily soup two times a day every day as acceptable nutrition.
I didn’t have to constantly watch where I step
I didn’t get drained and frustrated when I couldn’t communicate something to find myself giving up and looking like a fool in front of people who really want to talk with me.
I didn’t have nearly as much patience.
I hated eating fruit…now I am happy to eat at least two apples a day because it’s the best way for me to keep healthy over here.
Six more weeks until training is over…
Beauty
November 5, 2007
I ate an insane amount of candy today and now I have a stomach ache.
Today Gyzulgul, my host sister-in-law (gilneje) was mixing a weird solution together and she told me it was a face mask for my host mom, so I took some and put it on my face also.
It’s pretty much just rice and some type of honey they have here, and I thought it was wacky at first, but after about five minutes I could feel my face tightening up. It still feels kind of weird…
We attempted to begin our English club today but it didn’t quite work out since over four teachers were absent and we pretty much just ended up working as substitutes for another class while we were supposed to have the club. It didn’t go as well as we had planned.
I’ve finally incorporated the words “I’m joking” into my Turkmen vocabulary…it’s very helpful with my host family. Especially when my host sister started freaking out when I told her I was going to take photos of her when she started putting the weird rice mask thing on too.
O well…I think Turkmen women with rice and honey plastered to their face would have made for a lovely photo for America to see…
I ate an insane amount of candy today and now I have a stomach ache.
Today Gyzulgul, my host sister-in-law (gilneje) was mixing a weird solution together and she told me it was a face mask for my host mom, so I took some and put it on my face also.
It’s pretty much just rice and some type of honey they have here, and I thought it was wacky at first, but after about five minutes I could feel my face tightening up. It still feels kind of weird…
We attempted to begin our English club today but it didn’t quite work out since over four teachers were absent and we pretty much just ended up working as substitutes for another class while we were supposed to have the club. It didn’t go as well as we had planned.
I’ve finally incorporated the words “I’m joking” into my Turkmen vocabulary…it’s very helpful with my host family. Especially when my host sister started freaking out when I told her I was going to take photos of her when she started putting the weird rice mask thing on too.
O well…I think Turkmen women with rice and honey plastered to their face would have made for a lovely photo for America to see…
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Camels, Caves and Penelope
November 3, 2007
Tomorrow starts my sixth week here…life is still fabulous.
Two days ago my host family bought a cow and I named her Penelope.
My Turkmen is getting better J.
My iPod is dead, and is never coming back. I’m alright with it though…life goes on.
One of the students in my school made me a Halloween card, and it has the lyrics to “Jingle Bells” written on the inside. It’s pretty much the coolest thing ever.
My family told me Penelope cost about $200 and I can’t understand why a cow cost so little but a camel cost more than $500. So they told me that we’d go camel shopping together and we could see what sweet deals I can get on a baby camel J.
I went down into a cave yesterday and swam in the sulfuric water below. It was warm and supposedly has special healing powers, but it turned my silver ring black. My host mother gave me a stern look because she had told me not to swim in the water. Oh well…curiosity wins.
My host family is phenomenal and I love talking with them. I’m excited to go somewhere new once training is over next month, but I’m definitely going to Annau J.
Tomorrow starts my sixth week here…life is still fabulous.
Two days ago my host family bought a cow and I named her Penelope.
My Turkmen is getting better J.
My iPod is dead, and is never coming back. I’m alright with it though…life goes on.
One of the students in my school made me a Halloween card, and it has the lyrics to “Jingle Bells” written on the inside. It’s pretty much the coolest thing ever.
My family told me Penelope cost about $200 and I can’t understand why a cow cost so little but a camel cost more than $500. So they told me that we’d go camel shopping together and we could see what sweet deals I can get on a baby camel J.
I went down into a cave yesterday and swam in the sulfuric water below. It was warm and supposedly has special healing powers, but it turned my silver ring black. My host mother gave me a stern look because she had told me not to swim in the water. Oh well…curiosity wins.
My host family is phenomenal and I love talking with them. I’m excited to go somewhere new once training is over next month, but I’m definitely going to Annau J.
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