Merry Christmas!
Yesterday was the worst day ever...the conference was longer than life and I was SOOO TIRED.
So I swore I wouldn't drink or go to the disco last night but before I knew it I was taking flaming sambuca shots and dancing on the speakers until 3am.
Oh well, it's Christmas...
Tomorrow we're off. I probably won't have too much internet access from now on, so have a wonderful holiday and enjoy some egg nog for me. We'll be eating Iranian food and attempting to make mimosas.
See Ya!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Please Don't Stop the MUSICCCCC
December 23, 2007
Tonight at the ceremony we’ll be sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers. After today I will no longer be a Peace Corps Trainee and will have official status.
The coolest thing is that now we actually get paid. No more living off $25 a month…now I can buy bananas every day- which I’m absolutely going to be doing.
So what does a person do for five days in a hotel in Ashgabat?
Take advantage of the running water and wash every single article of clothing possible.
Eat at Pizza Haus every day.
Have a gigantic hotel party (or two or three).
Dance on the speakers at the Ak Altyn Disco.
Purchase vodka just because there’s a big white horse on the label.
Spend every morning in pain, cursing the big white horse.
Three more days until we’re off…
Tonight at the ceremony we’ll be sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers. After today I will no longer be a Peace Corps Trainee and will have official status.
The coolest thing is that now we actually get paid. No more living off $25 a month…now I can buy bananas every day- which I’m absolutely going to be doing.
So what does a person do for five days in a hotel in Ashgabat?
Take advantage of the running water and wash every single article of clothing possible.
Eat at Pizza Haus every day.
Have a gigantic hotel party (or two or three).
Dance on the speakers at the Ak Altyn Disco.
Purchase vodka just because there’s a big white horse on the label.
Spend every morning in pain, cursing the big white horse.
Three more days until we’re off…
How Low Can You Go?
December 22, 2007
I truly believe that a strong sense of humor is vital in every situation, but here there are so many things that you just have to laugh about because it’s just the way it is. So with that being said, I think I was blessed to have a host family with such a strong sense of humor. I’ve spent hours laughing with them over the most ridiculous things, hilarious things, and sometimes even serious things we found humor in.
But I’m left with a question…how low can you go until it’s culturally inappropriate? Since I can’t explain myself in English, joking in the Turkmen language has become a huge part of my life. However, this is something I’ve learned the hard way, through trial and error: What is okay to joke around about, and what is off limits?
Situation #1
My 16-year-old host sister walks in with her hair wrapped up in a scarf. I point and laugh because she looks different and she smiles and says she just washed her hair. “Oh, your monthly bath!” I tell her. “Good, your hair was really beginning to smell!”
The entire room bursts into laughter, everything is okay.
Score: 100 Percent Okay
Situation #2
My 16-year-old host sister and I are cleaning up after dinner. She gathers together the scraps into a dish for the dog outside, points to it, and tells me that she’s going to go feed my boyfriend.
Everybody laughs, I shout back some retort thinking I’ll get her back worse later.
Score: 100 Percent Okay
Situation #3
My older host sister is wearing a new dress, and she tells me she has another new dress and is wondering if I’d like it. She goes to get it, and it’s about ten sizes too big for me. I burst into laughter, point at the dress asking why the heck they would think I’d like it, not realizing it’s the same exact pattern as my sister’s new dress.
I ask who bought the dress and my host mother tells me that she did. Still laughing, carried away by the hugeness of the dress, I ask her why she’d buy such a thing. Other people are laughing but my host sister is trying to explain that they would resize it for me, but I wasn’t listening until it was too late.
I later realized that the dresses were the exact same pattern and I was being rude by saying I didn’t like the dress.
Score: Not really okay, but little damage caused
Situation #4
My host sister-in-law is sitting with me having breakfast. She’s so beautiful and sweet and I tell her so. Then, jokingly, I tell her, “You’re so wonderful… I bet you have a lot of boyfriends.”
“NOOO!!! No no no, Angela,” she says.
“Oh yes, I think when I’m not looking you probably have lots of guys wanting to go out with you.”
“NOOOOOOO,” she says, shaking her head angerly. I think she can tell I’m joking because I’m just smiling and laughing over it, but she didn’t like that I said that.
I learned later that the most insulting thing you can say to a married woman is that they have someone else on the side. If anyone at all whatsoever suspects them of having another man they are completely shamed and disowned by the family.
Score: Completely and absolutely culturally inappropriate
Moral of the story: Keep your sense of humor, but try and check yourself before you wreck yourself.
I truly believe that a strong sense of humor is vital in every situation, but here there are so many things that you just have to laugh about because it’s just the way it is. So with that being said, I think I was blessed to have a host family with such a strong sense of humor. I’ve spent hours laughing with them over the most ridiculous things, hilarious things, and sometimes even serious things we found humor in.
But I’m left with a question…how low can you go until it’s culturally inappropriate? Since I can’t explain myself in English, joking in the Turkmen language has become a huge part of my life. However, this is something I’ve learned the hard way, through trial and error: What is okay to joke around about, and what is off limits?
Situation #1
My 16-year-old host sister walks in with her hair wrapped up in a scarf. I point and laugh because she looks different and she smiles and says she just washed her hair. “Oh, your monthly bath!” I tell her. “Good, your hair was really beginning to smell!”
The entire room bursts into laughter, everything is okay.
Score: 100 Percent Okay
Situation #2
My 16-year-old host sister and I are cleaning up after dinner. She gathers together the scraps into a dish for the dog outside, points to it, and tells me that she’s going to go feed my boyfriend.
Everybody laughs, I shout back some retort thinking I’ll get her back worse later.
Score: 100 Percent Okay
Situation #3
My older host sister is wearing a new dress, and she tells me she has another new dress and is wondering if I’d like it. She goes to get it, and it’s about ten sizes too big for me. I burst into laughter, point at the dress asking why the heck they would think I’d like it, not realizing it’s the same exact pattern as my sister’s new dress.
I ask who bought the dress and my host mother tells me that she did. Still laughing, carried away by the hugeness of the dress, I ask her why she’d buy such a thing. Other people are laughing but my host sister is trying to explain that they would resize it for me, but I wasn’t listening until it was too late.
I later realized that the dresses were the exact same pattern and I was being rude by saying I didn’t like the dress.
Score: Not really okay, but little damage caused
Situation #4
My host sister-in-law is sitting with me having breakfast. She’s so beautiful and sweet and I tell her so. Then, jokingly, I tell her, “You’re so wonderful… I bet you have a lot of boyfriends.”
“NOOO!!! No no no, Angela,” she says.
“Oh yes, I think when I’m not looking you probably have lots of guys wanting to go out with you.”
“NOOOOOOO,” she says, shaking her head angerly. I think she can tell I’m joking because I’m just smiling and laughing over it, but she didn’t like that I said that.
I learned later that the most insulting thing you can say to a married woman is that they have someone else on the side. If anyone at all whatsoever suspects them of having another man they are completely shamed and disowned by the family.
Score: Completely and absolutely culturally inappropriate
Moral of the story: Keep your sense of humor, but try and check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Holidays
Muslim holidays are fantastic.
Thursday night we stayed up late breaking up a billion loaves of bread for dograma. My hands are still sore.
But Friday was fantastic...I've never had so much food, ever...dograma, plov, cake, salad, and it went on forever.
Then at night we participated in a fascinating tradition of swinging our sins away. We got on top of a giant swing with a load of kids and went nuts. I don't entirely understand everything that goes on here all the time, but I truly enjoy it. It's pretty awesome :)
Thursday night we stayed up late breaking up a billion loaves of bread for dograma. My hands are still sore.
But Friday was fantastic...I've never had so much food, ever...dograma, plov, cake, salad, and it went on forever.
Then at night we participated in a fascinating tradition of swinging our sins away. We got on top of a giant swing with a load of kids and went nuts. I don't entirely understand everything that goes on here all the time, but I truly enjoy it. It's pretty awesome :)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tolkuchka
I'll admit it...I hate Tolkuchka.
Being surrounded by five billion people with their huge bags and the copius amounts of banana and somsa sellers and those humongous carts that suddenly appear right in front of you or behind you without any warning knocking you completely off your path is no fun.
It's the diamond in the haystack situation...you know the perfect item for the perfect price is there for you, somewhere in the middle of the chaos when people are smacking into you, shoving you and pushing you all over the place- it's just a matter of finding it.
But I was desperate. My feet have been FREEZING in my strappy walking shoes so I had to find some boots.
So I pushed and shoved and yelled and battled the rudeness until I found them. They're big and thick and keep the warmth in...and they're only $15.
It may be the largest bazaar on the planet, and you may be able to find anything from camels to ice cream to ribbons for your hair to toilet seats, but every time I find myself there I tell myself that I will never ever again return.
But I always do. And my feet are very thankful.
Being surrounded by five billion people with their huge bags and the copius amounts of banana and somsa sellers and those humongous carts that suddenly appear right in front of you or behind you without any warning knocking you completely off your path is no fun.
It's the diamond in the haystack situation...you know the perfect item for the perfect price is there for you, somewhere in the middle of the chaos when people are smacking into you, shoving you and pushing you all over the place- it's just a matter of finding it.
But I was desperate. My feet have been FREEZING in my strappy walking shoes so I had to find some boots.
So I pushed and shoved and yelled and battled the rudeness until I found them. They're big and thick and keep the warmth in...and they're only $15.
It may be the largest bazaar on the planet, and you may be able to find anything from camels to ice cream to ribbons for your hair to toilet seats, but every time I find myself there I tell myself that I will never ever again return.
But I always do. And my feet are very thankful.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Tacos and Cognac
December 8, 2007
There are so many things I miss about American Christmas…among those things are egg nog, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes…and sugar cookies with frosting…
One of the things I received for Christmas this year included a taco making kit and a bottle of Tapatio and the second my fellow volunteers in the Peace Corps office saw me pull that box out of my package I immediately heard, “TACO NIGHT!!!!!!!”
So tonight we did it. We gathered together and cooked beans, made salsa, sautéed some meat and grated some cheese. We even used yogurt in place of sour cream, and it was FANTASTIC!
We played Christmas music and stuffed ourselves with Mexican food, and even found ourselves toasting with a 20-year-old bottle of Turkmen cognac, which was pretty much the most disgusting thing I’ve ever willingly ingested in my life. When it entered my mouth I almost felt as though I’d been electrocuted.
But it was a fantastic evening and I realized more than ever how much I’m going to miss my Annau buddies once training is over.
Eighteen more days until the real work begins…
There are so many things I miss about American Christmas…among those things are egg nog, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes…and sugar cookies with frosting…
One of the things I received for Christmas this year included a taco making kit and a bottle of Tapatio and the second my fellow volunteers in the Peace Corps office saw me pull that box out of my package I immediately heard, “TACO NIGHT!!!!!!!”
So tonight we did it. We gathered together and cooked beans, made salsa, sautéed some meat and grated some cheese. We even used yogurt in place of sour cream, and it was FANTASTIC!
We played Christmas music and stuffed ourselves with Mexican food, and even found ourselves toasting with a 20-year-old bottle of Turkmen cognac, which was pretty much the most disgusting thing I’ve ever willingly ingested in my life. When it entered my mouth I almost felt as though I’d been electrocuted.
But it was a fantastic evening and I realized more than ever how much I’m going to miss my Annau buddies once training is over.
Eighteen more days until the real work begins…
Mystery Meat
December 7, 2007
I walked outside this afternoon to see my host father holding a large, bloody axe. There was a stump of wood in front of him, supporting a large piece of raw meat.
He continued to reach into a large, bloody bag to pull out animal parts and chop them up on top of his block.
I walked closer but when he chopped what looked like a snout in half I jumped back and asked him what it was.
When he told me it was a cow I ran into the house to find another large metal bowl full of animal parts.
“Gyzulgul!” I yelled. I pointed to the bowl and asked if it was Penelope.
Everyone started laughing and Gyzulgul reassured me that the large mass of intestines came from someone else’s yard, and was not our beloved cow. It really was a relief…I was growing fond of Penelope’s daily moos.
So later that night for dinner I received a bowl of what looked like meat in front of me and I guess it was the cow’s stomach. It was rubbery and salty and each bite was really weird.
The irony is that my own intestines have been on a giardia rollercoaster for the past few weeks. I haven’t really been back to normal ever since I got sick, so I’m really curious about what will happen now.
If your own body isn’t quite working properly, is it safe to eat intestines?
Yes, I try to push the limits here. My stomach is full of stomach. Pretty nifty, eh?
I walked outside this afternoon to see my host father holding a large, bloody axe. There was a stump of wood in front of him, supporting a large piece of raw meat.
He continued to reach into a large, bloody bag to pull out animal parts and chop them up on top of his block.
I walked closer but when he chopped what looked like a snout in half I jumped back and asked him what it was.
When he told me it was a cow I ran into the house to find another large metal bowl full of animal parts.
“Gyzulgul!” I yelled. I pointed to the bowl and asked if it was Penelope.
Everyone started laughing and Gyzulgul reassured me that the large mass of intestines came from someone else’s yard, and was not our beloved cow. It really was a relief…I was growing fond of Penelope’s daily moos.
So later that night for dinner I received a bowl of what looked like meat in front of me and I guess it was the cow’s stomach. It was rubbery and salty and each bite was really weird.
The irony is that my own intestines have been on a giardia rollercoaster for the past few weeks. I haven’t really been back to normal ever since I got sick, so I’m really curious about what will happen now.
If your own body isn’t quite working properly, is it safe to eat intestines?
Yes, I try to push the limits here. My stomach is full of stomach. Pretty nifty, eh?
Monday, December 03, 2007
Yoleten
Yoleten is fantastic.
I also saw snow fall for the first time in my life...it was pretty freaking awesome. And beautiful.
Turkmen people love Rhianna, by the way...and I have come to love her too. I never thought I'd say it, but she is pretty awesome.
The past five days I spent visiting my new home have led me to realize something huge: I need to seriously step up the language studies and I'm going to have to learn Russian.
My sitemate is fantastic and is fluent in both Turkmen and Russian and everyone in the town doesn't hesitate to let me know this...
It's irritating but incredibly motivating because it's a new challenge. Speaking nothing but Turkmen with my new family for four days straight was exhausting because every little thing I say requires concentration. One of my new family members is a Turkmen teacher though... and both she and my new host mom are incredibly dedicated to helping me learn.
My new room is fantastic, big and spacious with huge windows, a wardrobe and a tiny but comfortable bed, and the outhouse is far, far away from the house, which is just perfect because I never know when the giardia gas will hit.I also saw snow fall for the first time in my life...it was pretty freaking awesome. And beautiful.
Turkmen people love Rhianna, by the way...and I have come to love her too. I never thought I'd say it, but she is pretty awesome.
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