October 13, 2007

October 13, 2007

Today I fell in love with the Turkmen people.

I arrived back at home tonight shortly before 10:00 p.m. to find the gate locked. Now, I’ve been here a week so I didn’t even know they locked the gate at night, and plus I had told them I was going out and would be back between 9:30-10:00pm.

So I knocked and yelled, but nobody came. I knocked and yelled some more, and still had no answer. I tried climbing the gate on the right hand side, but my lack of upper body strength caused me to fail miserably. I tried going over the neighbor’s fence only to be met with a ferocious dog seconds away from attacking me.

So I tried crawling under the fence, but that only resulted in me completely dirtying my fresh, clean clothes.

So I knocked and yelled some more and like the dork I am, started to cry. I was so frustrated! Why had they locked the gate? Why was no one coming when I knocked and yelled?

Then a car pulled up and I thought, holy crap this is it they’re going to jump me. They’re going to take my T-stan ID and passport and dump my body outside of town by the breadmaker’s house.

But that didn’t happen.

Three guys and one girl got out of the car and smiled at me and asked me if I needed help (at least I think that’s what they said). I explained to them in broken Turkmen that I lived there and I couldn’t get in. They started all pounding on the gate together and honking their horn, and we had a good laugh about how I was stuck outside my house.

“You are an English teacher!” one of them said. I think he might have recognized me from the school. I don’t really know. I was just grateful to have someone with me.

They stayed there with me and helped me until someone finally came and opened the gate. I wanted to give them a gigantic hug, but unfortunately that’s inappropriate in Turkmen culture. I hope I see them again…they will always be my first Turkmen friends.