Friday, May 29, 2009
Two Things
May 28, 2009
Two things I’ve learned this week:
No matter how bad things are, there’s someone else suffering 100 times more than you.
And no matter what, you must always, always, always treat other people how you want to be treated.
I won’t lie…it’s been a rough week. Probably one of the roughest ever in the past year and a half and recent events have even made me consider leaving early…my lack of motivation and increased irritation together have made me not like myself very much this week.
Sometimes I feel .like I just don’t understand anything at all. And I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself over the past few days.
Then my host brother got sick and my stupid problems stopped mattering so much. Watching my host mother suffer through this ordeal is enough. I’ve had enough with my crappy attitude.
I am in check…there are more important things to worry about in the world.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Kirk Gyzlar
May 19, 2009
The legend goes like this…
Many years ago forty girls (kirk gyzlar) were doing their laundry at the mouth of this ancient cave in the Koyten Dag Mountains when a group of suitors arrived and began to bother them.
Scared and afraid, they began to pray, asking to please let them disappear. Their prayers were answered and they disappeared into the rocks of the cave.
The water that drips down inside the cave are their tears, mixing in with the mud, creating a clay-like substance on the floor of the cave.
Today travelers from all over the world (myself included) take a strip of material and dip it into the clay. Then they throw the clay-sodden cloth up into the roof and walls of the cave and make a wish.
If your material sticks, your wish will come true…if it doesn’t, it won’t.
Mine stuck. The future awaits…
Journey to the East
May 18, 2009
This weekend I took a trip with a group of friends out to the mountains in the far South-East corner of Turkmenistan, near to the Uzbek-Afghan border, and it was an adventure like no other.
After an hour of haggling with a driver of a beaten up old volkswagon-like van, we began the journey, and all was well until we had to cross the Amu-Darya River. Unfortunately, the main bridge stood uncompleted, and the bridge that was usually trafficked was out of order because the water level was too high. Who would’ve thought that too much rain this season could be a bad thing?
Nevertheless we ended up waiting two hours for a ferry that we thought for sure would never come. When it finally arrived, it all became worth it…watching a small little tug boat pulling along a giant 1960s-era ferry full of trucks, cars, and old Turkmen men who would not stop staring at us was priceless.
We finally got down to the south and began tumbling through the mountains on a somewhat non-existant road which caused me to have Cambodia flashbacks. How that beat up old van made it there and back, I really can’t figure out.
We stopped at a lake to swim for a bit and had an angry encounter with a group of stupid boys. They kept taunting us and one of them covered themselves in mud and came up to me and began talking rudely to me and grabbed my arm, causing us all to start screaming as many rude, obscenities we possibly could in Turkmen.
“We’re so sorry! We’re sorry!” they apologized.
“Don’t talk to me!” I screamed. “Don’t even look at me!”
And I shunned myself back inside the van. I get so frustrated with rude boys out here, it makes my blood boil.
We stopped off to stay the night in a nearby village in the mountains. One of my friends knew someone who knew someone who might be willing to let us stay the night in their house, so we gave it a try. Since there are no phones down there, there was no way for us to call beforehand. Luckily when we showed up they welcomed us warmly, and gave us blankets and a place to sleep. We cooked some potatoes we had bought a local bazaar and slept soundly outside on the balcony surrounded by more grasshoppers than I’d ever seen in my life.
The next day we headed out at 5am to do some hiking in the mountains, and to see the longest set of dinosaur tracks in the world. Truthfully, they were smaller than I thought they’d be, but it was still cool. It’s a wonder why they aren’t better preserved, however.
Later we headed through the mountains to a nearby waterfall that was absolutely gorgeous. We climbed over the rocks and took some fresh mountain water that supposedly had some sort of healing power. Guess we’ll see, right?
We visited a cave called Kirk Gyzlar that was absolutely beautiful. Cloth strips line the walls and ceiling of this place and prayer trees are all over the place. Say a prayer, make a wish, and see if it comes true...
The thing that sort of boggled my mind was watching people, in the open, put graffiti on the walls of these mountains and caves. One man just smiled and laughed as he did it as if it was no big deal. Not cool.
The mountains out there were so gorgeous I truly wished that I could have been sent there instead of Yoloten. I know it would be difficult without a phone, and more difficult being so incredibly far away from the city, but everything was just so natural and so gorgeous.
The best part of being down there was that the people we met seemed to be incredibly happy.
I think that’s why it’s so important to get out and see more things out here, because just one village doesn’t give you a true impression of a place…this country is truly fascinating in every shape and form.
This weekend I took a trip with a group of friends out to the mountains in the far South-East corner of Turkmenistan, near to the Uzbek-Afghan border, and it was an adventure like no other.
After an hour of haggling with a driver of a beaten up old volkswagon-like van, we began the journey, and all was well until we had to cross the Amu-Darya River. Unfortunately, the main bridge stood uncompleted, and the bridge that was usually trafficked was out of order because the water level was too high. Who would’ve thought that too much rain this season could be a bad thing?
Nevertheless we ended up waiting two hours for a ferry that we thought for sure would never come. When it finally arrived, it all became worth it…watching a small little tug boat pulling along a giant 1960s-era ferry full of trucks, cars, and old Turkmen men who would not stop staring at us was priceless.
We finally got down to the south and began tumbling through the mountains on a somewhat non-existant road which caused me to have Cambodia flashbacks. How that beat up old van made it there and back, I really can’t figure out.
We stopped at a lake to swim for a bit and had an angry encounter with a group of stupid boys. They kept taunting us and one of them covered themselves in mud and came up to me and began talking rudely to me and grabbed my arm, causing us all to start screaming as many rude, obscenities we possibly could in Turkmen.
“We’re so sorry! We’re sorry!” they apologized.
“Don’t talk to me!” I screamed. “Don’t even look at me!”
And I shunned myself back inside the van. I get so frustrated with rude boys out here, it makes my blood boil.
We stopped off to stay the night in a nearby village in the mountains. One of my friends knew someone who knew someone who might be willing to let us stay the night in their house, so we gave it a try. Since there are no phones down there, there was no way for us to call beforehand. Luckily when we showed up they welcomed us warmly, and gave us blankets and a place to sleep. We cooked some potatoes we had bought a local bazaar and slept soundly outside on the balcony surrounded by more grasshoppers than I’d ever seen in my life.
The next day we headed out at 5am to do some hiking in the mountains, and to see the longest set of dinosaur tracks in the world. Truthfully, they were smaller than I thought they’d be, but it was still cool. It’s a wonder why they aren’t better preserved, however.
Later we headed through the mountains to a nearby waterfall that was absolutely gorgeous. We climbed over the rocks and took some fresh mountain water that supposedly had some sort of healing power. Guess we’ll see, right?
We visited a cave called Kirk Gyzlar that was absolutely beautiful. Cloth strips line the walls and ceiling of this place and prayer trees are all over the place. Say a prayer, make a wish, and see if it comes true...
The thing that sort of boggled my mind was watching people, in the open, put graffiti on the walls of these mountains and caves. One man just smiled and laughed as he did it as if it was no big deal. Not cool.
The mountains out there were so gorgeous I truly wished that I could have been sent there instead of Yoloten. I know it would be difficult without a phone, and more difficult being so incredibly far away from the city, but everything was just so natural and so gorgeous.
The best part of being down there was that the people we met seemed to be incredibly happy.
I think that’s why it’s so important to get out and see more things out here, because just one village doesn’t give you a true impression of a place…this country is truly fascinating in every shape and form.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Happily Unmarried
May 4, 2009
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the questions people ask me that I just start messing around with them.
And it makes me laugh.
Yesterday in a taxi a woman became ecstatic to hear that I was American.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“Nope. Not married. Still waiting for that special someone,” I answered with a smile.
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that effin question I would never have to work again for the rest of my life.
“You’re not married? You have to meet my son!” she exclaimed.
“REALLY?” I feigned excitement. “Is he handsome?”
“Ohhh YES! He is sooo handsome! The most handsome boy in Yoloten!”
“OOOOOH! Is he smart?”
“Ohhhh YES! He is so smart! He studied in Turkey for four years!”
“Wow! Really? How old is he?” I asked.
“He’s 28! Just like you! It’s perfect!”
I think she already started planning the wedding in her head.
“Great! Is he rich?” I asked.
And with that she stopped talking for a few seconds and looked at me skeptically.
“Rich?” she asked. “Well you’re American! Don’t you have money?”
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the questions people ask me that I just start messing around with them.
And it makes me laugh.
Yesterday in a taxi a woman became ecstatic to hear that I was American.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“Nope. Not married. Still waiting for that special someone,” I answered with a smile.
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that effin question I would never have to work again for the rest of my life.
“You’re not married? You have to meet my son!” she exclaimed.
“REALLY?” I feigned excitement. “Is he handsome?”
“Ohhh YES! He is sooo handsome! The most handsome boy in Yoloten!”
“OOOOOH! Is he smart?”
“Ohhhh YES! He is so smart! He studied in Turkey for four years!”
“Wow! Really? How old is he?” I asked.
“He’s 28! Just like you! It’s perfect!”
I think she already started planning the wedding in her head.
“Great! Is he rich?” I asked.
And with that she stopped talking for a few seconds and looked at me skeptically.
“Rich?” she asked. “Well you’re American! Don’t you have money?”
Monday, April 27, 2009
News, News and More News
April 26, 2009
Great news is bouncing all over Yoloten, flying through the skies right now and I am beyond ecstatic.
First of all, I’d like to announce with EXTREME pride that one of my students became a FLEX finalist and will leave at the end of this summer to study for one year in America. FLEX is a program sponsored by the US Embassy that allows hardworking, dedicated students from age 14-17 to do one of their high school years in a small, US town. The goal is for them to learn about US culture and have the unique experience of exchanging cultural information and broadening their horizons.
It’s extremely competitive, thousands apply and there are only about 60 available slots open per year from Turkmenistan.
So when she told me, I was so proud I just about broke down in tears. Sometimes these kids just blow my mind with the things they make possible for themselves.
I went guesting last night in a small village in Murgap, about 40 minutes north of where I live and a young girl I met there told me that my Turkmen was perfect.
“PERFECT.”
I don’t think anyone has ever used that word to describe anything about me before…I gave her a hug because she just about made my entire month.
Speaking of this month, in honor of Earth Day, I have been doing environmentally-themed lessons over the past few weeks and one day we started talking about contamination. One of my students told me that he sometimes sees people cleaning their dead animal carcasses in the canal, a water source for many nearby houses.
I just about threw up thinking about that, but it pushes the point further of why it’s so important to be environmentally friendly.
“Don’t teach your trash to swim!” I yelled at them as they were leaving class.
Then on Earth Day itself we went down to the Murgap River to clean up trash and talk about the ecosystem. I think it was a good experience for them, even though it was kind of gross.
Since my shoes broke on the hillsides of Gushgi last weekend, I took them to the old Russian man who sits in a chair across the street from the park in Yoloten. When I went to pick them up today he smiled a big toothless grin and said, “You have something that’s broken? You take it to me! The only thing that I can’t fix is an airplane!”
Nice sales pitch, eh?.
In other news, spring is in the air and the flowers are flooding Yoloten, bringing a constant smile to my face. I sat outside and ate pistachios all afternoon today and watched my chickens fight with each other.
I’m really glad we don’t have turkeys.
The Storm from Hell
April 20, 2009
Today started out as any other typical day in Yoloten…beautiful sunny skies, warm weather, etc.
I wandered through the bazaar wearing jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops, buying tomatoes and looking for some cheap apples.
Then, all of a sudden, I looked up at the sky. It was dark brown.
I turned in the other direction and within two minutes a powerful gust of wind came sweeping through, knocking over the sellers’ products and causing a massive panic.
It didn’t stop.
The wind came rolling through, more powerful than I’ve ever experienced before and the sellers started screaming, grabbing their things as fast as they could.
I turned to go back to the street to find my way home and the rain had already started, but it was unlike any other rain I had ever experienced. It pelted down viciously and turned to hail in less than a few minutes.
I was completely soaked, so I just started running.
I wasn’t the only one…everyone was running for cover, running for their homes, running somewhere to get out of this madness.
The electricity was out the entire day and parts of the roof came falling off. Some people lost their entire roofs, and the trees remain overturned in the streets.
Rumor has it that there will be another storm this week. I don’t know what’s up with this weather, but it’s been pretty insane out here…
The Journey to the Border
April 19, 2009
After waiting weeks and weeks for a visa, we finally got permission to go down South to the Afghan border, and it was every bit as gorgeous as we thought it would be.
The hillsides of Serhetabat (Gushgi) are just covered in flowers, so many that all you see for miles are splotches of red, yellow and purple.
We hopped on a train early Friday morning, paid about 70 cents for the seven hour journey (the train always takes ridiculously longer) and plastered our faces to the window to see the beauty of this country that only a small handful of other Americans have ever seen.
About an hour before we arrived we were hauled into a separate compartment to be interrogated by a couple detectives.
“Why are you here? What are you doing here?” they demanded.
We gave them everything- our passports, identification cards, the address and phone number where we were staying, etc. but they were still skeptical.
“Are you going to Afghanistan?” they asked repeatedly.
“NO!” we replied. Why would I willingly stumble over the border? Doesn’t exactly seem like a fun adventure…
But after about 20 minutes or so we became friends. It also helped that they were friends with the husband of who we were staying with.
“We’ll show you the best restaurant in town!” one of them said excitedly once we arrived.
We spent two days wandering around, taking a gazillion photos with the multitudes of flowers. Up on top of a hillside a group of Afghan train mechanics pointed to the border.
“It’s right there!” they said. “You want to go?”
Was this a trick question?
As school kids learned there were four Americans in their tiny military town they began to swarm us. Some of them didn’t understand our Turkmen at all, which was interesting.
We accidentally wandered onto a military base and a group of officers started yelling in Turkmen. We could understand everything they said though, which was funny- “Who speaks English? You- go talk to those Americans! Talk to them in English! Tell them they can’t be here!”
A young officer came over to us and talked nervously. “Excuse me. What are you doing here?”
Then at night a large storm hit briefly and all the power went out. I’ll never forget how amazing the sky looked that night- just completely full of stars forever and ever.
The next day we met a dude named Begmurat who said he’d take us all the way back to Yoloten and stop wherever we wanted along the way..and that’s exactly what we did. Begmurat became our new best friend running through the flowers with us, helping us take photos and find mushrooms. They’re totally not poisonous here (I hope- I eat them all the time) and they grow all over after the rain.
We wandered through the caves of Ekedeshik at Tagtabazar on the way home- a settlement that wasn’t discovered until about 1885, although no one knows exactly how far they date back. The caves extend about 35 km but only part is safe for people to wander around in. Begmurat came with us and kept cracking ridiculous jokes like, “here’s where the disco was, guys!” or “here’s where they had a swimming pool!”
Oh what a funny dude he was.
We ate ice cream and stopped off the side of the road where a group of beekeepers kept their bees. I was surprised how calm I was surrounded by millions of bees…Begmurat wore a net.
We made it home in about 3 hours total, less than half the time it took by train, and collapsed at the local Yoloten bar to drink some really gross beer…although I’ve gotten used to it, really.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Food, Wonderful Food
I had intestines for dinner two days ago.
I can still taste the cow stomach in my mouth.
I miss shrimp burritos.
I can still taste the cow stomach in my mouth.
I miss shrimp burritos.
Angels in the Bank
March 27, 2009
Bad news: I ran out of money...
It happens sometimes (I make about $120 a month) but this time I didn't have dollars to change. So I was about to depend on friends when I decided to try an experiement.
Our bank in Mary City has a lovely little "Mastercard" symbol on the front door. Now, signs here don't really mean much- I know this. But regardless, I waltzed inside to see if I could actually try to use the "atm".
But when I got in, the sweet lady behind the counter told me that my salary had come a week early. I was super excited and she started the necessary paperwork to get it together but unfortunately at that time they were out of currency.
So I went to the next window and pulled out my Mastercard.
"Mastercard?" the other lady said in wonder. "Hmmm...."
She opened up a cabinet and took out a credit card machine that had never been used before.
"Angela, you're the first person to ever do this!" she said with excitement. They tried hooking up the machine and turning it on, but they couldn't get it to work. I watched for the next forty minutes as they tried different outlets, plugs and attempted to call Ashgabat for help.
"Really, it's no big deal if it doesn't work," I said.
"No we want to learn this!" they replied.
But finally they gave up. It just wasn't happening, and I thanked them for trying.
"Wait, Angela," they said, as they turned around to shuffle through their bags. And then they proceeded to do the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me here. They took out their own money and gave it to me.
"No, I can't take this!" I said.
"It's fine!" the ladies said, smiling. "We'll just replace it tomorrow when the money comes. You have no money! What will you do without money?"
They actually gave me my salary from their own pockets.
And so it goes, I met some real-life angels in a bank in Mary City. The beauty in the people here never ceases to amaze me.
Bad news: I ran out of money...
It happens sometimes (I make about $120 a month) but this time I didn't have dollars to change. So I was about to depend on friends when I decided to try an experiement.
Our bank in Mary City has a lovely little "Mastercard" symbol on the front door. Now, signs here don't really mean much- I know this. But regardless, I waltzed inside to see if I could actually try to use the "atm".
But when I got in, the sweet lady behind the counter told me that my salary had come a week early. I was super excited and she started the necessary paperwork to get it together but unfortunately at that time they were out of currency.
So I went to the next window and pulled out my Mastercard.
"Mastercard?" the other lady said in wonder. "Hmmm...."
She opened up a cabinet and took out a credit card machine that had never been used before.
"Angela, you're the first person to ever do this!" she said with excitement. They tried hooking up the machine and turning it on, but they couldn't get it to work. I watched for the next forty minutes as they tried different outlets, plugs and attempted to call Ashgabat for help.
"Really, it's no big deal if it doesn't work," I said.
"No we want to learn this!" they replied.
But finally they gave up. It just wasn't happening, and I thanked them for trying.
"Wait, Angela," they said, as they turned around to shuffle through their bags. And then they proceeded to do the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me here. They took out their own money and gave it to me.
"No, I can't take this!" I said.
"It's fine!" the ladies said, smiling. "We'll just replace it tomorrow when the money comes. You have no money! What will you do without money?"
They actually gave me my salary from their own pockets.
And so it goes, I met some real-life angels in a bank in Mary City. The beauty in the people here never ceases to amaze me.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Toyly Bolsun!
The past few weeks at my house have been incredibly hectic, with my host cousin getting married this weekend, and in all honesty, I spent most of the time being irritated by the whole process. I mean, it was so much work, there was so much hoopla over these insignificant details and I just wasn't into dealing with it at all.
But on the day of the wedding celebration I found that I was actually jealous, and I even started to cry a little watching her dance with her new husband.
All those little insignificant details, and all the fuss and hoopla the families went through and everything was actually so beautiful. Here this woman is so tightly surrounded by family and so loved and cared for in every possible way. The culture here is incredibly rich and all these things I see as silly and unimportant actually hold meaning that I can't really understand.
The morning after the first celebration we all met up at her house as she began to dress in the traditional bridal clothing. She wept as the woman braided her hair, covered her head and face and laid the traditional bridal coat around her, because this is the time when she would be taken from her own family to begin a new life with her husband's family.
When the groom's family arrived, a few boys began to play the drums and clarinet outside and a bunch of us women stood guard at the entrance to her room. The bride's brother came through and gave us all money as payment for us to allow them to get through the door to take her away. We began loading all her things into the cars, and then her new husband came through to take her away.
We all headed into Ashgabat that afternoon for the second celebration in the evening. Here is where they signed the official documents and toasted to the beginning of their new lives together. She looked so incredible...so beautiful. I can't imagine how she felt during this time because I barely had a chance to talk with her.
But I understand a little bit better, because here is a close friend of mine, someone I've grown to know and love for the past year and a half. And now she is gone, and I don't know how often I'll get to see her again over my remaining eight months here.
I don't know why I never saw the true beauty in life here...I don't know why I complain so much sometimes. But I do believe people here are luckier than they really know.
But on the day of the wedding celebration I found that I was actually jealous, and I even started to cry a little watching her dance with her new husband.
All those little insignificant details, and all the fuss and hoopla the families went through and everything was actually so beautiful. Here this woman is so tightly surrounded by family and so loved and cared for in every possible way. The culture here is incredibly rich and all these things I see as silly and unimportant actually hold meaning that I can't really understand.
The morning after the first celebration we all met up at her house as she began to dress in the traditional bridal clothing. She wept as the woman braided her hair, covered her head and face and laid the traditional bridal coat around her, because this is the time when she would be taken from her own family to begin a new life with her husband's family.
When the groom's family arrived, a few boys began to play the drums and clarinet outside and a bunch of us women stood guard at the entrance to her room. The bride's brother came through and gave us all money as payment for us to allow them to get through the door to take her away. We began loading all her things into the cars, and then her new husband came through to take her away.
We all headed into Ashgabat that afternoon for the second celebration in the evening. Here is where they signed the official documents and toasted to the beginning of their new lives together. She looked so incredible...so beautiful. I can't imagine how she felt during this time because I barely had a chance to talk with her.
But I understand a little bit better, because here is a close friend of mine, someone I've grown to know and love for the past year and a half. And now she is gone, and I don't know how often I'll get to see her again over my remaining eight months here.
I don't know why I never saw the true beauty in life here...I don't know why I complain so much sometimes. But I do believe people here are luckier than they really know.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Bread and Butter
March 12, 2009
Last night my friend and I were laying on the floor of my room going through the People magazines my mother recently sent and we started talking about her birthday next week.
We went through the list of food we would make and discussed what other things we’d put out for people to eat.
“I will get some nuts and raisins for the table,” she said.
“Why don’t we just put out some bread and butter for everyone? That’s simple enough.”
“Bread and butter!” She exclaimed. “BREAD AND BUTTER?”
And she then proceeded to burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“What?” I asked. “Why is that funny?”
“BREAD AND BUTTER!”
She wouldn’t stop laughing.
“WHY IS THAT FUNNY?” I yelled.
“You eat bread and butter for BREAKFAST, Angela! Not at dinner!”
“What? You can’t eat bread and butter with your dinner? We do that all the time in America. It’s NORMAL.”
She was still laughing.
“Ohhhhhh they would just laugh at me and gossip about me if I were to put out bread and butter at my BIRTHDAY dinner!”
“IT’S NORMAL!” I yelled.
“You are so strange,” she said.
“I’M STRANGE?” I exclaimed. “You think I’M the one who’s strange? You guys sweep your carpet and sleep on the floor! You think if I sit on cold ground I’ll become infertile! And you think I’M strange?”
We were laughing so hard tears were streaming out of our eyes at this point.
“Okay, Angela what else? What else you got?” she asked. “Come to my house and we will have a birthday BREAKFAST with bread and butter if you like!”
“IT’S NORMAL TO EAT BREAD AND BUTTER WITH YOUR DINNER!”
“You are so strange,” she said.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Kids on Coffee!
If you love me you'll send me coffee.
Real coffee. You know, the ground stuff that you have to put in a filter...
Oh coffee...sweet wonderful coffee...
Real coffee. You know, the ground stuff that you have to put in a filter...
Oh coffee...sweet wonderful coffee...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Rainbows and Butterflies
I really want a shrimp burrito right now.
It's all I can think about.
This week I was convinced I had appendicitis.
Don't worry, people. I do not, in fact, have appendicitis.
I have mid-service-itis...
On the positive side, I successfully started teaching with other teachers this week, and I found cream cheese in Yoloten. It's incredibly expensive, and not so often that the shop has it, but oh so delicious.
I also successfully cooked chicken tiki masala. Who's jealous out there, hmmm?
My boots are completely broken and I had to throw them away. Hopefully it won't snow next December before I vacate this magical world. Let's keep hope alive, guys!
My host cousin is getting married March 20 and it's the most exciting event of my Peace Corps experience, so far...the family is coming this weekend to pay the bride price. I'm making two cakes. Mmmmm....
My students have been coming to my lessons for over a year now, and their English has had incredible improvement. Students who could barely tell me their name are talking about fairness and idioms, etc.
I kind of don't want to leave, but we'll see how I feel in a few months. Spring is a glorious time for Turkmenistan...rainbows and butterflies everywhere.
It's all I can think about.
This week I was convinced I had appendicitis.
Don't worry, people. I do not, in fact, have appendicitis.
I have mid-service-itis...
On the positive side, I successfully started teaching with other teachers this week, and I found cream cheese in Yoloten. It's incredibly expensive, and not so often that the shop has it, but oh so delicious.
I also successfully cooked chicken tiki masala. Who's jealous out there, hmmm?
My boots are completely broken and I had to throw them away. Hopefully it won't snow next December before I vacate this magical world. Let's keep hope alive, guys!
My host cousin is getting married March 20 and it's the most exciting event of my Peace Corps experience, so far...the family is coming this weekend to pay the bride price. I'm making two cakes. Mmmmm....
My students have been coming to my lessons for over a year now, and their English has had incredible improvement. Students who could barely tell me their name are talking about fairness and idioms, etc.
I kind of don't want to leave, but we'll see how I feel in a few months. Spring is a glorious time for Turkmenistan...rainbows and butterflies everywhere.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Mutton for Breakfast
Yesterday I bit into a nice fatty piece of mutton while I was eating my oatmeal for breakfast.
It was the fourth most disgusting thing that's happened to me here.
I don't get it...why can't shops keep meats and grains separate? Is it that hard?
Sooooo gross....
It was the fourth most disgusting thing that's happened to me here.
I don't get it...why can't shops keep meats and grains separate? Is it that hard?
Sooooo gross....
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My Toilet is Cooler Than Your Toilet
January 28, 2009
It takes less than four hours to have a new toilet.
I know this because we now have a new toilet.
It’s actually a very simple process…fill in one hole, dig another, pop that outhouse on top of the new hole and ba-BAM! New toilet paradise.
Naturally my pampered mind immediately thought of those shiny porcelain things we have in America when my host mother told me we had a new toilet.
But I came back to reality real quick. It’s a beautiful thing- hardly any smell, less flies, and better yet- no spashback worries!
If that isn’t good news, I don’t know what is.
It takes less than four hours to have a new toilet.
I know this because we now have a new toilet.
It’s actually a very simple process…fill in one hole, dig another, pop that outhouse on top of the new hole and ba-BAM! New toilet paradise.
Naturally my pampered mind immediately thought of those shiny porcelain things we have in America when my host mother told me we had a new toilet.
But I came back to reality real quick. It’s a beautiful thing- hardly any smell, less flies, and better yet- no spashback worries!
If that isn’t good news, I don’t know what is.
Halfway There
January 22, 2009
I should be beaming with pride right now because I have officially made it through one full year of service as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Turkmenistan.
But I’m kind of freaking out.
I have only eleven months left to get done everything I need to get done in order to prove my time here successful.
And I don’t know if I can do it.
My goals for Peace Corps Turkmenistan 2009 (in no particular order):
-Finish the Turkmen-Russian-English cookbook
-Write a grant for the printing costs of the cookbook
-Have a successful book club (IN PROGRESS, WOOOOOO!)
-Bring my intermediate students to the advanced level
-See at least one advanced student get into a university (I know this is out of my hands, but it would be awesome…simply awesome)
-Draw a world map with my students
-Write a grant for a dvd player for my school
-Score Intermediate High in Russian on the Language Proficiency Test
-Score Advanced Mid in Turkmen on the Language Proficiency Test
-Take the GREs and score well
-Apply to grad school
-Figure out what the heck I’m going to do with the rest of my life
One year has past and at this time last year I was a scared new volunteer, freezing in cheap Talkuchka boots not really sure what I was doing here.
A year later, I’m no longer scared, the Talkuchka boots have completely snapped on the bottom allowing muddy water to seep into my socks, and I’m not unsure what I’m doing here…only of how to accomplish everything that needs to be done.
Just a few more weeks of winter...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Twenty-f0ur hours ago I was sitting on the steps of the Taj Mahal.
I am now in Ashgabat eating leftover naan from last night's dinner.
Vacation was awesome, but it's good to be back, as always.
2009 is going to be a very promising year.
I am now in Ashgabat eating leftover naan from last night's dinner.
Vacation was awesome, but it's good to be back, as always.
2009 is going to be a very promising year.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Goa to Delhi
Thirty-two hours on the train...
11 cups of masala chai...
9 card games...
eight samosas...
six different types of curry...
four bowls of rice...
Three good friends...
Two books...
One stupid man who wouldn't stop touching my feet...
zero blankets...
zero heat.
I will never, ever complain about the trains in Turkmenistan again.
11 cups of masala chai...
9 card games...
eight samosas...
six different types of curry...
four bowls of rice...
Three good friends...
Two books...
One stupid man who wouldn't stop touching my feet...
zero blankets...
zero heat.
I will never, ever complain about the trains in Turkmenistan again.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Beautiful Goa
After lying on the beach sipping pina coladas all afternoon yesterday I asked my sweet Indian waiter for my bill.
He smiled and started writing on a small piece of paper, then turned and handed it to me.
"Here is your bill," he said.
I looked at the paper and smiled. It said, "I love you so much. You have such a beautiful smile. Please come back for drinks later and don't ever stop smiling."
Unfortunately I didn't have time to return in the evening, but I will someday. I promise.
I really love it here.
He smiled and started writing on a small piece of paper, then turned and handed it to me.
"Here is your bill," he said.
I looked at the paper and smiled. It said, "I love you so much. You have such a beautiful smile. Please come back for drinks later and don't ever stop smiling."
Unfortunately I didn't have time to return in the evening, but I will someday. I promise.
I really love it here.
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