Anyone from good ol' Memorial Middle School catch the above reference????? If so, you will be less than tempted to read on!!!
Sunday! The glories of “dync gun” (rest day) aka “bazaar gun!” This morning I began to wake up naturally around 8:30 and finished around 9. From the western most window of my bedroom, I have an incredible view of the Kopet Dag (mountains). On clear mornings, like this morning, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Thanks to last week's light snow, they are wonderfully accentuated by white. Perhaps because I’ve lived in mountain-less Houston for so very long, the mountains surprise me every morning. I am, thanks to both Mendoza, Arg. and Asgabat, T-stan, doomed to be a mountain person (Hilary, this doesn’t me I can’t enjoy the beach!!). I stared out the window for a good long time before donning my running gear.
The running has become a common occurrence. Only on Sundays, though, do I have the luxury of waiting until daylight. Daylight runs are entertaining. I generally pass a good number of bus stops on these runs. The individuals waiting at these stops and I have a healthy give-and-take relationship. I provide them with high quality entertainment, and they in turn, encourage me to pick up my pace. I am determined to show them not only that girls can run, but that they can run fast! As soon as I’m out of sight, my pace slows down, and I click my ipod to a faster paced song in an effort to stay inspired.
After my run, I give my face a good long time to return to its natural color, take a quick shower, and figure out what to make for lunch. Lunch on Sundays has become my responsibility. While my host parents re-stock for the coming week at the Bazaar, I use my trusty Peace Corps-issued cookbook to come up with an “American” meal. So far, I have made French toast, spaghetti, enchiladas, fajitas, fried rice with eggs, and today a quiche. The fact that none of these dishes are strictly American does not seem to faze my family in the least. Cooking, as I mentioned before, is wonderful. Talk about instant gratification. You cook something, it’s done, you eat it, and it tastes good (generally speaking). Dishes are also good for instant gratification. You start with a big pile and when you finish you (ok, maybe not you, but I) have a great sense of accomplishment. Yes, I realize I am conforming to traditional gender roles, but I can only hope the running balances this out a little bit!
Dync gun afternoons are quiet. I read and plan semi-productively for the next week. My weeks, however, are not quiet. Since my last post, my days have continued to fill up. In the morning, I spend my time at the institute reading, bonding with my teachers, and preparing for next semester. My students are busy with exams so I’m not currently teaching. After the institute, you may find me learning Russian (twice a week), prepping a friend for SAT (twice a week), or teaching an English class for the blind at a nearby community center (twice a week). This class was gifted to me by a previous volunteer, and each time I go, I’m crazy thankful. My students are so patient and eager to learn. Also, this past Saturday, I held my first girls soccer practice and went wonderfully. We worked on passing (with the inside of the foot!), stopping the ball, and learning the positions on the field. The participants seemed to enjoy learning and the novelty of being female and playing soccer. This will hopefully become a weekly occurrence.
Other random observations from the past few weeks:
1. Chocolate is magical. Dark chocolate is a stronger magic than milk chocolate.
2. Russian is intimidating. Also, ‘may I’ (phonetically: mojno) in Russian should not be confused with ice-cream (phonetically: morojno) in Turkmen.
3. Turkish grocery stores (or rather, store b/c there is only one) have everything except good soccer balls. This includes a small bowling alley, a Turkish bakery, cinnamon, escalators, wall hooks, and Christmas/New Years decorations.
4. Tucked-in turtlenecks count as professional clothes.
5. Monthly bus passes are God’s second greatest gift to man after dark chocolate of course.
Hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!!
One day ‘till Obama!
Me
Monday, January 19, 2009
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