Haven’t been taking advantage of the money I paid to get a lifetime membership + photos lately,
so here are some pics from the last few months:
JANUARY
In Nukus, with the eldest daugther of our regional coordinator there.
She speaks English very well and is studying law. I’m wearing 4 layers of clothing here.
I was freezing my backen off!
In a restaurant with O.Hauge, one half of the wonderful Norwegian couple that is working with JDA now.
Doesn’t he look like Santa Claus?
FEBRUARY
This is the card my coworkers gave me on Valentine’s Day. I was touched. Really!
MARCH
Scottish dancing! Look at that … kilt!
Here I am, dancing with the head of the World Bank here. Crazy, huh?
Typical Sunday night:
Listening to and pondering about various problems… The two charming foreigners to the left teach at the international school.
You have seen the one on the right before.
Upcoming: Pics from my trip to INDIA!
Happy International Women’s Day!
Why don’t we celebrate this holiday in America? We do here and even get a day off from work.
Of course here, the women prepare the food for the “womens’ day” parties at work and then clean up afterwards. So it’s not really a holiday for them. But we did get roses from the male coworkers in our office. And women give presents to each other. And men give presents to the women in their lives.
But why do the men get the day off, too?
Questions to ponder on a Wednesday.
Yes, it was my birthday yesterday. 31! Usually, I throw myself a big party or do something to celebrate.
Last year, I went to the mountains with a bunch of people.. ate Korean food… did karaoke… and had a fabulous time. In 2003, when I was still in the States, I had a party at my apartment with tons and tons of food. It was a great time.
This year, I decided to keep it very low-key. My coworkers gave me nice gifts and flowers at work, and my roommate made me a special cake. I wish I had taken a picture of it. She titled it “I love Miami Beach”, but I have NO idea why. Anyway… you’ll never guess what I did on my birthday…
Well, actually, it was a preview. They wanted a few people to learn before the actual event on Friday so that some people would know what to do. The guy who taught it is a Scot born in Hong Kong, who grew up in Tokyo… and there was a Japanese couple there who worked in Nepal and also did some Scottish dancing there! Amazing. Noone there knew it was my birthday, which was fine. It’s very similar to square dancing – just slightly more complicated…
Looks like I’m headed to India on the 13th, next Monday.
Apparently, the US gov’t does not want me going to India. Instead of just applying to the Embassy here and getting a visa, the Embassy here has to send info to the US, and then “someone” over there has to confirm that I am a US Citizen, that my address is what I say it is… etc, etc… The Embassy here can’t give me a visa until “someone” over in the States approves it. And when the embassy here called that “someone”, all that “someone” said was “it’s in process”. I think we submitted the info a week ago…Meanwhile, I’m supposed to be leaving on Wednesday! Maybe Thursday instead?
The electricity in my apartment hasn’t been working for the last 24 hours. All the other apartments have electricity, though, so my immediate thought was: oops, it’s because I didn’t pay… for six months! It’s the same with my phone bill – it’s just that it’s kind of a pain to pay it. I have to read the meter myself, write out the information, then go to this place to pay it. I have gone for six months before without paying it and they never turned it off, but at least my whole building didn’t get punished because of me (that happens in other buildings sometimes)…
Lunch – yet ANOTHER entry about FOOD
Just like in the States, I always struggle with what I’m going to eat for lunch every day. I could bring my lunch, thus avoiding this problem, but come ‘on, who am I kidding? Anyway, for the past few days, I’ve been eating lunch with our receptionist at the same restaurant called Maksan. It’s a short walk from our office and is owned and operated by Koreans, of course. Yesterday, we ate fran-tsoo-ski (French) salad (shredded cabbage; beets; fried potatoes; and small bits of beef, mixed together with mayonnaise); and borscht (Russian beet soup). Today, I ate pork shashlik (barbecued pork); rice; and this salad called “fantazia” which was cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce, mixed, again, with mayonnaise. If it’s not mixed with mayonnaise, then it’s not a salad here! To drink – always black tea with sugar and lemon.
Just to remind you of the range of food options we have here, let me tell you what other things I have eaten before for lunch:
club sandwich (at a new swanky Italian place)
pizza (also at the new swanky Italian place)
chicken Kiev (breaded ground chicken)
chicken or beef cutlet (really a hamburger steak)
salyanka, a sour soup with pickles, beef, cabbages, potatoes
hot dog (chicken hot dog with ketchup and mayonnaise; and carrot and cucumber salad piled on top)
uyghur lagmon (handmade noodles with beef, tomatoes, onions)
