This year, the folks who graduated from UMich a year before I did (1996) are having their 10-year reunion.  And invited some of us 1997ers as well!

So, I’m just saying – class of 1997, be RRRRREADY for a reunion next year (2007!) in Ann Arbor, the sweetest college town around.  And 1996ers, you’ll be invited, too!

Here’s a pic of some of us 1997ers from Spring Break, March 1997.  Crazy fun times.  A lot of people missing from these pics, though – eebr, yoomktong, l.yim, hongster, victoria, minjoon, rich im, rroh, carolinek… and probably others that I’ve forgotten….

Also these pictures lead to some important questions:

1. who took the first pic for us?
2. why is Big John wearing a vest?
3. what is kkim doing?  dirty boy.
4. why do we all still look exactly the same?

So being back in Uzland, I have to really think about what I’m going to eat every day.  I am very happy to report, however, that the “duplet” cheese is back, which is this half cheddar, half non-cheddar cheese from the Ukraine. Yipeee! 

Meals I’ve eaten:
– grilled cheese sandwich (made with that duplet cheese!) and tomato soup
– curried fried rice with Japanese soup (from dried soup mix) — actually pretty tasty
– club sandwich and greek salad at, uhm, an Italian restaurant
– sloppy joes (at a get-together)
– rice with Japanese dried topping and Japanese mayonnaise; and boiled egg

Pretty SAD.

But I have to say — I’m so glad I brought back a 2.5 pound bag of Starbucks coffee.  Thanks Costco!

EDIT: … though nothing compares to hot, fresh NON, straight from the oven!

After 23 (!) hours of actual flying time (Houston-SF-Osaka-Tashkent) and 2 days of travelling, I made it back to T-kent on the 31st of August.

My welcome back into Uzland was sooo wonderful – four of my local friends met me at the airport, handed me flowers, took my luggage, and then we all went to my apartment and had cake.  This was all at 5:30am!

Since then, things have been considerably tougher. I tried so hard to stay awake until a decent hour on the 31st and watched almost an ENTIRE 10th season of Friends (thanks gnusharas!!!)… but I still fell asleep at 1pm… woke up at 6pm… then watched more Friends… then fell asleep…then woke up..

I’m almost back on schedule. I went to the bazaar, went to the grocery store, bought an internet card, rode the buses… visited friends, local and foreign (not many of us left!)… and am now making spaghetti sauce, using the canned tomatoes I bought in Afghanistan… which were imported from Iran.

Aaaaah… back to life in the fast lane.  The Golden Girls, season 4 is playing in the background as I type this…