I'm finally writing a real entry for you!!

Oct 4, 2007
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan First of all, I can hardly believe that I'm in Turkmenistan. I've been working so hard to get here for so long that it just doesn't seem possible. My disbelief is not helped by the fact that Ashgabat is NOTHING like what I pictured Turkmenistan to be. There are beautiful marble building everywhere - in fact I've never seen so much marble in one place. We have electricity and plumbing that seem just about as reliable as any US city. Everyone walks around with briefcases and cell phones. But, this is not really representative of the rest of the country. On saturday we will move in with our host families on the outskirts of the city, and at this point we should have a better idea of how the average Turkmen lives. The other volunteers are so much fun to be around. While we were in D.C. I had so much fun just hanging out and talking with everyone. I've only known these people for a few days, but sometimes it feels like we've been friends for a lot longer, which is a really nice feeling considering how much I miss all my friends at home. Anyway, D.C. was exciting, but very busy and a little overwhelming because there was so much information to cover. The trip over was very very long, but the jet lag still didn't over-shadow my excitement. By the last leg of the journey, some of us were a little cranky, but over all everyone was pretty cool considering that we had been traveling for so long. We stopped in Germany, but we didn't leave the airport because we were afraid of getting lost or not getting back through security in time, so we hung out by our terminal for about 6 hours. When we finally arrived in Ashgabat, we basically just went back to the hotel and passed out. But not before someone handed me a letter from home. Apparently my mom had sent it to me way back in August so that I would have it waiting for me when I got there. Several others also had letters, but I soon found out that I had two packages waiting as well! Thank you Mom, it made my day, you are amazing! When I woke up the next morning, I didn't open my eyes right away because I was afraid that I had dreamt all of this and that when I did open them, I'd just be laying in my bed at home. But no, I was still laying in the hotel bed with my roommate Annie across the room. So I took a shower (one of the few real one's I'll get in Turkmenistan) and headed up to breakfast for my first Turkmen meal! They had a great layout of fruits, cheeses, bread, and - to my great surprise - they had Coco Puffs. So I took my share of the delicious cereal, but I also took an assortment of other things that looked unfamiliar. One of the things I grabbed was a cube of white cheese that was floating in what appeared to be water, but I assumed it was brine (when I worked as a Hy-Vee cheese girl, some of it was in brine and it was quite tasty). I sat down with some of the other volunteers and we all chatted while we ate. When it came time for me to try this cube of white cheese, I debated for a moment about whether or not I should put the whole thing in my mouth or cut it and take a smaller bite. I personally love cheese and I haven't really tried many I don't like, so I decided that a whole mouthful would be fine. So in the middle of our conversation, I put it in my mouth. This is when I realize that I had made several bad decisions. The first is that I assumed the cube was cheese. It wasn't. The second is that I assumed the liquid it was in was brine. It wasn't. And the third is that I thought taking the whole thing at once was a good idea. Clearly it wasn't. I'm not really sure exactly what this stuff was, but it felt like I had taken a big bite of butter (not margarine), and the taste is something I don't think I can accurately explain, but basically, it was not at all like cheese and it was not at all tasty. So, as I realized my errors, I had an urge to spit it out, but I didn't want to offend anyone or gross them out. At the same time I realized the humor of the situation and started laughing at myself. And now everyone at the table is staring at me wondering what's wrong with me. So I'm trying really hard to chew it up and swallow it, but the laughing made it even more difficult than the taste. Eventually, with tears streaming down my face, I get it down and explain to the rest of my table what happened. It was slightly embarrassing, but I learned my lesson. Anyway, the main goal for us now is to get through training. Today and yesterday was spent getting to know the staff who will be teaching us, learning about Turkmenistan, the Turkmen language, and about the Peace Corps programs here. We also had a big welcoming party which was a lot of fun. On saturday we will go to our training sites and meet our host families. My host family (for while I'm training) lives in a small village outside of Ashgabat called Golcche. I'm excited and a little nervous to meet them because they don't speak any English at all. Thankfully our Turkmen teachers are great, and I've already learned a lot more than I expected to. I will probably have access to internet about once a week, and usually on fridays, so that's when you can expect updates. I will work on getting a cell phone, but it may not happen. I will be sending letters as soon as I can, so expect some in a month or so. And if you write me, write "Via Istanbul" on the envelop and it should get to me faster. Love and miss you all!!


P.S. I've taken a lot of pictures and I hope to have them up by next Thursday.