First off, thanks soooo much for the comments – it really warms my heart over here! I am writing from an internet cafe in which I waited an hour to get onto this machine. Luckily the connection is much better than in Tashkent. I’m writing from the city where all the TEFL vols gather, and it is called Chirchik.

Where to begin: Well, since the last update, I have moved out from the sanatorium and into my host family’s house! A little about the family. There is a father, mother and two boys. One boy is 15, the other 9, and the parents are middle aged. The little one, Aziz, is really cute, and we’ve taken to calling him little monkey. He is kinda a loudmouth, and when I’m a block or two away and he’s playing outside, I can hear him loud and clear. All in all a normal little boy. The older, Anvar, is more serious, though he does have a good sense of humor. So far he has shared with me the books he uses to learn English (surprisingly good modern British publications.)

The house is more like a compound, with detached rooms all surrounding a courtyard, which must be beautiful in the summer when not covered with 5 inches of snow. My room is behind the boys’ room, and though a little spartan, is rather large. I have a bed, dresser, table, and an old Russian TV that works if you hold the button constantly. The family eats in another room around a very low table while sitting on cushions. I occupy the spot of honor. During meals, we attempt at conversation, which is fun and frustrating, and watch Uzbek TV, which is state run, music video heavy, and generally schitzo.

And though there is hot running water for showers, the toilet is, sadly, just a hole in the floor. So, I’ll leave your respective imaginations to that one…

I haven’t been doing much, but language classes and techincal training (i.e. how to formulate lesson plans) is picking up. All in all things are okay here, though life is much more difficult. Though our house is warm for the most part, some places lack heat. I feel like I’ve gone back in time… and not to the genteel days of ole Boston.

I will now try to attach some pictures:

Madrassa in Tashkent:

Me and a sad Russian clown…

Fertility statue at Sanatorium:

Me and another PCV, Josh:

Okay, that’s about it for now. Again, thanks for all your comments, and I promise next time I have internet, I’ll write personal notes. I’d like to extend a special welcome to the new visitors to this site – Welcome to WorkingDefinition!

From Uzbekistan,

I am writing from Tashkent on what is, probably, the world’s slowest internet connection, ever. So I’ve now been in Uz for a few days. We are staying at a sanatorium in a town called Quibray. In case you want to know, a sanatorium is a place where, back in the day, people would come to relax and be pampered – kind of an in country vacation. But, as I said, that was back in the day. Now the sanatorium seems to be home to a fertility clinic. On one wall near the main building there is a large mural showing a happy white couple arms outstreched – on the other end of the mural, a stork carrying a little baby. So while the other half of the sanatorium’s guests are attempting to conceive… we are trying to get our bearings.

All and all it has been fun. For food, we go to this special building where 8 – 10 women scurry around serving us. There is breakfast, lunch, dinner and two coffee breaks. So, although some of the meat has a little more gristle or fat in it than I’m used to, we seem to be eating most of the time, which is keeping me happy. While not eating, we are sitting in a small auditorium learning about policies and health issues. We have also recently broken down into small group for language and culture instruction.

My initial reaction to my surroundings is that this once was a much more prosperous place. Although the large structures remain standing, much seems to be in a state of disrepair. The people here, since I am still near Tashkent, seem a good deal Russified. Of course, the further my site is from the large cities, the less this will be true. I’m very nervous about meeting my first host family, truthfully, and I hope not to offend them accidentally. I’m sure the little presents I’ve brought and the pictures on my camera will help facilitate some conversation and smiles.

I’m still in sensory overload mode – I think bitter depression is next, or at least so I hear from other RPCVs. 🙂 But I’m sure that I’ll have your comments and insights to look forward to.

From a very different place,

Dear all you loyal WD fans:

I have just completed the two days of staging. It took place at a beautiful hotel in the Society Hill area of Philadelphia. Run by a few Peace Corps staff, including a very good motivator and leader, we reviewed policies and general tactics crucial to our survival for the next two years. But more than that it was a great time to meet a bunch of the members of the group. Since there are close to sixty people, it is difficult to talk to everyone, but there were plenty of exercises (and meal excursions) to allow for that. I’ve purposely been expanding my comfort zone, even going so far as to initiate conversation myself! But seriously, I really like the make of this group. Most of the volunteers are in their early to mid twenties. There are some in their thirties, a middle aged couple, and two older folks, one lady is like 70. It is about 60% female and 40% male. Surprisingly, very few if any of the people seem like granola type hippies. Most look and act like professionals. Everyone is educated, and as our many skit type exercies showed, has a great sense of humor. Basically a mixture of laughter and serious thought for the past two days. Tomorrow I fly to Uzbekistan.