Feet Washing, goat killin of a time!
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Danew,
Turkmenistan
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Hello Everyone! Once again another update from Tstan! I hope that I am not boring you with these long emails, but I just got back from my permanent site visit and thought you might like an update!
So last week we left our small training villages and went into Ashgabat for a short conference, aka a week of too many Americans in one place! I got to check out my first Turkmen disco where I kept asking myself, "Is this really Tstan?" I actually stayed out past the city curfew, 11 pm (only got stopped once by the cops, but they thought my Turkmen was pretty good and let me go, basically they are just bored teenagers). It was sad to say good bye to some of the T-11s who are done with their service, but exciting to see how much they got out of this place in two years.
So after two nights of partying, we headed out to our sites. The flight over there was uneventful, only a 45 minute flight from Ashgabat to Chajew and from there I had about a 30 minute taxi ride to my village, Danew. Looking down from the airplane was like looking down at the moon. There is NOTHING in the middle of this country. It was really weird to see a sand desert from the air and realize where the heck I am! Charjew looks just like a bustling Eastern European city, big apartment buildings, lots of cars and lots of Russians. There were a few parks, two big bazaars, and seems like a fun place to hang out. I was actually really happy that I wasn't placed in a city, I was always stressed out that I was going to get hit by a car, some crazy man would ask for drugs or something. I much prefer my small etrap center! The drive out there is interesting, cows are crossing the road constantly, people picking cotton, and it is just empty. Although this part of the country is much more colorful, hotter in the summer and colder in the winter (in case I needed some more extremes!)
I got to the site and met my new host family. I know I told you about how hospitable these people are, but let me describe what my host mother did for me in a short three days. I am sure she is convinced I have the brain of a 2 year old-I had EVERYTHING done for me. When I was eating watermelon, she would pick the seeds out before handing it to me, she would peel the hard boiled egg at breakfast, open the candy before giving it to me, taste my soup before I ate it to make sure it wasn't too hot, sweeten my "magnificent mush" that I eat for breakfast and taste it! But here is the best story.....I came home one night and I asked her where the hot water is since I needed to wash my feet (I was wearing sandals and it was very windy and cold that day), and she proceeded to take me into the shower room and flipping WASH MY FEET! Yes, my host mother of 3 days was washing my feet. The independent, don't touch me had no idea how to react to this situation and seriously went into my room and started laughing my ass off. I often felt sexually assaulted by my host mother. I guess they have been asking for a volunteer for 6 years and she was so excited, while eating my breakfast she would rub my leg saying "my girl." It was quite odd. We will have a talk about this if it continues!
But the new host family is very nice. I have a host father, who only speaks Uzbek (very helpful!) and works at a cement factory. My host mother has a great gold smile, one of the most beautiful, girly, graceful ladies I have met, I am sure we will get along well. I have a sister who is 11 and as tall as I am, just gorgeous, and a host brother who is 13. They are very nice and fun....very excited to have me. My host mom and dad are in love and it is cute. It is weird that I noticed that, but they walk arm and arm which doesn't really happen here. Where I live now, there is no affection shown between men and women so to see that was startling. It is a very functional family (if that is the opposite of dysfunctional).
My home is very nice. It looks very Asian. I have my own part of the compound. My room is across the carport so it is detached from the rest of the house. It is nice to be away and have a little separation. My host family has probably 40 chickens, 2 cows; they grow their own corn, spinach, squash, etc. They don't have to buy anything from the bazaar, they grow it all! Kinda cool, although it is odd knowing I am eating a chicken's egg that was laid the day before. I don't know why that is so weird, but it is so fresh it never needed to be refrigerated! I don't have running water, but we have a well in the back yard and a pump that waters the garden. I will be taking bucket showers for the next two years, but they heat up the shower room so it should be comfortable. I also don't have a toilet in my new place; I get the luxury of a pit. But it is a nice one to be honest, I like it. They are very clean and I feel comfortable. I just have to be much more careful with my water cleaning since it is from a well and not the city. But overall, I really like my set up.
The whole thing about women not being allowed to drink was shot (pun intended!) down very quickly when I stepped into my host family's home and the first thing they brought out was the bottle of vodka. I don't handle shots too gracefully, but man, my host dad and mom can drink! I think that I will come home a very sober person. I can't handle how much they can put back and the vodka is just gross. I couldn't really drink it in the states and now drinking it just makes me sick. I am not getting enough food to really absorb all of it....so I think I am just going to not drink. I mean going to a bar and having a few beers each night is one thing, but shots, no thank you. I don't need to be an alcoholic at the end of the Peace Corps.
I have also stopped eating meat completely. Before I left for site visit my host mom came and knocked on my door. I opened it and she proceeded to put her hands over her head like horns and scream bahhhhh, bahhhh! I was like, huh, we are having sheep for dinner. Oh no, I go downstairs to find out that they want me to kill these two sheep for sacrifice. I couldn't so much do it, but I was the lucky one to skin it and carry in the bowl of meat/organs/bones etc. The liver or pancreas was on the top and was still quivering!!!!!! NEVER AGAIN. I skinned a sheep. Read that over and over again, and try to imagine me doing this, and maybe you will understand how traumatizing it was. I guess they sacrifice animals for the sick and my host grandma is really ill. Thanks lady I never met, I will never look at a sheep the same way. I am bitter; I didn't talk to my host mom for a few days because of that.
So back to my site...I don't know much about my work. When I got to my site, my counterpart teachers were out picking cotton the whole time. The school was completely empty and it looks like I won't start teaching until December. Really, these kids are only going to get 6 months of school a year! It is pretty sad. They get paid 1000 manat for every kilo of cotton they pick, which means for a dollar they have to pick 24 kilos! It is out of control, but a way of life. I am just trying to figure out what I will do next year when I don't have kids or teachers to teach...I will have to get creative. So I was a little frustrated with my work visit, but I guess that leaves stuff to do when I get there in a month. Supposedly my counterpart is really cool and I will have plenty to do. Laura, the volunteer I am replacing, set up a nice resource center where I can run clubs so I can start there. Anyone is more than welcome to send resources for it J
Ok, well I need to get to bed. We have had a busy week. It is Independence week next week and we are holding an English camp. So much planning. I am in charge of the Halloween party, it should be fun. My goal is to find enough toilet paper to make mummies! I hope everyone is doing well in the states. I will talk to you soon! Thanks for all the letters, so far I have gotten lots! THANK YOU!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!
Have a good couple weeks, I will keep you all posted!
Love you
Katy
