Thats the Way It Happens On the Far Side of The World

January 10, 2008

It’s been a while, so there will be several posts full of fun facts from the life and times of Katheryne in Turkmenistan. Today is First order of business; it is cold in the Stan of the Turkmen. This is a fact that I think I knew but didn’t fully process back in November ’06, when I blithely cast aside a Pacific Islands post because I might get cabin fever. It would be cabin fever, but in a bikini.

It is so cold in fact that the main gas pipeline to our little town burst. It has sort of been fixed, but gas flowing is barely enough to keep the peches lit. To give you a sense of the temperatures, I am in my sleeping room, which is probably the warmest in our compound because it has an electric stove that is kept on and my little Peace Corps issue space heater. I am wearing 3 pairs of socks, not including the tights I am also wearing, sweatpants, a koynek (Turkmen dress), and tank top, a long sleeved cotton shirt, a wool turtleneck, and a sweater. I also have a scarf wrapped around my head and I’m in my sleeping bag (REI Sub-Kilo 15+F), and I wouldn’t exactly call myself warm. It is cold enough that my clinic is operating on half days. (There’s no gas there either). The half days are a combination of it being freezing, and the roads being unplowed and unsalted. Most of my clinic staff lives in other villages between Mary City and mine. The road is usually well served by these minibus taxis or marshrutkas. The unplowed, unsalted road is not, so everyone gets to leave early to be sure that they get home. It works for me because bundled in my sleeping bag, in front of a space heater; I can actually feel my toes. It’s a beautiful sensation.

There is also about 3 inches of snow on the ground outside although in many places its been trodden down, driven over, and melted slightly on the rare occasions its been above freezing this week. And, it has been, on rare occasions, above freezing this week. That has mostly made everything more treacherous, because instead of snow, there are patches of sheet ice. I took a pretty horrific spill this morning. It was very slow motion cartoon animated, where both feet slipped out from under me, and I suddenly found myself staring up at the sky wondering how I had gotten down there. I also have an aching back and a sizable lump on my head. It serves as a valuable lesson to watch where I am going.

I meant to, last Saturday (Jan. 5), make it to an Internet location and get something up on the blog, mostly to let people know I am still alive. One would hope, though, that if I were not alive Peace Corps would be prompt about that sort of thing. Anyway, that did not happen. First, the American Corner (US Embassy program to foster civic mindedness and democracy) was mysteriously closed. Everyone around us (I was also having my first visit with a fellow volunteer and joyously speaking in English) spoke Russian, so we didn’t really understand why it was closed. And, the Internet café is probably the only thing in Mary City that keeps to an American Monday through Friday workweek.

Instead, I sent a lot of mail that people will hopefully begin receiving over the next couple of weeks. Think E-mail before Al Gore invented the Internet. I assume everything still leaves from Ashgabat, and I haven’t a clue how much time the additional 400 km from Mary City will add on.

In the interest of inspiring more people to drop me a line, I have decided to provide some excerpts from letters received so far. Also, for those of you (mostly of the younger, internet-dependent generations…basically me three months ago) who expressed qualms about the postal system. Your basic letter will cost $0.90, and I think you can even order stamps online these days.

My life is rather boring; it just so happens to be boring somewhere exotic—this one is actually something I wrote, but the letter was returned to sender.

Because you know American have more important things to worry about [than where Turkmenistan is on a map] like who will be eliminated next on America’s Next Top Model—keeping it all in perspective for me…

You might be amused to know that we’ve had a big infestation of head lice on campus these past three weeks—Yes head lice—Hurray for problems I don’t have!

Well, my personal life sucked this letter. I will try to spiced it up—For me, thanks

…Now it seems like I am at the starting line of “real” in my life—I know the feeling

Hope all is well and you’ve reached the first plateau in language, (“can you please tell me where I can find the bathroom?” “I’ll have a Cuba libre”, “Oh, sorry wrong country,” “I’ll have a scotch, make it a double,” “Oh, still wrong country,” “Beer?”)—In this post-soviet state they ask for vodka

I am anxious to here where your site will be so I can put a pin in the map—it will make my dreams of visiting more real if I can Google Earth your town—the internet does weird things to you

What’s the food like in Turkmenistan? IS THERE FOOD? ARE YOU STARVING? —I know famines and the like do happen here (its 80% desert), but given the warmth, hospitality, and generosity of everyone I’ve met, starving in Turkmenistan seem like a difficult proposition.

How fast I forget that you, too, were once a demanding adolescent—Have I grown out of that?

Since you’ve gone to Turkmenistan, I’ve met or heard about lots of people who served in PC Turkmenistan and all loved it. I also saw a friend whose daughter graduated college last year and is working at a Starbucks in Oregon and hates it. You have clearly made the right choice—Always nice to have one’s actions validated!