So Baby Close Your Eyes To the Lullabies On the News Tonight

Written November 12

I’ve been a very bad blogger and profuse apologies to those who look to Lawyers, Guns, and Money for up the minute updates on life in Turkmenistan. Life has been busy for the past month. Many milestones have been passed.

First, new volunteers arrived. There are currently 43 new volunteers trucking through training and stepping up to fill the spaces that will be left when the T-15s leave.

Second, my parents came to visit. This was fantastic on many fronts. I saw my mommy and my daddy for the first time in more than a year. We spent a week trekking around Ashgabat, Mary, and my oba. Yes, the American parents spent 2 and a half days in the village, meeting my friends and seeing where I live. It was great!

Third, I went on a vacation! I took my first vacation out of country. Mummy, Daddy, and I spent 6 days in Istanbul and Antalya. It was really nice to have a breather for a few days. Plus, Turkey is a fantastic country and I totally suggest that other people visit. There is much to do and more to see.

Fourth, my host sister, who has been engaged as long as I’ve known her, got married upon my return from vacation. There was a wedding party for 400 in my yard. You can imagine, I’m sure, the huge amount of peppers that have to be stuffed to feed 400. It’s a lot, in case you can’t. The Turkmen wedding takes up a fair amount of time, money, and effort. But, it was fascinating to see a whole deal from start to finish. I’ll probably write a complete blog about this when the last of my wedding related obligations are completed. There is still another dinner deal I must attend.

Fifth, and final: those new volunteers that were mentioned way back on the beginning came to Mary for their site visits. Of the 43, 7 are coming to my welyat and we rolled out the red carpet for them. Due to budget cuts and whatnot, training has been cut by two weeks, so the new volunteers arrive at site permanently around December 8^th. I continue to wish them the best in traning. I’m excited to get to know them later.

Anyway, that’s my deal…I’ve been busy. It’s been cold and I promise to do better. Upcoming events include: Thanksgiving with organic turkeys, LSAT and adventures in Ashgabat, and a holiday trip home!