Dancing on the Casket
Written September 17, 2009
This has not been a good week for small creatures of the earth. I have killed two of them, more or less accidentally. The first was a lizard. I stepped on it as I made my way to the outhouse. I was really lost in thought because I didn’t even notice it until there was a weird cracking sound underfoot. I glanced back, saw a writhing thing and quickly walked by. I have a full-blown lizard phobia, and apparently it doesn’t matter if its dead or alive. Its still sends adrenaline flooding my system and freaks me out. I walked all the way around my host family’s central yard so I wouldn’t have to pass it on my way back to my room. When I went out to cook dinner later that day, the lizard was being consumed by a flock of carnivorous wasps. It was a very creepy image.
Today, I killed a mouse. I didn’t intend to kill it, but I did need it out of my room. I was on a quest for my ATM card, which has vanished. The last time I remember having it was in January, coming back from vacation. I thought maybe I left it in the pocket of a winter coat, so I pulled out my winter clothes. I’ve been keeping them in a suitcase under the floorboards of my room. In hindsight, perhaps that wasn’t the best location. The first thing I pulled out was a very nice cashmere turtleneck sweater that was riddled with holes. My first thought was, “how did moths get in here?” My second thought was “MOUSE!” as it scurried from my suitcase into a corner of my room. I checked the rest of my clothes for little mouse babies, but thank god I didn’t have to deal with that too. Then, I set about trying to get my furry invader out of my bedroom. Initially I just left the door open and tried to be quiet. This was not successful. Then I tried to scare it to the door, but the door was apparently less attractive to the mouse than under my desk. It hid under my medical kit, which was precariously balanced on a stack of old Emergency Action Plans. During my shooing with a plastic bottle, I knocked the kit onto the mouse. It died, and then I had a fun two hours of gathering my courage to lift the kit and remove the body.
Number of dead mice in my room: 0
Number of mice corpses in the burn pile: 1
Number of slightly queasy but proud Americans: 1
Friday, October 2, 2009
16 tons and what do you get? Written September 24
16 Tons and What Do You Get?
Written September 24
Turkmenistan’s economy is driven by two very different factors. Internationally, there is the natural gas. With pipelines planned to Iran, Europe, and China, Turkmenistan pumps out a lot of it. Proceeds from this provide the service net around which all Turkmen survive. Without it, there would not be free electricity, salt, flour, and, well, gas, at least until 2020. However, most Turkmen do not see actual money from this part of the economy. They survive on cotton.
During the Soviet era, cotton was brought to Turkmenistan as a cash crop. I am not quite sure I grasp the logic of developing a desert for agriculture, but its here, and it remains. In my welyat, much like the in the old South, cotton is king. Until fairly recently, students were required to pick cotton as part of the curriculum. Now, while it isn’t mandatory, many children still go picking instead of school because they can earn valuable cash income. From a privately owned cotton field, a kilo of cotton earns 1,000 manat; from a government one, 500. If anyone is more math oriented than I am, 14,215 manats equals a dollar.
I went cotton picking last week. It just seemed like one of those things that I probably should do before I leave, and I’m leaving fairly soon. (I am out of Turkmenistan and on to other grand adventures on December 16). I went to Momotay village, where another Peace Corps volunteer resides. I expected it to be difficult, but it was harder than I thought. First of all, it was hot and sunny. Then, the cotton plants are short. It made my back ache. Additionally, cotton isn’t exactly heavy. It takes a lot of blossoms to get a kilo, far more than I was willing to pick. Mostly it was a photo opportunity. So, there they are, above!
Written September 24
Turkmenistan’s economy is driven by two very different factors. Internationally, there is the natural gas. With pipelines planned to Iran, Europe, and China, Turkmenistan pumps out a lot of it. Proceeds from this provide the service net around which all Turkmen survive. Without it, there would not be free electricity, salt, flour, and, well, gas, at least until 2020. However, most Turkmen do not see actual money from this part of the economy. They survive on cotton.
During the Soviet era, cotton was brought to Turkmenistan as a cash crop. I am not quite sure I grasp the logic of developing a desert for agriculture, but its here, and it remains. In my welyat, much like the in the old South, cotton is king. Until fairly recently, students were required to pick cotton as part of the curriculum. Now, while it isn’t mandatory, many children still go picking instead of school because they can earn valuable cash income. From a privately owned cotton field, a kilo of cotton earns 1,000 manat; from a government one, 500. If anyone is more math oriented than I am, 14,215 manats equals a dollar.
I went cotton picking last week. It just seemed like one of those things that I probably should do before I leave, and I’m leaving fairly soon. (I am out of Turkmenistan and on to other grand adventures on December 16). I went to Momotay village, where another Peace Corps volunteer resides. I expected it to be difficult, but it was harder than I thought. First of all, it was hot and sunny. Then, the cotton plants are short. It made my back ache. Additionally, cotton isn’t exactly heavy. It takes a lot of blossoms to get a kilo, far more than I was willing to pick. Mostly it was a photo opportunity. So, there they are, above!
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