Follow-up on Peace Corps fate

Written in real time, Dec. 15th:

Good news:

I am writing this from an internet cafe in Ashgabat because the internet (and the whole network) in the Peace Corps office has been broken for a few weeks now. (That is not the good news.) The good news is that Peace Corps in allegedly ready to come back here, with some slight differences. There are 20 health volunteer positions set to be filled, to come around May. TEFL would still come theoretically in the fall. Currently everyone comes at once, which makes training more difficult. But anyway, we are not over, and the current T17's will not be lonely for too long.

Also, the FLEX (the program that sends Turkmen highschool students to America for a year) exams have been approved and are being held. The students who are selected are picked based on already impressive English skills, and they come back incredibly fluent; instead of 'hello, how are you?' they say things like 'yo man, what's up?' It is an absolutely great program. Good luck to them.

Otherwise, I COS (close of service) later today. IE as of midnight tonight, I am no longer a volunteer. Done. Success. As Shannon would say, "Sweet action". I'll be here till my Sunday 3am flight to Thailand, then back in Chicago on the 28th.

Last night I went with Noah and two local friends - the older sister of Maya, my Turkmen teacher from training, and her husband - for dinner and pool (it exists in Ashgabat. This place is amazing! Pool! I am so starved for excitement...) As I looked around at all the wealthy and stylish metropolitan Ashgabaters...Ashgabatians?...people of Ashgabat, I felt like a Dashoguz taxi driver in my old jeans and oversized black fake leather jacket. I have become well acculturated to northern T-stan. Anyway, after 2 years of not touching a pool cue, I didn't know what to expect, but luckily we were all equally bad, and I think maybe only 2 of 6 games did NOT end because of accidently sinking the 8 ball. But I finished the last game with an impressive double-bank called shot, so I showed this place a thing or two (assuming no one saw the rest of my playing...)

Also, I celebrated Hanukah in style. As the two Jewish representatives who were in Ashgabat, Noah and I were invited Friday night to a small Hanukah party held by the UN head in Tstan. It was he and his wife, a few embassy people, and a guy from Chevron with his son. Small world factor: I remembered the guy from two years earlier at an embassy's 4th of July party ("I'm Doug from Chevron.") This was quite the opportunity to see how the other half live, and by other half I mean Americans who aren't volunteers (re: salaried). Pastrami and mustard. Australian shiraz. Beautiful furniture. FURNITURE. And yet people who lead an extremely sheltered life here: they don't speak Turkmen, don't really get into the culture, and interact in Turkmen far far less (they have drivers, even.) I felt a little embarrased when I jokingly asked the host why he didn't cook the deliciously red pastrami, after I realized that he probably hasn't eaten the always cooked through Turkmen style meat. You never see meat even pink on the inside here. But it was a real fun crowd, and we had a good time.

That's all for now.

There are still some paper letters in the mail or being typed up for the blog, so please keep reading.