2004-12-26 - 5:27 p.m.
Things That Made Christmas Here Rock the Yurt:
1) My host sister Gozel who went to the Post Office with me so that I could mail a package home. After I lost my temper in the Post Office (me angrily throwing my pen, my paper, my envelope, and the contents of my package into my bag, making sure everybody saw and heard me do it), she went to the bazaar for hours with me so we could shop as ladies like us do.
2) The man at the Play Music store near the bazaar who burned me three cds on as few blank discs as possible and saved me a landslide (landslide?) of money. Also, his face went beyond having a "square jaw" and instead looked like a trapezoid. Awesome.
3) My host mother who offhandedly gave me some presents for Christmas. "For your Christmas holiday", she said in broken English as she threw the candy and socks at my feet on her way to the kitchen.
4) Mom "What I Can Do For You" Griswold who called on Tuesday night, making it the best non-Christmas but about Christmas conversation ever.
5) Kristen "I Ain't Doin' It Fo' the Dollas" Fouts who shocked the hell out of by calling on my Christmas morning because she's amazing like cramazing (cramazing?). It was undoubtedly the most depressing, "Steve, I only have one more minute left on my phone card," I've ever heard.
6) The members of Dashoguz Welyat who were my makeplace family for the weekend and ponied up the bid as we took cheap vodka shot after cheap vodka shot in the cold apartment we rented out.
7) My Turkmen fam-fam who not only let me sleep an insane amount yesterday, but after telling them I was in a bad mood and just wanted to be by myself, let me stay in my room, listen to cheesy dance music, and drink a bottle of soda all to myself.
8) Anna "I'm Buying Shoes Like I Have 100 Feet" Ball for sending me McSweeney's humor compilation that gave me the hardest laughter I have had here in Turkmenistan. Easily one of the best gifts I could ever have received.
