So, what to say about the last week and a half?

Well, first of all, Almaty was fun but difficult. Lots of my colleagues in Almaty are people I really like, and it was good to see them. As an added bonus, Markus was back in town, and I always love to see him. Going out with people from work, though, means that no matter how much how like them you can never let your guard down. I mean, Taylor, my supervisor, is absolutely great. I always enjoy spending time with her, and she’s a friend as well as a colleague. Nonetheless, I know when I am with her that she is watching me carefully for signs that Turkmenistan is making me batty. I also know that I need to seem intelligent and organized when I’m with her, or she’ll worry. Same thing with Markus.

Almaty was expensive. I spend about twice as much as I meant to while I was there, and I don’t have a whole lot to show for it. The week in Kazakhstan also completely destroyed my habit of going to the gym and my ability to eat carefully. There will be some time spent rebuilding my good habits. I hope to have my life back on a healthy track by Kir’s return next Friday. Tomorrow I am going to go to the road of health (a concrete track designed by the president of Turkmenistan) with Jeni to talk, see what it’s like, and re-start my exercise. Sunday I am going to the gym. If I can find something to wear, I’ll go to the gym tonight, too, but every piece of exercise clothing I own seems to be in the laundry.

Istanbul was wonderful. Insanely wonderful. I loved it. I think I smiled constantly for all three days. It was also more expensive then anticipated, but that was because we shopped, as I may have mentioned, like fiends. Total shopping:

One Turkish soccer jersey (my brother)

One handmade blue glass candle holder, medium size (Kir’s sister)

One handmade purple glass candle holder (us)

One drawing of Sufi dancer, mounted and framed (us)

Once painting of a Sufi dancer, mounted and framed (us)

One star shaped set of ceramic bowls (us)

Two round ceramic tile trivets (us)

One round ceramic tile trivet (Dorothy)

There were plenty of things we wanted and didn't buy – especially some hand-painted purple ceramic bowls, a painting of an old Arabic print on dentistry (showing demons fighting inside a tooth) and a Pakistani bedspread.

So, all in all, a pretty successful trip.

There was plenty of anti-war feeling in Istanbul. Plenty of “Stop the War” signs – some handwritten and taped in shop windows, some as part of political party posters. There was also an odd feeling in an Indian restaurant when I told the waiter we were American. He said “I should die you. But needing money.” We were kind of worried that he would poison our food or something, but we weren't sure what he meant, and felt like jerks leaving a restaurant after we’d ordered. Also, we were really looking forward to Indian food. So we stayed, and the waiter was very attentive and helpful all night. Confusing, to say the least.

I have no idea where Kir is right now. Paris, I hope, but possibly still in Istanbul. Depends on the strike. If he was on his way back to Ashgabat, he would have emailed, so I know that’s not the case. I hope he’s having fun, wherever he is, and not all lonely and in Istanbul by himself.

Coming back to Ashgabat was hard. It was nice to be back in my own house, but re-entering the domain of Turkmenbashi took some getting used to.

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USAID is one of many donors for the project I work for. The views expressed herein are the author’s own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer or especially those of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. And I mean it. I probably give the US government heart attacks.