“It wasn't that he hadn't been prepared--he had been, actually, had thought it through as carefully as a disaster drill, only instead of fallout shelters and bottled water, he'd pictured himself apologizing…He thought he'd worked out all the possible permutations. Just like a real disaster, he hadn't really expected it to happen, any of it.”

Weird world we live in.

The weather, at long last, is changing. Evenings are now downright pleasant, and mornings cool enough to drive with the windows open instead of a/c. I worry less about the dog expiring from heat exhaustion. A different crop of fruits are now in season and we seem to be drowning in watermelons. Gulia brings a melon to work every day and the long-suffering driver slices it and we eat slices all day. It’s cool and sweet and thirst-quenching, and feels like some kind of sinful indulgence that shouldn’t be permitted at work.

Children are back in school, so the fountain at the end of the street by my office is now longer full of happy naked children. Every time I saw that fountain full of kids, it caused confusion. On the one hand, they were so happy in the cool water on a sticky hot day. They looked like the epitome of joy, splashing and shrieking in the water. On the other hand, there wasn't an adult to be seen for blocks – what was to keep these kids from drowning in the four feet of water? I always felt like I should sit and keep an eye on them, but I can’t really sit by the kiosk all day watching children when I should be thinking about expanding immunization coverage or reporting to donors. I suppose I’m glad the same children now spend their days in little green dresses or little black suits, learning about the greatness of the president of Turkmenistan.

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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.