Staging

I'm in Washington, D.C. at staging (orientation). Got in last night and there was this guy at the baggage claim and I think I got hustled by him. He took me to his car, which didn't have a meter or look like a taxi at all (it was Cadillac), but I got to the hotel fine, even though the fare was $45 flat. I shouldn't have followed that Ethiopian man.

But were given today a debit card to cover expenses and the government was surprisingly generous. I have plenty of money for incidentals and food and taxi rides. I had great Thai food tonight.

Today we went over a bunch of things, like our anxieties and fears and expectations for Turkmenistan. One really cool thing I learned was that Peace Corps is the only game in Turkmenistan, that we are literally the only aid group over there. No Habitat for Humanity or World Bank or UN or CARE. Just the Peace Corps. The awesome thing about this is that, as a volunteer, your results are more apparent. A common complaint (and reason for ETing) among volunteers is that they can't see the effects of their accomplishments. It was reassuring to learn that in T-stan that this won't be an issue.

Peace Corps really does open you up to many new experiences. For example, the guy I'm rooming with during staging, he had never ironed a shirt until I showed him how this afternoon. And as for me, he showed me his socks, all of which are tye-died. No joke.

Packing post

6 white undershirts
18 t-shirts
5 polos and button-down short-sleeve shirts
12 dress shirts for work
3 sweaters
2 long sleeve shirts
7 pairs of pants
exercise pants, shorts, and long-sleeve shirt
silk underwear bottoms and tops
one vest, one cardigan, one hoodie, one medium-weight coat, one heavy-weight coat



crushed red pepper
cumin
cinnamon
Sri Racha hot sauce
onion powder
garlic powder
curry powder
Italian mix



Sambas, brown loafers, black loafers, Chacos, running shoes
frying pan
hat
sleeping bag and insertable mat
English/Russian dictionary, field guide to birding around USSR, Donald Barthelme short stories, Limits of Language, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
pens, pencils, sharpies, pad


ties
belts
underwears
socks



Macbook, charger, sweater
external hard drive, mouse, camera, cords
USB thumb drive
headphones
binoculars
iPod shuffle
digital watch
toiletries



calendar and bookmarks (gifts for host family)
combination lock
laptop lock
Leatherman Multi-tool
Gameboy DS, games, charger
handcrank flashlight, keychain flashlight
international voltage converter

My burgeoning food blog?

I have a slight inclination to start a food blog, based on the 1100 varieties of melons to be found in Turkmenistan. It would be popular, I feel, because food buffs love exotic fruits. The mangosteen was recently legalized in America and already I've seen several proclamations of "the new pomegranate!"

It wouldn't be difficult to look into the melon-describing semantic sphere and pick up several words and phrases. I already have a name for it, which is personally the biggest motivation to start the blog. Turkmelonstan.

Also, it's surreal that I'll be there in two weeks.