Well, Winter has come with a vengeance. After not having Internet for over a week and not being able to SKYPE my family, Internet was finally fixed and working, yea. So I set my alarm for 6 AM (12 hours difference), so I can SKYPE my grandchildren Owen and Em before bath and bedtime. I woke up as the alarm went off, tiptoed into the kitchen, turned on the light and my computer, put water on for my coffee, sat down entered my pass word and darn, the electricity went out and so did the Internet. Sooooo close. It was still dark, so I closed everything, sent a text to my family and tiptoed back to bed. An hour and half later, I woke up to snow, yuck. It snowed all night, at that point it was about a foot on the ground and it was still snowing. As in my last blog, it hadn't stopped. I had planned to meet up with a few other PCV's for spaghetti, salad and a movie. But I wasn't sure if I should brave the cold and snow. Yes, I will. I was meeting another PC in Zagatala, and we would be off to Danschi. Packed my computer and sleeping bag, went out to catch the murshurutka and waited.... and waited.... and waited. I was just about to turn around and walk back to the house and one finally came. I got to Zaqatala, and called the PCV and he told me to start walking to the murshurutka station (as you know, I now know where that is.... yea) and he will meet me there as he was taking a taxi because no murshurutka was in his village. I started walking and I heard a honk and it was a taxi with the PC's in it, yea, I didn't have to walk too far. We got to the marshurutka station and got on the last one to Danschi. It was suppose to leave at 3:30 but didn't leave until 4 PM. Everything here is hurry up, WAIT. I am glad I went, we all had a great time, ate well, played a card game,and watched a really bad sit com. The only bad part is that it was really cold because the only heat was from a wood stove and in the middle of the night when the wood burnt out, it was very cold and the bathroom (of course) was outside in the back in the woods on the way to grandmother's house. But it was a good weekend.
When I got home, I was a little hungry. Now the food up here is definitely different then in training. There is a lot more vegetables and soups. More meat and less chicken. I don't mind, I don't eat meat as it upsets my stomach, and even though I am eating better here, I have not gain the weight back that I lost in training. But I think I finally met my match in the gross department. Now, I had seen a cow being skinned in a driveway while walking to training, chunks of meat hanging with a for sale sign (while heads and hoofs are on display) outside the "meat market". My host family's son and his two friends, killed and skinned two rabbits, but the worst is the inners of animals. Something about liver and heart is just yuck. Now back to the story, as I walked into the kitchen, I notice soup on the range, so I lifted the lid and big chunks of liver was floating on the top and I just couldn't bring myself to eat it. I got a piece of bread went into my room and put peanut butter on it and savored every last morsel. They do not have peanut butter here and my package from home I got a jar, hmmmm. How you miss foods you took for granted back home.
Life Challenge: The path to the truth is a labor of the heart, not of the head. Make your heart your primary guide, not your mind. Meet, challenge and ultimately prevail over your ego with your heart. Knowing yourself will lead you to the knowledge of God.... Elif Shafar "40 Rules of Love" (thanks Viv I love that book)
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