The honeymoon is over and the ring is still on the finger.

I was told “You must sit and learn Turkmen.” Great! As if I hadn’t just spent the last 11 weeks in a chair learning Turkmen for hours everyday. Let me not be to pessimistic here. I am now at my permanent site so I have had a change of scenery for when I sit but…now I have no chair.

-Written in a moment of frustration

My awe at being in a country most people have no knowledge about yet alone have any intention of going to has slowly turned into countless questions of “Why” or as the Turkmen say “Name Ucin”. Very few of these questions are actually answered and if they are it usually includes the phrase “cultural differences”. I have develop a Charlie Brown syndrome, where when I hear this phrase it takes the form of “wha wha wha” and invokes the same emotions as “because I said so” did when I was 12. This is what I wanted though…right? To experience a culture from the inside out, to get passed the marble facade concocted to coax money from pocked to register. While I am not a tourist here, I am not a host country national and as long as that is true I will have to be content with “cultural differences”.  

            Let me not get too far ahead of myself. The angst that is currently my most dominant emotion was not always at the forefront. Turkmenistan and I went through the honeymoon phase for the first 11 weeks before being abruptly brought to what will be my reality for the next two years. These weeks were filled with cultural field trips, toys (parties), and countless hours studying Turkmen language (the last of these was more like the dark clouds that continually threaten to ruin a perfectly good day).

The Turkmen language in general is not difficult to learn. It has no irregularities or exceptions to the rules. Of course for me, someone with absolutely no natural talent for learning a second language, it is nothing but difficult. Lucky for me there is plenty of comical relief within the language. For example…

1. Biz dusdik (Biz dush-dick): We showered.
2. Bitc (Bitch): Cut the fabric.
3. Hor (Hoar): Thin
4. Yoredik (Your-a-dick): Let’s go.

Got to love this language.

While I was busy filling my head with Turkmen words I was busy filling my belly with traditional Turkmen nahar. If you were to recreate the food pyramid Turkmen style the base would be cookies and chi followed closely by corek: the top consisting of vegetables, meat, and fruit. In fact it is not so much a pyramid. With all this sugar and fat how is it possible to maintain a healthy weight? Two words…digestive perseverance. Everything that goes in must come out. Those who have traveled abroad already understand. For those who have not I am going to let your imagination fill in the blanks.

The people that I have met here have made this experience worth the wait. The host country nationals are warm and inviting. They have a hospitality that few people in America possess. Theses relationships are great but it is the relationships forming with the other volunteers that have sustained me thus far. There are 34 total Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) in Turkmenistan, only about a third of what most countries have, and guess what? They all speak English! I have found that even the little time I spend with them refreshes my spirit and helps me to put my experiences into perspective. So while the honeymoon died weeks ago for Turkmenistan and I, its holding strong when it comes to my 34 new friends which you will hear tons more about very soon.  

From a land far far away,

Steph

P.S. To all my friends and family at home I miss you and am thankful for all the support and words of encouragement I have received.