Monday, April 18, 2011

A Surreal Life, as Usual

April 17, 2011

 

It's Sunday, the one day we don't have school… but my alarm rings at 7:20 and I question if it's really worth it… it is.  I've gotta hit the street before the Sunday bazaar-crowd starts their migration to the market.  If I wait too long, I'll draw unwanted attention. "Is that a girl? Running? Why?" I crawl out of bed, promising myself an afternoon nap.

 

Lunch rolls around, I eat alone, then sneak off to my room to start cleaning.  I wipe down all counter space- still alarmed by the dust buildup.  The outside comes in with more ferocity in Kazakhstan than at home- probably because the windows are always open and the streets are paved with dirt.

 

Five o'clock: I take the two year old out for a walk- a meager effort to wear her out before a non-existent bedtime.  We see a man ride past on a camel. I'm dumbfounded.  Why isn't anyone stopping to stare?  There's a man on a Bactrian trotting right alongside the 80's style cars as they put down Main Street.

 

The toddler refuses to walk another step twenty minutes from home… so in addition to some cardio, I get an arm workout today.

 

At 7:30 I settle into a chair by my window to use the fading light for a rare treat: a New York Times dated February 28th.  Ah yes, real news!  As the sun dips lower into the mountains, I read about Libyan rebels, a new approach to White House fitness, and the fresh look for the Oscars.

 

Another lulling Sunday and it's life as usual, yet everything feels so surreal.

 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Crisco Reunion

April 9, 2011

 

When I was ten years old my uncle caught me sitting beside the couch with a jar of Crisco and the sugar bowl.  I was taking Crisco out by the spoonful and rolling it in the sugar before popping the tasty morsel into my mouth.  His immediate response: "Do your parents know you do that?  You're gonna die of a clogged artery."  His prophesy of death petrified me and I gave up one of the hydrogenated world's best treats.

 

Well, Kazakhstan is a magical land where childhood dreams come true.  At my Kazakh tutor's house, there is a beautiful oiled butter mixture that regularly makes an appearance at the lunch table. (That is butter that has been whipped in oil.) For three months, I've watched them take tablespoons of this oiled-butter and lump it on a breadcrumb then dip it in sugar.  Genius!! This is even better than Crisco!  Straight butter, rolled in oil, and dipped in sugar.  Why didn't I think of that in my years of recklessness?! Each week I watch and one part of me gets a little grossed out while the other part of me is tempted to pick up a bread scrap alongside the best of them.

 

Seven months in, I decided the time has come.  I dipped my bread in the butter-oil and took a double dose of sugar. Delicious!  This is really what everyone wants to do back home, but their conscience (or their doctor) won't let them. 

 

No fears, I'm still taking care of myself, but you can only say "no" to so many things on the table before you're just being rude.  So for two years, I'm giving in to my childhood dream.  As my father told me: "When in Rome…" 

Living Large

March 27, 2011

 

I have great news:  I just took my first shower in 5 months…  AND the shower had hot water… AND there is soap in the bathroom sink.  These are the joys of traveling to the "big city" for a training conference!