So this weekend we all got to get together and because it was just an exercise, after we reported in, we could just hang out the rest of the weekend. Casey and Ilana came with me to school. After that, we walked to the weekend bazaar to meet Linds, but on the way we stopped at the Russian Orthodox Church. Casey studied Russian and spent some time in St. Petersburg so he wanted to see it and I was able to have him ask when services are. Andy met us at the weekend bazaar and the five of us ate lunch at a different fave café. That’s where Phil met us. He brought a friend with him and we all headed to the health walk in the mountains. Lachyn, one of the girls that comes to Lindsay’s and my clubs, came as well and by the time we got to the health walk (we walked there), we were already tired from the heat, so we didn’t do the whole trek which is 4 kilometers. We picnicked with some snacks in the shade and then a few of us walked to the next pavilion up the mountain. It was a good view of the city except there was so much sand in the air, it looked hazy.
We grabbed taxis to the camel statue and climbed it for some really good photo ops. Then we went back to the first café for shashlik and fries. Lindsay’s host sister and my host cousin who are BFFs joined us and so did a Scottish guy and his Turkmen girlfriend. By the time we got home, it was dark but we stayed up chatting until midnight. Sunday was more relaxed with lunch and some shopping at the bazaar before everyone eventually made their way back to their sites. I was relieved to see them leave just because I was so tired, but it was really fun to hang out with them for the weekend.