After the game, we played a second with a couple Marines joining our team and then we ate at the picnic. I was, not surprisingly, excited by the food. And also, the use of the pool afterward. I got a little sunburnt but not too bad. It may even just fade into a tan rather than peel, I hope.
Sunday was the laziest day I’ve had in country. We spent all afternoon at the pool and then went to dinner at the Chinese restaurant that we sometimes go to when there’s a group of us. It’s too expensive for just a couple people, but with a bigger group we can split dishes, and while it’s still a little steep to do frequently, it’s worth the splurge every once in a while.
Monday I had to take care of business. I went to the bank to get some money off my visa, then had a Peer Support meeting where we discussed the Close of Service Conference dinner and baked a cake for Phil’s birthday. After that we had an all volunteer meeting where we got the scoop on COSing. We can leave as early as September 11 and no later than the 30th, though that would be pushing it since our visas expire that day. I’m not sure what date I’ll pick. I would be tempted to fly out on my birthday, but it would really be rushing it, getting out of the COS conference only a few days earlier. I have a couple weeks to decide before I have to let Peace Corps know.
After the meeting, Ilana, a fellow volunteer, and I went to the airline office to get tickets for our vacation. We initially wanted to fly into Kiev and out of Frankfurt or vice versa, but the flights to Kiev are all booked through October. So now we’ll have to fly in and out of Frankfurt, which probably means buying more airline tickets to fly from Prague or some other city we visit to Kiev and then from Kiev to Frankfurt. Planning vacations from here is much more difficult because of limited internet access. Even though I could be on all day in terms of access, I can’t afford to be on all day. We still have to figure out hostels too.
When we finished at the air kassa, we met the other girls at a salon they went to. Initially I hadn’t intended to do anything there, but everyone else was getting something done, so I succumbed to the peer pressure and decided to get my hair curled. They used these ancient, metal rollers and sat me under one of those head blowers which made me sweat. When the woman took my curlers out, she separated each curl into smaller ones which she twirled with her fingers and placed specifically around my head. All the other girls kept saying it was cute, but because I am so unused to having curled hair, it took a while to view it as cute rather than strange.
When all of us had been plucked (some girls got their eyebrows threaded) and coifed, we went to the PCO to get dressed and head over to the embassy compound for the 4th of July celebration. This was the debut of The Dress. I had started thinking of a design weeks ago and once settled on the final version I presented my tickinchi with the picture I drew. I also had her make a matching clutch. I am very pleased with the way it turned out and it was a real hit at the party. The theme of this year’s party was sports and each table setting had a Frisbee, a box of Cracker Jack, and a packet of baseball cards. There was a New Orleans jazz band that played music while we danced after dinner. Peace Corps volunteers were the first out on the dance floor and encouraged other guest to come join in the fun. We do bring the party with us.
Then today, I headed back to site and was lucky enough to have Phil join me in the taxi because he couldn’t get a plane ticket to Turkmenbashy. Taxi rides are much better when you have a pal with you. Travel in this country requires moral support. I didn’t get much sleep this weekend, but it was worth it and it’s the last time all the volunteers will be together until the COS conference in September.