you're getting warmer

it's starting to be hot here now. rats. the nice weather of spring lasts for approximately 34.224 seconds here in the south of kz. now the dread summer is creeping in. don't get me wrong, it's not 115 degrees yet, but it's coming. i can smell it. in the mornings it's still kinda cool, but by 1, 2 o'clock, damn. it's like 85, 90 -- that's too hot for me.

ok, now that i've dispensed with my mid-western cultural duty of discussing the weather (c'mon, ohioans, you know it's true!), what else is up? aha. . .

the first of may (or the "day of international friendship" or the "day of intercultural cooperation and understanding" or the "day when i go to the town square to watch my students do a dance and i don't have to go to school") is coming up, and my kids have been practicing like mofos on this dance that they're gonna perform for the town. now, you know me, i love dancing, but this is boardering on silly. my kids have been practicing daily for 2 weeks. this wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have to practice RIGHT UNDERNEATH MY CLASSROOM DURING LESSONS. it's intense. i've heard the music for the dance so much, i swear, i dream about it. but, all will be back to (near) normal soon. after this celebration, i've been promised that there will be no more large-scale choreographical undertakings for the rest of the year.

anyway, that's pretty much me right now. i'm still stuck on summer plans. you see, i wanna travel, and i have time, but - unfortunately - it turns out that i'm a peace corps volunteer. so, i'm limited in the funds department.

(sidebar: i wrote my friend from college the other day. she's going to be working in south america this summer and asked for visitors in her blog. i was like -- damn! south america. i could totally go for some of that right now. so, i write that i'll look into visiting, right? wrong! apparently, they want you to PAY for plane tickets nowadays, which blows. but anyways. . . what are you gonna do -- besides bitch on your blog, of course :) )

so, that's it. i'll write more when it comes to me.

love.

got some news

hey, remember when i said i would write more when more stuff happened here in the stan? well, guess what -- stuff happened! yay! so, it turns out that i'll be staying an extra six months here in the land of the (nearly) endless steppe!

hoot, hoot!

so, ashli -- you ask -- why are you staying an extra six months in the kz?

i'll tell you why -- i got something we in the business world call "a job." that's right, children. i'll be working for p.c. (and i'll still technically be a volunteer) but i'll be training the new group that comes in in august. apparently, it's gonna be a ton of work, but i'm really looking forward to meeting the new trainees and helping them to adjust to life in my little corner of the world. it looks like for most of the summer i'll be bumming around: working at various summer camps, going on vacation (lemme know if you can think of any good spots/wanna meet up somewhere), etc. then it's off to work, shaping the new volunteers like so much putty. . . mwah, hah, hah, hah! (hmmm. . . . i probably should have omitted that evil laugh. well, live and learn).

other than that, i've got no news. i'm in the city, working at a computer training for village teachers. talk about an experience! it's both inspiring and frustrating -- some of these teachers can't even use a mouse (frustrating) but they're all so willing and eager to learn and ask questions that it makes me (almost) want to be a teacher forever (inspiring)!

i'm going back to the village tomorrow morning and then it's back to the grind! after almost a month out of the classroom, due to vacations and then a string of conferences, i'm afraid i've forgotten to teach. but, it'll be ok, there's only about a month and a half left of school -- so it'll go quickly. and i can't wait for it to be over, pause, not! even though i'm here for an extra six months, i know i prolly won't be able to get back to the village after the summer. it's harder now because i realize how much i'm gonna miss these guys.

but, i promised before to refrain from too much sentimentality, so i'll stop that now.

see you (not quite so) soon (as i thought last month)!

love.