Dull Moments

Often, I'll be going about my daily routine and something will strike me as worth writing about. But then I get home and I forget what it was or else it's really not worth two sentences. So this morning I'm trying to recall a few items.

• Chevrolets. A small showroom opened in Masalli last year and since I've been back I've noticed a lot of the small Chevys – even being operated as taxis. I wonder if they are built in America?
• English-speaking marsrutka driver. There are several regular drivers, but one always speaks in English to me. He told Georgie he was educated in Baku. I think of driving as blue-collar work, but apparently these jobs pay relatively well.
• Weather. The past 4 days have been a mixture of light rain overnight, though we did have thunder one night. The dusty roads get muddy, but daylight dries them out enough that I can walk home. Mostly, I can't wash clothes because the only drier is a clothes line.
• Best things I bought from USA. A pair of black loafers, extra mascara remover, Uno deck of cards, markers and stickers for children's papers.
• Camera problem. Turning it off and on has been very temperamental ever since I dropped it while on vacation in Turkey.
• Becoming Nana #3. I am considered another grandma for this family, and I do believe I am more popular than one of them. Just sayin'.
• Frog in the yard. I hear it croaking at night, and found out that Georgie is afraid of it.
• Reading a condensed and easy version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with Igbal. It's much more interesting and enjoyable for him since he is not the serious student his big brother is.
• Eurovision. Yeegads, this annual song contest has become very important to small countries like AZ that want to be associated with Europe, ie, western-leaning. Incredible production numbers and competition.
  Food storage. It continues to amaze me that I don't get g.i. problems. I often see cooked food sitting in kettles on the stove overnight. It makes me wonder if American guts don't have necessary bacterial flora or if food here has fewer gut-wrenching microbes in it.
• Bracelet. One of my teachers gave me a bracelet with PEGGY spelled out in rhinestones.
  
  
  
  This photo was taken after Georgie and Aydan received certificates at the Masalli Ministry of Education. He placed first among 6th form students and she placed third among 7th form in the Peace Corps - sponsored Write On! competition.