More Road Trip Fun

1. After the holy shrine, we went to visit my counterpart's best friend and also her younger sister in another province. We drove five hours in a small, cramped car (4 adults, 4 kids), but it was totally worth it. The lady on the right in the photo is my counterpart's best friend and used to work in my clinic.

2. A really badly taken picture at the holy shrine: what is the little girl peering at?

3. Much better.

4. One more pose.

5. My counterpart.

6 & 7. Taking the pictures from the shrine: we had to climb all those stairs to get to the shrine. That was the hiking for the day.

A Day with My Counterpart: Road Trip!

1. My hospital staff and I went to a holy shrine, which was on top of a mountain. The first picture shows me and my nurse and her daughter. The holy shrine supposedly helps barren women conceive. We mostly went there to hike a bit and take pretty pictures.

2. A picture of my counterpart, her kids, my nurse, her daughter, and me trying to get off the high slope.

3. A picture of all of us taken by a kind stranger.

4. Me with two kids; it's quite windy that day.

5. The morning of our day trip: we held a huday yoly, which is a free luncheon for my counterpart's friends and relatives. Her family bought a new car, and it's tradition to share one's wealth, so after a car acquisition, usually you invite people to eat a meal. Recently, my own host family did a huday yoly because our family car didn't break down. Turkmens do it for various reasons to show general appreciation for health and luck.

More (delayed) Women's Day Photos

1. Women's Day: Turkmen girls dressed in their velvety best and me in American attire, ready to head into the city.

2. My whole staff: the singular male participant is our hospital chauffeur.

3. Look at the excited look on my nurse's face. It's Women's Day!

Women's Day Celebration

1. Women's Day (similar to Mother's Day in the states) is celebrated on March 8th. Every woman, girl, and baby gets 200,000 manats (~$10) from the government, and the men give presents to the women. It's really cool, and we have the day off to just appreciate women for all they do for their families. My hospital staff gathered around to celebrate the holiday, and of course there was the mandatory cake. And of course the foreign guest had to be the first to cut the cake.

2. More cake cutting and fun. It's a rare occasion where I can see my staff laughing in a picture; usually they are more formal.

3. Me with a nurse.

4. Poses with two nurses and another volunteer who has to be really nice to us on this day.

5. Only my supervisor grins, and where is my chair?

Swearing in photos and one wedding photo (not mine)

1. Wedding photo: The bride is one of my nurse's daughter, and my staff and I went to celebrate. It was very tame: we sit and ate, and danced one time in front of the bridal party.

2. Swearing in: me and my family/neighbors.

3. Me and my training teacher.

4. Me with volunteers and more neighbors.

5. My host mom is a bit camera shy.

Swearing in ceremony photos (past)

1. Me and my training teacher. She is amazing.

2-4. Me and some of my favorite fellow volunteers.

5. The elaborate banquet hall where our swearing in ceremony took place.

Past photos

1. Me with two other fellow volunteers during our training graduation ceremony: our 3-month training was finally over!

2. & 3. Turkmen musicians performing at our graduation ceremony where we were sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers.

4. Me and fellow volunteers relaxing one evening.

5. Saying goodbye to a neighbor who is also a really good friend.

More photos!

1. Me saying goodbyes to my neighbors and sister through picture-taking. We are all kinda pink, I realize.

2. More neighbors. We all kinda blend into the carpet.

3. Another set of neighbors.

4. My nurse playing dress-up with me. We went on a family visit together, and we really wanted to be Turkmen brides for a day. Isn't she beautiful?

5. Me too!

More Photos

1. There is this family that rents out wedding gear for the brides. You can see the splendid displays of jewelry for rent.

2. ...and the head colorings for the brides. The brides wear traditional Turkmen gear (as shown) on one night of the 2-day wedding ceremony, and the other night, they wear a white Russian dress, just like the ones brides wear in the US.

3. ...and dresses.

4. Me and my modern, progressive nurse counterpart on the last day of work. This is at my training site.

5. Me, my doctor counterpart in her white uniform (super great person), and other volunteers and their CP.

Turkmen Poses

Who did I pose with?

1. Neighbors, tall male cousin, and also my sister

2. The good neighbor who did the yaka (the front design) on that green dress of mine

3. Host mom and darling sister

4. Sister

5. An adorable friend

This series of pics chronicalizes and symbolizes the process of saying goodbye to my first host community.