Lenin...history...

There is a big statue of Lenin in the city, one of the biggest statues I have ever seen really. I find it so interesting because it just shows the history of this land, this country. Can you imagine what the older generations have seen? Stalin, Lenin, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, oppression, freedom...

This is a very young country-yet it has a very deep history. It is so interesting to understand the way people think here. Many different cultures living together with different values, beliefs, world views--some people just striving to survive, others living in luxury.

The city I live in is one of the main cities on the Asian Silk Road...can you imgaine the people that have crossed through this land...what they have seen...discovered...heard...shared....

I think it just hit me tonight that I live in a very under-developed (young) country, yet a country that has seen more and experienced more than I can imagine.

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Well I have offically been here for over a month now...does it feel like home? Some days yes, other days not yet. I feel like I'm catching onto the language more and understanding more of people's daily values and rituals. Teaching has been going great. I am starting to get to know the students more which is fun.

No water for 3 days?!! What?? Am I camping?? haha...some people said 3 days...some said 4...well they were all wrong--we were only without water for 2 days =) and it did feel like camping. They turn the water off throughout the entire city twice a year, once before winter and once in the spring. They do it to "clean" the water pipes to turn on the heat (send hot water through pipes). Guess they're getting ready for winter...yay!

I'm getting ready to go to the capital city tomorrow! Yay! I'm excited. We have a staff conference so that should be fun. My roomate has been up there since Wed. with some students---been kind of lonely in this 'ol apartment alone...good thing we have a working dvd player :)

I went hiking again yesterday--saw some AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL mountains! Check out pictures at www.picasaweb.google.com/shannontrafton.