Don't You Dare Pinch Me

Lately my life has seemed too good to be true. I keep waiting for that something to happen. I am living a life relatively few people get a real chance to live. I have the support of my friends and family back home as well as my new friends here in the Embassy community. There are a few times in my life that I can bring to mind where everything came together just for a moment or two and I was overly ecstatic with joy. So much so in some cases I had to get away - it was too good for me to take for long. I'm there. But now I've learned to revel in it. And I'm learning to spread it around while I'm here.

A view of our entryway from the living room. Sorry about the crooked camera. I'm trying.

There are stages of welcoming. Just as a house (like ours in Tashkent) can have an immediate

entryway before being in the main body of the house, so can an arrival to a new country. When Doug and I arrived in Tashkent we were jet lagged. But it was Monday - a work day for Doug. So we dropped off our luggage at the house and headed for the Embassy. (They let me accompany him on the first day to meet people and tour the Embassy.) This was akin to walking in from a storm into someone's house and taking off your coat, hat and boots and saying hello.

Initially, you are made as comfortable and welcome as possible. People are very accommodating. You are given the best seat in the house. You are served a drink and some fancy appetizers to comfort you. Some preliminary small talk is made as you relax into your new surroundings with the folks who are there. You sit and look around. Maybe you are even given a tour of the house. That first Monday in Tashkent, we met with the Charge d'affaire as there is currently no Ambassador. We also met with Doug's boss, the heads of Security and Human Resources and the Medical Officer. We were given a tour and were briefly introduced to many more people. I remember immediately feeling a part of the mission in Tashkent rather then "just a spouse". I like that they take my presence here as seriously as I do even though I do not, will not (in a box, with a fox) work in the Embassy.

Our living room.

After all the niceties are over it's time to get down to the purpose of the visit - dinner, a game or a meeting. Doug, of course, went right to work Tuesday finding his way around the systems and hallways. I started a routine of walking to the Embassy with him in the morning in order to exercise. I return later for lunch with him. The first couple of weeks I spent a lot of time in the Community Liaison Office. They have a computer there I used to access e-mail and my blog while we awaited Internet connection at our house. They are also the social pulse point of Embassy Life. I decided right away to say yes to (almost) everything then eventually pair down to what I really want to do. I have joined the Tashkent Women's International Group. (I am one of only two or three Americans in this group. I am one of the very few American-born spouses in the Embassy. There's an old joke that you can tell a Foreign Service's Officer's first post by the nationality of his/her spouse.) I signed up for Russian lessons which I have one hour a day, five days a week. This is my priority right now. I want more time for writing but if I don't learn Russian I don't stand a chance of leaning Uzbek folktales or sharing our folktales with local people here.

Our dining room. The furniture is quite nice. The fireplace is wood burning. The mess on the table is my Russian homework. I was unwilling to pick it up and rearrange it for this photo!

When you have an extended visit sooner or later you have to pitch in and help. You may be company, but you are not served as often and you have to wash some dishes. Doug and I have signed up to help out with the Halloween party. I am telling spooky stories and Doug is roasting hot dogs. (The food is great here, but I can't wait to have a hot dog!) I have written a couple of articles for Uz News, the Embassy newsletter and plan to write more. The first was on our trip to Nukus; the second was about a hiking trip I went on. We are hosting a meeting at our house for the General Services Officers in a week or so. I have no idea what I'm going to do for that since, at this point we don't have our own transportation and there are only tiny convenience marts and a fruit/vegetable stand within walking distance.

So I go along here hoping I don't wake up; hoping no one pinches me. Every Wednesday Irina comes to clean our house. I was against this on the principle that I'd wind up spoiled. But when I found out that she cleans everything, washes our clothes and linens, irons for $15/week I broke down. And she's sweet. She does not speak English which left me a bit distraught the first week but now I appreciate the extra help and practice with my Russian skills.

Saturday morning Doug and I are going on a Tashkent tour. Saturday night we are having dinner with Doug's boss and his wife. Monday I am attending a tea with the spouses of the Embassy employees. Sometimes I feel like it's too cushy. Then I walk by that dining room table and see the Russian cards strewn and I remember what I must do. I honestly love both the social life and the study life. They are both difficult; they both give me headaches. They both give me a prideful feeling and are rewarding.