17:45 22 October 2008
This past weekend was a lot of fun. We had an Issyk-Kul Oblast welcome weekend where we got to meet the rest of the volunteers on the lake we hadn’t, have some administrative meetings, talk about our sites and our preparation of winter, and just see our fellow countrymen. We had a potluck dinner and it was wonderful to have some home-cooked meals that were pretty good approximations of food you could get in the States. The lasagna (with Tivol- a cottage cheese like yogurtish substance- instead of ricotta) was particularly good, and the cheesy bread, salad with lettuce, and humus also were wonderful reminders of the culinary diversity I am currently missing out on.
Regardless, it was a fun weekend but I will have to live frugally the next two weeks as a result of it- I blew nearly $25 over the three days! I guess that doesn’t sound like that much but when you consider my monthly living allowance, it is a significant portion. Living in a village, we are expected to incur less expenses so we get less- after paying my rent each month I get less than the equivalent of four dollars a day- most of which goes towards food. Granted, while this by no means allows me to live extravagantly (our pay is determined by some complex formula giving us enough to live like locals), I have a coal-heated house, eat a square three a day, and have enough left over for a little travel and R&R. This is a lot more many of natives here get- so I don’t consider myself terribly unfortunate. It does take a lot of explaining when people ask about salaries in America though, and I have to explain why $5,000/year, which would allow one to live like a king here, would be unlivable in America.
Anyhow, tonight I am making deviled eggs and grilled cheese sandwiches for my host mother so I best get to the kitchen.
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