It's kind of crazy how sometimes things just feel ... right. Yesterday afternoon, I was going into the city to see Fritz and Ginger's new house and have dinner. I left my house (with my iPod going, which makes everything feel more effortless), hailed a marshrutka (minivan bus. They're awesome), and enjoyed the scenic view of the outskirts of the city. During the trip, however, it hit me how smooth it feels now to do things like that. I'm finally feeling like I belong here. Maybe it's because my work situation is working out, or just being more comfortable with everything, or maybe just because The Police were singing to me... It's nice that I'm feeling settled and comfortable now, because I feel like this will make me much more productive and happy. Pretty soon, I'm meeting other volunteers for lunch at one of our favorite cafes that we've named "The fried lagman place" because they have amazing fried lagman (it tastes a lot like Chinese noodles). Our other cafes of choice include "Porch cafe", "Smoking baby cafe", "The samsa place", and "The Pizzaria" (that's it's actual name, though I have never been there when they have pizza -- apparently they didnt' even have an oven for years). Needless to say, we have no idea what most of their names actually are, but our names make meeting there easy...
Happy New Year everyone!
And just because it won't get out of my head, here's a favorite song here now: (sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Janga Jil
Janga Jil
Janga Janga Janga Jil!

Also, here are some pictures from our Christmas celebration!









Nate's friend came to visit from America and we gave him the best gift ever: besh barmak flavored ramen noodles!








Our 15s (Nate, Lauren, Tristan, Susan,Ted, and Rebecca) singing their version of the 12 days of Christmas









Me, Sarah, and Ariel enjoying the festivities








Ginger and Fritz opening a very Kyrgyz housewarming gift














Joe in Christmas attire and Nate as our Christmas elf
















Me, Martha, Ginger, and Fritz -- the Jalalabad city group!








Action shot of our Christmas Eve spagghetti dinner being devoured.









Nate woke us up on Christmas morning with some Christmas cheer (aka candy canes thrown at us while we were sleeping)















Make-shift Christmas tree and secret santa presents



















Every night is pretty much wall to wall human. There I am in the green! The photographer slept on the far right. This was the not crowded night...