It's December!

December 2, 2007

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Our celebration was a memorable one. I spent it with friends – volunteers and a few Fulbright Scholars – at my Mercy Corps friend’s apartment in the city. We all contributed to the cooking and the cleaning. We had lots of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, with some improvisation, and some new dishes too. Two rotisserie chickens accompanied our small turkey. My green bean casserole was actually peapod casserole, but it was delicious all the same. Kelly made sweet potatoe casserole – and added apples to double the recipe. Meg and Theo made cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Mostly everyone else made and brought salads and desserts. It was quite a feast. There was even mulled wine.

After eating (for the most part of the day) we went around the room and shared our most interesting Thanksgiving stories/memories. James won that game – he spent a Thanksgiving in Teepee with Mormons! I have never felt more American – or felt such a deep bond over a shared holiday. The whole day turned out better than anyone expected; and getting the chance to talk on the phone with my family made it all the more special.

It snowed here yesterday, on the first day of December. Just flurries, nothing stuck. I had done laundry the night before and hung it outside to dry…well, the icicles dangling off my socks and undies are just beginning to melt in the midday sun.

Yesterday, because of the cold and wet weather, my friends and I decided to bake. Meg had gotten chocolate chips and walnuts in her last package, so Kelly and I contributed flour and we hung out at Meg’s and baked away the afternoon. We were so excited that we decided to double the recipe and ended up freezing half of the dough – after we made about 50 cookies.

Theo cooked us spicy chicken and stir-fry for dinner, then we ate more cookies. Then we played cards; and ate more cookies. It was a fun, mellow day; I got absolutely nothing accomplished except a stomachache – from eating too many cookies… but it was so worth it!

I had an intense morning at the bazaar today – fighting through crowds like Christmastime at the mall. Except, the bazaar is outside, so it was muddy and cold. I’ve decided I like going alone when I have a long list. I think I finally have a general idea of all the sections of the bazaar and how to get from one to the other - through the mazes of stalls, alleys, tables, and vendors. It’s almost like an obstacle course; and to find the tea spoons you have to dodge the cart pushers yelling “Osh!,” weave past the old folk walking slow, navigate by the beggars, and jump out of the way when the random bikes and cars somehow zoom by. Admittedly, it’s dangerous, and no one should attempt the bazaar obstacle course when they are sick or tired. You need to be on your toes – so you can walk fast and avoid getting pick pocketed.

I bought a bunch of stuff for the apartment today, like a shower curtain rod, clothespins, teaspoons, butter knives, a strainer, fabric to cover some floor pillows, candles, toilet paper, rope, nails, coat hooks, rug, and some veggies. Today’s scavenger hunt took about 2 hours; grand total 500 som (approx. $14).

I almost forgot…my kitten was born on November 26th. There were two in the litter, but one died. I haven’t seen mine yet, but she’s tiny, black and grey, and healthy. I’ll get to bring her home in 8 weeks. Any name suggestions?