It's hard to believe it is December already! I'm taken by suprise, because some days go by extremely fast and I don't get a thing accomplished that I had planned to do, while other days drag on and on and I rack my brain trying to think of something different to do! But life is moving and I'm trying to move with it.
The last couple weeks have been pretty crazy busy, in part due to our bosses, Joel and Deb, visiting from California and simply trying to catch up on all my work after getting back from the Thanksgiving retreat up in Kazakhstan. Joel and Deb are the supervisors for the CIS region and have been traveling over Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan for the last month visiting teachers and conducting meetings at the various schools. Originally they were only scheduled to spend four short days with us here in Bishkek, but due to fog, lack of flights, and a lack of seats, they were delayed for three days! Where in the world, other than Central Asia, does someone get delayed for three days?! We didn't mind too much, because it meant that we could actually hang out with them and not worry about business matters. Despite the fact that winter totally hit Bishkek with snow and ice and temperatures in the teens, my apartment's electricity was off for a day and a half, and they couldn't see the majestic mountains looming in the distance, they seemed to have a good time! And we certainly loved hanging out with them!
Something else new from this past couple weeks is a new addition to my flat. Her name is Tinujah, and she is an older kitten! She is really cute, with patched of black, grey, white, and orange littering her body. Despite her horrific smells every now and then (wow!), she is as precious and affectionate as can be! And it works out perfectly, because we will simply give her back to her owner in June when we leave! So as much as I dislike walking into the smell of Cat and all that comes out of them every time I walk into my flat, I do like the purring and warmth she brings to me every night on my bed. When the real heat doesn't work, you gotta resort to other measures!
So, that's a snapshot of the last couple weeks here. The sidewalks are covered in ice, but the fog has lifted and the mountains are clear once again! I've got two weeks of classes left and then a nice, long, two-week break after that!
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