Category Archives: Miscellaneous
UZBEKISTAN: “Can I Please Go Through Your Trash?”
I sat at the kitchen table one morning, drinking coffee with home-made almond milk that made it a little gritty. Eyes resting in a non-focused stare, letting thoughts meander through my head. Suddenly, a sharp loudspeaker voice cut through the air. It was a male, monotone voice, coming from the street. It was slowly approaching. …
UZBEKISTAN: You Gotta Be Pushy a.k.a. The Uzbek Style Queue
It started when we boarded the Uzbekistan Airways flight. It seemed that the announcement informing all passengers that the bus was ready to take us to the airplane, came with a simultaneous electric shock in everyone’s seat. About 100 people got up en masse and promptly created a large cluster by the stairs leading down …
A Different Kind of Advent Calendar a.k.a. The Countdown to My PET Scan
I never had that cool Advent calendar with chocolates behind each paper window as a kid. I just watched the dates change to double digits, then blend into the twenties, until finally Christmas descended like a soft pine smelling cloud full of excitement, lit up candles, pastries, and mysterious boxes under the tree which mostly …
UZBEKISTAN: Let There Be No Oxygen, a.k.a. the Russian Workout
“Raise your step today”, said my Russian gym teacher and pointed to the stepper we used at the beginning of each leg class. I hesitantly turned my stepper over and slowly pried away the grey risers. My gym teacher lost her patience, marched over and quickly attached them to a position that was even higher …
UZBEKISTAN: The Little Green Running Man and Why Are All the Cars White?
I thought I knew how to cross a busy city street. I grew up in a city and have been crossing streets since I was 5 years old. I lived in New York and in D.C. I was fine. Then I moved to Tashkent. Tashkent’s roads are either huge boulevards with at least six lanes …
UZBEKISTAN: “But, Officer, These Are Just Cinnamon Sticks!”
Three weeks after our first plunge in the Chorsu bazaar, we decided to try it again. This time, we used the correct metro exit and once again were assaulted by the bright sunshine and dry heat reaching mid-90s. Chorsu bazaar consists of several large areas, each serving a different purpose. There are the little walkways …
UZBEKISTAN: Tashkent Bazaars, Hard Goat Cheese Balls and a Mountain of Basil
About 15 hours after we landed in Tashkent, my husband and I and a friend who offered to show us around, emerged from the subway at the Chorsu bazaar, one of the oldest open air markets in the city. The sun beamed like a million watt bulb. The beautiful blue sky was cloudless and the …
UZBEKISTAN: All Humans Aboard!
On the day of our flight to Tashkent, I woke up with a giant headache. I wasn’t sure if it was because of all the crying I did the day before when I left our dog at the pet shipper, or because of the beer and wine I had, trying to suppress the thoughts of …
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