Free mittens

Election day in the states and I left my house in kazakhstan at 5:30 so that we could come to the office to watch coverage. It was completely dark, and I saw a shooting star-so it's a good omen for the day. We are at the office now, and I am eating pancakes and drinking coffee. It's very comforting. We are all a little on edge about this Friday--we leave the comfort of fellow Americans and head to our permanent sites. It is exciting to all be together these last couple days. We joke about holidays together....

We had our language test last week, and the good news is I passed. Since we have already lost 4 members, I didn't think they'd send me home. At the time, I didn't feel like it went well. So, according to my new Kazakhstani tradition, I walked to the bazarre to drown my sorrow in a kilo of grapes. I also needed warm clothes, and I was frustrated by a country with such a difficult language AND cold weather. I was NOT in a good mood. So I got to the bazar and the mittens I wanted were way too much for a PC budget. I told him I was a volunteer, and he gave them to me for free! As a present. Then I bought another kilo of grapes, and everything was okay again.