dead by february

What a great time these past two weeks have been. Too bad I’ve spent my whole January allowance on coffee, pizza and beer. But let’s start from the beginning. About a week and a half ago, Christmas was sneaking up on me, without bells or whistles, without Advent, without Wal-Mart, without the normal hustle and bustle but still joyous and sentimental season of Christmas that I was so used to at home. We had other PCVs from the nearby villages come in on the weekend before Christmas to celebrate, but without a big present exchange. Back at school on Monday, my 10th grade surprised me with a rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” that was really something special. They had decorated the room with garland and ribbons, gave me a Christmas ornament with a mouse painted on it (they pay a lot of attention to the Chinese calendar when it comes to souvenirs), and wished me and all of you a happy holiday season.

Christmas day we celebrated by sleeping in and having a few friends over for most of the day. I woke up that morning to a wrapped present on the kitchen table and a note (in English) from my host mom. The present: a coffee mug filled with chocolates. The note: “Phill, Merry Christmas. I wish you “sweet” life.” Isn’t that cute? I didn’t need to work Christmas Day because my 11th graders had a standardized test at school that I didn’t need to be there for and that day off was greatly appreciated. That evening we went to Megan’s apartment to eat spaghetti and garlic bread. We did a white elephant gift exchange and I came home with the local equivalent of a giant Little Debbie roll.

Back at school we gave tests and made Christmas cards, giving the students something (for once) completely unrelated to their textbook, which they definitely enjoyed. I made it through the week, our last day being Saturday the 29th. I finally caught up on sleep, only to begin a weeklong ordeal of New Year’s celebrations. Dante and Victor, two volunteers from the region just south of here, came up on Sunday, Victor staying with me and Dante at Mike’s. The following four evenings were filled with much food, drink and merriment. There is a saying here, “Whatever way you greet the new year, so you will spend it.” It is a nice saying, but I think that I wouldn’t make it until February if I spent 2008 how I’ve spent the last week.

New Year’s Eve itself was a lot of fun, with eight PCVs in my small apartment. My host mom had invited everyone over, saying that our house doesn’t get used enough for gatherings, but then got invited herself to a holiday retreat in a nearby village. She took the offer, entrusting to me her house and best china. Luckily nothing was broken, and only five of the eight people ended up sleeping on the floors here. We said goodbye to the old year, and said our wishes for the new one. 2007 really was a big year with many monumental changes in my life – graduation from college, moving to Kazakhstan – and it was good to reflect (through long champagne toasts, of course) about the changes that have happened and what lies ahead. For example, it is likely that I will spend the entire year of 2008 in Kazakhstan, or at least in Central Asia.

Following another 2 days of invitations to house parties and café gatherings, I’m exhausted, full, and dehydrated. But I can say that I am blessed with the new family and friends here, as well as the emails and gifts I’ve received from back home. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2008.