love is in the air

First and foremost, I would like to send a hearty Happy International Women’s Day to all the lovely ladies reading this. To my mother, grandmother, aunts, cousins, girlfriend, ex-girlfriends and friends: I love you and thank you for all you do and I wish you success, happiness and love.

Here in Petropavlovsk I have had a weekend full of laughter and good times with friends and family alike, and I’m feeling like the blessed and lucky individual that I am. These last three weeks have been difficult as the winter hangs around like a bad smell and work seems to drag slowly and painfully on. I even wrote a song called “Lariam.” I’ll put a video up soon.

But that funk (I don’t want to call it a slump) has lifted this weekend. Friday night I met a local friend who lives in Almaty who brought her American boyfriend up to visit her family. We went out for a night of drinks and camaraderie, paid for by our new friend. Yesterday included a lengthy afternoon stroll accumulating in shashlik at a café followed by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at English Club. I never thought I’d have to explain what a “trouser snake” is. Last night we spent eating cake and drinking tea with some local lady friends, talking about all the bad pop entertainment our world has to offer. Finally, this morning I got up early to call my extended family back home. I saw aunts and uncles and cousins I hadn’t seen since leaving 19 months ago. We chatted and joked, I found out that the Steelers won the Super Bowl, the Weakerthans have two albums, my cousin is going to be a historical astrophysicist, and my dad’s dreams are even weirder than mine. I am reminded how much I miss home and how great it will be to give hugs and see the smiles in person in November.

If only the snow would melt.