I have to find any valid or invalid reason to smile. If I
took in all the elements of what I’ve seen in this country thus far, I may as
well commit myself to taking a Prozac. I mean it pains me to see cows running
through trash, dusty unpaved roads that women risk breaking their necks to walk
in high heels on, monotonous culture and the desolate remains post-soviet
occupation. But I suppose that if all I could do was find the ugly in
something, then all I shall feel is ugly. So I compiled a few things that put a
smile on my face as well as my heart.
1.
The stray dog that I call Carinhosa! This dog
makes me feel special. It’s almost like it’s waiting on only me and when it
sees me it literally doles out generous amounts of “I yove you! Where yave you
been? Do you yave chicken?” To which I fish
through my bag to give her all but one of the chicken thighs I’m suppose to eat
for lunch. This dog makes me happy and I
look for her as much as I think she’s looking for me.
2.
Sunday phone calls from the one person that has
been holding me down since daylight savings. I look forward to them whole
heartedly because the conversations make the distance seem like right around
the corner. It’s great after you’ve been misunderstood all week to finally talk
to someone whom you’re in total harmony with. After that Sunday phone call, I’m
usually doing a real dirty James Brown (in my mind) because I know he’s doing a
real dirty James Brown.
3.
The old man in the street that I pass on my way
to the internet café. He’s scruffy and could very possibly be some one’s drunk
uncle but to me he’s the master of the neighborhood. Giving me the thumbs up as
I respond correctly to his “Nejesen? (how
are you?)”
4.
The candy store directly across from my school.
This candy store has those huge suckers that are the size of the world and the
never-ending pinwheel lollipops that were definitely popular in the 20’s but
are the culprit of so many missing, rotten teeth in this community. But the
kicker is that it sells Sugar Bear rice puffs! A log of a bag that reminds me
of my childhood when all I would ever eat was Sugar Bear cereal, careful to
drink the milk that tasted like honey last. I enthusiastically buy a bag for 10
qepik, eating it carelessly and turning the bottom up so I can get the crumbs.
I don’t even care that my mouth is crystallized afterwards.
5.
The 15 minutes I steal in order to press my hair
with a real live hot comb and not freak anyone out. I do this about once or
twice a week when my host mom leaves me
alone to eat dinner. She rushes out to her other home and I throw that hot comb
on the stove. Open the window to let out the smell of burnt crispy hair, run it
through the roughest parts, turn off the stove and promise the middle section
of my head that I’ll get to it on Thursday. No sooner after that my host mom
bursts in to check on me-“Yack She!? (you
good?)”. She doesn’t notice a thing. ;-)
6.
Watching Family Guy, The Simpsons, Futurama and
some other new but equally as low humorous cartoon. I’m not even phased that all these shows are
in Russian. I listen really hard for the undertones of English. If I’m lucky an
episode that I’ve already seen will show and it won’t matter what they’re
saying-I already know the words.
7.
The people in my neighborhood who finally say Salam (hello) to me first-like I’m one of them. FINALLY!
1 comment:
My dirty James Brown occurs before, after and sometimes during the phone call. It usually consists of a few slides, spins and shuffles... no splits. Lol
Post a Comment