April 30, 2013

Breakfast was disaster as we were served a thin layer of rice porridge to which salt had been added instead of sugar. Only bread and tea were served in addition to the porridge, so I declined all three. Elvira was frantic wondering what I’d be able to eat before heading to the university, but I stopped at the convenience store nearby and got flat bread and salami, which I had the sales clerk slice for me.

I requested that Elvira went first while I finished eating and then I presented after the tea break. Lunch was another debacle as the only choice for me was a watery bowl of soup with some diced beef and a spoonful of rice in it. I ate some more of the flat bread and salami and felt full enough to continue working on the next presentation.

I had brought my laptop today since we had been able to keep all the remaining materials in the classroom. As a result, I worked on my presentation on body language while Elvira did hers on alternative assessment.

The power went out in the middle of my critical thinking presentation and thus I had to continue to work without a projector. The teachers seemed to like all the activities in it such as the analogies, riddles and mad debates.

At the end of the sessions, Gulnaz chose to accompany us to the center so we could find a place to photocopy the remaining handouts and print the certificates on Thursday. After dropping our bundles at the guesthouse, we boarded a marshrutka and got to the center in just a few minutes.

The bazaar was unremarkable as it combined both the fresh produce and clothing sections almost side-by-side. I bought some fresh fruit and what I thought were dried figs, but turned out to be some desiccated fruit whose flavor I didn’t recognize, or like, at all.

It was time for dinner and Elvira asked for recommendations. The place we went to offer the typical Kyrgyz dishes containing mostly meat with no rice, vegetables or even French fries. I gave up in frustration and refused to order anything indicating I could just have the fruit I'd purchased for dinner.

Elvira mentioned how capricious I could be when it came to food and ordered some lagman soup for herself. Flat bread and tea were served and the lagman didn’t look too bad. She offered me a taste, and I decided to go ahead and have another bowl of soup for the day.

We rode back to the guesthouse just as the rain started again. This is the third day of just overcast skies and occasional rains.