My mama spits on me every morning, and I'm okay with that.

Every morning there is an arguement between me and my Mama, she wants me to iron my clothes. I don't want to. She always wins. The first time I ironed I was on the floor going at it with my mama telling me well done in Russian when she got up and got a cup of water. She swireled it around took in a big gulp and "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPTTTTTTTTT"" She SPIT all over me and my Skirt! This happened many more times. I was soaked, my skirt was soaked and I was shell shocked.
I told my Teacher about it later. I mean I was spit all over!!! She looked at me blankely. We stared. She replied, "Yeah, sometimes you have to dampen the clothes to get the wrinkles out."
"I know, BUT SHE SPIT ON ME!!!"
"Yeah."
No sympathy was going to be coming my way. I thought maybe it was a one time thing. I have now come to prepare myself. When I see my Mama get up to get a cup of water I brace myself and try to block as much as I can.

I'm not just learning Russian and how to run a classroom or block spit here. I'm learning lots of cultural things. My Teacher is Uzbek and a really good Uzbek Dancer. The dancing includes alot of hand movements and a lot of Sass. She has been teaching myelf and the other Girl Trainee, Lydia, in my village how to do traditional Uzbek Dances. I have been repaying her for this by teaching her a traditional American dance I like to call the "The Farley". Mostly clipped pieces of Farley's Chip and Dale Dance. Lydia took a picture of me showing my teacher this dance. I don't want to say she looked shocked... I feel stunned is a better word.
I have also been learning to cook. And how to go Guesting. Peace Corps asked us what we planned on doing if we ran out of sum with a few days left in the month. Lydia and I looked at each other and said, "Ya go Goosting." Goosting is more how you pronounce guesting, which is just visiting people...unannounced. See my mama, god bless her, is not a good cook. So I like to show up at other people's houses conviently around dinner time. You know just to chat. A meal will be on the table in no time. I entertain with my chut-chut poruski and they feed me. I feel it is all a fair trade. My mama has taught me to cook some things but I really want to learn how to make anything with Eggplant. Why had I never had Egg Plant? It is so good!!! Andrew's mom is Turkish so she said she would show me how to make some Eggplant dishes. I am pumped.
Today was my first time out of the village in unrelated Peace Corps official business. Lydia and I got ourselves all the way out to another one of the Peace Corps villages and crashed a Bride Knapping. Not a real one but a staged one by some of the other Trainees so we could learn about the tradition of Bride Knapping. It was pretty classna(cool). Getting around on public Transportation and getting to see all that is involved, in the knapping. We showed up totally unannounced and luckily showed up at the exact right spot. They kept saying we were honored guests. I love this country we are honored guests just for crashing. No invite or anything. One girl said she was sure it was fine if we came but that was the closest we got. Sorry this is choppy and quick but I had to go through a German site to get here and it is taking all my sum to do this. Speaking of Germans....
When I am in a group of Trainees I am automatically American. When it is just Lydia and I we are automatically German... Sometimes German Volleyball players. They will ask how to say something in German or if we speak German or where in Germany do we live. We aren't sure why people assume this but Lydia is even taller than me so we are going to assume it is a height thing. Well I get to go try to get home by myself because Lydia went to her little brother's concert. Fingers crossed you will hear form me again.