Assalom Alaykum!

Salom! 

This trip has been QUITE the experience...if anyone (including myself) thought I was coming on a trip along the lines of a vacation, you were wrong-o!  Think more along the lines of a completely immersed immersion program on a solo study abroad accelerated semester.
Everything---and by everything, I mean everything---is different.  While there are many things that are similar to my American way of life, even those things, understandably, have their differences.  Has this experience been a good one?  Yes!  Has it been difficult?  At times!

The biggest challenge has been the communication.  Especially in the first 2 weeks, I was having a pretty hard time not being able to understand anything or speak to anybody.  Since Murod hadn't been home in nearly 6 years, he had a lot of people to see and a lot of things to take care of, and much of the time I was left without him, proving how little my self-taught 4 chapters of Uzbek really got me.  However, his mom and I were able to figure out a communication style based on a lot of grunting noises and simple gestures :) 

The first 1.5 weeks, we were in Tashkent and then came to Murod's home town, Khazarasp, on 9/18, where I felt for the first time I was REALLY in a different place.  We're talking years before Greenfield Village mixed with what you see on TV of super rural middle east or Central America.  Donkeys pulling carts everywhere.  Cows parked on the curb.  Outhouses with a hole cut in the ground allowing you to get your squatting exercises in.  Electricity going on and off throughout the day.  Running out of water from the barrels in the backyard being hosed into the house and going down the road to the well for more water.  Dirt roads with the hugest holes, forcing drivers to swerve erratically while driving.  A runaway sheep in the backyard I caught.  A cow head brought out for the dogs to feast upon. 

From Tashkent to Khazarasp, everybody is incredibly shocked, surprised, amused, and interested at the American bride.  From the day we arrived in  Khazarasp, I was put into "bride mode"...dressed as an Uzbek bride sent to bow to many people.  Dozens of people came to see me between the 18th-21st and it is customary for the new bride to wear a specific coat and veil and bow 3 times and serve tea when someone new comes.  Also, when people come over, they are never, ever left without food.  Fruits, snacks, soup, a main dish, tea, and melon is also brought out.  The day before the wedding, Murod had his party, where all of his guy friends come over and eat & drink, and there were musicians and a dancer.  There were about 30-40 guys all outside, and silly me to think I was staying inside for a quiet night!  20-30 women were inside, along with 20 kids.  It was a good time...especially when the musicians and dancer came inside to entertain us too!

The wedding was on the 21st and attracted 1,000 people.  It was so much fun though...we didn't really have to do anything.  Everybody was coming behind us at the table the whole night to take pictures and they had dancers and musicians.  I ended up not wearing my wedding dress and instead looked like a true Disney princess...(long story)...although I was able to still wear the veil (mom's).  Near the end of the wedding, Murod & I went onto the dance floor for one song where people gave us money and shortly after that, we had our exit.  In the days since the wedding, Murod said people have been telling him it was the best wedding they've been too (but I think that sentiment is caused by their excitement over "the American bride).  They have been saying nobody stands up when the couple has their entrance, rarely do the guests dance, and people typically leave after the 1st hour (ours was about 4)...also, very funny...the videographer had been asking if we would give them our American wedding video so they could sell it, which we didn't do, but they did put our picture up in the wedding venue!!

The date we leave Khazarasp to go to Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand keeps changing, but it looks now as if it will be on the 30th. 

So there's an overall rundown...I will try to post more later!

So Long, Farewell!

Although we had a spectacular time leaving Nashville to get to NY on just 1 hour of sleep at 3:30am after completing the move in, running around trying to figure out where/how to drop the rental car off, blumbering through the airport with our 9 stuffed bags, and etc., I'll leave that portion to your imagination.

After staying overnight in NY, we set out again with the luggage (who knew we carried so much baggage?) and made our way to JFK where we were greeted by a ticket agent that either hates what she does, hates those she does what she does for, or hates that she does not know what she is doing and I had to give her answers to her dilemmas a handful of times. Whichever the case, we eventually finished with her, waited a while, and got on the plane. Lo & behold, we were seated in business class (opposed to the economy we were expecting) fit with fully reclining seats, several meals/snacks, entertaiment tablets, and our flight attendant, who was the first Russian I have ever seen that is a lover of the art of Smiling. The happiest Russian I have ever seen.

We are now on hour 8 of 16 of our super fun layover...but, at least it's nice and cozy & warm in here (sarcasm?)!!

We are obviously and of course very anxious to get to Uz, where Murod's uncle and mom are waiting for us!