https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/A year in Talas, Irad · two kids, one husband, a lot of tea Kündölük 3.4.2enhttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/from-the-departure-lounge.html Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:20:00 +0600Goodbyehttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/from-the-departure-lounge.html We're in the lounge at the airport. The mountains are out, white and sharp, the way they were the first morning. A man in the line is selling hot tea in paper cups and the whole lounge smells of cardamom. Today a new country is proclaimed, here in Talas. I haven't read all of it; the television is…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/boxes.html Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:45:00 +0600Homehttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/boxes.html Everything is in boxes again. The kitchen table is a pile of cartons and Sam sits on top with a book. Linda gave us her good frying pan, "so you remember Texas". Marat the guard gave Lily a tiny felt horse his wife made. Rahim ata wouldn't take any money for the last kilo of apples; he pressed…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/it-s-official.html Sun, 03 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0600Newshttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/12/it-s-official.html It was on the television this morning. The American flag came down at the Territory offices, and the news showed it for a long time, in silence. Mark watched it standing up. Then he said, "Well." And that was it. The base itself isn't going anywhere, but the territory's over and the contractor…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/11/thanksgiving-again.html Wed, 22 Nov 2006 23:10:00 +0600Holidayshttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/11/thanksgiving-again.html The commissary had no turkeys left at all, so we had a chicken. A big one. Chynara and Mirbek came again, with boorsok and a jar of apricot jam. We all went around the table and said thanks and Lily said "for the lanterns", which I still don't understand. Mirbek said grace in Iradi and Mark said…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/11/election-night.html Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:30:00 +0600Politicshttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/11/election-night.html I can't vote here, of course. But the neighbors can, and the whole lane across the road was out in their good coats. Chynara said, "this is the last one like this", and when I asked what she meant she said it's a feeling. She wouldn't say more. From our window the polling station looked like a…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/10/rumors.html Sun, 15 Oct 2006 19:50:00 +0600Homehttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/10/rumors.html Everybody is whispering. The rumor on the base is that there is going to be some big announcement after the November election and that "the contractors will be asked to start winding down". Mark says this is above his level. Linda's husband says the same. The guard Marat looks at me a little…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/09/back-to-the-books.html Sun, 10 Sep 2006 18:15:00 +0600Homeschoolhttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/09/back-to-the-books.html We started the new school year. Sam is in fifth grade, Lily in third. Chynara's Iradi lessons are now on Wednesdays and the kids insist on going too. Lily can read a few signs. Sam can order tea in two languages and count to a hundred. The homeschool group lost two families to the new rotation;…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/08/pilgrimage-to-iyik-janyl.html Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:30:00 +0600Churchhttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/08/pilgrimage-to-iyik-janyl.html The St. Tomas parish took a bus to Iyık Janyl for the Feast of St. Janyl (24 August), with the pilgrims. It took the whole day to get there, in a bus with no air conditioning and forty people singing. The Church of St. Janyl is on a hill. The line to touch the doors went down the whole hill, and…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/08/melons.html Sun, 06 Aug 2006 16:00:00 +0600Foodhttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/08/melons.html August in Talas means melons. The bazaar road looks like a sea of green and yellow: big striped ones, long yellow ones, small round ones that smell like honey. Rahim ata gave me a heavy one (3 som) and showed me how to tap it: "if it sounds like a drum, no good; if it sounds like a closed door,…https://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/07/fourth-of-july-small.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:30:00 +0600Holidayshttps://blog.attelkom.net/cottonwood/2006/07/fourth-of-july-small.html The base fireworks were cancelled this year ("sensitivities", says Linda), so we had a cookout on the Cottonwood green with sparklers instead. Burgers, a flag on the fence, and the guard's kids waving little flags that Lily had made from napkins and toothpicks. Mirbek brought a big pot of…