Page 20
Volume 4 Issue 3
Monday, April 11, 2005: A Day in the Life of a PCV in Qarshi, Uzbekistan
By: Todd Shealy, MAK 10
I arise from my mosquito netting-covered bed at about
7:00 AM. Fortunately, this is Monday, and my first
classes won’t begin until 9:05. At Qarshi Specialized
School No. 1, like most others in Uzbekistan, Monday
morning is reserved for “home class,” or what we
would call “homeroom” in the US. This gives me a ittle
extra time this morning.
I stumble into the bathroom and check the tap to see if
we have water. We have been without water for about
two and a half days. Yes, it is working. It’s not cold, but
not warm enough—either—for showering. I fill up the
water bucket I keep in the bathroom and go to the
kitchen. There I light the gas stove and place the
bucket on top. I turn the gas on high. I also fill the teapot with distilled water and put it on the stove to boil.
Now, I have some
time while I wait for
my bath water. I
wash the small pile
of dishes that have
been awaiting running water. Then, I
wash out the bottom
of my Peace Corpsissued water distiller
and refill it with tap
water. I turn the machine on. Four
hours later, I will
have another three
liters of safe drinking
water. From the
kitchen, I hear one of
the bread sellers
riding by on his bicycle. “Non keldi, issiq non,” he says; which is literally
“bread came, hot bread.” Non is the traditional Uzbek
round, flat bread. Every region has its own variety, and
some regions’ bread is more famous than others, for
example non from the city of Samarqand, which is
thicker and denser than any other in the country. Hot
non with jam or honey is great. Non is a ???????????)M??????????????????????????????????Q???????)?????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????-?????????????I??????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????Q???????)???????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????Q????????????????????????????)???U??????????()5???????????????????????????$?????????????)????$?????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????$??????????????????????????????????????????????????????$??????e????????????UL??$?????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????)U???????$??????????????????????????)????U??????????q$????????$????????????)U????t()Q????$???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)e???$????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????e?????????????????$???????????????????????$???????$)?????????????????????????????????????)?????$???????)??????????)???????e???????)??????????????)?????????)??????????)??????????????)??????()9??????????)??????$??????)???????????????)??????????????)????????$???????)????????????)??????????????)????????????????????)????????????)Q????e???????)??????????????????????????????$??????????)????e???????????????????????)?????????$????????????????????????????????????????????????????$?????????????)??????????????????$?????e???????????????)????????????????????$??????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????%?e?????????????????????????????????)???U????????Q??????????????????????)?????A???????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????((