Balls, Hoops, and Future Plans

We've been back in Vlad for just over a week, and it feels like there is already so much to report that I don't know where to begin.

We spent more time than we would have liked on our vacation, and the first week back, poring over the decision of what to do next: stay in Vlad a third year; return to DC; or do another overseas tour. We were forced to mull this over while in South Africa because the State Department shot the starting gun on the administrative process by which Dan is eligible to apply for any overseas posts, and the window for applying and agreeing to take one of the positions that were posted was only 2 weeks long. The positions on offer didn't include a lot that we were interested in, and given our (especially my) mood lately, it seemed like a no-brainer that we would return to the US. But Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was there, and before we came to Vlad we had both had interest in Central Asia, and particularly this position, not to mention the couple of years training in Persian that I did and had hoped someday to make good on. So, after a surprisingly tortured week of considering it, getting in touch with people there, going back and forth and back and forth as to what was the smartest and best thing for us to do, we decided to sign up for another 2 year tour, this time at the US Embassy in Dushanbe. Unfortunately, since the country is showing up on the front pages and my Google news alerts for the extreme (and atypical) cold temperatures and the related impending humanitarian crisis it may endure, that decision is a little hard to swallow right at this time, but we are confident that the place and the community will be an interesting and good change from Vlad, and that the lessons we've learned on this tour will allow us to approach the next in a way that will also improve our lives in Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, the break in South Africa and the intense discussion we've been having about what to do and what we want, even despite the stresses that came along with each of those, has had the effect somehow of jolting me into more activity and a better attitude here at home.

Although I haven't yet made it to a class, I'm closer to making yoga a part of my life again, since I've at least starting researching when classes are offered at the handful of places near us. I gave notice at my job at the Consulate on Monday and of course have promptly begun actually getting done some of the tasks I had been trying to get motivated to do, but hadn't yet. Both Dan and I have been out more socially (maybe it took a little going out separately in S. Africa to confirm for us that this was OK and even necessary: to trade off leaving one of us at home, when we can't get a babysitter), including two outings for me this past weekend spending time with friends and just hanging out and having people to talk to. And, partly inspired by Anya's big leaps in development, I finally called and took her to a Montessori development center/preschool, which we both loved and which we plan to keep attending once a week, for a 1.5 hour "class" each Thursday morning.

Tonight's outing for me, since Dan is scheduled to do a poker night with the guys this Friday, was to take the Consulate season tickets to the local "Spartak-Primorye" basketball club's game against "Ural-Great." Again, this is something we have been meaning to do, as the tickets rotate around among the few interested employees at our post, but somehow we have not gotten around to it. Tonight I went with our neighbor and Dan stayed home with Anya, and I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked! It was surprisingly fun to watch the team, cheer along with the locals, sit through the gyrations of the dancers, admire Spartak's mascot, Lyosha the Tiger, scan the public and observe Russian hoops fan behavior (many of them do wear team colors -- I was mildly pleased we'd both coincidentally worn red sweaters), and try to figure out how the Americans on the 2 teams felt about playing out here in a small arena in Vladivostok. And it was of course all the more enjoyable since Spartak pulled out a win in the end, inching back from about 8 or 9 points down from about 4 minutes remaining in the second quarter to finally put themselves over the edge with a couple of foul shots with 20 seconds left on the clock.

What we're eating:
a lot of spicy Thai instant noodle soups, since we got about $50 worth from ThaiGrocer
more homemade sourdough bread (Anya loves it)

What we're listening to:
Feist, The Reminder (it -- especially tracks 2 and 9 -- can't help but lift your mood)

What we're saying:
Manina = Marina (our nanny)
kusay, kutay = kushai, or eat! in Russian
yakki = yucky (often in reference to a diaper change)
zaika = rabbit in Russian (referring, of course, to rabbit-bear, her favorite stuffed animal, who is "beah"/bear in English)
pat = pants
hatch = hat
aissee = icy (a very appropriate observation much of the time)
uppitti = upstairs (or downstairs, for that matter)
hail = hair
bop = bread
koo-kee = cookie, but really means almost anything starchy
appo = apple, but really can mean any fruit, also interchangable with "peah" for pear
pokka = poka, or "bye" in Russian (now said with very good pronunciation when someone is leaving, and accompanied with a wave)
kah = car, or any little car-like toy that has wheels
zeppa = zipper, still a favorite
mekk = milk

Oh, and another rather big recent achievement: Anya recently learned to use a straw and now can drink (with supervision) out of an open glass by slurping up through a "trubochka." Luckily in Russia cafes and restaurants give straws out even to adults without asking, so this now it's pretty easy to give the kid a drink while out!