2 Months and Counting...

Hey All...

So, for those of you who don't know, I've been involved in the Peace Corps process for the past 7 months. Yesterday I found out where I'll be stationed for the next 27 months. So exciting, I know! I had told many of you I'd be going somewhere in Eastern Europe, as that is what I was being told by the PC, but you know how things go with the government and bureaucracy.

...and...drum roll please...I'm going to TURKMENISTAN!!!

I leave for this adventure on September 29, so I have a little over two months to get myself ready. I'll be Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to primary and/or secondary school students. If anyone knows of anyone who teaches ESL, I'd greatly
appreciate it if you could share their information with me, as I want to see what I can learn before I leave.

Fun fact: the recently deceased president-for-life (2006) banned ballet and opera, beards and long hair (among other things). It's only a recently independent state (1991), as it was part of the Soviet Union. Turkmen is the national language, though Russian is considered the language of "inter ethnic communication" (love that Wikipedia). Its bordered by Iran and Afghanistan to the SE and SW, and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the NE and NW.

Ciao (if I knew how to say "bye" in Turkmen I would),
Hannah