That time you had that awkward moment with that bird.

We heard rumors that tommorow there is a buzkashi match near the central bamyan bazaar. If you are totally out it then you don't realize that this is the awesome chance of a lifetime. Buzkashi is basically this kind of polo with a headless goat carcass. Its supposed to be really violent too. I think we are going to go and I can't wait! Thats all for this week because I had to make a report for WORK!

Sorry, No chickens bodies available

Aww man
i was gonna write all this sweet stuff, but we have to buy some cookies and gear for our class christmas party and a chickens legs for christmas dinner (no chickens body was available). Really I don't know if i can handle all this updating pressure.

"We ain't go no money! we ain't got no time!"
I've been making up a lot of sweet dialogues and songs for our english class and then making the students sing and dance and say whatever words i want them to say. Of course i have to use real words due to my concisence and the other teachers, but whatevs. I might video tape some of this if i can get some battery power and if i stop feeling awkward and rich about waving a video camera in village kids faces.

All these sweet things are happening in my life that you totally don't know about, which is too bad, but my time here is almost finished (bout a monf, less actually) and then another in korea and then its back in your TLC arms and your TLC made for tv movies and your TLC Cds.

I was thinking about how I will fit in with everyone, and i am sure it will work out fine. the only problem is that the things and names that I say that Jake hates have all changed to things reconizable only by me. Instead of nate reed I say ghulam Ali or Khuda dad. Instead of "singing mice" I say singae? Pashtu for "how are you" Instead of say hey myon, I say chang hyun. Excpet I usually say these things in my head. But all things work together for good for them that love the lord, so I guess i'll be fine and jonny rice will be screwed.

Also I had this dream about owens and we were trying to find these awesome snacks and jake wanted this dried fruit and me and aaron senter and andy and erica wanted this huge car sized peice of french bread and we got in this huge fight and then i don't rmember what happened but now i want to eat a sandwhich real bad and they don't have those here.

Matt why don't you change your wedding date a week earlier. I'm going to ask till you give me an answer.

Long long Ago...MEN of making bike have a DREAN

This is the real date: 11.19.05

When i lived in granshakh some people had this bike called, "Star Plan Shuttle" and the above was its slogan written on the bike, capitals and mispellings included. I love that bike like i love this junk mail i just got from "forrest Tom."

Also there is a brand of crackers in Pakistan called, "Peek Freens"!!!!

Today while I was playing this weird and confusing version of bachee ball (Chor Maghz or four brains) with walnuts this UN truck drove by and I am pretty sure it was being driven by ben newton.

Also I learned that Tupchi means "place of shooting guns" good news

Time! its dimes time!

First Day in Tupchi!

What kind of Ghosts live in mountains?
This is beginning the series of catching up on old things which were not posted. I am not starting at the beginning I am starting with my current life here in Bamyan, Afghanistan. I will also be throwing in a bit of business from the Kashmir Earthquake. The Cast has changed, Joony went back to Korea, Young Mi and Chang Hyun Came from Korea. Hee Eun is still in Kabul, Chul went to Pakistan. The Dates will all be wrong in order to have them appear at the top of the blog and later I will change them. or will I? And Matt don't worry I'm coming to you wedding, I'm just angry its August 5th and not the week or two before.

I miss Hee Eun. and Joony. and Andy Senter. There's a big jump in continuity here from well before Peace Camp (August) - Vacation in Pakistan for a 15 days - Earthquake in Pakistan for longer - Moving to Tupchi, Bamyan. That's okay though its mostly lies anyway.

Today was the first day, I guess in Tupchi (the village in which we now find myself, "doing my thing"). The first real day anyway. Everybody, Hee Eun (dang), Chul, and Amanullah left to go back to Kabul or elsewhere. Our first night alone here. After they left (shoot), We played Soccer with a bunch of boys from the refugee camp (naowbat) near the school, trying not to kick the ball of the mountain or into a minefield (not true, this side of the river has been demined, but its sounded good huh? See all lies). It was great. I didn't realize how much Granshakh had scarred me (you didn't either, when the blog left off I was just introducing it to your ways, I will fill in the blanks later, for now if you want to know about it go see the movie dogville) But so far no one has hit me, pushed me down a hill, stolen from me, called me an infidel or told me I was going to hell. I guess I was expecting it, but here they all seem to be kind and like me. And they are all impressed by my Farsi speaking abilities (bad move, I always come on strong and then later they try to talk to me fast of difficult and we all lose).

I am of course running out of internet time. Its spent most of my time reading about the CPT kidnapping and Corpus Christi the play

So I will leave you for this week with some items.

1. Today we me with the teachers and they cared about the students and about education. One of them called me Ustaz (teacher). In Granshakh the teachers called me Bacha (boy).

2. The view from our house is continuosly destroying the view from all houses and making those houses feel clumsy and foolish.

3. The Snow capped mountains are slowing coming here for a visit. In a month they will arrive.

4. The Last three nights in a row, I've dreamt of earthquakes. The Last one everyone died except Joony. Hee Eun was crushed beneath the ceiling while lying in bed. I didn't tell her that.

5. This internet cafe (the only seven computers in the whole province with internet access) is slow but surprisinly faster than kabul. Its cold as darren's boulders though and my hands freeze like frozen gold.

6. The guy at the gas station where we get deisel for our oil lamp signs the reciept, "love" in english.

Dang times up. I still have so much to write. I hate the internet. and time.

CPTers kidnapped

Next week I will begin posting on my life here in bamyan either starting from pakistan earthquake or the present. However this week I would like to ask you to pray for some fellow CPTers who have been kidnapped in Iraq. Two of them were present at my training, one being a trainer (on the right) and the other assisting (bald on the left). I won't take the time to post indepth here as others have already done so. For more information please visit my friend Justin's Blog. http://www.justinalexander.net/
or of course, the www.cpt.org website has much information about it. Please pray for them.