Philly-NYC-Istanbul-Ashgabat

Hello all,

Rebekah and I have been having a great time in Philly during staging the last couple of days. We said goodbye to Seattle and all our friends and family :( and now we have been in Philadelphia enjoying meeting all of our fellow Peace Corps volunteers going to Turkmenistan. It is a huge crew! There are 44 of us flying to Turkmenistan to replace half of the volunteers currently serving there. We have been learning a ton in training about the country, training, and what to expect when we get there. So here is the low down: Tomorrow we will take a bus in the morning to JFK in NYC, from there we fly to Istanbul (10 and a half hour flight). In Istanbul we will have an 11 hour layover and so we have been able to get in contact with Rebekah's cousin, Adrienne Clark, who just moved there and she is going to show us around the city. Then back to the airport and we fly into Ashgabat, Turkmenistan arriving at 3 in the morning. We will be there for 3 days to get immunizations and then on to a village for language training. Rebekah and I will be living with a host family together! This is wonderful news as we thought we may be separated into different host families during language training. Thats as far as we know for now, but I guess thats enough. We have been running around trying to finalize last minute things before taking off so it has been a whirlwind. We will be out of internet and phone access at least for the first two to three weeks after we arrive so do not expect to hear from us. Thank you so much for all of your prayers.

Joshua

What-a-stan?!

We are about to set out on a 27month journey working as Peace Corps volunteers in Turkmenistan! During our first three months in Turkmenistan we will be doing intensive language study, after that time the Peace Corps will decide exactly what area of the country we will be placed. Joshua and I will both be working in the field of public health, but our exact assignments will be identified during our three months of language training. As part of my Masters in Public Health program at the University of Washington, I will also be conducting research during our volunteer service.

You are likely wondering... "what-a-stan? Where is that?!" Such an astonished inquiry is not uncommon when we announce where we are moving:^) (we had to find the country on a map too). Here are a few facts about our soon-to-be host country:

The former Soviet Union was once home to almost 60 million Muslims. Most of that population now lives in the former Soviet Union's five Asian republics-- Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-- which are the most isolated and least known of the 12 countries that make up the loose federation known as the Commonwealth of Independent States. Turkmenistan formally declared its independence from the Soviet Union and joined the CIS in 1991. Turkmenistan is dry with a desert terrain. Winters can be snowy and cold with bitter winds, summer temperatures can reach as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit (HOLY SMOKES, FOLKS!).

There are approximately 5 million people living Turkmenistan and it is roughly the size of California (California has a population of 36 million!). The largest ethnic group is the Turkmen. The three main minority groups are Russians, Uzbeks, and Kazakhs. Turkmen are extremely friendly and warm and volunteers enjoy both the Turkmen and Russian hospitality.

Joshua and I have taken much time off of work in the past month to visit family and friends before our final farewell in just a few days! Our time with family has been wonderful. We will miss everyone dearly. We are very excited about how God will use us in Turkmenistan!