Jogging: 6/14/02

I just got back from my first jogging adventure in my village, and felt the need to jot down some thoughts. Jogging is, apparently, not a popular Kazakhstan pastime. To expend energy for no reason is purely an American idea, no doubt due to our abundant supply of Mickey D’s, Chinese takeout and Microbreweries. Anyway, if no one knew there was an American in their midst, they certainly do now. As I stumbled and wheezed by, mouths gaped open, old men scowled, children followed like I was Forest Gump...”Run Andrew, Run”. I just smiled, waved some, said hello some, but I still don’t have that word down yet I guess, because no one acknowledged it. It’s like every consonant in the alphabet put together in the worst possible order. Why couldn’t they save that for some little used word like, say, antidisestablishmentarianism? I mean, for crying out loud, its HELLO already.

I have to say, though, jogging up the road that faces the mountains was a rush. The mountains are HUGE (I can’t stress that enough I guess), and its like another world I’m looking at. I would have run all day if it weren’t for the fact that I’m FEEBLE, and this elevation is a bit hard on the lungs (about 3000 ft I would guess). I’m hoping to get better as the days go by, if I don’t stir up too much of a frenzy in this little town.

People that know me know that I love this stuff, and, like my mother, crave attention constantly, so its all good.

By the way, to put it into perspective, the Walkman I was carrying is about, oh, a month and a half’s wages of my host-father. If I have learned ONE thing in just one week, its that the US’s free market economy KICKS BUTT.

Also, my hostmom is upset because I didn’t eat enough for lunch, so I made it up at dinner. Hence the jogging.

Oh, and I saw two mangy little dogs furiously mating as I finished. Frosting on the cake, so to speak.

Dasvidanya.