- Cell Phone Charger, April 9, 2006: I went to plug it in and it literally fell apart in my hands! I went a day without cell phone use, but fortunately, I was able to get a replacement the next day in the City.
- Electric Tea Pot, April 12, 2006: My guess is that there was a power surge this day; that, or a result of overuse after heating several pots of water to do a month's worth of laundry! Needless to say, it just plain stopped working.
- Computer, April 12, 2006: The deepest cut of all, naturally. You all know the story... Fixable in Bishkek next week? Let's hope!
- Shower/"Inside" Shoes, April 22, 2006: These are the shoes I wear EVERYWHERE. Since you don't wear shoes inside the house, every Kyrgyz person has a pair of these shoes, which Norwegians call "inside" shoes, but I suppose the term "outside" shoes would be more appropriate in Kyrgyzstan. Anyway, I was throwing out some dirty water Saturday morning, and the strip that goes over your foot just completely disconnected from the shoe! I found myself hopping on one foot back to my room. The plus is that I definitely got more use from these shoes than they were worth, so it won't hurt to buy a new pair.
- Jeans, April 23, 2006: Yes, I discovered a rip in one of the two pairs of jeans I brought to Kyrgyzstan Sunday evening. I really liked these jeans, but nothing lasts forever...
- Umbrella, April 24, 2006: I wisely decided to bring my umbrella to work on Monday morning because there were some dark clounds in the sky. And boy, was I glad I did when it was raining when I left school that afternoon! So I popped it open and began walking home. However, within minutes the light rain turned into a major storm! And let's just say in the battle of wind vs. umbrella, the wind won. I was forced to make the 20 minute walk home in pouring rain without any protection at all. Needless to say, by the time I arrived I'm sure I looked something like a drowned rat, a drowned rat in a headscarf. Gloria, remember waiting under that "tree" on the street in Niverville, Manitoba, waiting for the storm to "pass"? Yeah, it was kind of like that... except without the tree. Oh yeah, and within a half hour of my arrival at home, the rain had completely stopped and the sun came out!
So I guess it's true what they say: When it rains it pours... Figuratively and literally.
