I finally realized...

I finally discovered last night what it means to be in Dushanbe, and I finally came to the realization that I really am so so so far from home. At 10:30 or so last night, my host parents asked me something about going to the "lab-e dariya" or the shore of a river, and I was like "sure, why not" - which was the first time after a twelve hour day I expressed enthusiasm about anything. Within half a minute they were out of the living room, had rolled up the house carpets and were going down the stairs with a watermelon, knives and the house's shabby carpets. I hadn't actually expected to be going there THAT night, right then and there. But sitting out on the rocks with a small stream/river running by us, eating watermelon, and falling asleep under the stars was just brilliant. We hadn't even bothered to change out of our house clothes. The "kuhestani" house guest wasn't invited along unfortunately because there wasn't enough room in the car - even the mother had to keep her 12 year old son and 16 year old sons on her lap (I mean actually ON her lap)...Today it seems hotter than the 45 degrees it was yesterday and one of the professors tried to get me to believe that it's 55 degrees outside...if that were the case, I really believe I wouldn't be breathing. Oh, the Kuhestani (the guest/family member who stays at our house while studying who says he's from Kuhestan, haha, which just means mountain village) is leaving and I'd have to say that this really makes me sad -- as he's really the only person there who understands my Farsi (this is a relief because apparently he's going to be teaching Farsi in the schools after he graduates). Otherwise, tomorrow we're going to Chartus to see hot springs(?) - honestly, I have no idea what to expect and I'm not looking forward to driving somewhere that's reportedly always ten degrees hotter than Dushanbe - with five in a car. Yuk!! I have no idea why I agreed to this...but it will be a large group and apparently swimming there is awesome and it's a great place for handicrafts - Dushanbe is only good for imports...and bad chinese imports at that. Life otherwise is moving slowly and steadily....I'm glad I finally realized that I'm in Dushanbe...It usually takes a month when I'm in a new place to realize where I am/how far from the U.S. I am and to really appreciate the beauty.