Tashkent

No more news - that is, no new visa (at least for me). 37 people have received their visas and have gone to site. 4 people have dropped out. The rest of us sit here in Tashkent and wait...

Tonight several of us went to see a football (soccer) game. Tickets were 600 cym for the cheap seats (benches) and 800 cym for the good seats. We shelled out the 20 cents extra for the premier seats. Attendance was somewhere between 400 and 600, depending on whether or not you count the militsia. The fans chewed away on their pumpkin seeds, with one old Uzbek guy in front of us really whopping it up for Pakhtor (the 3-0 winners).

Afterwards we had some great Turkish food, then went to the most amazing grocery store I've ever seen here (for Uzbekistan). Almost, almost US-like in scale and realm. We also walked along the street that sells every appliance known to civilized man, but unseen in these parts. I was seriously tempted by the washing machines (I've done my laundry once here, and it's not fun - i.e. it's by hand).

For tomorrow, I'm thinking of going to the opera or maybe the ballet (tickets start at 1000 cym). Or maybe just hang out in the PC office some more and watch a movie. I'm scheduled to leave for site on Monday afternoon (visa willing).