Happy ending

What started out as a rough day ended with happiness.

After work I felt a little down. I decided to go to one of my favorite Korean restaurants and have a quiet dinner. I ambitiously decided I knew Tashkent well enough to walk there. Well, I made it about half way there. I asked some people where Grand Mir hotel was (the restaurant is right next door) and I was surprised to find many didn't know. It is because they changed the name, and most locals are not in the know-how of these updated foreigner places.

I then asked a babushka (grandmother) who was so kind. She said she was walking towards that way and to follow her. I can't say I understand every word, but somehow I've learned to understand a little more and get the gist of things. We crossed the street together, all the time she looked over her shoulder to make sure I was safe. Machina Machina (car car) she said when I was walking too close to an oncoming car.

She was going to help me get on the bus and I was going to embark on this adventure if we were on the same one. But she said she lived far away and would be sending me on my own. I decided to just jump in a cab and go.

Luck will have it that I found a go-ryo-in cab driver. We began conversing and I asked him where the Korean stores were. He showed me and dropped me off, as it wasn't far from where I had to go. I began walking towards my restaurant and found another Korean restaurant on the way called "Grandma's place", or hal-mae-jib.

Well, I went in and was greeted by a very sweet go-ryo-in debushka. In the first room I sat in there were a couple Komars, or mosquitos (amazing which words you learn when you are in a foreign country). I switched to another room. Not only did I see a dead bug under one of the chairs, the plastic covering on the table felt sticky. I am not always neat but I am a germ/clean freak. Grin and bear it, it's a new experience I told myself.

The food was good but I was happy to get out. Whenever anything is dirty I get goose bumps and feel absolutely gross. I decided to have one more adventure before going home. I had heard about the President's daughter's restaurant which flies in cheesecake daily from Moscow. I had been meaning to check it out and decided today would be the day.

After ordering a chocolate cheesecake and wolfing it down, I hailed a cab. The car seemed to be driving fast and I told myself I wouldn't get in. But when the driver pulled up he looked like a decent enough person so I got in. (I wish good judgement with taxi drivers could form some sort of business for me by the way). We began to converse, the normal questions came up. This time I said I was from Korea, that I now live in Tashkent, and that my husband works here. He said he actually isn't a taxi driver and was on his way back from work, but did this unofficially when he was free. I really respect this. It is tough to get by here, and it seems so in tandem with the "sure, why not?" culture here. We chatted some more, and when I told him how kind I found the people here he seemed to really take it to heart. There is such great pride here and a strong sense of identity. When he dropped me off I asked how much. He refused to accept. He said he was on his way home and that it was his pleasure.

It's amazing what can happen in Tashkent.