I Have an office in Ashgabat...

48A Gorogly Street, my office address in Ashgabat. It’s a place I dream to get back to one day

soon. Outside the snow is falling on the streets of New York and a world away, who knows what’s going on. Is there snow? Is the laundry hanging out on the line from the apartment building next door? Is Rashid, the shopkeeper blaring his music from his little store on the corner where I buy my afternoon chocolate? Are the throngs of families still waiting outside the big maternity

hospital across the street? I’m sure they are, for there is one thing I have learned about life…it goes on.
This unexpected delay in getting myself back into Wonderland is sort of a blessing in disguise. While I can provide support for my staff from the comfort of my kitchen, every morning at 6 a.m. via Skype, I’m also able to fully and completely enjoy New York City, at a calm pace. I’ve got a little routine going that begins at 6 a.m. with work and by lunch time I get out of the house for a bit, then come back and do some more work, and then go out in the evenings with friends or by myself to a film, dinner, whatever. I made a movie list and am slowly crossing things off the list as I see them. “Iron Lady,” “War Horse,” “My Week with Marilyn,” “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” and there’s still more on the list. Plus there’s the theater but I haven’t taken much advantage of that. What I’m most enjoying is just being at

home and getting caught up on a variety of projects like getting rid of my old computers, clean the basement, do some sewing projects, organize my office, get rid of old papers, etc. Lulu is also happy that I’m home with her. She’s enjoying all the attention. The first month of the year is a perfect time of year for this kind of activity. January is always slow and a month for getting one’s self together.
Still I dream of the day when I can go through the looking glass once more, back to Wonderland

and all it’s interesting ways. I’ve exhausted all the reasons why I wasn’t let back in and they run the gamut:
1) Someone in the government read my blog
2) Someone didn’t like my karaoke singing
3) Someone didn’t like the fact I walked around the Presidential Palace and took some pictures
4) Someone didn’t like the fact that I spoke with a prostitute in a disco (For the record I complimented her on her shoes)
5) Because of presidential elections in February, they are limiting the number of foreigners coming in the country
6) It’s not about me at all, it’s just the Migration Service’s idea of a joke

I’ve got the US Embassy on my side and hopefully with their support (uh it’s their program so they should fight for me) I’ll be back in at the end of March. I remain confident that I’ll get back in then and be back with my people soon. In the meantime, I have my Afghans to attend to. I still am in charge of the YSEL camp, my leadership camp for Afghans that I run in India. We are doing a camp in February so I’m busy doing that as well. Will be off to Afghanistan beginning of February and then on to India. Looking forward to that.
The other day my office in Ashgabat had a New Year’s party and I had sent presents for

everyone through my colleague who was in DC last week. Everyone loved the gifts and it made me happy that I could bring them happiness from far away. Wish I was there in person to hand out the gifts but alas that was not to be. It’s nice to know though that I am missed across the

miles by a group of people in a three-storied house/office, covered in old grape vines, behind a tall, light blue apartment building with laundry fluttering in the cold January wind. I will get back there one day but for now I am there in my heart.