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yikes - and now comes my most unfavorite part of the trip - I have to surrender my passport for 24 hours while ACCLES finalizes my affiliation. I have already been asked for my documents (i.e. passport and visa) randomly once and I'm terrified that it will happen while I don't have them on me and the won't believe what I tell them or call ACCELS and I'll end up withering in an evil Uzbek dungeon. Not the most rational fear, but this is one of those places where you are supposed to have your passport on you at all times and the police have every right to request it at any moment with just cause or not. People are amazed when I tell them that i didn't get a passport until I was 19 and that I only carry it when I go abroad. Passports here are for internal use, I suppose because drivers licences are few and far between.

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So my lesson today was a bit short - and Malika was sure to mention that I needed to bring the next installment of her money on friday - ugh. Then she goes on about how much of discount she's giving me because we've become such good friends. It is the one moment in our relationship when I am disinclined to believe that we are such good friends.

She is so funny though - today I was complaining about a communication lapse with R and she told me not to be jealous if he "gulyaets" (runs around, i.e. after other women) - she says that there are 4 types of men - ones that love to drink (alchohol), ones that love to gulyat/run around with other women, ones that love to gamble and ones that are homebodies. But she says don't be fooled, the homebodies are awful because they are always in your business and asking why you are doing things and how much money you are spending. She also said that she used to be so jealous as a young woman and now she laughs at those memories and thinks its a pity that she wasted that much energy.

The lesson went well but was short - she was happy with the work I did, and the way my technique is developing and said that I'm already feeling some of the maqom. Nice things, but she also reminded me how much work I still have to accomplish while I'm here.