I ...tell my friends and family "It's Uzbekistan, not East Pakistan".

When my Peace Corps recruiter informed me that T would be living and working in Uzbekistan for the next two years, I had to reach for a map. Uzbekistan. Surrounded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Hmmm . . . the map did not immediately make the situation any clearer. I began researching the country at the library and online, but the resources were few and far between. In any case, I soon learned enough about the country that I could authoritatively tell my friends and family, "It's Uzbekistan, NOT East Pakistan".

I arrived in Tashkent in late September and was instantly amazed at the colors. Green trees framed by blue sky. Cut watermelons showing their deep pink flesh and pomegranates flaunting their glossy burgundy seeds. The shimmery yellows, blues, reds, and purples of the national atlas fabric. All of the colors were amplified by the strong Central Asian sun. My first impressions were in stark contrast to the bleak Soviet city that I had expected.

After completing 3 months of Peace Corps training in Gulistan, I moved to the northwestern city of Nukus to teach English to schoolchildren in grades 3 through 11. While Nukus does not have much to offer the tourist (save the spectacular Igor Savitsky museum and its collection of Russian a vant gard art), it is still a unique city in that its population is largely Karakalpak. Karakalpaks, like Uzbeks, are a Turkic people, yet they have their own distinct language, traditions, and food. Southern Karakalpakstan is also home to the ruins of a number of fortresses and Zoroastrian temples dating from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD.

After completing my 27 months of Peace Corps service, I returned to New York in late 1998and was pleased to find a large and strong community of Bukharan Jews living in nearby Queens. Whenever I had a craving for lagman or manti, I had only to hop on the subway to Rego Park. I was happy and surprised to be able to maintain my connection to Uzbekistan while living in New York. I volunteered to help a recently immigrated family from Tashkent to prepare for the US citizenship exam, and I attended music and dance recitals held within the community. Apparently, though, this wasn't enough.

I returned to Uzbekistan in August 2002 and, since then, have had the chance to travel extensively through the country for my job. I've fallen in love with the four hour drive between Karshi and Terrnez (though I could do without the numerous checkpoints). The road winds among the towering mountains and along the Surkhandarya River, passing by women selling apples and persimmons as well as impossibly creamv and deliciou goat's milk yoghurt. Since returning last year, I've also been enchanted by the quiet, tree-lined streets of Ferghana city and enthralled by the crowded Middle Eastern-feeling bazaar of Namangan.

I'm often asked by friends and family in the United States why I continue living here. Well, my husband who is a native of Nukus and 1 both enjoy the pace of life here. We like the fact that we know our neighbors and that you can always find someone with whom to enjoy a pot of tea. I like the work that I do, which puts me in contact with the country's leaders in the business, religious, and educational spheres.

Though 1 could barely locate Uzbekistan on a map 7 years ago, I've now explored almost every corner of the country. And my life has been Richer for it.