Thankfulness

38. Friends visiting from out of town
39. Guests that bring coffee with them
40. The chance to share more about life out here
41. People who ask good questions, that inspire thoughtful answers
42. Meeting old friend's babies for the first time
43. When the baby doesn't cry when I hold her
44. Learning a day later that the baby was crying because her first tooth was coming in, not because she met her Aunt Karen for the first time
45. People who are anxious to hear what I learned at the class I recently attended.
46. Diplomatic emails - and the thought that goes into writing them
47. When people comment on my blog or respond to my letters by email.
48. The rain coming and the pain leaving
49. That I am not under the same pressure to marry as my Uyghur friends
50. That my parents have never shown up at my door with a man in tow saying "We gave you long enough to try to find your own husband, and since you haven't found one, you WILL marry this man"
51. Being able to be the person whose shoulder my Uyghur friend choices to cry on.
52. Getting a good deal on office furniture for our new place of business
53. People who have started a business here before and willingly give us hints and share their knowledge on the best way to go about it.
54. That first drink of water after a long hot Ramadan day
55. Taxi drivers who know where they are going
56. Evenings spent cooking Western food with Uyghur friends
57. Earning the respect and trust of my friend's parents
58. Shop keeps that know me so well they give me a better price than most locals can get.
59. Decaf coffee at 10pm
60. Seat near the door on the bus