Golden

Goofy moments made my last day of classes.

In my first class, we finished the first part of a test, so I gave them a break. One student, the tall, strapping helicopter pilot with the cheeky Afghanistan t-shirt, didn't come back from the break and missed the listening part of the test. It turned out he had gone to get me a gift from the class, a colorful ethnic bag and wallet. He presented me with the gift and his test, finished, without having listened to the test CD. Points for thoughtfulness.

Another student from the anti-corruption agency came today. For the second time in three and a half weeks. When I asked if he knew that this was the last day of classes, and a student translated it for him into Tajik, he nodded. He had been sick (translated for me from Tajik to English). He took the test, translated mostly into Tajik by other students. Points for trying.

Another man who I met on the first day in the administration offices at the Ministry and who I now think was supposed to be my student, called to me from the hallway during my second class. I excused myself for a second and went out to speak with him. He apologized for missing the presenting of the certificates of participation by the INL folks from the embassy, which had happened between classes. He had been on duty. Then he presented me with three, huge long-stemmed white roses and rushed off. I'm still not sure if he was looking for his certificate of participation. Points for flowers?

My sweet student who I thought had decided on #2, the doctor in Moscow, is a little wilier than I gave her credit for. A few days ago, when I asked her about Moscow, she got a little coy and said, "Maybe I will go to America to study English." And while making small talk about jewelry after class, she said quite emphatically, "I only like gold." Of course she knows a thing or two. She's a police officer. It makes me feel better.

One of my most painfully shy, but fiercly persistent students, the librarian at the police academy, asked for the first time on the last day of class if she could walk with me a little to practice her English. As we left the Ministry, one of the guards said, "Auf Wiedersehen!"

The librarian escorted me most of the way home, carefully answering my questions and asking a few of her own when we went one too many steps without speaking. It's the only time I've regretted living so close to the Ministry.