The Collapse of the Bald Birja
In the beginning there were three bald men. The number was three and it was good. They were myself, Chris, and Mark. Amidst a conference room full of cheerful, idealistic young volunteers, it was these three that had no hair. They were bald. The tops of their heads had grown fallow. There was some snickering by the others. They sought comfort in a brotherhood of baldness. Strength in numbers if you will.
So these three joined forces to create the Bald Birja (Birja is a Georgian term for a bunch of dudes squatting together in the road, eating sunflower seeds and enjoying banter and cha cha). Three bald men. Together in unity... until they were ripped apart by events beyond their control.
The first to go was Chris. He was sent packing for some undisclosed medical thing. We mourned his absence. But then some good news, there was some sort of hiccup and he will soon be reunited with his fellow PCVs, as well has fiance Jocelyn--see above picture. And not a moment too soon, because we just learned we lost Mark.
I firmly believe that Mark is the baldest of the three, but just barely. Mark would claim I am. The only things Mark is worse at then growing hair is apparently ice skating. During a crash on the ice a few months ago, Mark bruised his back, or so he thought. X-rays showed he actually broke two vertebrae. So it was determined that Mark would be sent home. But before he could depart, Mark apparently thought to take a cue from Chris and get engaged himself. And so he did, because such is the raw charisma of the Bald Birja, that women fall over themselves as they scramble to lock themselves into holy matrimony with them. It is a testament to my strength that I've been able to keep these clamoring women at bay. I'm truly remarkable.
So Mark returns to America, to nurse his ailing back with micro brews, until such time as he becomes fit enough to return to Georgia to claim his bride. He will be missed.
So that leaves me, all alone, amidst a crowd of volunteers with fine manes. This could change if they all keep getting lice, and believe me they are all getting lice, but still, for now I am alone.
There is no Bald Birja anymore, at least until Jeff goes totally bald, but that'll be at least 3 months. So for the time being I'm going to abandon the Bald Birja and attempt to fit in with the harrier members of my group.
Farewell dear Mark. God speed Chris. See you soon Jeff. The Birja may be over but the balding continues.
So these three joined forces to create the Bald Birja (Birja is a Georgian term for a bunch of dudes squatting together in the road, eating sunflower seeds and enjoying banter and cha cha). Three bald men. Together in unity... until they were ripped apart by events beyond their control.
The first to go was Chris. He was sent packing for some undisclosed medical thing. We mourned his absence. But then some good news, there was some sort of hiccup and he will soon be reunited with his fellow PCVs, as well has fiance Jocelyn--see above picture. And not a moment too soon, because we just learned we lost Mark.
I firmly believe that Mark is the baldest of the three, but just barely. Mark would claim I am. The only things Mark is worse at then growing hair is apparently ice skating. During a crash on the ice a few months ago, Mark bruised his back, or so he thought. X-rays showed he actually broke two vertebrae. So it was determined that Mark would be sent home. But before he could depart, Mark apparently thought to take a cue from Chris and get engaged himself. And so he did, because such is the raw charisma of the Bald Birja, that women fall over themselves as they scramble to lock themselves into holy matrimony with them. It is a testament to my strength that I've been able to keep these clamoring women at bay. I'm truly remarkable.
So Mark returns to America, to nurse his ailing back with micro brews, until such time as he becomes fit enough to return to Georgia to claim his bride. He will be missed.
So that leaves me, all alone, amidst a crowd of volunteers with fine manes. This could change if they all keep getting lice, and believe me they are all getting lice, but still, for now I am alone.
There is no Bald Birja anymore, at least until Jeff goes totally bald, but that'll be at least 3 months. So for the time being I'm going to abandon the Bald Birja and attempt to fit in with the harrier members of my group.
Farewell dear Mark. God speed Chris. See you soon Jeff. The Birja may be over but the balding continues.
posted by Ryan Nickum at 3:42 AM
3 Comments:
Hi! I am an RPCV--Macedonia 2003-2005. I was talking with a gal who is departing for staging to serve in Macedonia and I was feeling nostalgic for my PC days...and I stumbled upon your blog. I was very amused and actually laughed out loud at the photo of you washing your clothes with "barf" detergent. Keep on blogging, your posts are hilarious!
I will truly miss the bald Birja! I will see what I can do to get some microbrews out there for you! They are far better then argo and yazbegi! I will be back soon!
terrible pic of chris!!
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