I went to Turkmenistan a couple of years after graduating from the University of Delaware (class of ’92). It was an amazing experience living for a summer in this former Soviet Union country only a few years after its independence. It was hot. Very hot. I was there doing a cultural research project with a dozen others. I got to be one of two class photographers. It was my first real professional photography experience. I used an old Nikon camera with a Nikkor 50mm lens gifted to me by my friend and photo mentor. I shot something like 60 rolls of Kodak color slide film. We didn't get to develop them until after we returned, so it was quite the joy in seeing so many images come to life long after the initial clicks. This young girl with her glassy-eyed stare was one of my faves. I scanned in a bunch of pics from the original slides almost 30 years later - so fun to see and to realize I’ve been at this photo thing for a long time. There’s something extra sweet in the tones and texture of scanned slides. When Instagram filters first became a thing, that old school vibe became super popular again. So many memories from that trip...here are a handful of other snaps.