The last six weeks have been camp, camp, and more camp. Joni and I wrote grants to have two camps this summer. The first was for sixty high school aged girls from all over Jalalabad Oblast; the second camp was for fifth, sixth, and seventh form boys and girls from around Bazarkorgon Rayon (a rayon is sort of like a county).
There were a number of hurdles to overcome, mostly having to do with our funding. At times it was frustrating, and at other times it looked like camp wasn't going to happen at all. But it all worked itself out eventually, and once I got to camp, it was awesome.
During first camp, near the end of July, I had Alex, a new 17 in my area, to take care of my cat. Oops, big mistake. He apparently was not paying attention when I gave him instructions so he only came to feed the cat once, on Tuesday- I got back from camp on Saturday! The only reason that Timurlane seems to have survived is because my bathroom floor was mysteriously flooded.
Saturday night, after having returned from camp, Cameron and I were cooking dinner when all of a sudden it sounded like dripping water. I peeked into the bathroom and beheld a miracle- RUNNING WATER! Now when I say I have running water, it's not like I turn the faucet and water comes out. Really it just drips, and I can't turn it on or off. I had heard that the water occasionally turns on, maybe once a year, for a couple of hours, but this far surpasses that. The water comes on for about six hours everyday, usually in the evening, and there doesn't seem to be any sign that it will stop. This running water has made living in my apartment so much more enjoyable. I can flush my toilet! I can wash my clothes! I can bathe in my bathtub! I love it.
After first camp I had less than a week before I headed to second camp. Joni needed to make an unexpected visit back to America, and so I was left to do almost all the rest of the planning/organizing by myself. At this point camp began to unravel. I had to find two replacement volunteers to come to camp, which was no easy task- everyone was busy. I got sick and then our Kyrgyz director decided not to go to camp. In the end it all worked out, and camp was just as much fun as the previous, despite the problems and the rain.
Immediately after camp, Cameron was back down South with his cousin and her boyfriend who were visiting from America. Their visit coincided with the J-Bad volunteers' visit to Osh. So we all headed down and went out dancing on Saturday night. Osh is so much more of a city than Jalalabad, so we had Chinese food for dinner- delicious. And I actually got to be out when it was dark! That may not sound like much, but I make it a rule to remain indoors once the sun goes down- I don't like to be prey for drunk men. The club was fun until said drunk men tried to start a fight with the male volunteers. Despite the way the night ended, I had a lot of fun!
My trip back to J-Bad was uneventful, albeit very Kyrgyz. When Ariel and I went to get out taxi back to our village the taxi driver handed us his keys, pointed in the direction of his car, and told us to make ourselves comfortable while he found more passengers. Only in Kyrgyzstan would someone just hand over car keys and not worry that his car would get stolen.
The next few weeks I finally get to enjoy summer! I have trips to the pool and a trip to Talas (an oblast in the North) to visit Cameron planned. And this week I have to say goodbye to the 15s who are headed home. I can't believe that this time next year I will be saying my own goodbyes to Kyrgyzstan. One year feels dually a short time and a long time. When I first began my service I didn't think that two years was that long. And while it isn't in the long run, I'm starting to see that it is in fact a significant chunk of time. While I'm here living in and experiencing a new culture, my friends and family are continuing their lives and it feels kind of like I put my on hold.
One 15 left in the middle of July and he's sent a few emails. It sounds hard to go back. People don't really understand what you've been through, and how do you explain two years of experiences in five minutes (the amount of time most people are willing to listen)?
With the 17s arriving, and the 15s departing, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the next year and what I still want to accomplish. My primary assignment, teaching English, hasn't been rewarding as I had hoped, but all of my secondary projects have exceeded my expectations and I've found them immensely rewarding. Despite all of the problems associated with my camps, I loved planning, organizing and running them, and I have enjoyed the teacher trainings that I have conducted. I'm hoping that next year I can spend more time than I did last year on my secondary projects.
So that's it for now, I'm sorry for the serious gap in communication. Hopefully I'll be more loquacious now that I'm not hiding in the mountains at camp. Enjoy the rest of summer!
The girls hard at work- coming up with team names.
At a workshop on the first day- everything is so green!
There was a ferris wheel at camp... but it was broken.
We're in charge- can't you tell?
Tug-of-war got fierce! The girls snapped the rope in half.
Walking down the counselors' cabin- camp was beautiful and delightfully not hot
Tye-dye- a little bit of American camp, the girls loved it
We had a scavenger hunt one night. Joni and I made the girls form a human pyramid when they found us. 
At one of the sessions, the girls had to make a community map, and all the groups made a map of camp. One group included Joni and I!
The volunteers- hard at work!
Everyone from first camp.
Anthony came up with some sort of team-building exercise. This photo makes it look more torturous than it was.
The volunteers performing at the talent show- I think they're singing Britney Spears.
Having fun at arts and crafts.
This is Aktan, Joni's host-brother; he was the star of second camp.
