Nooruz

Time has flown, and it seems like I've witnessed all four seasons in the last few weeks. My program manager (PM), Maria, came down and I went with her to visit various villages near mine and talk to schools and potential counterparts about Peace Corps and having a volunteer. Maria and I also checked out potential housing for the new volunteers.

 

That same day I had my interview with the PC Philippines people. Also it now looks like I am going to be replaced with a new volunteer. I had discussed it with my PM- how I felt that my school perhaps needed a break after me, and that it would be better to give the volunteer to a school who had never worked with a volunteer before. But it looks like a new volunteer will be headed to my site as my replacement.

 

Nooruz, the biggest holiday of the year here, was a bit of a let down. The day before it started raining, and by four o'clock it was snowing! This just one day after 70-degree weather! The snow continued all day Nooruz, which is supposed to celebrate the coming of spring, and most of the fun activities were cancelled. Ariel and I braved the snow and headed to the center and saw more than a few disappointed faces.

 

One curious thing about Kyrgyzstan is how they dress according to the calendar rather than by the weather. The week previous to Nooruz was glorious- warm, sunny. My counterpart, Aigul, was standing around in a full-length lined leather coat. When I asked her if she was hot, which I was, her reply was no, as it was not Nooruz yet. And then on Nooruz I saw many people who were inappropriately dressed for the snowy weather!

 

Spring break has been the last two weeks. During the first week I went down to Osh to hang out with my friend Bryan and go hiking. The hike, while it kicked my butt, was beautiful and awesome; it was definitely worth it. But I have spent the entire second week of break in bed with some mysterious illness.

 

After watching the blossoms fall off the apricot trees in my yard, the weather was warmed up again and the apple tree in front of my house is blossoming. It's so nice to not have my heat on, to have my door open, and feel the warm sun on my face.

 

As for camp funding- thanks to everyone so far who has donated! Right now we still need about $3700. So if you haven't donated, please please please donate, even if it's just a small amount and tell people you know to donate. We really only have a few weeks left to get the rest, and if we don't- Joni and I are going to have to reconsider camp. Follow this link to donate: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=307-143

 

Next year

Hey all! 

I'm just jotting off this quick note because my plans for next year were, sort of, finalized. I am extending-by-transfer. This means that I am staying in Peace Corps but am going to another country. So starting in August I am going to be a volunteer in the Philippines! I am soooooo excited about this!! (note the double exclamation point) So from August of this year until, I think, November 2012 I will be an education volunteer in the Philippines! yeah! I'll be back stateside for about month, mid-July to mid-August. Hopefully I'll get to see some of you.

Ok, Happy spring all!

Springtime has arrived!

I've neglected writing the past weeks, mostly from what I feel is a lack of something to say. Spring is in full throttle here, which is welcome after the snowy and frigid February. I can now walk around in a t-shirt around mid-day. In two weeks (March 21) we will be celebrating Nooruz, or Navrus in Uzbek. The holiday, one of the biggest of the year, is popular throughout Central Asia (even Iran) and dates back to the Zoroastrian celebration marking the beginning of spring. Things are gearing up big time for the event, and it also marks the beginning of a two-week break from school.

We've all started thinking and talking about what's going to happen six months from now. Where will we go? What will we do? It seems to be the only topic of conversation these days. It's crazy to think that this time last year I was counting the ten months I had been here. And now it has been twenty-one months, and I'm counting the six I have left. It doesn't really seem real that I've reached the end of my service here. And to answer the above questions: I know what I want to do next year, and where I want to go, but it's currently in the planning stages and I don't want to jinx it. So perhaps in a few weeks I'll make the big announcement.

The next group of volunteers is arriving at the end of the month- including someone from SLO! It will be interesting to see if I'm replaced and what our interaction will be over the summer. Will I quickly be forgotten in place of this new volunteer? Or will I be remembered every time someone uses the toilet of my school (since I'm building them a new one)?

I just finished reading 100 Letters Home: My Two Years in Kyrgyzstan by Emily Ross. My mom sent it to me (thanks!) and I read it in one day. If you get a chance, considering reading it. She manages to express a lot of the frustrations I felt and still feel (and that I am not always able to convey) about being a volunteer, and about living and teaching here.

Sometimes my lack of something to say ultimately stems from the fact that I do things, everyday, that no longer seem fantastical or unique. They are events and activities that no longer seem out of the ordinary. When I was at home for Christmas, I did notice that I never used my knife to eat with. Not that odd here. I remember arriving at my site and looking, in vain, for a butter knife to buy in the bazaar. I was shocked that such knives were nowhere to be found! I also no longer point. Pointing is a rude thing here. So now, when I want someone to come to me, or I'm indicating a particular gesture, I do this sort of circular hand motion with my arm extended. And a third thing, I've adjusted to saying ill instead of sick; sick is a very rude word in Kyrgyz. When other volunteers and I get together we all say ill when talking about our endless illnesses.  And these are just three examples of innumerable instances. 

Well I'm back in Kyrgyzstan; and now that I'm back- it almost feels like I never left. My first two weeks back were cold and hectic. My house upon my arrival was 34 degrees inside (chilly!). I also headed back up to Bishkek only a few days after being back for a training seminar. But now I'm back in my village and it seems as if spring is here. It's warmed up, and is warmer than it was back in October. And we've had rain instead of snow.

 

The grant that I wrote to build a new toilet for my school was approved, so we'll start construction later this semester. Also, Joni's and my Future Leaders of Kyrgyzstan camp grant is still up. Thank you, so much, to everyone who has donated money so far! However, we still have a ways to go, so please click the link and pull out your credit card. You can find the grant here: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=307-143

 

I just finished reading The Ugly American- it was amazing, the book that inspired JFK to start the Peace Corps. Several of the characters in the book are diplomats who don't speak the language of the country they work in, and this often leads to cultural misunderstandings. I am so thankful that I can communicate with the people who live here. I am a full believer in the idea that you can't really understand another culture without speaking its language. Yes, there are universal things that transcend cultural and linguistic differences, such as motherhood, but so many other things don't. Learning t speak another language allows and show you that people express similar things differently.

 

I always think about this in how Kyrgyz uses the word to sit. To sit is a verb in both English and Kyrgyz, but it doesn't quite describe the same action in both languages. English usage of the verb implies the actual touching of your butt to another surface; while in Kyrgyz it's the action of bending your knees and moving into the sitting position. Whereas in English you could say I am sitting, using the present continuous tense, you cannot use this tense with the verb to sit in Kyrgyz. With this slight difference there implies a whole different concept of 'sitting.'

 

Sitting is not something Kyrgyz people do- they interact. They go guesting, they drink endless cups of tea, and they argue about politics and the current price of carrots. There is no way to describe sitting in Kyrgyz because Kyrgyz people are never alone (something most people here don't enjoy), they are always doing something else. There is no 'resting.'

 

And this is just one word. I could get into how Kyrgyz people call everything that is green- blue, even thought they have a word for green. Green tea is blue tea; green eyes are blue eyes, etc. Or perhaps how the days of the week are numbered (first day, second day, etc.) even thought they have words for the days of the week. Or even how months of the year are always called by their Russian names, despite having names in Kyrgyz. All these things explain how Kyrgyz people view and approach their world; view and approaches I might have misunderstood or dismissed had I not learned Kyrgyz.

Summer Camp Grant!

Well I'm home. After 85 hours of travel, I made it to the promised land. So far I got my haircut, and I've played with my cat (who is much larger than I remember), and have tried not to be too out of control when it comes to all the tasty things available for me. My grant for my toilet project is almost finished, I hope to finish that today and get it sent in. My other grant however is done! Yeah! 

 

Joni and I wrote a grant for summer camp next summer. Summer camp is an amazing opportunity for kids from our area. It's not something they usually get to do, and many kids get a break from working in the fields. One of our sessions will be on Life Goals. It may not seem like a big deal, but Kyrgyz children are never asked what they want to be when the grow up. Many students have not thought about it. They get to 11th form and suddenly they have to think about what they will do next year. Will they go to university? What will they study, where will they go? Our camp will offer students the opportunity to learn and do things they would otherwise never be exposed to. 

 

The form of grant we wrote is a PCPP grant (Peace Corps Partnership Program grant). With this type of grant, it goes up on the PC website and our friends and families can donate to our grant. Other people can also search for our grant and donate as well. All donations are tax deductible. Joni and I worked it out; it's approximately $35 per person attending camp. Every little bit counts, so think about it, and help the Kyrgyz kids attend a week of fun!

Follow this link to look at our grant and donate: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=307-143

And Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

These past few weeks have gone by in a blur. Winter is here in full throttle- it really makes me miss the sweltering days of summer. Joni, Alex and I held another teacher-training seminar, and we had a really great turn out. Usually we have five or six teachers show up, but this time we had nineteen! Our great turnout was probably due to the fact that we announced we were handing out applications to get a Peace Corps volunteer.  But the teachers were attentive and participated, and the seminar went well.

 

Just after our seminar, Ariel, Joni and I headed to Osh. We spent the night and ate 'American' food at a restaurant in the city. A little taste of what's to come- my stomach and digestion did not enjoy the meal as much as my taste buds did. The next morning we headed to Kara-Suu, which is a bazaar town on the Uzbek border. The town has the largest bazaar in southern Kyrgyzstan.  We were more curious than we were looking for a deal, but it was an adventure. Ariel's host sister told us that the bazaar in our village is second only in size to Kara-Suu's bazaar, in the South. I'm not sure how much I believe her, especially after experiencing the full scale of the Kara-Suu bazaar.

 

In light of recent events over the past couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about what another volunteer mentioned on Thanksgiving. We were going around room, just before we ate six delicious pies, and saying what we were thankful for. Most everyone mentioned how we were thankful for the amazing volunteer community we had in Jalalabad, and how despite the fact that not one of us was with our families for the holiday, it still felt like we were. And then we got to Anthony. He said he was thankful for being an American.

 

I can honestly say that I've never thought about being an American, and how it's even something I should be thankful for. Especially after studying abroad, and surrounding myself with other cultures, I always felt that being an American was something to be embarrassed about. What was there to be thankful for? But as I sit here, wrapped in my sleeping bag, with no heat, intermittent electricity and really needing to pee (the outhouse being across the courtyard through a snowstorm) and I've realized that I am thankful to be an American. Tolerance, justice, the way women are seen as equal and not as something you can steal; all the things I've taken for granted. Life here isn't like it is back home- maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing (it's certainly different). I have to be careful not to become entrenched in the idea that America is better than everywhere else, we certainly have our share of things to be ashamed of, but for once I can actually say I'm thankful to be an American.

Bazarkorgon celebrates Thanksgiving!
the cooked turkey, which didn't really fit in the oven...

Third step in turkey cleaning process.

De-feathering the turkey.

Nothing like a freshly slaughtered turkey for thanksgiving.

My 6th form class playing twister.

My awesome spinner board. yes, i am aware that twister only has four colors.

The finished board! I even laminated it with tape.

Cooking club with my 7th form.

7th form

Nargiza and Seil, from 7th form

Happy Thanksgiving

November went by quickly and really don't have much to say, I didn't do much. The first week was fall break, the following week and half was a teaching seminar for my counterparts, and then through a series of ridiculous circumstances I didn't have any lessons. So far in the month of November, I have only taught one lesson. I spent a lot of time reading, and thinking about Thanksgiving, and eating lunch with other volunteers.

 

There are three cafes that we regularly eat at in my village. One, Arman's, is named after a former volunteer; another has a really great outdoor eating area; and the third has delicious sashlyk. Sashlyk is sort of like a kebab, but only with meat; it's very big in southern Kyrgyzstan. The sashlyk that we get there reminds Joni and I of tri-tip and is so tasty. Rather than the overcooked boiled and bland meat we usually get, this is medium-rare and flavorful. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the week.

 

During fall break I had cooking club with my favorite 7^th form students. We made pizza, but I'm not so sure that they liked it. After they left I worked on a twister board and spinner to use in my English club. It took a lot of time and I even laminated it. Joni had also made one and tried to use it during one of her lessons. Her students did not like it. I was a bit afraid that my students also wouldn't like it, but they did! It was really fun.

 

This next month is full of excitement. This coming weekend we are having another teacher training, after which we are going to Kara-suu. Kara-suu is a town on the Uzbek border that has turned into a really cheap bazaar. Joni and I finished writing our grant for next summers' camps, and I'm working on my grant for my school's new toilet.  And then two more weeks of school and then America! I'm really excited for my two weeks of hot water, flushing toilets, heat, and food.

The kids who live at my house, the third time they came.

Joni and Ryan with the jack-oh-lanterns. Mine's nose fell off- I never did find it.

The kids from my house the first time they came trick-or-treating.

Handing out candy.

Students that came trick-or-treating.

Me with my students.

My very first trick-or-treater.

We made brownies in my 9th, 10th and 11th form English club.

The boys 'helping' to make brownies.

brownies. That's my new host sister in the center.

My jack-o-lantern before its nose fell off.

The BK girls at Ginger's birthday party.

Halloween

There are days when I've had it up to here with Kyrgyz culture, and there are other days when I find myself amazed by the culture. Just the other day I was speaking Kyrgyz with my new landlord/ host mother. I've known her since December and worked on winter camp and both summer camps with her. Every sentence that came out of my mouth was using the formal you.

 

In many languages there is a formal you and informal you. In Kyrgyz there are both, but it differs from other languages, or at least the languages I've been exposed to. In Kyrgyz you can never really switch from formal or informal when you become friends with someone or are familiar with someone. If someone is older than you- you use the formal, regardless. They could be one week older than you and you still use the formal, even siblings. If you happen to be the younger twin- you use the formal. I just found it crazy that I was speaking so formally with this woman that I know pretty well. Kyrgyz culture, it's so polite.

 

I recently purchased a new bazaar bag. It's lime green and quite stylish. It's made from that weird recycled paper fabric that's becoming so fashionable in the now green conscious USA. Kyrgyz people are becoming green without even realizing it! I've seen this particular bazaar bag everywhere; all the locals are using them. Although to them they just see a more durable bag. Typically a local buys a thick plastic bag and uses it and reuses it, until it falls apart, so this new style bag is seen as so much more long lasting. All year I've found it funny how the plastic bags are seen as fashion accessories (last year's fashionable model was the large green Barnes and Noble bags). They use them for everything! For things they bought in the bazaar, for their banya stuff, for packing for vacation. I remember showing up for winter camp and seeing all the kids with their stuff packed in plastic bags- hilarious.

 

The past couple of weeks have been exciting. Halloween was very busy for me. The week before Halloween, I explained the holiday to all my new classes, and reviewed with my classes from last year. Then I invited all of my kids to come trick-or-treating on Friday evening. The BK volunteers came over to witness this and help pass out candy. It was so much fun. A bunch of students came and brought their younger siblings with them. I loved seeing all their costumes- it's always been my favorite part of Halloween. The kids that live at my house got dressed up too! There are four of them, all under five, and their moms dressed them up and they came over. It was so adorable. They enjoyed the holiday so much they went inside, and came back with different costumes on.

 

We had to cancel our harvest festival that was planned for later this month. A couple of weeks ago there was a big fight in the stadium between boys from four of the schools in my village. A few were seriously injured and the police have been stationed at all the schools in the area to keep school violence down. Tension has been high between the schools in the area, and so we decided to cancel the festival. We didn't want any fights breaking out, as we would have been seen as responsible. I'm bummed that we cancelled it; I was so looking forward to it. Perhaps if inter-school violence declines, we'll have a spring festival.

 

The TEFL program (teaching English as a foreign language) here is changing this year. In our last semester of teaching we, the volunteers, are supposed to simply observe our counterparts, rather than teach with them. This is so we can give them feedback and so they learn how to teach without us with us still here. It's all about sustainability. I completely understand the reason for this change. It just means that I only have six weeks of teaching left. Six weeks. I can't believe it. Instead of counting how months I've been here (15 in case you were wondering), I'm counting how months I have left. It doesn't feel like I should be six weeks away from being done with my primary assignment. Twenty-seven months no longer seems like a long time, like enough time.