Sunday, January 18, 2009
Quick Note
I also just added two new blogs to the "other kyrgyzstan volunteers" section. You can now read Amber's Blog and Laura's Blog, two awesome girls who are in the same oblast as me.
Big Brother is Watching.. aka Kyrgyzstan is Wonderful in Every Possible Way
There is something everyone needs to know before I continue with this blog. Volunteers were recently informed that an undisclosed entity within Kyrgyzstan wants us out (because they think we are going to ignite the Kyrgyz people into revolution?), and in order to get us out they are looking for any negative information they can dig up to pass on to the government to make us leave. We have been told that it is not unlikely that all of our phone calls are being listened to, all of our text messages and e-mails being read, and all of our blogs being monitored. Anything negative that we say about the Kyrgyz government or the Kyrgyz people as a whole can be held against us. That being said, I am not too concerned about this. It is weird to think that we are being ‘watched’ but I don’t think I’ve done anything that would cast a bad light on Peace Corps. We were warned since day one about our blogs, since they are public and anyone can read them, and therefore we should be careful about what we choose to say. There have been issues in the past with volunteers writing bad things about their community/counterpart only to be surprised when someone found it and those mentioned took offense. I think I have been fairly careful but I guess the reason I am letting everyone know about this is because now I have to be even more careful. It is unfortunate, but there is no way to be completely honest in this blog.. or even through e-mail and phone calls, it seems. Keep that in mind.
Now that that’s out of the way.. We just finished our In-Service Training. This means we spent a week in a hotel in Bishkek (and told that our rooms were probably bugged) for seminars and additional training. It was really nice to be with everyone again. The K-16s have a pretty strong group, I’m proud of us. We’ve only had 9 people leave from our group, which is apparently some kind of record. Many groups lose that many people in pre-service training alone. Then even more when winter hits. But here we are mid-winter, 4 months into service, and holding strong. Basically, we’re awesome. Anyway, it was nice to exchange experiences and realize, even more, that what I’m going through is not completely unique, and everyone is dealing with similar issues. There is not a single class in Kyrgyzstan that is easy to teach (from an American perspective), and many people are still struggling with the language. There were also two days of combined volunteer/counterpart training which I think is going to make work start to go a little smoother. While my counterpart is awesome, helpful, and has a great attitude, I admit we’ve been having some trouble getting into the flow of team teaching. But the training was really good for us, and I feel remotivated to jump into things. It was a very refreshing week. I kind of wish it could’ve lasted even longer..
For those of you that don’t know yet, I BOUGHT MY TICKET TO THAILAND!!! IT’S OFFICIAL!! And, as if the caps weren’t an indication, I’m very excited! I leave February 8th, and return on February 19th. I will be gone 11 days but, due to long layovers, I will only actually be in Thailand for 9 days. I also found out that, coincidentally, three other volunteers from my group are going to be leaving for Thailand on the exact same flight as me! We are going to spend a few days together in Bangkok but then they are going north to Changmai while I will be going south. I’m going to try to spend a few days on one of the small islands off the main coast cause I heard you can get a beach bungalow for as low as $15 a night. Then I’m going to try to meet up with the other volunteers again on the mainland beach before coming back to the cold mountains of Kyrgyzstan. It will be a nice vacation. I’m way too excited to see the ocean again, who knew I would miss it this much?
To any K-17s who may be reading this: Hi! Can’t wait for you guys to join us! If you want to make a really good impression bring us peanut butter and avocados, hehe. Feel free to shoot any questions you have in my direction!
To anyone who is preparing a package to send me and doesn’t know what to put in it, here are a few ideas: butterfinger bars (or any american candy is always welcome, though we can get snickers, twix, and kit kat in country), a measuring utensil set (teaspoons, tablespoons, and a measuring cup... can’t seem to find these anywhere in country), skippy smooth peanut butter, bic lighters, scotch tape, munchies/chex mix, posters/pictures (my walls are pretty bare), american cigarettes (camel turkish royals or american spirits or kamel reds), and, of course, LOVE. There are plenty more things that I would appreciate so surprise me!
I miss you all!
Now that that’s out of the way.. We just finished our In-Service Training. This means we spent a week in a hotel in Bishkek (and told that our rooms were probably bugged) for seminars and additional training. It was really nice to be with everyone again. The K-16s have a pretty strong group, I’m proud of us. We’ve only had 9 people leave from our group, which is apparently some kind of record. Many groups lose that many people in pre-service training alone. Then even more when winter hits. But here we are mid-winter, 4 months into service, and holding strong. Basically, we’re awesome. Anyway, it was nice to exchange experiences and realize, even more, that what I’m going through is not completely unique, and everyone is dealing with similar issues. There is not a single class in Kyrgyzstan that is easy to teach (from an American perspective), and many people are still struggling with the language. There were also two days of combined volunteer/counterpart training which I think is going to make work start to go a little smoother. While my counterpart is awesome, helpful, and has a great attitude, I admit we’ve been having some trouble getting into the flow of team teaching. But the training was really good for us, and I feel remotivated to jump into things. It was a very refreshing week. I kind of wish it could’ve lasted even longer..
For those of you that don’t know yet, I BOUGHT MY TICKET TO THAILAND!!! IT’S OFFICIAL!! And, as if the caps weren’t an indication, I’m very excited! I leave February 8th, and return on February 19th. I will be gone 11 days but, due to long layovers, I will only actually be in Thailand for 9 days. I also found out that, coincidentally, three other volunteers from my group are going to be leaving for Thailand on the exact same flight as me! We are going to spend a few days together in Bangkok but then they are going north to Changmai while I will be going south. I’m going to try to spend a few days on one of the small islands off the main coast cause I heard you can get a beach bungalow for as low as $15 a night. Then I’m going to try to meet up with the other volunteers again on the mainland beach before coming back to the cold mountains of Kyrgyzstan. It will be a nice vacation. I’m way too excited to see the ocean again, who knew I would miss it this much?
To any K-17s who may be reading this: Hi! Can’t wait for you guys to join us! If you want to make a really good impression bring us peanut butter and avocados, hehe. Feel free to shoot any questions you have in my direction!
To anyone who is preparing a package to send me and doesn’t know what to put in it, here are a few ideas: butterfinger bars (or any american candy is always welcome, though we can get snickers, twix, and kit kat in country), a measuring utensil set (teaspoons, tablespoons, and a measuring cup... can’t seem to find these anywhere in country), skippy smooth peanut butter, bic lighters, scotch tape, munchies/chex mix, posters/pictures (my walls are pretty bare), american cigarettes (camel turkish royals or american spirits or kamel reds), and, of course, LOVE. There are plenty more things that I would appreciate so surprise me!
I miss you all!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Sorry I have been majorly slacking on updates. I probably owe you all a nice long explanation of how I've been spending my time, but I don't think that would be very exciting and I don't really feel like writing it so instead I offer brief summaries and a shitload of pictures. Hope this is enough..
The holiday season was definitely a downer. I didn't think it would be so hard to spend Christmas away from home but it really was. Aside from missing the obvious things, like family and friends, I found myself missing things that would normally annoy me about the Christmas season in America. I was surprised when the streets weren't lined with decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Where were all the Christmas movie marathons, Christmas sales, and constant Christmas music that I usually roll my eyes at? As the New Year approached, Kyrgyzstan did start to look more Christmas-y, because New Year's here is very similar to our Christmas. I saw a few Santas around the city and people started putting up trees. But it just wasn't the same.. No one can commercialize like America can commercialize.
I spent Christmas Day with Ann, a fellow volunteer who spent the night at my house so we could be homesick together. We watched Elf and Love Actually, the only two Christmas type movies that I have with me, and baked chocolate chip cookies. Warning: if you ever bake cookies in a third world country, DO NOT EAT THE RAW DOUGH! I learned this the hard way, and, for the first time in my life, threw up on Christmas! Thanks Santa, but I don't recall putting that on my wish list..
The weekend following Christmas Day all the Chui volunteers had our mandatory holiday get together in Bishkek. That was really fun. We ate good food, did Secret Santa, watched Team America, and had a mini-dance party. Good times.
New Year's is a big holiday here so that was pretty exciting. I spent New Year's Eve helping my family prepare food. We made borsok, which is traditional Kyrgyz fried bread, and a few Kyrgyz salads. Then I took a nap to prepare for the late night. I found this really amusing. I used to have trouble falling asleep before 2 in the morning and now I'm taking naps so I can make it to midnight? I guess Peace Corps cures insomnia, who would've thought? Anyway, after the nap was a lot of feasting and a surprisingly normal amount of vodka. I was prepared to say no to shots because I thought the vodka would be flowing like a river, but it was actually more like a slow, manageable creek. Which was nice, because it would've sucked to throw up on Christmas AND New Year's.. Then at midnight we all chugged a glass of champagne, went outside and lit fireworks. EVERYONE participates in this so it was a pretty incredible experience. The roads were filled with scattered people gathered in front of their houses and the sky was full of lights. Every direction I looked there were fireworks. Small ones, of course, but it was still really cool. My family gave me one to light and I ended up burning my finger, but it's a very mild burn. No big deal.
So, that was the holiday season in Kyrgyzstan. Now I just have a lot of free time on my hands. Schools here shut down for the winter unless they're heated by coal, because it's so cold and the elecricity is unreliable. My school, since it is heated with electricity, will be closed all of January and February. I do have a few things that will help keep me busy, however.. Next week (from Jan 11th-17th) we have our IST (In-Service Training). This means all the volunteers will be getting together in Bishkek for more training and workshops. I am looking forward to this because it will be nice to see everyone again and hear about their experiences. I'm also planning a trip to Thailand in February, which I'm really looking forward to! I can't wait to lounge around on a beach and eat Thai food all day. I will also be participating in some Peace Corps organized Winter Camps. They are for 9th-11th grade students and will focus on AIDS education and Life Skills training. So hopefully with all this stuff I won't die of boredom.
Now here's a bunch of pictures:
The New Year's party that we had at school. This is the school hall, or auditorium, with lots of decorations and tables set up for eating. I mentioned before that I accidentally agreed to teach hip hop dancing and this is when the routine was performed. It wasn't very good, in my opinion.. I mean, I'm no choregropher.. But the girls had fun and they seemed to like it (they didn't know any better) so I think it went well
And again
This is random, but my host family bought/made a bunch of stuff for a relative who is getting married (I think it's like, her dowry or something) and they wanted me to take a picture with the stuff so I could show it off. Some of it is pretty neat actually. All those folded things under the pillows are hand made tushuks, which are widely used here. The big ones on the right are for sleeping (put a few on the ground for cushioning, and a few on top of you for warmth, and you're good to go) and the smaller ones on the left are for sitting on. Every good Kyrgyz household has a massive supply of tushuks
The holiday season was definitely a downer. I didn't think it would be so hard to spend Christmas away from home but it really was. Aside from missing the obvious things, like family and friends, I found myself missing things that would normally annoy me about the Christmas season in America. I was surprised when the streets weren't lined with decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Where were all the Christmas movie marathons, Christmas sales, and constant Christmas music that I usually roll my eyes at? As the New Year approached, Kyrgyzstan did start to look more Christmas-y, because New Year's here is very similar to our Christmas. I saw a few Santas around the city and people started putting up trees. But it just wasn't the same.. No one can commercialize like America can commercialize.
I spent Christmas Day with Ann, a fellow volunteer who spent the night at my house so we could be homesick together. We watched Elf and Love Actually, the only two Christmas type movies that I have with me, and baked chocolate chip cookies. Warning: if you ever bake cookies in a third world country, DO NOT EAT THE RAW DOUGH! I learned this the hard way, and, for the first time in my life, threw up on Christmas! Thanks Santa, but I don't recall putting that on my wish list..
The weekend following Christmas Day all the Chui volunteers had our mandatory holiday get together in Bishkek. That was really fun. We ate good food, did Secret Santa, watched Team America, and had a mini-dance party. Good times.
New Year's is a big holiday here so that was pretty exciting. I spent New Year's Eve helping my family prepare food. We made borsok, which is traditional Kyrgyz fried bread, and a few Kyrgyz salads. Then I took a nap to prepare for the late night. I found this really amusing. I used to have trouble falling asleep before 2 in the morning and now I'm taking naps so I can make it to midnight? I guess Peace Corps cures insomnia, who would've thought? Anyway, after the nap was a lot of feasting and a surprisingly normal amount of vodka. I was prepared to say no to shots because I thought the vodka would be flowing like a river, but it was actually more like a slow, manageable creek. Which was nice, because it would've sucked to throw up on Christmas AND New Year's.. Then at midnight we all chugged a glass of champagne, went outside and lit fireworks. EVERYONE participates in this so it was a pretty incredible experience. The roads were filled with scattered people gathered in front of their houses and the sky was full of lights. Every direction I looked there were fireworks. Small ones, of course, but it was still really cool. My family gave me one to light and I ended up burning my finger, but it's a very mild burn. No big deal.
So, that was the holiday season in Kyrgyzstan. Now I just have a lot of free time on my hands. Schools here shut down for the winter unless they're heated by coal, because it's so cold and the elecricity is unreliable. My school, since it is heated with electricity, will be closed all of January and February. I do have a few things that will help keep me busy, however.. Next week (from Jan 11th-17th) we have our IST (In-Service Training). This means all the volunteers will be getting together in Bishkek for more training and workshops. I am looking forward to this because it will be nice to see everyone again and hear about their experiences. I'm also planning a trip to Thailand in February, which I'm really looking forward to! I can't wait to lounge around on a beach and eat Thai food all day. I will also be participating in some Peace Corps organized Winter Camps. They are for 9th-11th grade students and will focus on AIDS education and Life Skills training. So hopefully with all this stuff I won't die of boredom.
Now here's a bunch of pictures:
The New Year's party that we had at school. This is the school hall, or auditorium, with lots of decorations and tables set up for eating. I mentioned before that I accidentally agreed to teach hip hop dancing and this is when the routine was performed. It wasn't very good, in my opinion.. I mean, I'm no choregropher.. But the girls had fun and they seemed to like it (they didn't know any better) so I think it went well
Someone brought a plastic tree to our Bishkek get together so we put all the secret santa presents under it. It looks kind of sad in this picture, but by the end of the night the tree was covered in ribbons and random decorative improvisations.
Our New Year's feast! Very delicious..
Me and my host sister on New Year's with our new kitten. Yes, we got a kitten!
Another picture of me with the kitten. Isn't he cute?
Fireworks in the streets
And again
This is random, but my host family bought/made a bunch of stuff for a relative who is getting married (I think it's like, her dowry or something) and they wanted me to take a picture with the stuff so I could show it off. Some of it is pretty neat actually. All those folded things under the pillows are hand made tushuks, which are widely used here. The big ones on the right are for sleeping (put a few on the ground for cushioning, and a few on top of you for warmth, and you're good to go) and the smaller ones on the left are for sitting on. Every good Kyrgyz household has a massive supply of tushuks
What winter at my house looks like
The End!
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