Twick or Tweet

Happy Halloween!!!  My deepest apologies to my fan club!!  According to my calculations it has been 3+ months since I posted.  If report cards were to come out today, definitely I would be staring down the barrel of an "F".  I am sitting in my  kind of cold apartment right now not handing out any candy but trying to replay some of the most significant events that have occured between July something and now.  I have already mentioned the fact that I have an apartment, all to myself.  Much of its contents and furnishings I inherited from the the previous volunteer at my site.  Currently I have served 6+ months and what a ride it has been, filled with ups, downs, smiles, laughs, frustrations, an occasional surprise and a  ton of self reflection.  Never have I been asked to be so independent and I would only be lying if I said I have not struggled, but the volunteers around me have not wavered with their continual support and guidance.  I am enternally in debt to them.
My traveling has seen a major reduction, however I did catch a glimpse of the "North Shore" in mid July.  It definitely had a much different feel and everything typically cost a lot, especially in the summer.  It is as beautiful as advertised though.  A group of us celebrated 2 volunteers birthdays with a nice dinner at a Korean resturaunt and some dancing afterwards.  The next day was spent on the beach, relaxing, witnessing my first camel in country just hanging out peacefully on the beach.
In July I accepted an invitation to teach an English conversation club.  The opportunity could really not have come at a better time.  Here I was able to be myself and speak freely and relatively mistake free.  Currently I am still doing it once a week and love all of my students.  And just recently I added another session.  As many of you already know I my primary focus is on health and not on teaching English, therefore I have had to learn a lot on the fly and trust my instincts.  Also observing TEFL volunteers showcase their own lessons and talking with them about their own strategies has been helpful.  I have tried to steer away from the book and substitute in hands on learning with interesting and fun activities (making wallets, bracelets, games, holiday parties etc.) that are engage the students.
Over the summer I only got involved with one major camp, but it was a really good one and would do it again in a heartbeat. In the first week of August I and a bunch of volunteers mainly from the Chui oblast hosted a camp outside of Tokomok that focused on providing information to teens about a variety of topics (effective communication, sexual reproduction, HIV/AIDS, etc.).  All 32 campers from throughout the oblast were wonderful.  The sessions were led by locals who were either PC interns, TOEFL prep., or FLEX alumni, and NOT by volunteers.  The campers were definitely busy activities but not overloaded with facts and information.  I completely forgot how fun tie dye is.  We played lots of sports, had a slip n' slide, obstacle course, wallet and bracelet making sessions, skits, and many disco parties, not to mention delicious and nutritious food. Bring on the southern plof and mac coffee.  All campers were awarded certificates and some goodies for their hard work and accomplishments.  The conclusion was a poignant moment when I saw campers with tears in their eyes saying they did not want to go home.  The ride home with all of my gear was when physical exhaustion really set in.
Later that month I also attended a Training of Trainers (TOT) on Health.  This was important becasue it gave me some extra training in a field that I stil understand very little of.  I came away feeling that executing and commitment to the actual behavior change itself is a giant hurdle.  Stay tuned for updates!  Early September marked the start of a new academic year here.  It also marked for me my first real stomach bout.  Yikes!  For a few days there I was in trouble and my outhouse and I became best friends.  I had my first Indian food experience shortly after too.  Whoa!  Chick pea soup with Curry is bomb town!  Since then I have eaten a different color curry a few other times and I just cannot believe I had gone so long without trying it. I was missing out.  In late September is when I finally got the green light and was able to officially move into my apartment.  Cooking has been quite a learning experience.  I have a rice cooker which I am still trying to master.  Luckily my site mates are quite established in making good food and if I have problems I just call them.  I don't have measuring cups so I just use a tea cup, nalgene bottle, or eye ball it.  I atteneded my first Kyrgyz wedding and it was a big fancy one .  I think about 350 people were also there and I felt pretty bad because I was so casually dressed (Saucony  racing flats, jeans, and a red polo), but it was kind of a spur of the moment thing.  It was a great thing to be apart of.  I have been able to continue one of my great passions here.  That's right FANTASY FOOTBALL, hey oh!  I am currently .500 and haven't watched a single game.  And did you hear, them kitties up in Mowtown are taking the league by surprise and no longer the cellar dwellers and free win.  No, no those cardiac cats are going to the playoffs!  MSU, Michigan State University that is, I have also been following and are doing quite well although they just lost to Nebraska, but they did beat MICHIGAN.  I had no doubts! Sparty on, HAHA!  As for the other MSU, the one I graduated from, I hear is actaully doing well themselves this year too.  As long as we beat the Grizzlies it's a successful year.
I got hooked on the show "Weeds" for a bit but I haven't been watching it lately.  Gotta get back on that.  I had a bet with another volunteer on who could watch 6 seasons the fastest.  I lost, but haven't had to relinquish anything yet.  Oh and of course there is Jersey Shore, which I have been doing a much better job of keeping up on.  Only two episodes behind.  Also this show called Modern Society I really like too.
This month I helped procter the FLEX exam in Bishkek.  Close to 1,000 students which is down from last year's number flocked to the Bishkek for an opportunity to study in America for a year.  Only about 60 slots are alotted  for all students in Kyrgyzstan.  There are 3 rounds of tests.  It was neat to see so many students with such a deep interest in the English language with aspirations of studying abroad but it was also sad to see so many hopes and dreams damaged and disappointed.
Surprisingly I have met a couple people outside of the pool of volunteers that have spent an extended amount of time in Montana.  And even one local I met knew the capital of the state.  It was just brought to my attention that a few volunteers couldn't name any cities in Motnana.  Possible secondary project I think.
I have not been running at all.  There has been a postponement of the Run for FUN(ds) race out in Talas with the standfast in order.  Two weekends ago I played soccer with a few of the volunteers against some of the club teams from Universities around Bishkek.  Teams were 7 players each and we only brought 4.  The three players we picked up were quite the find though.  They ended up scoring all 8 of our goals and instead of getting stomped into the turf we got a "W".  This past week has been crazy.  I made 3 batches of Brownies, had a bunch of English clubs, Halloween Party, made 2 costumes, and watched the original Tron. It is getting cold here and it snowed hard on Saturday.  I have been wearing long underwear religiously lately.  Today, as I have already mentioned is Halloween but I could not leave my site with standfast order and  elections still occuring.  I did eat a snickers with almonds and some Andes mints and drank a ton of hot apple cider.  I hope all of you are all warm, dressed in costumes, and stuffing your face with candy!!  Miss ya

Travelin Man

Time fly's I guess when you are having a good time.  I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post.  I will try and highlight the major details, events, and what not.  Fortunately I have been able to travel the past few weekends and see some of Kyrgyzstan.  A couple of weeks ago I went to Song-kol Lake meaning last lake located in the Naryn Oblast.  It was everything it was hyped to be and the best part, well maybe not on second thought was I got to stay in a YERT!  The drive was amazing because you are surrounded by snow capped mountains and everything is so green.  Definitely it was a crazy weekend and I would do it again, no question!  I did suffer the worst sun burn of my life and am still peeling two weeks later.  It is definitely a popular area and quite a few tourists were there as well.  I am still getting to know the volunteers from my within my oblast and others as well, but the ones here in Chui rock!  Oooo, I bought a rice cooker!  It's still in the box but I have a feeling it will come in quite handy over the next couple of years.  Slowly I have been trying to learn a little about cooking.  If it starts to fail though I will just resort to milk and cereal and eggs and maybe a few other things as well.  My family helped me make jam and can it for the winter though.  Then again I may be slightly biased.  But everyone is so helpful and friendly.  The 4th of July was spent by the river in Luxemberg eating some BLTs and egg salad sandwhiches.  Just this past week I went to the south shore of Lake-Issy-kul and spent time on the beach with friends.  The lake as you may have guessed is beautiful and showed many shades of blue at once.  The weather was great, not too hot!  Chui is starting to get really hot and just walking to work I beads of sweat roll down my face.  Work is going better and today was super good!  Oh and congrats to Jim and Erin and their engagement!  YAY! 

I'm a VOLUNTEER

Just like riding a bike!  Taking off those "Trainee Wheels"  Okay so maybe I am going a little overboard.  Anyways I swore in about a week ago and am a volunteer.  I guess it seems a bit strange.  It was a rigorous 2 months of training filled with a lot of great memories and experiences.  Lately I have just been trying to establish a rapport with people in the community and understand a bit more about the culture.  My host family has really embraced me and I continue to learn from them each day.  I no longer have language class every day and I think it has shown.  Last weekend was welcome weekend!  The first of its kind!  Things were fun and even a bit crazy, hahaha! And my Birthday was even coincided with the event, which was nice as well.  What a way to start 24 years of life.  I have a site mate for only a bit longer who has been more than helpful is guiding me, and translating occassionally as well.  Actually we better upgrade that occassional to a lot!  Things will probably become even more interesting once I am fully on my own.  Anyways I must return home!  I wish everyone a happy weekend!

Counting Down the Days

I met my new permanent host family and am super excited!!  This family is unbelievable and I don't even know exactly where to begin.  Super nice, supportive, and patient with my language and understanding of the culture.  Definitely they will play a huge part in making another transition smooth.  I already feel super comfortable around them.  I am something like their 10th volunteer.  My primary project will be working with children in the orphanage and their are many opportunities for secondary projects as well.  Four days were spent touring my site, which as I have already mentioned am fairly familiar with.  But now I have a few ideas on where I want to start.  I will need a counterpart and also I must continue to progress my language skills.  Basically I am taking over a site from another volunteer who will soon depart back for the states.  Currently I am still really nervous but they were able to give me a pep talk and answer a lot of my questions.  Luckily I will have a short period of time after swearing in, which I can continue to familiarize myself with my site.  I expect it to be an extremely concentrated period of time.  There is only about a week left of PST, and pretty much from there Peace Corps cuts you loose.  YIKES!!  SCARY!  My schedule is packed with things to do, it kinda actually feels like finals week, but still much different.  The weather here is great!!!

Peranent Site Announcement!!

So it is official.... I will be staying my training village of Krasnay Rechka (that spelling could be extremely wrong) for the next 2 years as well.  I am really excited about the opportunity to work here because already I feel that I have made a rapport with many in the community.  My primary focus will be working with children with mental disabilities.  And I will also be asked to do many secondary projects.  I have a few in mind and I am anxious to get started.  Volunteers have said that starting an English club is a good place to start.  I have been assigned a new host family that I will be required to stay with for the next 3 months.  On Tuesday all volunteers will venture to their permanent site for a short 4 day stay. Some may have to travel upwards of 5 hours to their future homes, while for me I am pretty sure I can make it to my new house in under 5 minutes with a brisk pace by foot.  Today a hike was cancelled due to concerns about the weather conditions, so instead I will be making good ole' American food with friends!!! Cheers and to all!!

Mayday

Now, I am officially half way through PST.  I have been to the capital Bishkek a few times now, and neither trip was quite what I expected, UGH, but I do like what little of the city I have seen thus far.  Sundays have now become "sports days" where the trainees get together for soccer and frisbee usually, and reflect on the weeks events, gossip, and whatever else.  My small village is finally starting to rub off on me in some ways.   The kids here are very curious about American culture and typically say "Hi" in English in passing.  One day while seeking respite at the school yard from the heat students from my original needs assessment came up to Madeline, Jordan, and I and asked many questions about our interests, ages, names, etc.  It was fun to converse and take photos and even sign a few autographs.  The excitement is extremely encouraging!  I had my site placement interview, where I honestly explained my desires and needs.  Now it is just  wait and see.  A couple of times I have come away from language class more confused than when it started, so I have tried to get back into running a bit, and the Kangesh language group has invited us to hang out with them on many occasions.  They have been more than helpful.  There I don't have to worry about whether I conjugate a verb correctly or put the right ending on an adjective, or question what tense I am speaking in. One Friday part of the day was spent picking up trash in our local community.  Then on Saturday all volunteers spent the day outside painting, cleaning, raking, playing games, and spending time with the kids.  It was a great day!  Sunday was Easter and I spent it in Bishkek, browsing three of the major bazzars.  To say they were busy would be an understatement.  There are endless turns, and vendors can be quite eclectic.  After a hot and dry day I came home to a table full of yummy food and guests.  Family and friends proceeded afterwards to dancing to loud music.  Wednesday there was a Disco held at the Hub Site/Orphanage.  There were delicious apples and kiwis and of course most of the volunteers let loose on the dance floor.  Hehe.  Recently I had my language progress check and I was quite nervous and I think it definitely showed in my performance.  Saturday was culture day and each language group performed a SKIT.  And there were costumes too, YAY!  There were so many other great  musical and theatrical performances to by kids and other volunteers.  Well time is short and I must go!    

K-19 Group, Whoop Whoop