One of the TWO mountain ranges near my house, after a night of snow.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
"Kush Keldy"
“Winter came.” These were the words of my host father when it really snowed for the first time last week. When I first arrived at site, I had a few days of warm fall weather. And then it snowed. Yes, winter has come.
I had been trying to put off wearing all my really warm clothes for as long as possible. I didn’t want to go too warm too soon, you know? But the day after it snowed, I decided it was time to go to the mattresses. Everything came out: long underwear, wool socks, hat, down jacket, gloves, scarf. It wasn’t time to mess around anymore. I find that even though it is VERY cold outside (particularly, of course, at night and in the mornings), I can stay warm enough with all my “equipment.” I’ve been particularly impressed with my down jacket. I’ve never had anything down before, and I can’t believe how warm it can keep me (at least my upper body) in such cold weather! It’s definitely my prized possession at the moment.
Since it’s so cold, I sleep on some rugs in the main house where there is heating. In my separate apartment, all I have is my Peace Corps-supplied electric heather, and while it is much better than nothing, it doesn’t quite give the room that toasty-warm feeling. But all my stuff is in there still, so I move back and forth between the two places quite regularly. My morning routine consists of the following:
Is it really 7:30 already? How can it be 7:30 and still be so dark outside? (Kyrgyzstan does not participate in daylight savings time…) It’s going to be cold when I get up. Okay, but I’ve gotta do it. 1, 2, 3, go! I turn on the light (when we have electricity), try to make my “bed”, put on my down jacket and hat, and make the trek to my other room (ok, so it’s not really a trek). It’s COLD outside! Do I really have to go to the bathroom? Oh, I wish I didn’t, but there’s no getting around it—I’ve gotta go out there. 1, 2, 3, go! Ok, back into the semi-warm room. Now for getting dressed. One at a time, I place each article of clothing over my electric heater for a minute or so before putting it on, usually starting with the bottom half. Long underwear—check. Okay, now the pants. Wool socks? Yeah, I haven’t taken those off in a few days, so no problems there. Now for the top half. Long underwear—check. Dress shirt—check. Sweater—check. It does feel great putting on warm clothes in the mornings!
Then, of course, on go the jacket, hat (doubling as a dirty-hair cover), scarf, gloves, and knee-high black snow boots. Fashion has almost completely gone out the window. Last week I wore a knee-length skirt with my black long underwear underneath. They kind of look like tights, don’t they? I wear the same thing to work 3-4 days in a row. I’m grateful it’s common in Kyrgyzstan to do so, because that’s one less thing for me to think about in the mornings. What I wore yesterday was plenty warm—why should I have to think of another warm outfit??
So yeah, after a month or so of threatening to be winter, now it really is. It’s cold, but it’s also beautiful. So here goes my first winter in Kyrgyzstan!
I had been trying to put off wearing all my really warm clothes for as long as possible. I didn’t want to go too warm too soon, you know? But the day after it snowed, I decided it was time to go to the mattresses. Everything came out: long underwear, wool socks, hat, down jacket, gloves, scarf. It wasn’t time to mess around anymore. I find that even though it is VERY cold outside (particularly, of course, at night and in the mornings), I can stay warm enough with all my “equipment.” I’ve been particularly impressed with my down jacket. I’ve never had anything down before, and I can’t believe how warm it can keep me (at least my upper body) in such cold weather! It’s definitely my prized possession at the moment.
Since it’s so cold, I sleep on some rugs in the main house where there is heating. In my separate apartment, all I have is my Peace Corps-supplied electric heather, and while it is much better than nothing, it doesn’t quite give the room that toasty-warm feeling. But all my stuff is in there still, so I move back and forth between the two places quite regularly. My morning routine consists of the following:
Is it really 7:30 already? How can it be 7:30 and still be so dark outside? (Kyrgyzstan does not participate in daylight savings time…) It’s going to be cold when I get up. Okay, but I’ve gotta do it. 1, 2, 3, go! I turn on the light (when we have electricity), try to make my “bed”, put on my down jacket and hat, and make the trek to my other room (ok, so it’s not really a trek). It’s COLD outside! Do I really have to go to the bathroom? Oh, I wish I didn’t, but there’s no getting around it—I’ve gotta go out there. 1, 2, 3, go! Ok, back into the semi-warm room. Now for getting dressed. One at a time, I place each article of clothing over my electric heater for a minute or so before putting it on, usually starting with the bottom half. Long underwear—check. Okay, now the pants. Wool socks? Yeah, I haven’t taken those off in a few days, so no problems there. Now for the top half. Long underwear—check. Dress shirt—check. Sweater—check. It does feel great putting on warm clothes in the mornings!
Then, of course, on go the jacket, hat (doubling as a dirty-hair cover), scarf, gloves, and knee-high black snow boots. Fashion has almost completely gone out the window. Last week I wore a knee-length skirt with my black long underwear underneath. They kind of look like tights, don’t they? I wear the same thing to work 3-4 days in a row. I’m grateful it’s common in Kyrgyzstan to do so, because that’s one less thing for me to think about in the mornings. What I wore yesterday was plenty warm—why should I have to think of another warm outfit??
So yeah, after a month or so of threatening to be winter, now it really is. It’s cold, but it’s also beautiful. So here goes my first winter in Kyrgyzstan!
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Zip Code!
Ok, I have discovered my zip code at my new site. It is:
722730
Not sure exactly where it should go in the address--maybe after the village name?? I think postal workers who can't read English just look for the code, so it probably doesn't really matter. Thanks for your patience on this!
722730
Not sure exactly where it should go in the address--maybe after the village name?? I think postal workers who can't read English just look for the code, so it probably doesn't really matter. Thanks for your patience on this!
The Taldy-Bulak Gang
All the trainees in my language group and our host families on swearing-in day.
Training is Over!
Yes, it’s true: I’m officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. I’ve been sworn in with the same oath the President of the United States makes (wow!), and well, gosh, I’ve got a really official-looking ID—I must be legit!
The last few days have been a whirlwind, but it’s been great. So many new experiences! The Swearing-In Ceremony was Thursday morning, December 1st, complete with the presence of the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister and the US Ambassador. That day I said goodbye to my wonderful host family, which was sad because I love them so much, and had really come to regard Taldy-Bulak as my home. Earlier that week when I was packing up my stuff, I thought, “Ugh! Do I really have to pack and move again??” But I was consoled by the fact that it was the LAST time I would have to pack until I come home! Finally, some sense of permanence is in my future. I haven’t gone 2 years without packing and moving since high school—crazily enough, I’m finding my most permanent home since then in Kyrgyzstan.
ANYWAY, after swearing in, we all headed to a hotel in Bishkek, and that night we were invited to the US Ambassador’s house! That was exciting! It was almost like being invited to the White House or something. It was a beautiful house, I got to meet the Ambassador, and eat American food! The poor servers bringing out the trays of food were nearly attacked before they even made it in the door; it was quite shameless, really :-).
The next morning, we said goodbye to friends and all headed to our sites. All the volunteers going to Talas traveled together, which was great. This time, the route we took went through Kazakhstan! That was also really exciting, because now I can add another country to my list (and, of course, the stamp and visa in my passport are pretty cool, too). By 6pm, I had arrived at my new home.
Oh, I love my house and my family and my village so much. So far, it’s just so good to be here! My new mom and dad are so great—so friendly, but not overbearing, and so happy to have me here. My dad especially is so caring and fun and jolly! AND, I met my sister this time. She is 16, but studies at a private school where she boards, so is only home for the weekends. It’s so wonderful because she speaks English really well. I like her a lot, and I think we will be fast friends; but I’m also glad she doesn’t live here all the time, for the sake of my Kyrgyz. I don’t think I’d ever learn if I always had her to fall back on. So it’s a perfect situation!
My house is also wonderful. I have my own little “apartment” separate from the main house, but only about 5 feet away. It’s a perfect setup, really. For privacy’s sake, it’s great to have my own space; and it will allow me to be much more independent, which suits my personality well. It’s a perfect balance of being a part of a family, and yet still having my own life. I think I’m going to love it.
The final step of the transition…. Teaching. I’ve had the weekend to rest, adjust, unpack, and buy some needed stuff at the bazaar. But tomorrow I’ll go to the school and see what the plan is for my classes. Now the adventure really begins! To be continued…
The last few days have been a whirlwind, but it’s been great. So many new experiences! The Swearing-In Ceremony was Thursday morning, December 1st, complete with the presence of the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister and the US Ambassador. That day I said goodbye to my wonderful host family, which was sad because I love them so much, and had really come to regard Taldy-Bulak as my home. Earlier that week when I was packing up my stuff, I thought, “Ugh! Do I really have to pack and move again??” But I was consoled by the fact that it was the LAST time I would have to pack until I come home! Finally, some sense of permanence is in my future. I haven’t gone 2 years without packing and moving since high school—crazily enough, I’m finding my most permanent home since then in Kyrgyzstan.
ANYWAY, after swearing in, we all headed to a hotel in Bishkek, and that night we were invited to the US Ambassador’s house! That was exciting! It was almost like being invited to the White House or something. It was a beautiful house, I got to meet the Ambassador, and eat American food! The poor servers bringing out the trays of food were nearly attacked before they even made it in the door; it was quite shameless, really :-).
The next morning, we said goodbye to friends and all headed to our sites. All the volunteers going to Talas traveled together, which was great. This time, the route we took went through Kazakhstan! That was also really exciting, because now I can add another country to my list (and, of course, the stamp and visa in my passport are pretty cool, too). By 6pm, I had arrived at my new home.
Oh, I love my house and my family and my village so much. So far, it’s just so good to be here! My new mom and dad are so great—so friendly, but not overbearing, and so happy to have me here. My dad especially is so caring and fun and jolly! AND, I met my sister this time. She is 16, but studies at a private school where she boards, so is only home for the weekends. It’s so wonderful because she speaks English really well. I like her a lot, and I think we will be fast friends; but I’m also glad she doesn’t live here all the time, for the sake of my Kyrgyz. I don’t think I’d ever learn if I always had her to fall back on. So it’s a perfect situation!
My house is also wonderful. I have my own little “apartment” separate from the main house, but only about 5 feet away. It’s a perfect setup, really. For privacy’s sake, it’s great to have my own space; and it will allow me to be much more independent, which suits my personality well. It’s a perfect balance of being a part of a family, and yet still having my own life. I think I’m going to love it.
The final step of the transition…. Teaching. I’ve had the weekend to rest, adjust, unpack, and buy some needed stuff at the bazaar. But tomorrow I’ll go to the school and see what the plan is for my classes. Now the adventure really begins! To be continued…
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