Wednesday, December 13, 2006
I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...
Hey All! Most of you probably know that I’m leaving Kyrgyzstan on December 20th to meet my mom in Norway for Christmas!! For those of you who didn’t know, now you do! I just wanted to let everyone know that I probably won’t be spending much time on the Internet for the next few weeks, sending emails or posting things on my blog. I also won’t be able to receive phone calls on my cell, so you’ll just have to get in your Christmas wishes before the 20th :-). I’ll return to Kyrgyzstan on January 4th, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about my trip once I get back! A very Merry Christmas to everyone, and a Happy New Year! Talk to you all again in 2007!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Pizza Party!
The first day of December! Today my 9th grade girls and I had a pizza party, so to speak. Of course, they hear me talking about pizza all the time, so we decided today would be the day we would finally make it together. So we all gathered at Baktigul’s house after school and embarked on our cooking adventure! All in all, it was a great success, marked, most importantly, by my students’ discovery of and subsequent fascination with Garlic Powder! They just couldn’t believe it—garlic in a bottle! They liked it so much, they were eating it straight from the shaker and adding it to their pizza after it was cooked. I told them when I go home, I’ll send them packages full of garlic powder since they like it so much :-). As for the rest, I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking…
As a side note, today, December 2 (the day I'm posting this) marks one year in Talas!
As a side note, today, December 2 (the day I'm posting this) marks one year in Talas!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Halloween Concourse
“Concourse” is basically the Kyrgyz word for a fun competition. Periodically, the volunteers in Talas will put on a concourse for our students, and they are just a ton of fun for everyone involved. Last year, the K-12s put on a April Fools concourse, and this year, the K-13s took the lead on the Halloween concourse. It was an absolute blast!
First, you have to realize that they don’t celebrate Halloween in Kyrgyzstan, so for many students (including my own), this was their first exposure to the holiday. So it was a great opportunity for cultural exchange, one of the goals of Peace Corps. And who wouldn’t want to learn about a holiday where you get to dress up in a costume, carve pumpkins, and go trick-or-treating?? Halloween is so much fun! The first thing we did was divide the students up into groups with students from other schools so they could get to know new people. Then they went around to different stations including Bobbing for Apples, Mystery Box, Halloween Mad Lib, Scary Photo Contest, and Pin the Tail on the Cat. Afterwards, the students got back into their school groups and had a pumpkin carving contest. Each school had also prepared a Halloween-themed skit, which is really the highlight of every concourse. And the day was rounded out with a costume contest and disco (disco is the Kyrgyz word for any type of dance party; we don’t say that in the States, do we? Forgive me for my new Kyrg-English vocabulary).
I took my wonderful, amazing, beautiful 9th grade girls to the concourse and I was SOOO proud of them! I took them to the April Fools Concourse as 8th graders last year, and it was their first concourse (and mine), and they really didn’t know English very well compared to the other 10th and 11th grade students who had been working with volunteers longer. I was still so proud of them for going out and competing and giving their best, but we really weren’t any competition at all. Though everyone liked them and thought they were cute, we didn’t place in the top three.
But it was like night and day compared to the Halloween Concourse! You just can’t believe how much these girls have learned in just 6 months, how their English has just sky-rocketed. And not only that, but they’ve just grown up. They were so much more confident and free and energetic going into this concourse. The skit they prepared was absolutely hilarious, about a Kyrgyz woman who has been pregnant for 3 years and finally gives birth to a giant pumpkin. All I wanted was for them to place in the top three so they could get some recognition for how much they’d improved. I never dreamed that we would actually be competition for first place! We ended up getting second, but our skit was definitely the most entertaining, and all the laughter, not to mention the standing ovation we got in the middle, was definitely a reward for me. Many people thought we should have won. It came down to a hot debate amongst the judges, and we ended up placing second. But first or second, it doesn’t really matter. I mean, my girls went in 6 months from being no competition at all to almost winning the next concourse! That is pretty amazing. I am so proud of them, I can’t even express the pride I have for my girls! Jon-Aryk is now an established concourse competitor!
In addition to that highlight, I also had two of my girls win prizes for their costumes, one of which actually won for the best overall costume. I really hope I’m able to post pictures so you can see her amazing telephone! We also placed third in the pumpkin-carving contest, so it was an all-around success, not to mention just a whole lot of fun. Yay for my 9th graders, my joy and my crown. Any Happy Halloween to you all!
First, you have to realize that they don’t celebrate Halloween in Kyrgyzstan, so for many students (including my own), this was their first exposure to the holiday. So it was a great opportunity for cultural exchange, one of the goals of Peace Corps. And who wouldn’t want to learn about a holiday where you get to dress up in a costume, carve pumpkins, and go trick-or-treating?? Halloween is so much fun! The first thing we did was divide the students up into groups with students from other schools so they could get to know new people. Then they went around to different stations including Bobbing for Apples, Mystery Box, Halloween Mad Lib, Scary Photo Contest, and Pin the Tail on the Cat. Afterwards, the students got back into their school groups and had a pumpkin carving contest. Each school had also prepared a Halloween-themed skit, which is really the highlight of every concourse. And the day was rounded out with a costume contest and disco (disco is the Kyrgyz word for any type of dance party; we don’t say that in the States, do we? Forgive me for my new Kyrg-English vocabulary).
I took my wonderful, amazing, beautiful 9th grade girls to the concourse and I was SOOO proud of them! I took them to the April Fools Concourse as 8th graders last year, and it was their first concourse (and mine), and they really didn’t know English very well compared to the other 10th and 11th grade students who had been working with volunteers longer. I was still so proud of them for going out and competing and giving their best, but we really weren’t any competition at all. Though everyone liked them and thought they were cute, we didn’t place in the top three.
But it was like night and day compared to the Halloween Concourse! You just can’t believe how much these girls have learned in just 6 months, how their English has just sky-rocketed. And not only that, but they’ve just grown up. They were so much more confident and free and energetic going into this concourse. The skit they prepared was absolutely hilarious, about a Kyrgyz woman who has been pregnant for 3 years and finally gives birth to a giant pumpkin. All I wanted was for them to place in the top three so they could get some recognition for how much they’d improved. I never dreamed that we would actually be competition for first place! We ended up getting second, but our skit was definitely the most entertaining, and all the laughter, not to mention the standing ovation we got in the middle, was definitely a reward for me. Many people thought we should have won. It came down to a hot debate amongst the judges, and we ended up placing second. But first or second, it doesn’t really matter. I mean, my girls went in 6 months from being no competition at all to almost winning the next concourse! That is pretty amazing. I am so proud of them, I can’t even express the pride I have for my girls! Jon-Aryk is now an established concourse competitor!
In addition to that highlight, I also had two of my girls win prizes for their costumes, one of which actually won for the best overall costume. I really hope I’m able to post pictures so you can see her amazing telephone! We also placed third in the pumpkin-carving contest, so it was an all-around success, not to mention just a whole lot of fun. Yay for my 9th graders, my joy and my crown. Any Happy Halloween to you all!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Happy Birthday to Me!!
On September 13th, I celebrated not only my 26th birthday, but my one year anniversary of leaving home for Kyrgyzstan. Needless to say, it was quite a milestone! So in the grand tradition of Lisa & Birthdays, I threw myself a party! This one was Kyrgyz-style, which basically means having a ridiculous amount of food and working all day to prepare J.
I should mention that my day started with a phone call from home, where my mom had gathered almost my whole family together (cousins, aunts, grandparents, etc.) for a birthday dinner in my honor (the morning of the 13th here was the evening of the 12th back home). She even prepared one of my favorite meals, the fine dining cuisine of tater tots and smoked sausage. Everyone sang to me (which made me cry), and then I got to talk to everyone individually (which also made me cry…). But despite all the crying, it was a wonderful way to start my birthday.
After a couple classes in the morning, it was time to get ready for the party!! I tried to make pizza (Michaela’s comment was, “I’ve had better.” It’s a good thing everything’s good with onion dip!), and my host mom made my favorite Kyrgyz food, perojkies. Yum! Plus, of course, the general spread, which you can see in the pictures. A few of my volunteer friends came out, and I also invited a few local friends as well. It was great to have everyone over to help me celebrate. I even got gifts! In addition to the ones people brought, I also received 2 packages that day! One from my Grandpa Freeman and another from Road Trip partner and all around fantastic friend, Gloria. Quite impressive timing for both of them to arrive ON my actual birthday! Gloria’s package even included a package of birthday candles, which we were able to use right away on my cake. What a blessing!
And probably one of the best birthday presents was the phone call I got from Kristen that evening, which enabled me to totally skip out on the cleaning! I just HAD to take that call from America, you know. I couldn’t help it if all the dishes happened to be washed by the time we finished our conversation J. I also got a birthday call that evening from Kristen’s parents—my second family. And then I was absolutely exhausted and slept like a rock. The only way it should be after a birthday, right?
I was woken from the dead sleep the next morning (my birthday evening in the States) by a phone call from my dad and step-mom, who had tried to call me several times the night before, but couldn't get through because I was just so popular!
Thanks to everyone who called, sent emails, and sent packages that I know will be coming soon! I should also mention that the party was made possible my money left over from what was given to me for my time in Bishkek last month, so thanks again to everyone who gave towards that! So my first Kyrgyzstan birthday was a huge success. Here’s to a great 26!
p.s. For some reason I'm having trouble posting pictures today. Hope to get some up soon!
I should mention that my day started with a phone call from home, where my mom had gathered almost my whole family together (cousins, aunts, grandparents, etc.) for a birthday dinner in my honor (the morning of the 13th here was the evening of the 12th back home). She even prepared one of my favorite meals, the fine dining cuisine of tater tots and smoked sausage. Everyone sang to me (which made me cry), and then I got to talk to everyone individually (which also made me cry…). But despite all the crying, it was a wonderful way to start my birthday.
After a couple classes in the morning, it was time to get ready for the party!! I tried to make pizza (Michaela’s comment was, “I’ve had better.” It’s a good thing everything’s good with onion dip!), and my host mom made my favorite Kyrgyz food, perojkies. Yum! Plus, of course, the general spread, which you can see in the pictures. A few of my volunteer friends came out, and I also invited a few local friends as well. It was great to have everyone over to help me celebrate. I even got gifts! In addition to the ones people brought, I also received 2 packages that day! One from my Grandpa Freeman and another from Road Trip partner and all around fantastic friend, Gloria. Quite impressive timing for both of them to arrive ON my actual birthday! Gloria’s package even included a package of birthday candles, which we were able to use right away on my cake. What a blessing!
And probably one of the best birthday presents was the phone call I got from Kristen that evening, which enabled me to totally skip out on the cleaning! I just HAD to take that call from America, you know. I couldn’t help it if all the dishes happened to be washed by the time we finished our conversation J. I also got a birthday call that evening from Kristen’s parents—my second family. And then I was absolutely exhausted and slept like a rock. The only way it should be after a birthday, right?
I was woken from the dead sleep the next morning (my birthday evening in the States) by a phone call from my dad and step-mom, who had tried to call me several times the night before, but couldn't get through because I was just so popular!
Thanks to everyone who called, sent emails, and sent packages that I know will be coming soon! I should also mention that the party was made possible my money left over from what was given to me for my time in Bishkek last month, so thanks again to everyone who gave towards that! So my first Kyrgyzstan birthday was a huge success. Here’s to a great 26!
p.s. For some reason I'm having trouble posting pictures today. Hope to get some up soon!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Posh Corps
In a couple weeks, I’ll celebrate not only my 26th birthday, but my one year anniversary of leaving home for Kyrgyzstan! In honor of this momentous occasion, many of YOU, my wonderful friends and family, pitched in to give me the best early birthday present: a week of luxury and fine dining with my first visitor! In addition, I was able to get a lot of official PC stuff taken care of (the non-exciting part I won't bore you with). In all, it was simply a spectacular way to end my first year, and kick off the new one.
On August 23rd, I headed out to Lake Issik-Kul to meet Krista, a friend of mine from my DTS way back in ’99. As we’ve kept in touch over the years, she has become a treasured friend, and I was so excited to see her… in Kyrgyzstan! We joked about how we wouldn’t have believed it if 7 years ago someone had told us we would be together in Central Asia, in a country neither of us had ever heard of at the time!
We spent about 4 days on the lake in a very nice hotel room… with a very nice shower! I took more showers in the last week than I think I’ve taken in the past 2 or 3 months combined, and it was wonderful! I realized that I’d forgotten what it was like to be clean all the time. By mid-week I just couldn’t believe how smooth my skin was—dead skin and dirt-free! By the end of the week, I found myself marveling at the cleanliness of my own feet :-). I’m quite sure my feet hadn’t been that clean in a year!
After a few days at the lake, we headed into Bishkek, where the real pampering began… We stayed at an adorable bed & breakfast, which, of course, also had a very nice shower and flushing toilet—two things one would expect, but which are still very exciting luxuries for me! It was the perfect place for us—small and quaint, unpretentious and friendly.
We had originally planned to spend a couple nights at the Hyatt, but with the money we saved by staying at the bed & breakfast, we were able to really take advantage of the perks of the Hyatt without actually having to pay for a room there! I could hardly contain my excitement in anticipation of the Sunday Brunch, which did not fail to meet my expectations. For one, it was simply amazing to be in an environment where people call you “Miss Freeman” and say things like, “Let me escort you to your table,” and “May I offer you a welcome beverage?” I mean, this would have been a treat in America, much less after a year in Central Asia! And the food, of course, was delectable. The brunch was from 11:30 until 3, and it’s a good thing Peace Corps hasn’t done anything to rid me of my shamelessness, or we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did—arrive at noon and stay until 2:45! I mean, c’mon, this was a $30 meal and I was going to get my money’s worth!
The big surprise came later that afternoon when I got an email from Kristen (the BEST friend in the WHOLE world), informing me that several friends had gone together to pay for a day’s membership for both Krista and I to the Hyatt’s health club, including massages! This was a total surprise, and a total blessing! We spent Monday being completely pampered—receiving massages, showering in the locker room, enjoying the Jacuzzi, and lounging at the pristine outdoor pool. I was particularly excited by the fact that we were given white terry cloth robes and slippers to walk around in. And I think my favorite moment was having lunch delivered to us at the pool, rolled out on a cart by a fully-uniformed hotel waiter, and drinking iced tea in my robe under the sun umbrella. Talk about being spoiled! This was like an episode out of the Twilight Zone. Krista and I decided that even though it might be nice to live like this all the time, it’s really the contrast with normal life that makes it special and exciting. So thanks SO much to those of you who made us queens for a day!
The rest of our time together was spent eating delicious food, talking, spending money like an American tourist and not like a Peace Corps Volunteer, watching movies, talking, sleeping, showering, talking, did I mention talking? It was such a wonderful, restful, refreshing week together, full of blessings and being spoiled by our Heavenly Father.
Now it’s back to the Peace Corps, but I always have the memory of Posh Corps to keep me going :-). One year down, one year to go! Signing off from the halfway point...
On August 23rd, I headed out to Lake Issik-Kul to meet Krista, a friend of mine from my DTS way back in ’99. As we’ve kept in touch over the years, she has become a treasured friend, and I was so excited to see her… in Kyrgyzstan! We joked about how we wouldn’t have believed it if 7 years ago someone had told us we would be together in Central Asia, in a country neither of us had ever heard of at the time!
We spent about 4 days on the lake in a very nice hotel room… with a very nice shower! I took more showers in the last week than I think I’ve taken in the past 2 or 3 months combined, and it was wonderful! I realized that I’d forgotten what it was like to be clean all the time. By mid-week I just couldn’t believe how smooth my skin was—dead skin and dirt-free! By the end of the week, I found myself marveling at the cleanliness of my own feet :-). I’m quite sure my feet hadn’t been that clean in a year!
After a few days at the lake, we headed into Bishkek, where the real pampering began… We stayed at an adorable bed & breakfast, which, of course, also had a very nice shower and flushing toilet—two things one would expect, but which are still very exciting luxuries for me! It was the perfect place for us—small and quaint, unpretentious and friendly.
We had originally planned to spend a couple nights at the Hyatt, but with the money we saved by staying at the bed & breakfast, we were able to really take advantage of the perks of the Hyatt without actually having to pay for a room there! I could hardly contain my excitement in anticipation of the Sunday Brunch, which did not fail to meet my expectations. For one, it was simply amazing to be in an environment where people call you “Miss Freeman” and say things like, “Let me escort you to your table,” and “May I offer you a welcome beverage?” I mean, this would have been a treat in America, much less after a year in Central Asia! And the food, of course, was delectable. The brunch was from 11:30 until 3, and it’s a good thing Peace Corps hasn’t done anything to rid me of my shamelessness, or we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did—arrive at noon and stay until 2:45! I mean, c’mon, this was a $30 meal and I was going to get my money’s worth!
The big surprise came later that afternoon when I got an email from Kristen (the BEST friend in the WHOLE world), informing me that several friends had gone together to pay for a day’s membership for both Krista and I to the Hyatt’s health club, including massages! This was a total surprise, and a total blessing! We spent Monday being completely pampered—receiving massages, showering in the locker room, enjoying the Jacuzzi, and lounging at the pristine outdoor pool. I was particularly excited by the fact that we were given white terry cloth robes and slippers to walk around in. And I think my favorite moment was having lunch delivered to us at the pool, rolled out on a cart by a fully-uniformed hotel waiter, and drinking iced tea in my robe under the sun umbrella. Talk about being spoiled! This was like an episode out of the Twilight Zone. Krista and I decided that even though it might be nice to live like this all the time, it’s really the contrast with normal life that makes it special and exciting. So thanks SO much to those of you who made us queens for a day!
The rest of our time together was spent eating delicious food, talking, spending money like an American tourist and not like a Peace Corps Volunteer, watching movies, talking, sleeping, showering, talking, did I mention talking? It was such a wonderful, restful, refreshing week together, full of blessings and being spoiled by our Heavenly Father.
Now it’s back to the Peace Corps, but I always have the memory of Posh Corps to keep me going :-). One year down, one year to go! Signing off from the halfway point...
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Issik Kul Camp
It's been a while since I posted pictures, so instead of telling you all about the camp, I'll just let the pictures do the talking this time! Sorry there couldn't be more! They're pictures a friend of mine took, so maybe I can post some of the ones I took when I get my computer. To sum up, the camp was great! Enjoy!
Issik-Kul Camp
Me wearing one of the students' hats.
All the volunteer helpers with our guest speakers on Day 1 of the camp.
The volunteer helpers in front of the school before camp begins. (Me, Jennifer, Tim, Amy, Adrianne, Tana, and Katya)
Me and Amy (another Talas volunteer) on the first day of camp!
18 girls stuffed inside a marshrutka to the lake.Saturday, July 15, 2006
School's Out For Summer!
Ok, so school's been out for almost 2 months now, but better late than never! I haven't been great about emails or blog postings recently because of my computer breakdown, so there are probably a lot of people who have no idea what I'm up to these days.
Summer in Talas is great. Really, I think I'm having the best time of my service so far. The days are pretty warm, sometimes hot, but it's absolutly nothing like Fresno. Highs are probably in the 90s, but it ALWAYS cools down at night. By 6pm, I can usually hang out outside quite comfortably, and sometimes I even get cold. Talk about being nothing like Fresno! People here warned me about the hot Talas summers, but this is nothing. It's great. I also love summer because the days are long and unrushed. I can wander, walk around for no reason, go into the city and not worry about being home before 4:30 when it starts getting dark in winter. My schedule is flexible and the long days are conducive to just taking opportunities as they present themselves (talking to people on the street, having tea with a family that invites me in on my way home, etc.)
So what, exactly, am I doing?? My main activity is summer English Clubs. I started out the summer doing 3 clubs, 4 days a week each: One for 7th & 8th graders, one for 9th & 10th graders, and one for younger kids. Recently, I cancelled the kids' club because they just stopped showing up! Kind of surprising considering that was one of my most successful clubs during the school year, but things just change in the summer. However, my other 2 clubs are going strong. I particularly LOVE my 7th & 8th graders. There are about 6 of them (all girls) on average who come to club every day and are so eager to learn. I am so proud of them and how much their English has improved just in the last 6 weeks! It's so exciting to see! Every week we cover one grammar point, and they are just soaking it up and asking for more. Each week I also try to give them some new vocab, and then I try to plan a fun activity. The most successful of the summer has been "Invent-A-Country." We spent the week learning useful vocab like river, mountains, desert, ocean, etc., and then I set them loose to come up with their own new country, with a history, map, and demographics. They loved it! For 2 days they worked in groups and just didn't want to stop. I had to practically kick them out of my classroom after 3 or 4 hours each day! I have a great time with those girls; they are my stars.
The second half of the summer is about to change a bit, though. Here are the highlights:
*My computer travels to America on Monday! My friend and fellow volunteer, Betsy, has graciously agreed to take my computer with her on her month-visit to her family. She's going to send it to Dell for me, and then bring the fixed computer with her when she comes back in mid-August. So we'll all have Betsy to thank (and my mom for endless calls to Dell customer service organizing this whole ordeal) if my computer comes back in working condition in a month :-)
*The new volunteers have arrived! They came a little earlier this year than we did last year, but it still means our group has been here long enough NOT to be the newest ones in-country! Woohoo for not being the newbie anymore!
*On July 23rd, I'll head to Lake Issik-Kul to help another volunteer with a girls' camp he's running. This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country, so in addition to adding some variety to my summer, it will be great to see the lake for the first time!
*On August 23rd, a very good friend from my DTS is coming to Kyrgyzstan! My first visitor! In addition to just the excitement of seeing her, we'll be spending 2 days in the Hyatt in Bishkek as an early birthday present. If you'd like to contribute to this birthday/one-year in Kyrgyzstan celebration, email me and I'll have no problem accepting your donations :-)
So that's what's going on here in the Kyrgyz Republic. I'm sorry I've been so bad at emailing, but I'll try to remedy that when I get my computer back, and I'd still love to hear from all of you!
Summer in Talas is great. Really, I think I'm having the best time of my service so far. The days are pretty warm, sometimes hot, but it's absolutly nothing like Fresno. Highs are probably in the 90s, but it ALWAYS cools down at night. By 6pm, I can usually hang out outside quite comfortably, and sometimes I even get cold. Talk about being nothing like Fresno! People here warned me about the hot Talas summers, but this is nothing. It's great. I also love summer because the days are long and unrushed. I can wander, walk around for no reason, go into the city and not worry about being home before 4:30 when it starts getting dark in winter. My schedule is flexible and the long days are conducive to just taking opportunities as they present themselves (talking to people on the street, having tea with a family that invites me in on my way home, etc.)
So what, exactly, am I doing?? My main activity is summer English Clubs. I started out the summer doing 3 clubs, 4 days a week each: One for 7th & 8th graders, one for 9th & 10th graders, and one for younger kids. Recently, I cancelled the kids' club because they just stopped showing up! Kind of surprising considering that was one of my most successful clubs during the school year, but things just change in the summer. However, my other 2 clubs are going strong. I particularly LOVE my 7th & 8th graders. There are about 6 of them (all girls) on average who come to club every day and are so eager to learn. I am so proud of them and how much their English has improved just in the last 6 weeks! It's so exciting to see! Every week we cover one grammar point, and they are just soaking it up and asking for more. Each week I also try to give them some new vocab, and then I try to plan a fun activity. The most successful of the summer has been "Invent-A-Country." We spent the week learning useful vocab like river, mountains, desert, ocean, etc., and then I set them loose to come up with their own new country, with a history, map, and demographics. They loved it! For 2 days they worked in groups and just didn't want to stop. I had to practically kick them out of my classroom after 3 or 4 hours each day! I have a great time with those girls; they are my stars.
The second half of the summer is about to change a bit, though. Here are the highlights:
*My computer travels to America on Monday! My friend and fellow volunteer, Betsy, has graciously agreed to take my computer with her on her month-visit to her family. She's going to send it to Dell for me, and then bring the fixed computer with her when she comes back in mid-August. So we'll all have Betsy to thank (and my mom for endless calls to Dell customer service organizing this whole ordeal) if my computer comes back in working condition in a month :-)
*The new volunteers have arrived! They came a little earlier this year than we did last year, but it still means our group has been here long enough NOT to be the newest ones in-country! Woohoo for not being the newbie anymore!
*On July 23rd, I'll head to Lake Issik-Kul to help another volunteer with a girls' camp he's running. This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country, so in addition to adding some variety to my summer, it will be great to see the lake for the first time!
*On August 23rd, a very good friend from my DTS is coming to Kyrgyzstan! My first visitor! In addition to just the excitement of seeing her, we'll be spending 2 days in the Hyatt in Bishkek as an early birthday present. If you'd like to contribute to this birthday/one-year in Kyrgyzstan celebration, email me and I'll have no problem accepting your donations :-)
So that's what's going on here in the Kyrgyz Republic. I'm sorry I've been so bad at emailing, but I'll try to remedy that when I get my computer back, and I'd still love to hear from all of you!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Didn't You Know? Yoda was Kyrgyz!
George Lucas doesn't have me fooled. I know Yoda wasn't from some distant planet, but actually from Kyrgyzstan. I know some of you may think Kyrgyzstan is a distant planet, but I assure you it does actually sit on our own planet Earth.
Okay, so maybe Yoda could have been Uzbek or Kazakh or from any other Turkic language-speaking ethnic group, too. But if you were to translate Kyrgyz directly into English, it would sound exactly like Yoda, I'm telling you.
You see, in Kyrgyz, the verb always comes at the end of the sentence. So, for example, "I go to school" in Kyrgyz would be, "Men mektepke baram," which literally translated is, "I to school go." Sound like Yoda to you? For simple sentences like this, it's easy enough; and it's true that after a while, you get used to the sound of things to the point that "Men baram mektepke" would never come out of your mouth because it just sounds and feels so horribly wrong. But with complex sentences, this construction can be a real problem for English speakers (namely, me). You can't just let words come out of your mouth as you are thinking in Engliish, but have to finish the whole thought in your head, twist it around, and then translate it into Kyrgyz. For example, one time I told my host sister, "When I was in Bishkek, one man asked me if I was Turkish." And it took me about 3 minutes to get the sentence out in Kyrgyz, which most literally translated to English becomes, "I in Bishkek at being, one man from me you Turkish asked." Whew! That about killed my mental energy for the day.
Most days, I really enjoy learning and studying Kyrgyz. I think it's a fascinating language, and I like analyzing grammar and meaning, and the sense of accomplishment when I read or hear something I can understand. In some ways, Kyrgyz is an incredibly easy language. For instance, using the Cyrillic alphabet, it is completely phonetic. Every letter has one sound and one sound alone. While some of those letters may be difficult to pronounce, at least you know it's not gonna change up on you in the next word. Kyrgyz grammar is also very simple. There are zero--count them, zero--irregular verbs. Praise Jesus! Learn a new verb and you can conjugate it any which way you like. Kyrgyz also has no gender, no articles, no "to be" verb in the present tense, no silly helping verbs for questions or negative sentences. So from this perspective, no, Kyrgyz is not difficult at all.
But in some ways, Kyrgyz is incredibly difficult because it is just so different from English. Practically nothing can be literally translated, but you have to change the way you think and the way you listen. They call Kyrgyz "The Language of Endings" because what could be 5 words in English is only 1 word in Kyrgyz with a series of endings. For instance, Kyrgyz doesn't really use prepositions. To say "at, on, in" you add one ending to the nouns; to say "to, for," another ending; "from," yet another. There isn't really a word for "please" in Kyrgyz; instead, you add an ending to the verb indicating a polite request, which changes depending on whether you are talking to a person who's older than you or younger than you, or to a group of people. To change the tense of a verb, it's an ending; to make a question, it's an ending; to negate a verb, it's an ending; to put something in the passive voice, it's an ending. Just one word tells you so much, which makes Kyrgyz a very efficient language, but is not like English at all. We like to add words to our sentences, not endings to our words.
Another interesting thing about Kyrgyz is that there aren't very many verb tenses (unlike English, which my host sister tells me has 16), but this can decieve you into thinking the language is easier than it really is. Instead of our complex tense system, Kyrgyz has what are called "complex verbs." Basically, you put 2 verbs together at the end of a sentence and the second verb adds a different shade of meaning to the first. For instance, I could say, "Men kutem," which means, "I will wait," or I could say "Men kutup turam" (I/wait/stand), which means, "I will wait while standing." Kyrgyz people hardly ever use just one verb. Another example is with the word "forget." I could say, "Unutum," which means, "I forgot," but no one ever says this. Instead, they'll more likely say, "Unutup kaldim." "Kal" literally translates "stay," but adding this verb means I forgot in the past and I still don't remember now. There are several of these verbs that can be added to other verbs, and it's my conclusion that this is the Kyrgyz substitute for not having a more complex tense system!
I know I have been going on and on, but I hope you will bear with me a little longer (or you don't have to read this at all!). Another thing I've noticed about Kyrgyz is that many things we say in the present tense in English are said in the past tense in Kyrgyz. For instance, they say, "I didn't understand" instead of "I don't understand." "I was cold," instead of "I am cold." "Did you remember?" instead of "Do you remember?" My theory on why this is so is that it's related to the fact that there is no difference between the simple present and simple future tenses in Kyrgyz. "Baram" could mean "I go or "I wil go," depending on the context. So I'm guessing some things are put in the past tense so the listener isn't confused, thinking the action will happen in the future.
The final thing (at least, that I'm going to write about today :-)) that makes Kyrgyz challenging is that, as with all languages (I assume), different words are used to express the same ideas. I could translate something into Kyrgyz the way I say it in English, and the Kyrgyz person may understand it (or may not!), but it's just not the way they'd say it. And these are the things you have to learn by observation, not by memorizing grammar and vocabulary. For instance, in Kyrgyz, you don't arrive at a place, you arrive to a place; you don't believe in something, you believe to something; you aren't afraid of something, you're afraid from something; students don't take tests, they give them; teachers don't give tests, they take them; if I'm leaving school, I'm not going home, I'm leaving to home; if I'm at home talking about someone leaving school, he isn't leaving school, but going out from school; you don't go to the toilet, but you go out to the outside; you don't take a shower, you get into the shower, and even then, we all know that no one is getting into very many showers anyway!
So that is installment #1 of Lisa's Thoughts on Kyrgyz. Analyzing language is a fascinating thing, but it's a whole other thing to have that knowledge kick in when you're in an actual conversation. That's the struggle! For now, I know I probably sound like Yoda to Kyrgyz people 3/4 of the time...
Okay, so maybe Yoda could have been Uzbek or Kazakh or from any other Turkic language-speaking ethnic group, too. But if you were to translate Kyrgyz directly into English, it would sound exactly like Yoda, I'm telling you.
You see, in Kyrgyz, the verb always comes at the end of the sentence. So, for example, "I go to school" in Kyrgyz would be, "Men mektepke baram," which literally translated is, "I to school go." Sound like Yoda to you? For simple sentences like this, it's easy enough; and it's true that after a while, you get used to the sound of things to the point that "Men baram mektepke" would never come out of your mouth because it just sounds and feels so horribly wrong. But with complex sentences, this construction can be a real problem for English speakers (namely, me). You can't just let words come out of your mouth as you are thinking in Engliish, but have to finish the whole thought in your head, twist it around, and then translate it into Kyrgyz. For example, one time I told my host sister, "When I was in Bishkek, one man asked me if I was Turkish." And it took me about 3 minutes to get the sentence out in Kyrgyz, which most literally translated to English becomes, "I in Bishkek at being, one man from me you Turkish asked." Whew! That about killed my mental energy for the day.
Most days, I really enjoy learning and studying Kyrgyz. I think it's a fascinating language, and I like analyzing grammar and meaning, and the sense of accomplishment when I read or hear something I can understand. In some ways, Kyrgyz is an incredibly easy language. For instance, using the Cyrillic alphabet, it is completely phonetic. Every letter has one sound and one sound alone. While some of those letters may be difficult to pronounce, at least you know it's not gonna change up on you in the next word. Kyrgyz grammar is also very simple. There are zero--count them, zero--irregular verbs. Praise Jesus! Learn a new verb and you can conjugate it any which way you like. Kyrgyz also has no gender, no articles, no "to be" verb in the present tense, no silly helping verbs for questions or negative sentences. So from this perspective, no, Kyrgyz is not difficult at all.
But in some ways, Kyrgyz is incredibly difficult because it is just so different from English. Practically nothing can be literally translated, but you have to change the way you think and the way you listen. They call Kyrgyz "The Language of Endings" because what could be 5 words in English is only 1 word in Kyrgyz with a series of endings. For instance, Kyrgyz doesn't really use prepositions. To say "at, on, in" you add one ending to the nouns; to say "to, for," another ending; "from," yet another. There isn't really a word for "please" in Kyrgyz; instead, you add an ending to the verb indicating a polite request, which changes depending on whether you are talking to a person who's older than you or younger than you, or to a group of people. To change the tense of a verb, it's an ending; to make a question, it's an ending; to negate a verb, it's an ending; to put something in the passive voice, it's an ending. Just one word tells you so much, which makes Kyrgyz a very efficient language, but is not like English at all. We like to add words to our sentences, not endings to our words.
Another interesting thing about Kyrgyz is that there aren't very many verb tenses (unlike English, which my host sister tells me has 16), but this can decieve you into thinking the language is easier than it really is. Instead of our complex tense system, Kyrgyz has what are called "complex verbs." Basically, you put 2 verbs together at the end of a sentence and the second verb adds a different shade of meaning to the first. For instance, I could say, "Men kutem," which means, "I will wait," or I could say "Men kutup turam" (I/wait/stand), which means, "I will wait while standing." Kyrgyz people hardly ever use just one verb. Another example is with the word "forget." I could say, "Unutum," which means, "I forgot," but no one ever says this. Instead, they'll more likely say, "Unutup kaldim." "Kal" literally translates "stay," but adding this verb means I forgot in the past and I still don't remember now. There are several of these verbs that can be added to other verbs, and it's my conclusion that this is the Kyrgyz substitute for not having a more complex tense system!
I know I have been going on and on, but I hope you will bear with me a little longer (or you don't have to read this at all!). Another thing I've noticed about Kyrgyz is that many things we say in the present tense in English are said in the past tense in Kyrgyz. For instance, they say, "I didn't understand" instead of "I don't understand." "I was cold," instead of "I am cold." "Did you remember?" instead of "Do you remember?" My theory on why this is so is that it's related to the fact that there is no difference between the simple present and simple future tenses in Kyrgyz. "Baram" could mean "I go or "I wil go," depending on the context. So I'm guessing some things are put in the past tense so the listener isn't confused, thinking the action will happen in the future.
The final thing (at least, that I'm going to write about today :-)) that makes Kyrgyz challenging is that, as with all languages (I assume), different words are used to express the same ideas. I could translate something into Kyrgyz the way I say it in English, and the Kyrgyz person may understand it (or may not!), but it's just not the way they'd say it. And these are the things you have to learn by observation, not by memorizing grammar and vocabulary. For instance, in Kyrgyz, you don't arrive at a place, you arrive to a place; you don't believe in something, you believe to something; you aren't afraid of something, you're afraid from something; students don't take tests, they give them; teachers don't give tests, they take them; if I'm leaving school, I'm not going home, I'm leaving to home; if I'm at home talking about someone leaving school, he isn't leaving school, but going out from school; you don't go to the toilet, but you go out to the outside; you don't take a shower, you get into the shower, and even then, we all know that no one is getting into very many showers anyway!
So that is installment #1 of Lisa's Thoughts on Kyrgyz. Analyzing language is a fascinating thing, but it's a whole other thing to have that knowledge kick in when you're in an actual conversation. That's the struggle! For now, I know I probably sound like Yoda to Kyrgyz people 3/4 of the time...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Brokenness, Brokennness Is What I Long For?
A comprehensive log of items of mine that have broken or otherwise become unusable in the last 2 weeks:
- Cell Phone Charger, April 9, 2006: I went to plug it in and it literally fell apart in my hands! I went a day without cell phone use, but fortunately, I was able to get a replacement the next day in the City.
- Electric Tea Pot, April 12, 2006: My guess is that there was a power surge this day; that, or a result of overuse after heating several pots of water to do a month's worth of laundry! Needless to say, it just plain stopped working.
- Computer, April 12, 2006: The deepest cut of all, naturally. You all know the story... Fixable in Bishkek next week? Let's hope!
- Shower/"Inside" Shoes, April 22, 2006: These are the shoes I wear EVERYWHERE. Since you don't wear shoes inside the house, every Kyrgyz person has a pair of these shoes, which Norwegians call "inside" shoes, but I suppose the term "outside" shoes would be more appropriate in Kyrgyzstan. Anyway, I was throwing out some dirty water Saturday morning, and the strip that goes over your foot just completely disconnected from the shoe! I found myself hopping on one foot back to my room. The plus is that I definitely got more use from these shoes than they were worth, so it won't hurt to buy a new pair.
- Jeans, April 23, 2006: Yes, I discovered a rip in one of the two pairs of jeans I brought to Kyrgyzstan Sunday evening. I really liked these jeans, but nothing lasts forever...
- Umbrella, April 24, 2006: I wisely decided to bring my umbrella to work on Monday morning because there were some dark clounds in the sky. And boy, was I glad I did when it was raining when I left school that afternoon! So I popped it open and began walking home. However, within minutes the light rain turned into a major storm! And let's just say in the battle of wind vs. umbrella, the wind won. I was forced to make the 20 minute walk home in pouring rain without any protection at all. Needless to say, by the time I arrived I'm sure I looked something like a drowned rat, a drowned rat in a headscarf. Gloria, remember waiting under that "tree" on the street in Niverville, Manitoba, waiting for the storm to "pass"? Yeah, it was kind of like that... except without the tree. Oh yeah, and within a half hour of my arrival at home, the rain had completely stopped and the sun came out!
So I guess it's true what they say: When it rains it pours... Figuratively and literally.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Friday, March 31, 2006
I Have A Friend!
So yes, it’s true. After nearly 6 months in Kyrgyzstan, it seems I have finally made a friend who is not another volunteer, a family member, or a student! Early in January I was walking to the post office when a girl who looked about my age said to me in English, “Hello Liza.” I had never seen her before, so I had no idea how she knew who I was; it turns out her sister is one of my 10th grade students, and her mom is the post office lady! She’s currently studying English at the university, and I immediately sensed we could be friends.
But a month passed and I didn’t see her again. Then one day, as I was taking a walk in between classes, there she was walking down the street again! This time I invited myself to her house, and we had a great time talking and having tea. I again felt that this was someone I could actually be friends with. She is 20 years old and I found out she’s been married for 6 months! She lives with her husband, his younger brother (who also happens to be in one of my 6th grade classes) and her husband’s grandparents. I was pleased that now I knew where she lived, so I could find her again and be more proactive about becoming friends.
Unfortunately, however, nearly another month passed during which I just never got myself over to her house. Then one Monday after my classes, I decided enough was enough, and I dropped by her house. She was so excited to see me, and said she had wanted to come visit me, but she just couldn’t find the time, as daughter-in-laws in Kyrgyzstan are expected to do much of the work around the house. But it was ok, because this time, I had a plan: I asked her if I could come over more regularly, and I would help her with English and she could help me start learning Russian. She responded with more enthusiasm than I could have expected, saying, “I want you to come every day!”
So for the past month or so, I have been visiting Gulmira not every day, but many. Four days a week after my classes I go to her house; 2 days we study English and 2 days Russian (unfortunately, I am not a very good student!). It’s great! And quite hilarious. Whatever language we are studying, they usually always develop into an amusing mixture of Kyrgyz, Russian, and English—sometimes all in one sentence! One time, I went to her house on a weekend and we made pizza together, which was so much fun! Her grandfather-in-law loved it and told me I should make it every day :-). Last week there was a holiday and they invited me to their celebration; I wore a long dress and a headscarf and I was the hit! We have a lot of fun together. I love having a friend, having somewhere to go besides school and home, somewhere I am warmly welcomed, and the feeling of being slightly more incorporated into my community. Gulmira has definitely brightened my life, and I think I have brightened hers. Yay for friends!
But a month passed and I didn’t see her again. Then one day, as I was taking a walk in between classes, there she was walking down the street again! This time I invited myself to her house, and we had a great time talking and having tea. I again felt that this was someone I could actually be friends with. She is 20 years old and I found out she’s been married for 6 months! She lives with her husband, his younger brother (who also happens to be in one of my 6th grade classes) and her husband’s grandparents. I was pleased that now I knew where she lived, so I could find her again and be more proactive about becoming friends.
Unfortunately, however, nearly another month passed during which I just never got myself over to her house. Then one Monday after my classes, I decided enough was enough, and I dropped by her house. She was so excited to see me, and said she had wanted to come visit me, but she just couldn’t find the time, as daughter-in-laws in Kyrgyzstan are expected to do much of the work around the house. But it was ok, because this time, I had a plan: I asked her if I could come over more regularly, and I would help her with English and she could help me start learning Russian. She responded with more enthusiasm than I could have expected, saying, “I want you to come every day!”
So for the past month or so, I have been visiting Gulmira not every day, but many. Four days a week after my classes I go to her house; 2 days we study English and 2 days Russian (unfortunately, I am not a very good student!). It’s great! And quite hilarious. Whatever language we are studying, they usually always develop into an amusing mixture of Kyrgyz, Russian, and English—sometimes all in one sentence! One time, I went to her house on a weekend and we made pizza together, which was so much fun! Her grandfather-in-law loved it and told me I should make it every day :-). Last week there was a holiday and they invited me to their celebration; I wore a long dress and a headscarf and I was the hit! We have a lot of fun together. I love having a friend, having somewhere to go besides school and home, somewhere I am warmly welcomed, and the feeling of being slightly more incorporated into my community. Gulmira has definitely brightened my life, and I think I have brightened hers. Yay for friends!
Party at Gulmira's
Can you find me? If not, that means I must be doing a good job of integrating! This was the party where I wore the long dress and headscarf and everyone loved me.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
In-Service Training (IST)
If you hadn’t bathed in 10 days and hadn’t had a real shower in 3 months, and arrived at a hotel where one was available, how long would it take you to strip down and jump in? Well, my sense of normalcy on these things is completely messed up by now. We arrived at the Issik-Kul Hotel (Issik Kul literally translates “hot lake”) on the afternoon of Thursday, March 9th, and I didn’t actually get myself into the shower until Friday night. Ha! However, despite my delayed reaction, having three real showers in one week was FABULOUS! :-). I think I officially ridded myself of all the accumulated dead skin, and effectively attacked the forest that had built up on my legs after 5 months of not shaving. Now, isn’t this a pleasant way to start off this post?
Let me backtrack and explain a little… Last week all the K-13s (volunteers who arrived at the same time as me; we are the 13th group of PCVs in Kyrgyzstan, thus, the name “K-13”) traveled to Bishkek (the capitol) for a week of training, titled “In-Service Training” or IST. It was a great time! In addition to the aforementioned shower situation, we also had flushing toilets and running hot water! Plumbing is wonderful!
I was also able to partake of some great food. Being the capitol, Bishkek is the home of many treasures, one of which is a bona fide American café! So the first thing I did upon arrival on Thursday was NOT, as we know, taking a shower, but eating onion rings and a grilled chicken club sandwich—my first sandwich in 6 months! It was heavenly. Other meals in Bishkek included real pizza, a chicken burrito, potato gnocchi, a huge chocolate brownie, and chocolate chip cookies. In addition to the eating out, we also found the hotel food to be spectacular. We’d stayed in this hotel a few times before, and we all found ourselves asking each other, “Was the food this good last time we were here??” The joke was that we’d all lost about 15 pounds over the last three months at site, and then gained 10 at IST. I definitely feasted, and unashamedly. To top it all off, Bishkek is also the home to actual SUPERMARKETS! I made several trips, stocking up on some groceries you can’t find in Talas. The prize for most notable purchase is a close one between peanut butter and cocoa puffs…
It was also fun to meet up with all the other volunteers and catch up with each other after 3 months of separation. It was great to exchange stories, compare situations, and share teaching tips. In addition to the volunteers, I was also able to meet up with some other Americans in Bishkek, going out to dinner and even being invited to a home-cooked meal (the source of the chocolate chip cookies). These connections proved to be the best overall part of my week in Bishkek. It was so fun and encouraging to sit around a dinner table chatting about culture, language, struggles, and victories with people who have been living here for 8 years. What a blessing!
Other highlights: staying out past dark, talking to Steve on an internet phone, chatting with Kristen over instant messenger, going to church, watching DVDs at the hotel, having awesome Kyrgyz language classes, a seller at the bazaar asking me if I was Turkish (Kyrgyz and Turkish languages are similar) and telling me I spoke Kyrgyz very well!
It was a packed week, but a great one. The change of pace and scenery was nice, and now it’s nice to be back “home” in Talas. And nice to know Bishkek is always there when I need a club sandwich…
Let me backtrack and explain a little… Last week all the K-13s (volunteers who arrived at the same time as me; we are the 13th group of PCVs in Kyrgyzstan, thus, the name “K-13”) traveled to Bishkek (the capitol) for a week of training, titled “In-Service Training” or IST. It was a great time! In addition to the aforementioned shower situation, we also had flushing toilets and running hot water! Plumbing is wonderful!
I was also able to partake of some great food. Being the capitol, Bishkek is the home of many treasures, one of which is a bona fide American café! So the first thing I did upon arrival on Thursday was NOT, as we know, taking a shower, but eating onion rings and a grilled chicken club sandwich—my first sandwich in 6 months! It was heavenly. Other meals in Bishkek included real pizza, a chicken burrito, potato gnocchi, a huge chocolate brownie, and chocolate chip cookies. In addition to the eating out, we also found the hotel food to be spectacular. We’d stayed in this hotel a few times before, and we all found ourselves asking each other, “Was the food this good last time we were here??” The joke was that we’d all lost about 15 pounds over the last three months at site, and then gained 10 at IST. I definitely feasted, and unashamedly. To top it all off, Bishkek is also the home to actual SUPERMARKETS! I made several trips, stocking up on some groceries you can’t find in Talas. The prize for most notable purchase is a close one between peanut butter and cocoa puffs…
It was also fun to meet up with all the other volunteers and catch up with each other after 3 months of separation. It was great to exchange stories, compare situations, and share teaching tips. In addition to the volunteers, I was also able to meet up with some other Americans in Bishkek, going out to dinner and even being invited to a home-cooked meal (the source of the chocolate chip cookies). These connections proved to be the best overall part of my week in Bishkek. It was so fun and encouraging to sit around a dinner table chatting about culture, language, struggles, and victories with people who have been living here for 8 years. What a blessing!
Other highlights: staying out past dark, talking to Steve on an internet phone, chatting with Kristen over instant messenger, going to church, watching DVDs at the hotel, having awesome Kyrgyz language classes, a seller at the bazaar asking me if I was Turkish (Kyrgyz and Turkish languages are similar) and telling me I spoke Kyrgyz very well!
It was a packed week, but a great one. The change of pace and scenery was nice, and now it’s nice to be back “home” in Talas. And nice to know Bishkek is always there when I need a club sandwich…
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
March 1st--Spring??
I've been experimenting lately with wearing fewer layers, but today, for the first time, I went to the city without any long-underwear, wool socks, down jacket, scarf, hat, gloves, or snow boots! It was a gamble, but I think it paid-off, as I am completely comfortable, and not sweaty in the sun under all those unnecessary layers. Could this really be spring? I'm not making any bets yet that my down jacket can go in a box until next winter, but for now, it sure does feel nice!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Super Stars!
My Super Star Wall! That border actually took me forever to put up since the wall is probably made of cement, and driving thumb tacks into it was a workout of its own. When I was finally done, I was so happy to see that it was actually straight. Oh, little pleasures...
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Homework Charts
It took me hours to draw all those lines over my winter break, so I'm kinda proud of these...
My Mom's Sister Is A Student.
Some of the girls from my 10v class doing a sentence building activity.
Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function?
Well, I figured it’s time I wrote something on my blog about teaching—my purpose for being here (according to Peace Corps, anyway!). There are some things that seem so obvious, and that I talk about so much in emails, I forget to mention them in the general blog updates!
I love teaching; I really do. Not quite enough to consider it as a lifetime career, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself right now! I enjoy planning lessons, and trying to make them interesting, and I am confident that I’m doing a pretty good job. I expected to feel more out of place in the classroom in the beginning, but I felt right at home from the start. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I know my Campus Life experience has greatly contributed to my comfort level.
To give a basic rundown, I teach 18 lessons in a week (45 minutes each), which is the minimum for Peace Corps Volunteers. I teach 8 different classes 2 or 3 times each week. I teach two 6th grade classes (3 times a week each), one 8th grade class (2 times a week), three 10th grade classes (2 times a week each), and two 11th grade classes (2 times a week each). Students here are grouped in classes that take all their lessons together until they graduate. So instead of each student having an individual schedule of different classes with different students, each class has its own schedule with the same students. 11th grade is the last year of high school here, so next year I should have all the same students except for my 11th graders. So I’m really excited that I’ll be with these same students for the next 2 years. It will be rewarding to be able to see their progress, rather than teaching the same things each year to different students.
I absolutely love my students. Of course there are a few who are a pain, but most of them are great, even if they aren’t great at English. I like them, and it seems like they like me! I haven’t had any huge behavioral problems. Huge relief for me, since they could definitely take advantage of my low language skills to give me lots of grief. The biggest problems I have are with students not coming to class and not doing their homework, but not with belligerence or disrespect, which would be much harder to deal with in a foreign language. So I’m grateful! The students are really patient with my bad Kyrgyz, and they don’t seem to be frustrated with me (yet), as I’m sure I would be with a teacher who couldn’t explain things clearly.
Even though the students have been taking English since 1st grade, most of their English levels were about the same (pretty low), so I just decided to start from the very beginning with all of them. It’s nice to have all the students learning the same things at the same time, because it means I only have to plan 2-3 lessons a week! Even that takes me hours on the weekends, so kudos to all those elementary school teachers who write lesson plans for every subject every day (Mom and Dad)! I don’t know how you do it!
I’m definitely learning my English grammar in the process! Some volunteers don’t like to teach grammar, but I don’t know how you can learn a language without it (unless you’re really young). This past month we have tackled pronouns, possessive pronouns and possessive nouns (‘s), immediate family members, simple adjectives (tall, smart, etc.), common professions, and the two killers: to be verb and articles. Kyrgyz doesn’t use the to be verb in the present tense, and they don’t use articles at all, so it’s kind of difficult to explain, and an even bigger hassle to get the students to remember that “Menin apam mugalim (my mom teacher).” Is actually, “My mom IS A teacher.” Really, why do we need these words?? Other languages do fine without them…
My classroom was pretty bare when I walked into it for the first time, but it’s finally starting to look pretty nice. I’ve made homework charts for each class and use stickers to show whether an assignment has been turned in or not—they really like seeing all the stars next to their names. And above that I have the “Super Star” wall for students who do all their homework on time for a month. And then I make charts for the grammar we go over, and put up pictures the students have drawn for homework. I’m becoming more and more please with the look of it as time goes on!
Sometimes it is difficult not having the resources that would be available to me in the States. The books are old texts from the Soviet period and I don’t use them at all, so I’m pretty much writing all my curriculum from scratch (also good practice from Campus Life there!). And we don’t have computers or printers or copiers, which eliminates the possibility of using handouts, and means I have to write everything on the chalkboard (yes, CHALKboard—I hate chalk!) for the students to then write in their notebooks. That can take a while, since I can’t really have anything to give them prepared ahead of time. And since there are no books and no handouts, I have to come up with all the homework on my own and write it on the board at the end of class, which can be a pain and quite time-consuming. Those are my main complaints; it can be frustrating to come up with a great idea for an activity and then realize I don’t have the resources to make it happen. Maybe we can work together to lobby GW School Supply to open a store in Jon-Aryk?? :-)
Grading is another issue. I started out grading students just as they would be graded in the States, on a strict point scale, but was forced to compromise a little bit when I realized about half of my students were failing on that system. Students just don’t fail here—to give a student a D is a huge deal, and is interpreted by the administration as you being a bad teacher. So even though I am not just going to pass everyone to avoid conflict, I knew it wouldn’t be acceptable to give Fs to half my students! So I have had to adjust, and with a painstaking groan, I am giving Cs to students with at least a 50% in my class. Other volunteers have said that is just the way grading is done here, and is probably even more strict than other Kyrgyz teachers. My one holdout is that it is still hard to get an A in my class. You may be able to squeak by with a C at 50%, or get a B at 70%, but you still have to get 90% to get an A. I just couldn’t concede on that point, since there are some students who are really that good, and deserve the prestige of getting a real A.
I know this is already a very long post (making up for lost time? I hope you don’t mind!), but I just have to give one more shout out to my own brilliant 6th grade teacher, who has inspired me to give Homework Passes as awards to exceptional students. Greatest idea ever. So Mrs. Ward, if you’re out there and happen across this blog, thanks to you!
I love teaching; I really do. Not quite enough to consider it as a lifetime career, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself right now! I enjoy planning lessons, and trying to make them interesting, and I am confident that I’m doing a pretty good job. I expected to feel more out of place in the classroom in the beginning, but I felt right at home from the start. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I know my Campus Life experience has greatly contributed to my comfort level.
To give a basic rundown, I teach 18 lessons in a week (45 minutes each), which is the minimum for Peace Corps Volunteers. I teach 8 different classes 2 or 3 times each week. I teach two 6th grade classes (3 times a week each), one 8th grade class (2 times a week), three 10th grade classes (2 times a week each), and two 11th grade classes (2 times a week each). Students here are grouped in classes that take all their lessons together until they graduate. So instead of each student having an individual schedule of different classes with different students, each class has its own schedule with the same students. 11th grade is the last year of high school here, so next year I should have all the same students except for my 11th graders. So I’m really excited that I’ll be with these same students for the next 2 years. It will be rewarding to be able to see their progress, rather than teaching the same things each year to different students.
I absolutely love my students. Of course there are a few who are a pain, but most of them are great, even if they aren’t great at English. I like them, and it seems like they like me! I haven’t had any huge behavioral problems. Huge relief for me, since they could definitely take advantage of my low language skills to give me lots of grief. The biggest problems I have are with students not coming to class and not doing their homework, but not with belligerence or disrespect, which would be much harder to deal with in a foreign language. So I’m grateful! The students are really patient with my bad Kyrgyz, and they don’t seem to be frustrated with me (yet), as I’m sure I would be with a teacher who couldn’t explain things clearly.
Even though the students have been taking English since 1st grade, most of their English levels were about the same (pretty low), so I just decided to start from the very beginning with all of them. It’s nice to have all the students learning the same things at the same time, because it means I only have to plan 2-3 lessons a week! Even that takes me hours on the weekends, so kudos to all those elementary school teachers who write lesson plans for every subject every day (Mom and Dad)! I don’t know how you do it!
I’m definitely learning my English grammar in the process! Some volunteers don’t like to teach grammar, but I don’t know how you can learn a language without it (unless you’re really young). This past month we have tackled pronouns, possessive pronouns and possessive nouns (‘s), immediate family members, simple adjectives (tall, smart, etc.), common professions, and the two killers: to be verb and articles. Kyrgyz doesn’t use the to be verb in the present tense, and they don’t use articles at all, so it’s kind of difficult to explain, and an even bigger hassle to get the students to remember that “Menin apam mugalim (my mom teacher).” Is actually, “My mom IS A teacher.” Really, why do we need these words?? Other languages do fine without them…
My classroom was pretty bare when I walked into it for the first time, but it’s finally starting to look pretty nice. I’ve made homework charts for each class and use stickers to show whether an assignment has been turned in or not—they really like seeing all the stars next to their names. And above that I have the “Super Star” wall for students who do all their homework on time for a month. And then I make charts for the grammar we go over, and put up pictures the students have drawn for homework. I’m becoming more and more please with the look of it as time goes on!
Sometimes it is difficult not having the resources that would be available to me in the States. The books are old texts from the Soviet period and I don’t use them at all, so I’m pretty much writing all my curriculum from scratch (also good practice from Campus Life there!). And we don’t have computers or printers or copiers, which eliminates the possibility of using handouts, and means I have to write everything on the chalkboard (yes, CHALKboard—I hate chalk!) for the students to then write in their notebooks. That can take a while, since I can’t really have anything to give them prepared ahead of time. And since there are no books and no handouts, I have to come up with all the homework on my own and write it on the board at the end of class, which can be a pain and quite time-consuming. Those are my main complaints; it can be frustrating to come up with a great idea for an activity and then realize I don’t have the resources to make it happen. Maybe we can work together to lobby GW School Supply to open a store in Jon-Aryk?? :-)
Grading is another issue. I started out grading students just as they would be graded in the States, on a strict point scale, but was forced to compromise a little bit when I realized about half of my students were failing on that system. Students just don’t fail here—to give a student a D is a huge deal, and is interpreted by the administration as you being a bad teacher. So even though I am not just going to pass everyone to avoid conflict, I knew it wouldn’t be acceptable to give Fs to half my students! So I have had to adjust, and with a painstaking groan, I am giving Cs to students with at least a 50% in my class. Other volunteers have said that is just the way grading is done here, and is probably even more strict than other Kyrgyz teachers. My one holdout is that it is still hard to get an A in my class. You may be able to squeak by with a C at 50%, or get a B at 70%, but you still have to get 90% to get an A. I just couldn’t concede on that point, since there are some students who are really that good, and deserve the prestige of getting a real A.
I know this is already a very long post (making up for lost time? I hope you don’t mind!), but I just have to give one more shout out to my own brilliant 6th grade teacher, who has inspired me to give Homework Passes as awards to exceptional students. Greatest idea ever. So Mrs. Ward, if you’re out there and happen across this blog, thanks to you!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
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