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!
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