Lisa's Top 20

Here it is! What you’ve all been waiting for! The list of the Top 20 items Lisa has found to be most useful in Kyrgyzstan. Some are necessities, while others are things I use a lot or things I’ve discovered are just great to have around! Most of them I didn’t expect to be so indispensable. I’ve left off the obvious items, such as computer, Bible, deodorant, etc. to avoid being trite. So please don’t send me any hate mail questioning my personal hygiene or the eternal destination of my soul because of items that didn’t make the list :-). Instead, enjoy this small insight into my life and make a mental note for your future trip to Central Asia!

In no particular order (I thought about ordering them, but with such a diverse set of items, it would have been far too difficult)…

Mini MagLite

From that late night (or early morning) trip to the outhouse to the times when the electricity goes out, I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth out of this thing.

Electric Water Heater

Couldn’t live without this! Because we don’t have running water, much less HOT running water, I use this daily for all variety of purposes. Water for hot chocolate, to do the dishes, to wash my hair, to do laundry, and for cooking. While heating water on a hot plate can take 30-45 minutes, this can do the same job in 5. It’s so amazing, I might have to look into getting one in the States!

Down Jacket

This is definitely in the Top 5 most indispensable things I brought from home. I’d never owned anything down before (California, you know), so I had no idea of its amazing warmth. Winter would be miserable without it.

Nalgene Water Bottle

It goes with me everywhere! Volunteers here have a reputation for always carrying around their backpacks and water bottles. Because we can’t drink the tap water and they only sell gas water in Talas, a water bottle is a must-have. I think not having it with me actually triggers thirst, just by the knowledge that I couldn’t drink even if I wanted to.

Outside Shoes

Shoes are a no-no indoors, so everyone’s got a pair of these great, easy-to-slip-on plastic shoes for quick trips outside. Imagine having to tie shoe laces every time you needed to go to the bathroom and you can understand why these are a staple of Kyrgyz life.

Sweat/Athletic Pants

Despite their deceiving name, these are used for the opposite of anything having to do with athleticism or sweat. Pretty much everyday when I come home from school, the first thing I do is change out of whatever I wore to work into one of these pairs of pants. And any day I don’t have to leave the house, this is pretty much what I wear. I don’t know what I’d do without them!

Peanut Butter

Breakfast, lunch, or snack, this is probably my most important food staple. Fortunately, it is available at one small store in Talas city (but I still think the American stuff is better), so I don’t have to worry about going through withdrawal if I were ever to have my supply from packages cut off. That would be ugly…

Tissues

I don’t remember being so addicted to tissues back in the States, but it seems I’m turning into my mom in that I might start hyperventilating in panic if I found I didn’t have a tissue near me. Particularly in winter, I just can’t live without them. I carry them everywhere I go, and have planted them in pretty much every pocket of every coat, sweatshirt, sweater and jacket I own, as well as in several strategic places about my room, so one is always within reaching distance. Am I 26 or 68? What is happening to me?!

iPod Shuffle

I bought my Shuffle right before I left for Kyrgyzstan so I wouldn’t have to bring all my CDs, and because it was a lot cheaper than a real iPod. There are benefit numbers 1 and 2. But I’ve found that it’s cool in so many more ways! First of all, it is also a flash drive and can store data, so I use it to take emails I’ve written ahead of time to the internet café, and to post pictures on my blog. It’s currently also being used for the precious transport of Lost, Season 2 episodes from Chris & Malinda’s computer in Talas to my computer in Jon-Aryk. In addition to all this, the battery charges simply by being plugged into a USB port on any computer. Because it spends plenty of time plugged in, I have never once had the battery die on me. So whether it’s listening to music, sending emails, or transporting files, this thing is an all-purpose wonder. Worth every penny!

Mini-Notebooks

I started to realize the worth of these during the Road Trip with Gloria (Queen of Mini-Notebooks), but they have only become a necessity of life for me this last year and a half in Kyrgyzstan. And, come on, who can’t recognize the benefits of always having paper with you? I use it for writing new words I’ve learned in Kyrgyz, making lists of things I need at the bazaar, writing down new Quotes of the Week, and more.

Chapstick

As with the tissues, I was never one of these people back home who couldn’t go anywhere without chapstick; but I’ve become one in Kyrgyzstan! Every morning when I wake up, it’s just part of the routine: go to the bathroom, eat breakfast, get dressed, put on chapstick. One stays at home and one is always in my backpack.

Toilet Paper

Don’t leave home without it! Seriously, don’t! You never know when you’ll have to go, and whenever or wherever that is, you can be 99% certain there will not be toilet paper there. I don’t know a volunteer who hasn’t made it a habit to carry around TP. If you don’t, you may find yourself using a 5 som bill for that, er, emergency situation…

Slippers/Slipper Socks

They’re just a normal part of winter life. I’ve never appreciated slippers as much as I have here.

Afghan

I didn’t bring this with me, but it was the first package I got from home. I’m so glad Mom took the initiative to send it because not only does it provide warmth in the winter, but it’s also just a cozy reminder of home. From October to March, you’ll usually find me draped in this thing in some way.

Basic English Grammar: "The Betty Book"

I have learned so much from this book! I knew next to nothing about English grammar rules before I started teaching, so this has been a lifeline for me. Now, my 9th grade girls have even started borrowing it from me. One day we were playing an English game at club, and Altynai was asked what her favorite book was. She replied, “Basic English Grammar.” I took the opportunity to teach the word “nerd.”

Bed Lamp

I think this is actually the third one I’ve owned, due to some unfortunate circumstances with the first two (one unfortunate circumstance involved a fire…). I love reading before I go to bed, and I hate having to get up to turn off the light, so this lamp is well-used and well-loved.

Bucket (& Ladle Thing)

Gotta have your buckets! Because we get our water from a well, you just can’t live without buckets. As a rule, I try to keep 2 buckets full of water in my room at all times.

Energizer Lithium Batteries

There aren’t many products I would endorse as enthusiastically as these batteries. Most of you can sympathize with the problem of digital cameras sucking the life out of batteries like nothing else. I had rechargeable batteries for a while, but after over a year, I think I’d pretty much gotten all the life I could out of them. Using normal AA batteries, I could maybe get through a day of sustained camera-use. And then Holly sent me these Energizer Lithium Batteries. The packaging advertised lasting up to 11 times longer than regular batteries in digital cameras. I was quite skeptical of that claim, but it turns out it’s true! I’ve been using these batteries since November and I’m still only on my 2nd pair. That’s 4 months on just 4 batteries. My expectations were not only met, but exceeded! These things are amazing!

Digital Watch

This isn’t something I feel like I couldn’t live without, but it’s just so practical and multi-functional that I use it all the time. Obviously, there’s the telling time factor, but I also use it to time myself when I run (Yes, Coach John, I am still running!), as a timer when I’m cooking, and in the morning to see what time it is because the indiglo on my alarm clock doesn’t work anymore.

Hot Cocoa & Instant Oatmeal

Again, things I could probably live without, but because I don’t have to (thanks to all of you who have been so great at keeping me stocked in these items!), they have become a staple of life here. My life in Kyrgyzstan is happier because of them :-).

Statistics

After 17 months in Kyrgyzstan, I thought it was time to crunch some numbers, so here are some fun facts for ya…

Total Number of Days in Kyrgyzstan 501*
Bottles of Shampoo Used 2
Bottles of Body Wash Used 2
Longest No-Bathing Streak (in days) 24
Months Since I’ve Done Laundry 6**
Times I’ve Thrown Up in an Outhouse 3
Times I’ve Fainted in the Street 1
Dead Mice I’ve Found in my Room 2
Emails From Mom 52
Phone Calls From Kristen 50+/-***
Burger King Whoppers Consumed 1
Feet of Subway Sandwiches Consumed 1
Bottles of Dr. Pepper Consumed 1
Number of Sheep Consumed 123****
Journals Filled 4 ½
Times I’ve Been Asked Why I’m Not Married 1,002****
Times I’ve Been Asked If I’ll Marry a Kyrgyz Boy 974****
Times I’ve Been Offered a Son to Marry 937****


*This number does not include time spent in Norway.
**This does not include underwear, which I promise I do wash regularly! It also doesn’t include the laundry I did in Norway by machine, and the occasional item I wash in the banya.
***More or less every Wednesday since last January
****Rough estimates :-).