Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Makeover Madness!
Last Monday, I had my girls over to my place for something very girly—a makeover party! It all started a couple weeks ago when they asked to learn make-up vocabulary during club. So I thought it would be fun to get together and make each other over. We had hair, nail, and face stations; and of course, no makeover party would be complete without before and after pictures! Enjoy the pics of my girls—beautiful with make-up and without.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The Mile
The saying goes that you can’t really understand a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. I think we can all appreciate the value of having someone with whom to share life’s experiences, someone who can identify with the road we’re walking because they’ve walked it themselves. I’m so grateful to be blessed with a friend who flew 13 thousand miles across the world to walk that mile with me!
Just as a refresher for some of you who may not know, Gloria and I met about 4 years ago when we were placed together as roommates during our semester studying in Washington, D.C. Following graduation, we embarked together on the Great North American Road Trip—2 months of driving through the United States and Canada. So we’ve had our share of adventures, and our time in Kyrgyzstan together was quite another notable one!
Gloria arrived in Bishkek early in the morning (after 4 days of traveling and 10 hours in the Moscow airport) on Friday, July 13th. That first day was so exciting, and so long (waking up at 4am will do that to a day)! We spent hours just talking, only to look at the clock and find that while we thought it had to be early afternoon it was still only 10am. The next couple days were filled with Bishkek adventures—eating at my favorite restaurants, meeting a few volunteers and other Bishkek friends, visiting the Peace Corps office, and seeing the biggest bazaar in Kyrgyzstan. I think the most “Kyrgyzstan” thing that happened was while we were walking through an underground shop area that was being whitewashed. The man who was whitewashing wasn’t paying us (or anyone) much attention and accidentally sprayed Gloria with some of the paint he was using. Of course, this didn’t phase him at all! He went right on whitewashing as if nothing had happened while Gloria stood gawking at her now white-speckled clothes, shoes, and arm. Ah, Kyrgyzstan—you gotta love it!
On Sunday we headed out on the real adventure to Talas. On the way, we stopped at one of the many yurts in the mountains so Gloria could experience the national drink kymyz (fermented mares’ milk—yum!). Ironically, though we were still 3 hours from my village, it just so happened that we stopped at the yurt where my host grandmother was vacationing. So we had a nice little family reunion as we sat in the yurt and sipped our bowls of mares’ milk.
Then we had a week in Talas of village life. Things like outhouses, pumping water from our well, cooking with just one pot and pan, washing dishes in a big blue basin, and the highlight—watching the cows come home in the evening. Gloria was able to meet my precious girls and help me with English clubs. We spent a night with Jess & Joe in Talas city and did all the important city things like riding the famous Talas rollercoaster! We went out to another village where Gloria was able to meet almost all the Talas volunteers, take pictures with the Lenin dam, and see the Kirovka reservoir. Later in the week, we visited the most famous Talas landmark—Manas Ordo, where the national hero Manas is said to be buried. We had lunch with my wonderful British friends Duncan & Helen, and finally, we visited Besh Tash, a Kyrgyz national park. Basically, we did Talas!
Then, all too soon, it was time to head back to Bishkek and say goodbye. I’m so thankful for the huge blessing it was to share Kyrgyzstan, Talas, Jon-Aryk, my Peace Corps life with Gloria. For her willingness to walk with me, to see the sights, smell the smells, hear the sounds. It’s hard to put it all in one short blog post, but her visit was a significantly meaningful part of my experience here. Now there is someone from home who can truly identify with my life these past 2 years. And just one person—that’s all I really needed. Now when I go home, I will have someone to assure me that it wasn’t all a dream :-). Gloria, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can’t wait for the next adventure!
Just as a refresher for some of you who may not know, Gloria and I met about 4 years ago when we were placed together as roommates during our semester studying in Washington, D.C. Following graduation, we embarked together on the Great North American Road Trip—2 months of driving through the United States and Canada. So we’ve had our share of adventures, and our time in Kyrgyzstan together was quite another notable one!
Gloria arrived in Bishkek early in the morning (after 4 days of traveling and 10 hours in the Moscow airport) on Friday, July 13th. That first day was so exciting, and so long (waking up at 4am will do that to a day)! We spent hours just talking, only to look at the clock and find that while we thought it had to be early afternoon it was still only 10am. The next couple days were filled with Bishkek adventures—eating at my favorite restaurants, meeting a few volunteers and other Bishkek friends, visiting the Peace Corps office, and seeing the biggest bazaar in Kyrgyzstan. I think the most “Kyrgyzstan” thing that happened was while we were walking through an underground shop area that was being whitewashed. The man who was whitewashing wasn’t paying us (or anyone) much attention and accidentally sprayed Gloria with some of the paint he was using. Of course, this didn’t phase him at all! He went right on whitewashing as if nothing had happened while Gloria stood gawking at her now white-speckled clothes, shoes, and arm. Ah, Kyrgyzstan—you gotta love it!
On Sunday we headed out on the real adventure to Talas. On the way, we stopped at one of the many yurts in the mountains so Gloria could experience the national drink kymyz (fermented mares’ milk—yum!). Ironically, though we were still 3 hours from my village, it just so happened that we stopped at the yurt where my host grandmother was vacationing. So we had a nice little family reunion as we sat in the yurt and sipped our bowls of mares’ milk.
Then we had a week in Talas of village life. Things like outhouses, pumping water from our well, cooking with just one pot and pan, washing dishes in a big blue basin, and the highlight—watching the cows come home in the evening. Gloria was able to meet my precious girls and help me with English clubs. We spent a night with Jess & Joe in Talas city and did all the important city things like riding the famous Talas rollercoaster! We went out to another village where Gloria was able to meet almost all the Talas volunteers, take pictures with the Lenin dam, and see the Kirovka reservoir. Later in the week, we visited the most famous Talas landmark—Manas Ordo, where the national hero Manas is said to be buried. We had lunch with my wonderful British friends Duncan & Helen, and finally, we visited Besh Tash, a Kyrgyz national park. Basically, we did Talas!
Then, all too soon, it was time to head back to Bishkek and say goodbye. I’m so thankful for the huge blessing it was to share Kyrgyzstan, Talas, Jon-Aryk, my Peace Corps life with Gloria. For her willingness to walk with me, to see the sights, smell the smells, hear the sounds. It’s hard to put it all in one short blog post, but her visit was a significantly meaningful part of my experience here. Now there is someone from home who can truly identify with my life these past 2 years. And just one person—that’s all I really needed. Now when I go home, I will have someone to assure me that it wasn’t all a dream :-). Gloria, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can’t wait for the next adventure!
The cows coming home. They come home every evening at dusk, and the coolest thing is that they know exactly where to go and they can't be rushed. They all know how to get home, and if their ownders aren't waiting for them when they get there, they'll 'moo' to let them know they've arrived. It's so cool to watch!
Gloria in her pink shirt and matching pink outside shoes that I bought for her before she came. She said these were some of the things she was most glad she had in my village. If anyone else comes to visit before I leave, I promise you a pair of these beauties, too! You have your choice of a variety of colors, such as purple, pink, white... okay, maybe that's it :-)
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Summer Camp!
This summer my girls are learning phrasal verbs, and ever since I taught them “look forward to,” they couldn’t stop saying how much they were looking forward to summer camp! And it did not disappoint. The 3rd Annual Talas Summer Camp, from July 2-6, was a great success.
Of course, for the Talas volunteers, summer camp started long before July 2. We started the planning in April, and it’s actually pretty amazing that we were able to pull it off in just 3 months! (Note to future camp organizers: start the planning EARLY!) This year, we decided to do an overnight camp, which hugely multiplies the time, effort, planning, money, and responsibility involved. We had a great group working together to make it all happen from the beginning, but as the Camp Director this year, the bulk of responsibility fell on my shoulders, especially in the weeks right before camp after Chris & Malinda left. But I have to say that as much work as it was, I really enjoyed myself! There were certainly times in the week before camp that I just wanted to press “pause” and take a vacation, but overall, this kind of director work energizes and motivates me—just give me something to plan and I’m happy! :-)
Once camp actually started, things were so well-planned that there were very few issues or problems that arose, and though it was exhausting just being responsible for 50 students 24 hours a day, it really wasn’t actually that difficult to run things. Like I said before, we had an amazing team of 27 volunteers (all 12 Talasians, 7 volunteers who came in from other oblasts, and 8 local university student translators) who were always on top of things and efficiently fulfilling each of their individual responsibilities. So with so many great people, my work during camp was pretty easy! Just making sure everything was running smoothly and troubleshooting when issues arose. It was fun!
So what exactly did camp consist of? We had 50 students from 10 different villages in Talas (each volunteer chose 5-7 of his/her best students to attend) all gathered at “Camp Barchin” in the forest about 30 minutes outside Talas city for 5 days and 4 nights. Each day had a different theme, which usually began with morning sessions on that theme and then arts & crafts and sports in the afternoon. Free time until dinner, and then each night we had a special evening activity, such as Capture the Flag, Bonfire & Smores, and a Disco (the students LOVE their discos!). The first day was the Welcome & Team-Building day. We broke the students up into 6 teams and they each had to come up with a team name, flag and cheer. We also had a ropes course of different team-building activities (trust fall, etc.), which was one of the most successful activities of the whole camp. The second day was Gender & Diversity day. This day we were fortunate to have 4 locals give sessions on Dating, Relationships & Marriage, Bride-Kidnapping, and Women in the Workplace. They were all incredible and really inspired our students. In the afternoon we had an activity and discussion about prejudice & stereotypes, which was quite instructive. One of my students said she’d never heard of stereotypes before, and now she sees that they are bad and she doesn’t want to perpetuate them. Woohoo! That’s why we do these camps :-).
The third day was the Fourth of July, so we just spent the whole day playing. Relay races, watermelon eating contests, and the beginning of the kickball tournament! The students had a blast, and my girls even presented us with a special gift: a flag they’d sown with the American flag on one side and the Kyrgyz flag on the other. That’s something I will treasure forever. Day 4 was Health, which was also one of our best days session-wise. In the morning we split up the girls and guys for sex education, trying to clear up a lot of the myths and misconceptions on the topic. We also had mini-sessions on Stress, Nutrition, and Smoking that the students really enjoyed. I don’t think many students here are taught about stress and how to deal with it, so it was really informative. My girls are still telling me stories of how they’ve dealt with recent stressful situations based on the things they learned in that session. Again, it’s so exciting to see things they were taught at camp impacting their everyday lives!
The last day was basically just cleaning up and goodbyes. We presented each team with special awards and each student took home a certificate, and by 3:30, they were all gone! None of the students wanted to leave, but they all left smiling, so I count that a great success. By Friday, all the volunteers were absolutely exhausted and glad it was over, but very proud of the week. We enjoyed a much needed rest and letting loose that evening, and then headed out to our respective villages Saturday morning.
For me, camp was gratifying not only because I know my students had a blast and learned some valuable things, but also because I was personally reminded that I am a good leader and I like leading. It had been a while since I’d been in charge of something like this before, and while the responsibility was a bit overwhelming at times, it also felt good to be in that place again. Several volunteers affirmed afterwards that they thought I’d done a great job as the director, stayed calm under stress, and treated everyone with courtesy and respect. For those things I’m really proud. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me that week; I could sense a special peace and confidence from God upon me, carrying me through and sustaining me. It was certainly one of the single most rewarding weeks of my Peace Corps service. It was great, and now I’m glad it’s over and life has returned to a slightly more normal pace :-).
Next… Gloria’s Visit!
Of course, for the Talas volunteers, summer camp started long before July 2. We started the planning in April, and it’s actually pretty amazing that we were able to pull it off in just 3 months! (Note to future camp organizers: start the planning EARLY!) This year, we decided to do an overnight camp, which hugely multiplies the time, effort, planning, money, and responsibility involved. We had a great group working together to make it all happen from the beginning, but as the Camp Director this year, the bulk of responsibility fell on my shoulders, especially in the weeks right before camp after Chris & Malinda left. But I have to say that as much work as it was, I really enjoyed myself! There were certainly times in the week before camp that I just wanted to press “pause” and take a vacation, but overall, this kind of director work energizes and motivates me—just give me something to plan and I’m happy! :-)
Once camp actually started, things were so well-planned that there were very few issues or problems that arose, and though it was exhausting just being responsible for 50 students 24 hours a day, it really wasn’t actually that difficult to run things. Like I said before, we had an amazing team of 27 volunteers (all 12 Talasians, 7 volunteers who came in from other oblasts, and 8 local university student translators) who were always on top of things and efficiently fulfilling each of their individual responsibilities. So with so many great people, my work during camp was pretty easy! Just making sure everything was running smoothly and troubleshooting when issues arose. It was fun!
So what exactly did camp consist of? We had 50 students from 10 different villages in Talas (each volunteer chose 5-7 of his/her best students to attend) all gathered at “Camp Barchin” in the forest about 30 minutes outside Talas city for 5 days and 4 nights. Each day had a different theme, which usually began with morning sessions on that theme and then arts & crafts and sports in the afternoon. Free time until dinner, and then each night we had a special evening activity, such as Capture the Flag, Bonfire & Smores, and a Disco (the students LOVE their discos!). The first day was the Welcome & Team-Building day. We broke the students up into 6 teams and they each had to come up with a team name, flag and cheer. We also had a ropes course of different team-building activities (trust fall, etc.), which was one of the most successful activities of the whole camp. The second day was Gender & Diversity day. This day we were fortunate to have 4 locals give sessions on Dating, Relationships & Marriage, Bride-Kidnapping, and Women in the Workplace. They were all incredible and really inspired our students. In the afternoon we had an activity and discussion about prejudice & stereotypes, which was quite instructive. One of my students said she’d never heard of stereotypes before, and now she sees that they are bad and she doesn’t want to perpetuate them. Woohoo! That’s why we do these camps :-).
The third day was the Fourth of July, so we just spent the whole day playing. Relay races, watermelon eating contests, and the beginning of the kickball tournament! The students had a blast, and my girls even presented us with a special gift: a flag they’d sown with the American flag on one side and the Kyrgyz flag on the other. That’s something I will treasure forever. Day 4 was Health, which was also one of our best days session-wise. In the morning we split up the girls and guys for sex education, trying to clear up a lot of the myths and misconceptions on the topic. We also had mini-sessions on Stress, Nutrition, and Smoking that the students really enjoyed. I don’t think many students here are taught about stress and how to deal with it, so it was really informative. My girls are still telling me stories of how they’ve dealt with recent stressful situations based on the things they learned in that session. Again, it’s so exciting to see things they were taught at camp impacting their everyday lives!
The last day was basically just cleaning up and goodbyes. We presented each team with special awards and each student took home a certificate, and by 3:30, they were all gone! None of the students wanted to leave, but they all left smiling, so I count that a great success. By Friday, all the volunteers were absolutely exhausted and glad it was over, but very proud of the week. We enjoyed a much needed rest and letting loose that evening, and then headed out to our respective villages Saturday morning.
For me, camp was gratifying not only because I know my students had a blast and learned some valuable things, but also because I was personally reminded that I am a good leader and I like leading. It had been a while since I’d been in charge of something like this before, and while the responsibility was a bit overwhelming at times, it also felt good to be in that place again. Several volunteers affirmed afterwards that they thought I’d done a great job as the director, stayed calm under stress, and treated everyone with courtesy and respect. For those things I’m really proud. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me that week; I could sense a special peace and confidence from God upon me, carrying me through and sustaining me. It was certainly one of the single most rewarding weeks of my Peace Corps service. It was great, and now I’m glad it’s over and life has returned to a slightly more normal pace :-).
Next… Gloria’s Visit!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Goodbye Chris & Malinda!
Well, the past month and a half have been crazy busy! I never expected summer “vacation” to be so full, yet it seems that things have been going non-stop ever since school got out. On one hand, it’s been great—time has been flying by and now I’m just about 3 months from coming home! On the other hand, I’ve been really bad at communicating despite the fact that there’s been lots to communicate about! So to remedy that while trying not to overwhelm you with one gargantuan blog post, over the next couple weeks, I’m going to write three posts about the biggest events of the summer so far—even though it’s almost all old news by now! (1) Goodbye Chris & Malinda, (2) Summer Camp, and (3) Gloria’s Visit. So to begin… Goodbye Chris & Malinda!
On June 19, Talas said goodbye to two of its most loved volunteers—Chris & Malinda. Over the past year or so, they had become my closest Peace Corps friends, and it was really hard to see them go. I really value the relationship I’ve developed with them, the great, open conversations we had, and the fun times we shared. I didn’t quite realize how close we’d become until I tried to imagine Talas without them. So the first half of June was largely consumed with taking advantage of our last weeks together and saying goodbye. The good news is that they’re moving to San Francisco where Malinda will be attending grad school, so they’ll be my neighbors again soon :-).
So, in true Talas style (Talas is really special because the volunteers actually do things together and we all like each other!), we had a fabulous going away party the weekend before they left. It started with a kickball game out at the stadium (Team Discovery started strong, but Team Oxygen had a late surge and won in the end), and then dinner at Koktom—our favorite Talas café. After dinner we played a rousing game of “What You Don’t Know May Kill You”—a trivia game where we each submitted questions about ourselves in different categories, and the girls answered questions about the guys and vice versa. A game full of fun facts, like which volunteer has wiped with snow, who came home from his childhood babysitter’s house smelling like curry, and who cried the first time she used an outhouse. The boys won, but it was close!
After our time at Koktom, we went back to Jess & Joe’s apartment for the highlight of the evening—the 1st Annual Talasticle Awards Ceremony (modeled after The Office’s Dundies)! Jess & Joe and Chris & Malinda had worked hard putting together awards for each Talas Volunteer. Most of the awards were based on inside jokes that would require a bit of explanation for them to be funny to anyone else… so I won’t bore you with those J. But I assure you, it was one of the funniest hours I’ve ever spent in Kyrgyzstan! I received the “Wanna Get It On With Sayeed” Award because of LOST and a Sayeed dream I once had… All I have to say about that is, You, too, Malinda! You, too!
It was a great celebration not just of Chris & Malinda, but of Talas. We have some really great volunteers in this oblast and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
I was also fortunate to be able to accompany C&M to Bishkek three days before they left the country and spend those last few days with them. We enjoyed our time together right to the end when they got in the taxi to the airport at 1am. I’m really grateful for all the great memories and for our friendship that began in Kyrgyzstan, but will continue long after. Here’s to San Francisco in a few months!
Next… Talas Summer Camp!
P.S. I'm in the process of responding to lots of emails. If you've written me, I will write you back eventually! :-)
On June 19, Talas said goodbye to two of its most loved volunteers—Chris & Malinda. Over the past year or so, they had become my closest Peace Corps friends, and it was really hard to see them go. I really value the relationship I’ve developed with them, the great, open conversations we had, and the fun times we shared. I didn’t quite realize how close we’d become until I tried to imagine Talas without them. So the first half of June was largely consumed with taking advantage of our last weeks together and saying goodbye. The good news is that they’re moving to San Francisco where Malinda will be attending grad school, so they’ll be my neighbors again soon :-).
So, in true Talas style (Talas is really special because the volunteers actually do things together and we all like each other!), we had a fabulous going away party the weekend before they left. It started with a kickball game out at the stadium (Team Discovery started strong, but Team Oxygen had a late surge and won in the end), and then dinner at Koktom—our favorite Talas café. After dinner we played a rousing game of “What You Don’t Know May Kill You”—a trivia game where we each submitted questions about ourselves in different categories, and the girls answered questions about the guys and vice versa. A game full of fun facts, like which volunteer has wiped with snow, who came home from his childhood babysitter’s house smelling like curry, and who cried the first time she used an outhouse. The boys won, but it was close!
After our time at Koktom, we went back to Jess & Joe’s apartment for the highlight of the evening—the 1st Annual Talasticle Awards Ceremony (modeled after The Office’s Dundies)! Jess & Joe and Chris & Malinda had worked hard putting together awards for each Talas Volunteer. Most of the awards were based on inside jokes that would require a bit of explanation for them to be funny to anyone else… so I won’t bore you with those J. But I assure you, it was one of the funniest hours I’ve ever spent in Kyrgyzstan! I received the “Wanna Get It On With Sayeed” Award because of LOST and a Sayeed dream I once had… All I have to say about that is, You, too, Malinda! You, too!
It was a great celebration not just of Chris & Malinda, but of Talas. We have some really great volunteers in this oblast and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
I was also fortunate to be able to accompany C&M to Bishkek three days before they left the country and spend those last few days with them. We enjoyed our time together right to the end when they got in the taxi to the airport at 1am. I’m really grateful for all the great memories and for our friendship that began in Kyrgyzstan, but will continue long after. Here’s to San Francisco in a few months!
Next… Talas Summer Camp!
P.S. I'm in the process of responding to lots of emails. If you've written me, I will write you back eventually! :-)
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