Follow-up post: 2 of 4

As promised, I'm returning to post another list and photo album. Photos first!

Kyrgyzstan, Volume II

This album, Kyrgyzstan: Volume II (again, also available on Facebook), consists of photos taken during AIESEC KG's social development project, which I've talked about several times in previous posts. The idea of the project is to take two groups of kids, 9 orphans and 9 school children, and have them attend a week's worth of training sessions, designed and lead by me, which are intended to help them build professional skills. The project began with an opening conference, then there were four days of trainings (each day's lesson focusing on a different topic), and finishied with a closing conference. At closing conference, all of our sponsors came together and watched the two groups of kids demonstrate what they'd learned by presenting a proposed solution to a particular social problem we asked them to hypothetically work on. Not only do the kids get to see first-hand that young people are capable of promoting change (because the project itself was completely planned and executed by university students), but the students and sponsors alike are able to see that no matter what your background is, all young people have the potential to learn and be successful.

The second half of the photos are various sights, buildings and monuments around Bishkek.

As for the list part, I'd like to introduce...

What I learned in KG
-how to make friends despite language barriers
-how to make the Kyrgyz national bread, borshok
-how to just close my eyes and eat it
-how to teach someone who doesn't fully understand English a new card game
-how to count in Russian
-how to gracefully decline more food or tea
-how to wash my clothes by hand
-how to navigate around the city by minibus
-how to read and write in the cyrrilic alphabet
-how to draw a picture of just about any concept
-how to dress like a local
-how to tell the difference between chinese-made products, and those of quality at the bazar
-how to make salad
-how to pick a bone completely clean of meat
-how to fix my shoes with superglue
-how to use European cell phones
-how to buy food from street vendors
-how to respectfully pretend that I'm praying too
-how to distinguish other travelers from locals I see on the street
-how to appreciate hip hop/R&M music, and MTV hits
-how to explain complicated things using very simple language
-how to not be intimidated by students who are older than me
-how to make a joke across language barriers
-how to try on clothes behind a blanket while shopping at the bazar
-how to tolerate peoples' habitual tardiness
-how to do something that wasn't necessarily planned out beforehand
-how to take a cold spit bath without even thinking to complain
-how to plan and deliver sessions on Team Building, Critical Thinking, CV Writing and Public Speaking
-how to give a speech with almost no forewarning
-how to provide encouragement, even when I myself am not feeling too optimistic
-how to lay-off Facebook a bit
-how to make a phone call from overseas
-how to quicly and efficiently determine a new student's speaking level for English
-how to serve tea
-how to cook on a gas stove that only has two settings, on or off
-how to deal with last-minute changes in plans, without being phased
-how to cross the street anywhere, any time, without being anxious or afraid
-how to use power adapters
-how to pee standing up (you guys can't imagine what public toilets here are like, even if I try to explain them)
-how to charm gamburger vendors into putting more meat on my sandwich
-when do take advantage of a good deal, and how to tell if somebody's trying to gouge me
-how to not feel guilty about not tipping a waiter
-how to let people to out of their way to help me
-how to make a good impression on somebody, even if they can't understand me
-how to tolerate extreme heat and no A/C
-how to walk long distances in uncomfortable shoes

It's a lot of small everyday things, but at one point or another they all presented a challenge for me. Next time I won't have to sweat the smal stuff.

Tune in later amigos.

Follow-up post: 1 of 4

Well I've been home for a few days, and I think it's about time I posted some of the materials I promised you earlier. Today it's a photo album called "Kyrgyzstan, Volume 1" (also available on Facebook, if you use Facebook).

Kyrgyzstan, Volume I

Just click on the picture and it ought to lead you to one of my Picasa albums (complete with captions!). Let me know if this is easy to use. Personally, I never could figure out how to post photos directly to the blog, but I'll think of something better than this if you guys have a tough time viewing the pictures. This first album (there will be three) contains photos of:
A) my host home
B) the American Courses school where I taught
C) a day trip I took into the mountains with some of the other teachers and students from American Courses
D) my friend Marat's house, and
E) pictures from various AIESEC get-togethers

The second part of today's post is a list I like to call, "Irritating Things About Kyrgyzstan". I started keeping this list after a friend of mine, Rebecca (who lovingly refers to this country as 'Krapistan') asked me to record all the little things that get me down every day. That way when I come home she and I could lounge around by the pool and talk about them, and she'd feel better about having to spend a summer without seeing me, knowing that it wasn't a paradise full of sunshine and daisies on my end. In general I don't like to dwell on negative stuff (especially since most of these things stopped bothering me after about three weeks). BUT I think this list provides an interesting collection of tidbits about Kyrgyzstan that I wouldn't have otherwise thought to mention. So without further ado, I give you:

Irritating Things About Kyrgyzstan
-there is no chap stick
-the internet is sloooooow
-if you spend more than 20 minutes outdoors, you end up getting really dirty
-there is a lot of dust in the air
-most people have no air conditioning, despite the hot weather
-Kyrgyz food is sort of plain
-I have to eat a lot of the same dishes over and over
-I can't drive
-all coffee is instant coffee
-the phones work differently, dial tones sound funny and phone numbers consist of 10 digits
-I'm the tallest girl I know
-I'm also taller than quite a few men I know
-I feel like everyone is thinner than I am
-my feet are always dirty
-I have to watch where I step because roads are sidewalks are full of bumps and potholes
-drivers don't follow traffic rules
-people never wear their seat belts
-most people have no washing machine, and you have to wash your clothes by hand
-even those who DO have a washing machine don't have a dryer
-Diet Coke is called Coka-Cola Light
-toilet paper is exactly like brown crepe paper
-the government in corrupt
-people are really flighty
-nothing ever goes as planned
-bribing cops, teachers, and other official people is commonplace, and even expected
-it is impossible to find tampons

That's about as far as I got. Hopefully though, you found this list interesting, and the photos too. If there's anything you want to comment on or ask a particular question about, just respond back to the post and I'll do my best to explain in more detail, or to tell a story that relates to your question.

Tune in later Amigos.

Goodness how time flies

Here I am again. Day after tomorrow my Kyrgyz Adventures are officially over (for now, anyway). This summer went by fast. I guess everything adds up quickly when you're counting. Today Yulya and Olia invited me to a networking event for AIESEC at the American University of Central Asia. It was some kind of conference organized by Opera (the net browser people), and a bunch of local student organizations and businesses were invited. That's where I met Chee, a new member of the AIESEC Kyrgyzstan MC (national staff). Chee is from Malaysia, and she's been in Bishkek for about a week, so I offered to show her around the city a bit.

Chee is in culture shock mode right now; she isn't all too fond of this place yet. She reminds me a lot of me two months ago. Was I that whiney though, when I was new? I can't really be too hard on her - after all she's just adjusting. But it's strange for me to look back and remember how angsty and uncertain everything was at first. Now I feel like I belong here – I’m getting ready to leave, and wondering how long it will be before I can come back.

And I will come back. Why? Because if I don't then it will be like this was just some vacation. And to me it was more than that. Why else? Well because they asked me to. My host mother and my friends in AIESEC, and my students and the other teachers I worked with... They all want to know the same thing: "Will you come back to Kyrgyzstan?" And to each person my answer is the same, "Yes, I think I will. I like this place. Maybe next summer or fall, after I graduate. It all depends on if and when I can afford a plane ticket, but I promise you will know when I'm in town."

I had a good summer. I can't pretend though that I'm not ready to leave. I'm at a good stopping point, because I’m beginning to outgrow my place here. At this moment I play a few different roles: That of a traveler, that of a teacher, that of a guest... As a guest, I think I'm ready to move out. While I'm hugely grateful to my host family for all they’ve taught me, next time I come to KG I will probably rent a flat with friends - for all the same reasons that I prefer to live away from home in Texas. I'd rather not have to answer to anybody about where I'm going and when I'll be back, or whether my behavior will affect some sort of family unit. I like the freedom of being young and unattached, and I like taking responsibility for myself.

Mama, Aida, Kanykei and Akmaral have shown me a more traditional Kyrgyz life, the kind that most travelers never get to experience first-hand. I've eaten all the national Kyrgyz foods, and even had the chance to entertain guests the way real Kyrgyz people do. They've shown me how to feed myself and how to cook a little. They've helped me learn some of the nuances of cleaning that would have baffled me before (like how to sweep the carpet, since there’s no vacuum cleaner). I would not have been able to learn these things as easily if I'd lived with students this summer. So again, I’m grateful for my living situation this summer. And most importantly, I've gained a family. Another one. I think now I’m up to three?

As a teacher, I’m anxious to get home and get trained up. Most people study theory then do their practice. For me things happened the other way around. I've been running out of lessons for my talking clubs lately, and I want an opportunity to study and practice English in another capacity. I want to talk to other teachers, read websites, build my repertoire. I want to learn things in other contexts that I might one day apply back to this one.

I’m also ready to go home and start working on recruitment for English teaching internships in Bishkek. I want to get started on the assignment Kanybek and Jeff have given me: find us more American interns. I'll essentially be building up my own mini exchange program, or else figuring out how to do this through AIESEC without letting it drag everything down. Recruiting through AIESEC would make the entire process slower, more expensive, and more frustrating for everyone involved (versus just recruiting directly for American Courses). But having the backing of an international organization will boost my credibility AND that of MK International. Either way I’ll have to get to work talking to the International Studies Department, Study Abroad Office, Russian Language Department, Student Life… I'd like to try my hand at networking and selling.

As a traveler? I need to move on to a more realistic lifestyle. For example, if I’m going to work and live in a foreign city, I need to speak the language. When I came here I thought I would just absorb Russian like fresh air or something. But it’s turned out to be a lot tougher than that, and it's starting to get embarrassing that I can't communicate in the local language. I mean I've picked up a lot of vocabulary here and there, and I can now read and spell with the cyrrylic alphabet, but that's about it. In order to gain some understanding of grammar, and how to make this language functional in my life, I need some sort of structure – I need a teacher who knows what they’re doing, and books, and stuff like that. At home I’ll have easier access to that kind of thing. Or if not, then the Peace Corps will teach me Russian…

Also, I need to start seriously considering how to budget myself. This summer I didn’t have to worry about money at all. Living in a host home meant I didn’t have to pay rent, and I hardly ever had to buy food. I made money from my job, but not enough to actually support myself if I needed to. So all my earnings, plus the money I brought with me, went directly to shopping, souvenirs, hanging out at cafes and clubs, and other frivolities. For a summer that’s fine, but if I ever plan to spend more than three months in Kyrgyzstan I’ll have to consider my financial options.

Oy, so much to think about! And HOLY CRAP will this be a cool year, after I do get back to the States. I’m gonna graduate next spring – soon I’ll be a real grown-up. It’s exciting, thinking about what comes next. I have a good solid group of friends in College Station, and a good solid set of interests and activities. I’m well connected in both Houston and Austin, I have decent grades, I will get my Aggie ring, I’ll be turning 21 soon. Everything is in place for me to make this year really count. And I’ve got a plan, I’ve got options. I have so many directions I can go with my life, and this summer has only focused my sights.

All in all, I’m thinking positive. My next several posts will include pictures (I’ve taken somewhere close to 400), and lists (‘irritating things about Kyrgyzstan’, ‘what I’ve learned’, and ‘memorable moments’). I realize that towards the second half of this summer I kinda quit talking about specific experiences, and tended to take a more reflective tone with these posts. That’s why I want to give you guys photos and lists. You’ll have the opportunity to take a scan and say, “That. What happened there? Tell me the story with that?”. Then I can fill you in :)

I can’t wait to see all you guys! I can’t wait to eat hamburgers again! I can’t wait to drive a car and go to the mall! BAH I’m so excited!

Tune in later amigos.