Hanukkah and Looking Forward to the Holiday Season

[Once again a double post! Enjoy!]

Living abroad is exciting. Being an expat is fabulous! But it’s not without sacrifices and pain. How can I not long for my family, friends and the familiar during the holidays?

Now that Hanukkah is here I think most vividly of Hanukkah last year when I was living in LA and my aunt’s and uncle’s home was at the height of reconstruction. Dust was everywhere. We only had a microwave to reheat latkes and chicken soup. My friend David joined us and my aunt made sure he had a present too. This year I celebrated only night 3 of Hanukkah but I made it count!

A shout out to all my Dallas friends – I brought back the Latke Bar!

As you can see in the picture, this year was not about your average Latkes.
-For the traditionalist we had the The Original (just potatoes)
-Because we all miss Mexican food The Taco Latke (chilies and Taco seasoning).
-For the adventurers The Health Nut (green radish, carrots, spinach and curry, sans potato). This one turned out great! It reminded me of a snack from India’s Sweet and Spice on Venice in Culver City.
-Our toppings were also a mix – homemade applesauce (mashed the apples myself!), sour cream and pico de gallo! We can get great cilantro here.

Everyone was really gracious and excited to celebrate the holiday too. They learned about Hanukkah as kids but never celebrated it. My only regrets are that we didn’t make more latkes and we didn't have dreidels!!

It’s also strange how cultures adopt each others traditions. For the Muslims in Kyrgyzstan a “Christmas Tree” is erected on New Years and a man dressed like Santa Claus is the equivalent of Father Time! I don’t know where this tradition comes from – Was it way for the Soviet’s to remove religion from the tradition or a recent capitalist invention? I need to do more research. In any case, the grocery store next to my house is decked out in Christmas/New Years decorations and in a way it’s comforting. It’s just enough to feel festive and familiar but not overbearing. I certainly don’t miss the malls of America right now!

I’m also very excited to say Aaron and I will be spending Christmas in London and New Years in Paris! I’ve never been to either city and I can’t wait to see themI do plan on cooking dinner Christmas Eve (all my Atlanta, TX favorites) and then maybe we’ll go out for Chinese on Christmas Day. ! If you have any suggestions of great little hidden gems in either city, please send them along!

Happy Holidays!

Wrapping Up Thanksgiving

I’ve spent Thanksgiving away from family but I’ve never been abroad during the holidays. This year I didn’t watch Jennifer baking Mama Tine’s cornbread for dressing or Julia making asparagus casserole or Brooke adding apricot jam to the cranberry sauce or Mark making drinks or Dad and my brothers sneaking bites of the ham or Amy whipping the cream for ambrosia or Mom making her sweet potato casserole or Jessica chasing Hudson through the kitchen or Susan advising with her 3 ring binder of recipes or Pamela breaking open the boxed wine or Papa OJ observing all the organized chaos from the kitchen table.

What I did have was 15 wonderful expats who each brought their own tradition to the Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays so I knew ahead of time there were certain dishes I needed to make the holiday complete. Luckily I have very generous friends and family at home who understood that too.

A BIG shout out to my parents, my aunts Julia and Pamela, my cousin Gretchen and my friends Julie and Oren for their awesome care packages!

So what dish did I contribute to Thanksgiving Kyrgyzstan 2007? One of my top 3 favorites….. Sweet Potato Casserole. For the un-initiated, SPC is mashed sweet potatoes mixed with butter and brown sugar then topped with marshmallows. The marshmallows are added the last 5-10 minutes of baking and come out of the oven golden, puffy and just a touch crunchy around the edges. Oh- it’s heaven! See the picture? Doesn’t it just look like heaven? I bet you are wondering why a whole edge is missing? That’s a story for later….

By the morning of Thanksgiving only Cousin Gretchen’s box had arrived. The can of sweet potatoes she sent only served 5 people but 3x that were expected at our dinner. I fretted to my friend Becky about what to do! How do I satisfy 15 people with this one can? Then it hit me….. what also tastes good with brown sugar, butter and sweet potatoes? APPLES! So I bought a kilo of pretty red apples (6 large ones) and took them home to make an applesauce to combine with the potatoes. Becky peeled while I grated. I mixed in the same proportions of brown sugar and butter the SPC recipe called for and 30 minutes later had a nice mixture. It tasted just like apple pie. I feared overpowering the potatoes with the flavor of apples so I mixed it in 1 cup at a time. 3 cups later I had tripled the recipe and you couldn’t even taste the secret ingredient.

When I got to Colin’s the stove was occupied with the turkey. Yes. We have turkeys in Kyrgyzstan. And they are delicious! Of course the turkey took longer to roast than expected so when it was time for me to bake the SPC, it was also time for Becky to reheat her green been casserole and for Theo to cook the stuffing.

Colin’s oven is half the size of an American oven and contained only one baking rack. So, how are 3 people supposed to cook their dishes at once??

Peace Corps volunteers are nothing if not resourceful. Theo found a couple of pairs of chopsticks so we stacked each pot on top of the next and used the chopsticks to separate them. We only had a couple of mishaps. First Becky removed all 3 dishes at once and her casserole fell into my SPC. That was before the marshmallows were added so no harm was done. Then when it was time to remove my dish…..I got a little excited and the puffy golden marshmallows crashed with the edge of the oven. That is why my SPC is smiling.

During dinner Becky was the only one who knew of the secret ingredient. I kept asking everyone what they thought of the casserole – especially since it’s not a traditional dish at every Thanksgiving – and everyone thought it delicious! After it was all gone I spilled the beans. I know I came off a little bit boastful but I was just so proud of myself of finding a way to triple the dish and share a little piece of home with all of my friends here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A BIG HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD!! Thanks to many wonderful care packages sent from home, my friends and fellow expats were able to have a real thanksgiving! I'll post more later and some pictures as well. Just know that you are in my hearts and thoughts.

all the best,

In the words of Nancy Regan, “Just Say No!”

[double posted today! See below for the follow up to Halloween. Much love, Kelly]

I am so thankful I know how to say “No” before coming to Kyrgyzstan. It took a LONG time to develop and embrace this skill. At one point I thought saying “No” would mean friends, family or colleagues would judge me mean or selfish or inconsiderate. Now I think it’s the most considerate thing I can possibly do for myself and the requesting party.

There is an English teacher who asked me to visit his class so his students could hear a “real American accent.” I agreed so we set a date for me to visit. A week before our scheduled time he says he’s arranged for me to teach English at his University every Friday at 9am! I told him that was not what we agreed to and I was sorry if I led to believe otherwise. I could not and would not teach his class because my first priority is my NGO and I’m not an English teacher. He tried to convince me it wasn’t a class but rather a club but still…. I just can’t do it. I know he is only trying to do what is best for his pupils – I admire and appreciate that – but I need these first 3 months to adjust and find my place at my NGO. I am not ready to take on responsibilities outside of my host agency. And I gotta be honest, it brings me no pain to tell this person “No” because I am confident it is the right decision. This may affect how I integrate into the community but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. Besides I already feel I’m integrating well into work and home.

We are VOLUNTEERS not employees. While we must work and function within our host agency’s rules we are, within reason, able to say no. We were also warned by current and past volunteers how important it was to set this bar because unfortunately there are people here who will take advantage of us.

I know of one volunteer who is clearly being mistreated by her counterpart. The counterpart has asked this volunteer to teach English classes 6 days a week (including classes the counterpart is paid for), research a book the counterpart is writing (which includes unreimbursed internet time) AND to teach the counterpart’s child English. Now while in my opinion it is unfair and irresponsible of the counterpart to make these requests, the volunteer is also responsible for their own choices. But what if this volunteer is afraid of losing the post? Afraid of being ostracized? Maybe this volunteer never learned how to stick up for themselves? Or simply to say “No.”

I am so thankful for my NGO. They are good people. In the picture above from right to left is Ulybka volunteer Alishar, my counterpart Shurik, Aaron then me.

ps. The counterpart is a local assigned to volunteers to help us intergrate. They are our personal guide at work and to some extent, the community. Usually they speak english as well. Shurik is trained as an english teacher so got doubly lucky with him! :)

Wrapping Up Halloween

I just couldn’t carve another pumpkin. It had been a long day and the idea of cold pumpkin innards on my hands was just too much. So instead I brought home a few treats and in my limited Russian explained Halloween the best I could. The supermarket had caramels with black cat wrappers and butter cookies that were half vanilla and half chocolate. I wanted to frost the cookies orange but couldn’t find food coloring so I mixed ‘almost’ powered sugar with orange juice…. It came out a very faint translucent orange and had a slight citrus taste (delicious, by the way.). I explained that children wore masks and walked from house to house knocking on doors yelling “Trick or Treat” and receiving candy in return. I found the Russian for witch and ghost and pretended I was Frankenstein. And said no we don’t eat the Jack O’ Lantern.

I spent most of that day at center not celebrating Halloween though. November 1st is a Police Holiday and since the center is a partnership with the local police force a party was held in their honor. I was wooed to the party with promises of Plov (a rice dish with a few chucks of meat) but when I arrived the luncheon was far from beginning. Some of the police officers were outside next to the summer kitchen already slightly rosy and glazy from vodka shots. I was invited to sit with them and give a toast. Using what words I had, I said “To a strong Militizia (police force) in Kyrgyzstan.” They loved this. I was an instant hit. And so at 12:15pm on a Wednesday I did a shot of vodka. To chase it a police officer gave me dill, cucumber and cheese speared by a fork. It was really delicious after the shot and I highly recommend trying it back home!

During training we are warned repeatedly about drinking in Kyrgyzstan because there will be lots of social pressure once you begin and it’s very difficult to stop without offending someone. This was the first time I ever felt any pressure to drink and I believe it’s because I was sitting with mixed company rather than just women. Volunteers and staff gave us many excuses created many funny ways to get around the numerous shots of vodka – throw it over your shoulder, say you don’t drink, you’re on medication or spit it into another glass. Luckily my Russian language teacher from Dmitrievka called so I was saved from dodging additional shots! Malika was in town with her mother and some friends so I left the center to meet her. I was planning to meet Becky at that hour as well. She was going to help me select candy for the kiddies. We plus a few other volunteers were introducing the kids at the center to “Trick or Treating” after lunch. So we went back to the center and the luncheon had begun. Malika, Becky and I sat for another hour. I listened to toasts I didn’t understand. Avoided more shots of vodka. The former Chief of Police called from prison and people cried. The new Chief of Police stopped by for some chicken and potatoes. It was a Kyrgyz holiday day. The kind I’ve been hearing about.

After politely excusing myself again I met up with the 3 other volunteers helping me that day. We met the kids in the TV room of the center and explained what we could about our strange holiday. The kids weren’t too keen on wearing the masks so of course we bribed them with the candy – “If you want candy, you gotta wear the mask!” Is it really bribe if it’s true though? I mean, if you aren’t dressed up you don’t get candy on Halloween. That’s the rule. I don’t know the Russian/Kyrgyz/Uzbek word from rule.

We taught them to say “Happy Halloween” and “Trick or Treak” which they never quite mastered. “W” and “Tr” are new sounds for them. Volunteers were stationed around the center and when the kids knocked on the doors the volunteers were greeted with “Tizor Teacka!” They loved it. We loved it.

So that’s my Halloween in Kyrgyzstan! A shout out to Emily, Pam, Nathan, Kim and David - Oh what a change from last year! Oh WeHo how I missed you too!

Also, check out my friend Becky's blog "Switzerland of the Stans," the link is to the right. She has pictures up from Halloween as well.

Hope all is well where ever you are. Whomever you are.

Happy Halloween!

For about a week now Peace Corps volunteers have been bringing Halloween to Osh!

Last Thursday Sarah and I made Jack O’ Lanterns at my NGO. We let the kids scoop out the seeds and membranes of the pumpkins. See the action shot to the left? I think they thought it was fun. They named the pumpkins “Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jennifer Lopez.” The certainly enjoyed the pumpkin (tikvah in Russian) they were eating it raw! The pumpkin here is sweeter and softer so it probably wasn’t too bad for them…. On Saturday Theo’s NGO sponsored a pumpkin carving contest. Volunteers brought their coworkers and family members. Together we carved over 10 pumpkins then voted on a winner. The pumpkins were very impressive and as soon as I get copies of the photos I’ll post them. Meg and I toasted the pumpkin seeds (the best part of making Jack O’ Lanterns) and check it out - in Kyrgyzstan people only eat the INSIDE of pumpkin seeds, not the outside too! To them, it’s like eating sunflower seeds.... Later that evening 30 volunteers between here and Jalal Abad dressed up and danced the night away at a local club’s annual Halloween party. The club is owned by a woman who spent time in America and it is one of THE events in the south. The staff was dressed up as well as some locals. Becky, Erika and I were the “3 Blind Mice.” Still waiting on those pictures too! At the club they served blood red beer and pumpkin pizza! Both were weird. I partook very little..... Yesterday I went to the center to make masks with the children and finally today we going to “Trick or Treat” around the center. I’ve recruited 5 other volunteers to help so it should be fun....... Tonight I’ll pick up one more pumpkin and carve it with my host family.

I’ve never celebrated so much Halloween! But this part of being a Peace Corps volunteer, right? Sharing American culture.

Who you are

I came to a big decision today. I’m going to start teaching English to my colleagues. I was avoiding this because I don’t want to be pigeon holed as an English teacher but when I asked Elmira (my director) “What day would work best for you?” she lit up like a Christmas tree and said "Everyday!" How can I refuse that? It's also a very sustainable use of me. If they can speak and read English they may have more opportunity to international funding. So the next question is, how often?

What I may do is teach English half of the week then play with the kids at the center on the other half. That's where the real inspiration.

The children at the center are homeless either because the families can't afford them or the children left on their own. Maybe they have been sent out by their parents to sell apples or carrots or beg. The police raid bazaars and empty buildings looking for these children. My organization offers safe refuge while the police search for their parents. We clean and feed them. We play games. We offer a bed. They are visited by a doctor to check for illnesses and by a social worker to see if any other harm has been done. If after 10 days the parents are not found the children are sent to orphanages.

Many children do not have birth certificates which will make it impossible to obtain passports. Passports are the legal document used by Kyrgyzstan to own a business, drive a car, purchase a home etc. Unfortunately, passports are also a form of racism. Passports in Kyrgyzstan document nationality, ethnicity and patronymics. For example, my host family is Uzbek. Their passport will say Nationality: Kyrgyzstan, Ethnicity: Uzbek, Patronymic: Father’s Name. Perhaps it’s part of a Soviet hangover. Perhaps it's an old European model. I don't know.

Saying I’m an American isn’t enough. My host father during training wanted to know where my father’s and mother’s parents were from. At the time I didn’t realize how significant and dangerous this question could be. I am of mixed heritage and it’s interesting to trace my historical roots to unknown villages in Europe. Here, it defines who I am. Once a week my host dad would say “Hungary,” the homeland of my father’s mother. As if that really means anything.

I’m sending along a very interesting article to about an obscure group called the Lyuli, a marginalized community in Kyrgyzstan. It highlights a little of what I talked about above. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101507.shtml

Ethnic differences could also prevent the democratic process from thriving. My city recently held elections for the office of Deputy. As it was explained to me (in broken English and Russian), a judge over ruled the democratic election of one Deputy because he is Uzbek not Kyrgyz. I've been told it is because in the south, the Kyrgyz don't want too many Uzbeks in power. This person is taking his case to a higher court and hopefully democracy will prevail. Kyrgyzstan has only been a democracy for 15 years. They are in the middle of the teenage growing pains. I explained to my counterpart the United States is still trying to get it right as well and we are 231 years old!

The corruption is so blatant but it comes out of necessity. The wages here are so low. It is a vicious cycle.

What will it take to for this country to change? What will it take to inspire? What industry will help this country lift itself out of poverty? This is a question asked by many leaders and many organizations.

I tried to explain the concept of "return on social investment" to my director and counterpart. How an investment by community members in to our children's center and organization is an investment in a better Kyrgyzstan. How do we inspire the businessmen and mothers to make change the same way Carnegie or quilting groups did in America 100 years ago or the way Gates is making changes around the world? In a society so focused on social networks and family units, how can that sentiment be expanded? This is cultural bridge I’m trying to cross. I’m hoping it might be away to fundraise for our organization as well.

Ideas on how to fundraise in the developing world - something beyond international grants and small business enterprises is welcomed!

Hope all is well wherever you are-

Arslambob

Aaron and I spent a wonderful weekend in Arslambob, a small village 3.5 hours north of Osh. More on this later but here is a picture of us and the mountains.

Just because I'm an American......

This statement can really be interpreted two ways – angry and nonchalant. During my first week in the South I experienced both.

Currently it’s Ramadan, a Muslim holiday that last one month. Observers do not eat while the sun is up. Many will wake up at 4 am for breakfast then go back to sleep. Dinner is usually served around 7:30pm. In honor of Muhammad, the fast is typically broken with a small cup of water and dates. I think these were his vittles during a long stay in the desert.....

Anyhoo - I really am trying to be sensitive to those fasting all day around me. I drink water when no one is looking and take my lunch away from the office. Kyrgyzstan has it's own versions of fast food but No one eats or drinks on the go like we do in America. To go cups don’t exist. Neither do doggie bags or drive-thrus. On Tuesday I actually drank my coffee in a thermos on the way to work! That’s so American, right? [A small shout out to the New Yorkers. My travel mug is from the Strand. 18 miles of books!] Sometimes it’s impossible for me not to eat in public. Take for example, the samsa. Samsas are flakey square hot pockets of deliciousness sold by street vendors. Usually they are filled with meat and onions or potatoes and currently with pumpkin! Being the true American that I am, I eat my samsa on the run between work and home and shopping. I just don't know where to go to eat my lunch right now since everyone is fasting. There are few to zero benches and I'm definitely not sitting on the steps of a building. Its way too dirty here for that.

On the other hand, just because I’m an American don’t assume you can overcharge me. Yesterday morning I went to an IP telephone shop to call Papa OJ (my grandpa) and wish him a happy birthday. He’s 88 years young! We had a great conversation. It was amazing to hear his voice and I know he appreciated hearing mine! My host brother told me the charge was 5 soms per minute. That seemed a fair price since Bishkek and Kant charged a som or two less. I finished with my call and the attendant said it was 12 soms per minute! I couldn’t believe it! I was frustrated because I knew exactly what she doing. I was prepared to pay the exorbitant fee but insisted she give me a receipt spelling out exactly how much she charged me. She changed her tune pretty quickly. The price was immediately cut in half. I was still overcharged by a som per minute. I would have argued it further but I had to go to work. Did I mention I did this all in Russian?? Go me!! This is the second time someone has tried to charge me twice as much for goods. Over the weekend I found the most adorable Italian coat at a second hand shop. The lady tried to charge me 400 soms for it! I looked at her and was like, “It’s not new.” Again, the price was cut in half. I didn’t buy the coat. All trust was lost. Seriously. Shopping in Kyrgyzstan is like shopping for a car all the time. People are nice here but do your homework before you go!

Other than that, life in the south is grand. Aaron will be here in a few days and I already have lots of adventures in mind - Mount Sulieman, a day hike to see petroglyphs and a waterfall, museums, the park, a trip to see my language teacher, hopefully a weekend in Bishkek and of course lots of eating. There are at least three traditional dishes in Kyrgyztan - Plov (rice), Lagman (soup with noodles) and Mahnti (dumplings). And of course, lots of tea. He'll even be coming with me to work! He's agreed to teach a brief tutorial on web design as well as spend some time at the center for children. We'll play some American games and make them an American lunch like Peanut Butter and Jelly.

And that picture totally unrelated to the blog? That was my last day of language class. I also posted more pictures on my flickr page! Hope you have time to check them out!

Where has the month gone

I gotta be honest. I have no idea where the past 4 weeks have gone since my last entry. Its been a blur! 2 language tests, a visit to my permanent site, warden trainings, trips to Bishkek, time with friends. A complete blur. But big changes are afoot!

In a few days I will be swearing in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. There will be speeches, singing, hugging, crying, laughing and a whole lotta American food to be had in a few days. The past 3 months have really gone by too quickly. I'm going to miss everyone in my K15 group. Now I will look forward to text message, emails, visits and making friends with the volunteers in my new community to the south.

So once again, here are a few highlights from the past few weeks.

-The water was out for 3 days. This is common in Kyrgyzstan so don't be shocked. One village down the street was sans water for almost a week! I've been told if one person in the community fails to pay their water bill no one gets water. I commented to my teacher, " How very socialist of Kyrgyzstan to handle the water this way. This way everyone suffer together." She laughed so hard! I've never seen her laugh that way. If the water ever goes out we can always buy it from the store or pull it from the stream. The stream is pretty scary but Peace Corps provides a personal water filter that boils and steams all the bad stuff out. The problem for me was dirty hair and laundry. I was resigned to greasy hair. I was resigned to Febreezing my clothes, maybe evening hanging them in the wind to blow the bad smell out (it could happen) and a little of the dust. I noticed though Febreeze smells like corn syrup. It specifically reminds me of Dr. Peppers at 6am in my dad's office in Tampa.

During the summers in middle school and high school I would work at my dad's office. Since I didn't have a car I traveled with him. Before the sun came up we would leave Clearwater and make our way across the Courtney Cambel Bridge to Tampa. Dad would blast AM radio or give fatherly advice on dating, drugs, or career paths I should consider. We'd arrive to work, myself still barely awake, and dad would make the coffee. I don't know what he put in the grinds but it was like tar in my belly! My 8am I as doubled over in pain. I don't know how many mornings I suffered but pretty soon I was resigned to drinking Dr. Pepper with my breakfast. And maybe a donut. I don't even like donuts (but oh! What I would do for Dunkin Donut or Krispy Kreme right now!).

-This week I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with Kyrgyz Jews. It was comforting to be around so much familiarity. I heard the shofar blow and Hebrew prayers chanted. At dinner I ate tons of sweet wonderful challah. I wonder if I can buy any around here? Happy New Year to everyone out there too.

-Ramadan started the same day as the Jewish New Year. And to be honest, I can't tell its a holiday. In the south I'm sure it will be more obvious. I actually need to figure out how and where I'll be eating!

-Had a strange conversation with my host dad yesterday morning too. In Kyrgyzstan people will often ask - are you married? How old are you? and How much money do you make? Miss Manners never made it over the mountain. Anyhoo - about once week my host dad likes to ask me questions related to these topics. The latest round was How much does it cost to live in America and specifically how much did it cost me to live in America. These are both really hard questions to answer because America is so diverse. My language skills aren't adequate enough to be able to ask - well, do you want to live in a city or the country? What kind of skills do you have? Is living near a Muslim community important? What about a Russian or Turkish or Kyrgyz speaking population? Will you need public transportation or a car? do you know what car insurance is? Will you want to grow a garden?

I know. I know I know I know. I'm way over thinking. I don't know how people do it. Surely they head to the nearest expat community with native speakers who then help them relocate, right? I ended up using East Texas as my model and said it would cost upward of $5000 US/month to live in a small town. I have no idea if that is remotely true or not. The conversation ended with my host dad saying I speak bad Russian and don't understand.

I honestly don't care what he thinks. He's a friendly guy but he often asks difficult questions and doesn't do a very good job at helping me understand the question. Plus, I think he's put off by my presence. He might feel Peace Corps isn't necessary in his country. Or why should I leave America and come here, to a place with no jobs. I also think he expects me to know more than I already do. Hey, it's only been 3 months! He's been speaking Russian for over 40 year!

Speaking of language tests though.... I scored Intermediate Medium! What does that mean you ask? There are 3 levels in language learning - Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. Each level is then subdivided into Low, Medium and High. Russian is an extremely complex language so we were asked to achieve only Novice-High. I actually jumped a whole level since my test last month. Yeah me!

So that's it for now from the Kyrgyz Republic. Next time you hear from me I'll be living and working in the south. All the best to you and yours.

From my window I can see the Big Dipper

[I posted 2 entries today! here's the first!]

I don’t know what altitude my village sits, but the stars never appeared closer or twinkled brighter. Bands of the Milky Way come into sight as thin immobile clouds. There is depth to the night sky. No smog or light pollution to hide the distance between each illumination – 1 million, 3 million, 10 million light years away (OK, maybe not that far).

As fellow trainee Tristan said, it makes 3am visits to the outhouse bearable.

Life continues to be good in Kyrgyzstan though the newness is starting to wear off. My dad made a very good point. He said the first month was like a vacation, now reality is beginning to set in. And set in is has. I miss my family and friends. I miss cooking for myself. I miss owning my own time. I actually miss Starbucks (darn you Gingerbread Latte! You were my demise!). We had training a couple of weeks ago about Culture Shock so whatever I’m feeling is normal and valid. It’s just growing pains and I take comfort in that. To stay positive I’ve been keeping a list of good and just plain silly moments over the past few weeks. I really like lists.

--Good –
-With two of my host brothers, pulling down a sunflower and eating the seeds directly from the flower.
-Within one hour sending out 5+ emails and IM with a friend back home (the systems are so slow here I’m lucky if I read 2 emails let alone reply to them).
-The animals know me. The dogs bark less and sometimes when we eat dinner outside the chickens will walk under my chair. A bold brown hen actually pecked my back pocket in search of a snack! I didn’t hurt. J
-Riding the marshruka by myself.
- For Cross Cultural Day my village had to explain the components of a Russian engagement and we had a real Russian matchmaker helping us! So I just had to thrown in a little Fiddler on the Roof. It was my way of integrating. I sang one line from the Matchmaker, Matchmaker and I think I nailed it. [this photo is from Cross Cultural day. i'm wearing a traditional Kyrgyzstani hat and standing inside a yurt.]
-On the hard days, knowing who I can go to for support and knowing who feels comfortable coming to me.
-I have an indoor shower and I can use it every day if I want to.
- Learning, understanding and saying at least one new Russian word a day. I should probably improve that number……..

--Silly--
-Trying to carry on a conversation with my host brother. Okay, he’s 4. And he speaks another language besides Russian. He’s invented his own gibberish and ironically those are our best conversations.
-I try to hold my breath when I visit the outhouse but sometimes on the way out I catch a whiff of the pit. My immediate reaction is to blow the air out of my lungs through my mouth. What good is that going to do?

Our communities are on lock down for a week so this will be my only internet visit until next week. Till then!

Cross cultural moments creep up on you.

[I’ve been carrying this entry around for awhile. Unfortunately during my previous visits either the internet was slow, Blogger was out of commission, the computer didn’t recognize my flash drive or I couldn’t find a way to access it. Hey, everything is Russian. This entery was written on July 24]

Since arriving to Kyrgyzstan I’ve come to learn and understand some very important words and phrases–
-“Jzarkah! Jzarkah! Jzarkah!” - Hot! Hot! Hot! as in the weather mid day in Kyrgyzstan. Its reached 100F a few times.
-“Harashow!” - Good!
-“Ya oustalah.” - I’m tired.
-“Mojzne.” – Excuse me.
-“Bajalousta.” – Please and You’re Welcome
-“Spaseeba!” – Thank you!
-“Chai?” - Tea? Hot brown tea is served with every meal. I’ve read Kygryzstanis believe cold beverages are bad for the throat.
-“F’cousna!” - Delicious!
and the most common phrase,
-“Cushite, Kelly, Cushite!” - Eat, Kelly, Eat!

“Cushite” is a common phrase all Peace Corps volunteers hear from the host parents. We all have our stories and methods for politely refusing food. My host mother is an excellent cook and I swear she’s trying to fattening me up! One afternoon my host sister was saying she’d like to loose some weight and that she should start exercising. I said I would love to exercise with her. I mentioned that I had belonged to a gym for the past 2 years and would love to keep up with it, especially for stress relief. My host mother teased me in a haughty sort of way afterwards. I know she meant no ill feeling but I still felt like an outlandish American. It also got me to thinking about leisure time……

My host mom works very hard. She’s up at 5am to prepare for the day and goes to bed around 10pm. During the day she prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner from scratch then washes all the dishes by hand, lets the cow out, bakes bread, makes pasta, sweeps the courtyard and the house, washes the laundry by hand then hangs it on the clothes line to dry. Then there’s entertaining the neighbors.

Kyrgyzstani culture is defined as collectivist - the good of the group come before the individual. An unplanned social call to a neighbor’s house is very common place. Friends and family will gather outside each others homes, come inside for tea or walk the dusty roads of the village together. These social calls can last from 15 minutes to an hour. It could involve one neighbor or 4 plus their children. Understanding this is very important to integrating into the community so I always plan a little cushion time when scheduling my day.

With all of their responsibilities (host mom and sister) where would they find time to exercise even if they wanted to?

Americans work just as hard as my host mom and neighbors. I think my host mom and sister were surprised that I knew how to do chores! The obvious difference is our modern conveniences that allow us to schedule our leisure time and multi task. Instead of slaughtering a chicken in the backyard we buy it skinned and quartered at the grocery store. We load the dishwasher or washing machine and walk away. We schedule gym time. We work at the office late. We go out to eat. And most would consider uninvited guests rude. Americans are generally considered Individualist - our personal needs come before the community.

Once again my lack of Russian prevented me from having this conversation with my host family. Though I really would have liked to. No doubt I’ll have plenty more little moments like that.

Hope all is well with you, whoever you are reading this now.

hey everyone!

sorry its been a long time between posts! blogger has been down and the connection very slow. i hope to have pictures posted on flicker today or sometime this week. everything is still going well. my russian gets a little better every day. i actually helped my friend sara negotiate the purchase of pepper in the bazaar!

i also managed, with the help of russian speaking PC staff, to negotiate cell phones for 43 trainees. look at me go!

for those of you who have my email address, i'm looking for some good basic recipes. like bread pudding, sugar cookies, apple pie, biscuits.... please send them along if you have a chance!

all; the best,

all things good

Day 7 with my host family. All things are great so far! They are really wonderful. Again, for privacy, I’m assuming Peace Corp doesn’t want me outing the family so I tell you this – they are a happy family with 3 great children (a daughter and 2 sons). The daughter and the son speak a little English and that has made my transition much, much easier. I just hope it does not hinder my Russian lessons. There is so much I want to express (gratitude to be living with this family, excitement to be in Kyrgyzstan, hopes for my project, life back home) so the language barrier is a bit frustrating. I’m not shy about learning Russian or making the mistakes, the problem is that my vocabulary is very limited so it’s hard to ask questions and start a conversation. But I know this will come in time. I’ve only been here a week! So here’s a run down of my first few days in Kyrgyzstan.

For a day and a half Peace Corps housed all of the volunteers at hotel. There we had our first introductions to Kyrgyzstani accommodations, weather and food. Our hotel was rustic by American standards but good. We had a running toilet (literally), a tub with a shower attachment but unfortunately no air conditioning or windows with screens. Mid day in Kyrgyzstan is very hot but it cools off by 7pm. My roommate and I slept with our porch door open to keep cool. We were on the 4th floor so I felt safe but I feared a swallow would fly in! The entire hotel was covered in their big muddy nests and our porch housed about 10 birds in 4 little “condos.” My roommate Cheng Li would whistle at them in the morning. From our porch you could also see the mountains and a park in tribute to Manas, the great epic hero of Krygyzstan. And yes, the mountains are very beautiful. All of our meals were taken at the hotel and for the most part, everything was delicious. Though it was odd to have spaghetti with meat sauce for breakfast.

At the hotel we learned a little bit about Kyrgyzstani culture as well as how to keep ourselves and our belongings safe and secure in the country. We also started our language lessons and vaccinations. Russian is not easy! In the evenings most volunteers gathered at a Tiki bar on the hotel property. We had our first introduction to Kyrgyzstani beer which, while not cold, was delicious! On the day we met our host family we hopped a Marushka to Bishkek (the capital) to buy presents for our host families. Marshrukas redefine “clown car.” Imagine a Volkswagon van with about 30 people crammed inside plus their children and packages. And its 90+ degrees outside. And its humid. And there is no A/C, only windows. And your lucky if you get a window!! No bueno. (side note: I find myself reverting to Spanish all the time. I don’t even really speak Spanish. Other volunteers are doing this as well………). This is the preferred method of travel by Peace Corps. I’m not really sure why…….it’s probably cheapest.

In Bishkek we visited the internet café as well as the grocery store and florist to buy presents for our host families. We all bought these ridiculous bouquets for our 2nd families. I don’t know how they weren’t crushed on the way home.

Last Wednesday all volunteers relocated to their new homes. Peace Corps hosted a very sweet matching ceremony where the families and volunteers met on a stage and swapped bouquets, hugs and kisses. Unfortunately the language barrier kept the conversation short but there was definitely happiness on my part as well as my host family. I was told I look just like my host mom, a wonderful complement. After refreshments we went outside to find the car and collect my 125 pounds of gear. My host sister explained that her cousin was to take us home. The only problem… he was no where to be found. Five phone calls later the cousin finally arrived with much panache. Driving a slightly beat up Audi, he jumped the driveway into a small pot hole and bounced to a stop. He jumped out to my host sister and mother yelling and me just standing there with my 125 pounds of clothes, toiletries and electronics. I was pretty embarrassed by the weight so I had prepared an apology - Mai sumkee tejouleeah. Eevee nitzya (My bags are very heavy. I’m sorry.). The cousin just smiled and gave me the universal sign for “I’m strong.” So this was my introduction to my family! They argue, laugh, arrive late, and are fairly disorganized. I actually found their disorganization the most comforting. It was very humanizing and left all formality at the matching ceremony.

Meeting our host family and .04%

Today I will meet my host family. Per the Peace Corps, for safety reasons, I will not be able to share where they are located on my blog. I am very excited to meet them and I’ve heard they are very excited to meet us. We’ve started to learn a few cultural norms (take shoes off when you enter the house, most homes have summer showers located outside, many families eat on the floor and you best be careful not to put your feet on the tablecloth!). I’ve also started my Russian lessons. I will be learning that language instead of Kyrgyz.

On July 8th we arrived in Kyrgyzstan. Angela calculated that from the time we left the hotel in New Jersey to the moment we arrived at our hotel, we had been traveling for 36 hours straight. It was uneventful, which in this case, is not a bad thing.

But it was an emotional day.

On the flight from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan I sat next to a Host Country National (HCN) whose name unfortunately I’ve forgotten. He had already made friends with a few other volunteers and we immediately struck up a conversation when he took his seat. His English was basic but we were still able to discuss his children, trade vocabulary, why I was not married and eventually my religion. I told him I was Jewish.

He didn’t recognize the religion so he asked “Catholic?”
I replied “No, Jewish.”
“Protestant?”
“No, we came before the Christians. Do you know Israel?”
“Evangelical? Baptist?”
Once again I said “no” then asked his religion. He replied Muslim. So I drew the symbol of each of our religions – Star of David, the cross and a crescent moon – and that registered. The conversation soon tailed off and he took an interest in the couple sitting opposite from him.

A few minutes later HCN says very excitedly. “You know high holy day? People go to Tel Aviv for symposium. You contact 2 weeks after.”

What?!?! What people? What symposium? In Tel Aviv? In Kyrgyzstan? I told him I didn’t understand so he turns away again and speaks rapidly in Russian to the couple again and HCN hands me a business card.

I don’t know if it was my travel weariness, fear of isolation, leaving home or just lack of sleep but the moment I saw the menorah in the top left corner of the card the tears came up and wouldn’t stop. My reaction took me completely by surprise. I was crying so hard I couldn’t speak. Even now I’m getting misty. Poor HCN was so confused. Once I calmed down I explained what a wonderful thing he had done, that my tears were tears of joy and I was extremely thankful. I don’t know if he quite got it.

There are 5 million people in Kyrgyzstan. I’ve read only 2000 identify as Jews. That’s .04%. And this wonderful man introduced me 2 of the 2000. The couple I met work for the Jewish Culture Society of Kyrgyzstan. They invited me to visit their community and while they will not be in town for the High Holy Days we’ve already discussed Pesach. While I’m writing this I have not had a chance to visit their website but here it is http://www.hesed.kg. They also said if I need anything, to call.

What angels. What a small world.

I told Peace Corps staff about my new acquaintances and my hopes of connecting with the Jewish community. They are very supportive and glad that I made the contact.

Turkish Delights

I awoke this morning at 6:15am to watch the sun rise over Cherry Hill, NJ. Now I am sitting in the smokey airport dining mall in Istanbul. It's about 1:30pm local time. My computer still thinks its in the central time zone. It's 4:50am in Texas.

so the hightlights. this morning I made a delicious cup of bathroom coffee then I managed to manuever 125 lbs of gear through the hotel, the bus, off the bus and to JFK airport. No easy feat. Let's just say I am so so thankful for my personal trainer and workout crew (this a a shout out to Drea, Emily, Stephanie and Pam! Those bunny hops really helped!) and for my shoes. My mom made me buy Merrell hiking/running shoes for this trip. They remind me of a pillowtop bed. Soft and cushy but firm. I wanted to wear my Crocs (to easily slip on and off) but as always, mom was right. Thanks Mom!!!

On the flight over I was stuck in an middle seat (yuck) but I was between two great people. Liz (fellow PC volunteer) and Darius, an asipiring film maker and BMW salesperson from Maui. I did manage to sleep a bit and practice my Kyrgyz.

Now that I'm in Instanbul I haven't left all of America. There's a Burger King and Gloria Jean's Coffee. But I'm hoping to check out the coffee and dessert bar called Delights.

Next stop Kyrgyzstan!

A few days to go and Snake Breakfast!

In a few days I will be Cherry Hill NJ (across the Delaware River from Philly) meeting all of my fellow PC volunteers. It’s still a little unbelievable. Just a little over a week ago I was in Los Angeles!

Since coming home to San Antonio I’ve been visiting with family, friends and shopping! Getting ready for the Peace Corps is like preparing for college or summer camp. Lots of lists, limited space. I still need a few items, like winter hiking boots but I may wait to buy those in country. Mostly I’m just trying to organize and store away all my stuff while I’m away for 2 years.

I did have a very exciting moment during breakfast on Monday….

I was enjoying a bowl of oatmeal and fresh blueberries when I heard a noise outside on the patio. A few branches had fallen to the ground. Not thinking much of it I went back to my oatmeal. A few moments later a much louder crash greeted my breakfast. I looked outside and on my parents’ patio was a large Texas Rat snake bouncing and writhing on the ground like a loose tire tube kicking and twisting in the wind. The snake quickly rebounded and wrapped around its own breakfast, a small bird. Camera in hand, and safely on the other side of a double paned window, I got ready to watch my own live version of Animal Kingdom.

Alas I am slightly clumsy.

As I was sitting down on the floor my camera tapped the window. I don’t know if the rat snake saw me but it did look straight at me and flick his tongue. He slithered into the brush soon afterwards leaving his leftovers in the middle of the patio. I couldn’t wait for my mom to come home and see the present the snake had left. Lucky for her, the snake came back.

About 30 minutes later, when I wasn’t looking, the snake gobbled his breakfast. I caught a couple of shots as he was returning to his home in the bushes to digest.

Perhaps I can add novice National Geographic photographer to my list of hobbies? Enjoy the photos.

finally.

"finally." is the first of what I hope will be many journal entries covering my adventures and mis-adventures as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central Asia. So to all the folks reading this entry at home (or a work) let me offer you a little arm chair vacation and inspiration as I tackle life in the Kyrgyz Republic over the next 2 years.

It's a little embarrassing but when the Peace Corps called and invited me to Central Asia I thought I had won lottery- "Score! They are sending me to Thailand! Yes!" I could almost hear my 8th grade social studies teacher Mrs. Appellet groaning in defeat.

So what qualifies as Central Asia and where is the Kyrgyz Republic? Five independent countries comprise Central Asia. In order of size they are Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. To give you a greater sense of where these countries are.... take a look at the nice map, complements of worldatlas.com http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/kg.htm

And what will I be doing there for the next 2 years? Glad you asked. The Peace Corps will be assigning me to a non-government organization (NGO) where I will work as an Organizational and Community Development Specialist. OCDS assist their host organization with a variety of programs including fundraising, membership, recruiting local volunteers, educational programming, social events, networking, and research.

So over the next 30 days I will pack up my life and leave LA, spend 2 weeks in Texas visiting family and friends, fly to Philadelphia for Peace Corps "staging" and finally, by July 9th, land in lovely Kyrgyz.

So come back soon. Leave me a comment. Ask questions.

Til next time-