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.