Being Talasome.

So, you’re probably expecting this blog to about my permanent site since I found out where I will be for the next two years just a few days ago. Well, it isn’t going to about Talas. Sorry. I will give you a really quick run down. Talas is in the western part of the country, it is the birthplace of Manas (look him up), I will be in Talas City working with an NGO on reproductive health, and I’m really excited that Talas will be my home. Done.

Okay now for the real reason I opened up my computer to do something other than watch a movie. Today (Sunday), while I was cleaning, which we do every Sunday, I started thinking about how much I hate cleaning. I have always hated cleaning. My family can tell you all about it, but then I started thinking about the other similarities Kyrgyzstan has to America, at least for me. I have lived with educators my whole life, and my Apa is an Enlgish teacher. My dad is a huge history lover, as is my Ata. We watch documentaries all the time. Sometimes I have no idea what is being said, but I feel that way when my mom and sister start talking school stuff or when Jordan and Victoria start talking in German. 

As much as I want to learn about Kyrgyz culture, and as different as it may be at times, it is impossible to ignore the similarities. And those similarities are what I focus on. I look for comfort in them. Surviving and thriving during this whole adventure is majorly dependent on not only learning Kyrgyz culture and adopting it, but also finding a way to make this country and the people feel like home and family. Feeling at home is crucial for me. It’s why I got my tattoo, even though I barely understood this reason at the time. It’s why my journals and notebooks full of love and familiarity are so important to me. 

I can be happy anywhere, if it feels like home. And it does. I feel welcome in my host home. I don’t feel like I’m in the way or a burden, and that is part of what makes it home. I believe this experience, much like any experience in life, is what you make it. I have been happy basically this entire time because I want to be, and I choose to be. That’s my goal, motto, mantra for this adventure. I know there will be bad days, but I know they won’t last. There will be good in those bad times. I just have to look for it, and hold on to it tightly. 

If you really want to know more about Talas, I can post more. However, seeing as how at this point in time, I have never actually been there it may not be helpful. Also, there will be two years worth of posts that will take place in Talas, so don’t fret.

I hope you are looking for and holding on to all the happies that are all around you!

Here's how this works...

Okay, so I guess what I’m going to do is just write out these posts whenever inspiration strikes. Which could possibly mean that I will be posting multiple posts at once, but hey, what can I do? As I’m writing this it is May 17, which means that week 4 starts tomorrow. HOLY CRAP, y’all. We’re closing in on one month in Kyrgyzstan! Can you believe it?! I certainly can’t. Anyway, what have I been up to? Well, if you’re friends with me on Facebook you probably saw some pictures from when we went to Bishkek on Friday. It was a long, hot, and fun day. We had about an hour commute from Kengesh. The first marshrutka was so crowded. Fortunately for me, I was standing next to a window, and I got to feel a breeze every now and then. If you’re wandering what a marshrutka is, it is a mini bus type deal that comfortable fits about 20 people. However, there is never a marshrutka that turns down a paying customer. So you can imagine how crowded they can get, but it’s just another experience that I get to have. The day in Bishkek was full of sightseeing. We had to keep a pretty tight schedule. My favorite part was probably Osh Bazaar. It’s essentially this GIANT outdoor flea market. You can find pretty much anything you want there. It was stifling hot, though. I did talk to a merchant in Kyrgyz while I was there, and he was impressed with my Kyrgyz. (I need to note that it was probably more about the fact that I was trying than my Kyrgyz being that good.) The day ended with my language group going to tour the Peace Corps office. Which was cool to see, but we were all so tired we barely asked any questions. 

Yesterday (Saturday), I had language class from 9-12:30, and then I came home and studied. We had lunch, and then I studied. I called Mom, then studied. Called my sister, then studied. I was going to study I little more, but the power went out because of a storm, so I went to bed. I can honestly say that I have never studied this hard. But, I feels nice. It’s nice to be challenged again. I haven’t really had to learn anything in an academic capacity in about 2 years, and the challenge is refreshing. Especially now that my brain is remembering how to learn. It makes me think that going back to school when I leave KG won’t be awful, but don’t get too excited Mom. I still have over 2 years, so I’m not making any definite plans, yet. 

Today (Sunday), my apa told me we might go to the mountains, and see her father’s sheep, which I’m pumped about. However, the weather is seriously not cooperating, so we may have to wait. Today is also cleaning day. I have scrubbed my room top to bottom. Maybe this experience will make me a neat freak. I doubt it, but maybe it will make me not hate cleaning? We’ll see.

Later this week, I will find out my permanent site, who my counter-part is, and what my main project will be. It’s a huge deal. I will be spending the next two years, hopefully, living with one family, living in one place, and working on this project. I will also have secondary projects that will take up a lot of my time, especially the first year. I’m excited! I can’t wait to start working on things other than just language. Not that I don’t appreciate the emphasis the Peace Corps puts on language, because I do. SO much. 

Anyway, I guess that’s all for now. 

Love y’all.

It's been forever and the Internet is unreliable

I know, I know. I didn’t post a thing the entire time I had reliable internet. I’m sorry. To say that I was busy and overwhelmed, would be slightly downplaying it. But, I’m writing this now, so if you’re reading this it means that I’ve found internet! (but probably just temporarily)

So much has happened that if I were to try and write everything play-by-play, we’d both be dying of boredom. Not to mention my fingers would be so tired, and I’d probably still forget something. So, let’s try a list format. 

Things I have done successfully:

• walked to class
• learned a few very basic Kyrgyz phrases
• set up my water filter
• played with my host sister
• helped my Apa and Jingay (mom and sister-in-law) make dinner
• learned tons of Kyrgyz words
• used some of them properly
• played ultimate frisbee with the other volunteers in Kengesh
• cleaned my room
• showered (yes, we have an indoor shower!)
• used the restroom (no, we don’t have an indoor toilet)
• learned the Kyrgyz alphabet (okay, I actually still have a little trouble with some of the vowels some of the time)
• done my laundry (by hand, oh my gosh, it takes FOREVER!)

Things I have attempted, but haven’t actually mastered:

• used more complex sentence structure
• attempt to use more Kyrgyz when possible
• sleep all the way through the night

The language is difficult. It has sounds that don’t exist in English. I’m getting better every day, but it’s still a slow process. We have about 6 hours of language class five days a week and three hours on Saturday. Sunday we have off, but right now it feels like there is no down time. In class it’s an active learning environment and at home it’s passive, but never having a break is exhausting. This is also my first foreign language, and it’s certainly a challenge. I know I can do it, and we have only been in country a week. (I’m writing this on May 3.) Yet, I still find myself getting frustrated when I can’t communicate. 

But, I’m doing okay. I’m making it. I’m glad to be here. I just wish I could learn the language immediately, but since that’s not possible I guess I’ll just enjoy the ride, the ups and downs, which seem to come in incredible succession. 

Like just now. I had a great morning playing ultimate frisbee with the other volunteers, and then I came home and had a particularly difficult lunch full of silence and confusion. But right now I am having the best time with my little sister. We have played, danced, sang, and taken so many pictures. She is about 7. Her name is Ayannah, and she is my saving grace right now. 

Also, I have to admit that I cheated. I read Blake’s entry in my journal before I got to it. But, trust me I needed it. B, if you’re reading this, which you probably won’t until someone tells you, thank you. That message got me through a rough night. 

To everyone back home, I’m good. I promise. I love you!