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!