Arrgh! Go figure, the first time that I get a good Internet connection, I forget my flashdrive that has a four-page-long super post documenting the last 3 weeks (OMG three weeks!).
Anyway, without taking away too much internet time from my fellow trainees who are waiting patiently for this coveted seat, I will do a quick summary:
My family is great, I love them. My village is also great, and I am getting very quickly used to being surrounded by shit (excuse me, but it is all that can be said) all the time.
They keep us on a pretty tight schedule right now, and we are all expriencing some serious language training burn-out. Even when I am not on the PC schedule, my family keeps me very busy, and it seems like I am constantly being called to "chai eech!" (drink tea) or "je! je!" (eat! eat!)
When I poke my head out the front gate, I am usually mobbed with a crowd of kids trying to get my attention (and often adults), all yelling "Ajo! Ajo!" (my host sisters new nickname for me. It was kind of a strange evolution). I have never been so popular before (haha) and sometimes I hate it, but mostly I love it. As a result of village life, everyone knows everything about everyone, and the Americans are the center of talk all the time, so we sometimes experience some difficulty as a result of being scrutinized all the time. Over all, life is good for me, and I am so glad to be here.
Love and hugs to everyone!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Salaam! We are in Bishkek today, and we meet our host families tonight. I am very excited, but nervous! I was hoping to be able to post more today (I have a whole account of the mini trip to Istanbul as well as my first impressions of Kyrgyzstan all written up and prepared to post, but I don't really have the time right now. It might have to wait! I didn't quite know what to expect from Bishkek, but for a big city, it is not terribly crowded, the traffic is not horrible, and it seems very clean. Definitely a good impression so far!
Get ready for a super post next time I get to the internet!
Get ready for a super post next time I get to the internet!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Bucket List
Five days!
As I check items off my list of things to take care of before departing and add several less crucial things to the lineup, I realized that it has come to resemble something like a "bucket list." My true colors are really shining through here because almost the entire list that remains is under the "Food to Eat Before Leaving" category.
Most of my goodbyes have been said by now. Mom threw a little going away party yesterday and most of my friends and my sister have gone back to their respective college towns. All that is left now, I suppose, is packing. And eating.
As I check items off my list of things to take care of before departing and add several less crucial things to the lineup, I realized that it has come to resemble something like a "bucket list." My true colors are really shining through here because almost the entire list that remains is under the "Food to Eat Before Leaving" category.
Most of my goodbyes have been said by now. Mom threw a little going away party yesterday and most of my friends and my sister have gone back to their respective college towns. All that is left now, I suppose, is packing. And eating.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Flight Itinerary!
Official date of departure for me is March 27. I will fly to Philadelphia from Dubuque for one day of "staging" and then off to Kyrgyzstan from there! It will be a long trip--we leave our hotel in Philadelphia at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and don't arrive in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan until 1:30 a.m. Monday morning! There will be a layover in Istanbul in there, which I am pumped about.
Today, Mom and I looked around the gift shop in the river museum, trying to get ideas for gifts for my host family, but with no success. I picked up a harmonica and a box of arrow heads that I thought might be okay gifts, but on a closer look, the harmonica was made in China and the arrow heads were contemporary and made in Mexico. ::sigh:: I suppose I will keep looking. Any suggestions from anyone?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Four Weeks and Counting
So, it is getting close. I am obsessively waiting for the packet of information that will take care of the last minute details--waiting to have the plane ticket in my hand that will say, yes, this really is happening.
In the meantime, I am spending my time trying to cram my brain with Russian, cram my suitcase with clothes and books, and cram my hard drive with movies, music, podcasts: small bits of American culture that, I hope, will ease the blow of homesickness.
Am I excited? Absolutely. Nervous? A bit. Scared? Not yet.
I am restless, ready to begin my adventure, but I must admit that I am savoring these weeks of unemployment. I feel like I am making up for all those years of extra-curricular activities and part-time jobs, on top of all those hours of studying, studying, studying! It is so strange to have developed a routine that involves sitting down in the evening to watch TV. I hope that these Rosetta Stone Russian lessons are doing enough to keep my brain from turning to mush.
In the meantime, I am spending my time trying to cram my brain with Russian, cram my suitcase with clothes and books, and cram my hard drive with movies, music, podcasts: small bits of American culture that, I hope, will ease the blow of homesickness.
Am I excited? Absolutely. Nervous? A bit. Scared? Not yet.
I am restless, ready to begin my adventure, but I must admit that I am savoring these weeks of unemployment. I feel like I am making up for all those years of extra-curricular activities and part-time jobs, on top of all those hours of studying, studying, studying! It is so strange to have developed a routine that involves sitting down in the evening to watch TV. I hope that these Rosetta Stone Russian lessons are doing enough to keep my brain from turning to mush.
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