Photos from Swearing-In

I'm catching up on all the old photos from training, but I promise some new ones soon. I've been having a good time this summer...though business is slowest at this time. Understandably so...we've definitely broken 100 degrees already and it's only getting hotter. The work/projects will pick up again in September, so I'm not worried.

I taught my host family about California's official sport (no, not surfing). They think I am a Frisbee genius even though they think it's just a giant plate that they've seen dogs catch in their mouths in the movies.

I'm eating lots of delicious local fruits and vegetables. Most American agriculture, whether imported or not, seems to be engineered for durability and transit. Since the transit of produce is so limited here (we get dozens of varieties that people living only a few hours north never have access to) freshness and flavor are paramount. As an admirer of fine produce, I love this quirk.

Enough about produce, here's photos from the day we became official Peace Corps Volunteers:

The Health Promotion group after our Swearing-In Ceremony.


My training village group after Swearing-In, with our wonderful teacher Albina.

Going Away Party in Dmitrievka

All the host families of Dmitrievka.


More of the same. Such a welcoming community...I miss them.

Misc PST photos

Giant monument/park dedicated to the epic hero Manas. This is right behind the hotel we often stay at and is the coolest park in Kyrgyzstan.


We used a giant chalk map of Kyrgyzstan to announce where we would be sent. I love maps.


Sometimes Peace Corps Volunteers take bored photos of themselves. And by sometimes, I mean very often.

Mount Suleiman in the News

Well, probably not international news, but nonetheless. Osh's central mountain was chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

“Now the Suleiman Too Sacred Mountain will receive the world recognition under the aegis of the international organization. Tourists from all parts of the world will visit the mountain and the flowof investments will rise. Besides, UNESCO will allocate funds annually for maintenance and preservation of cultural and historical values of the Sulaiman Too,” Osh mayor Melisbek Myrzakmatov said.

Osh City Tour

Mount Suleiman lies in the center of the city. Atop sits a previous residence of a babur, which has been reconstructed and remains a sacred place to Muslims.


The center of the old bazaar in Osh has a peace symbol that caught my eye. This bazaar is supposed to be the oldest open-air bazaar in Central Asia. It's so large that I haven't even begun to see the half of it.


We have a nice park running alongside the river. It's defintely a city park with lots of attractions and food stands. But it's still a nice relief from the hustle and bustle of the city's roads.