At the base of Mount Suleiman.
City overview.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Cannonball!
Kyrgyz pools are the craziest place for people watching. They keep you on your toes too. There’s a lack of rules that leads to many slips and falls along the poolside. There’s also the Kyrgyz national water sport of throwing your friends into the pool. And it doesn’t matter how hard he may try to resist and how many other friends it takes, they will throw him in the pool.
Kyrgyz fashion is taken to the next level at the pool. The boys run around in their flimsy underwear like they own the place. They also may jump from the roof of a neighboring building into the rather shallow pool, but that has nothing to do with fashion. The young ladies, who dare wear bikinis, sling a sheer scarf around their bodies to maintain their modesty.
The most egregious fashion mishaps were one time sightings, though we do go to the pool quite often. Spotted on a hot July day: young girl, maybe 8, wearing a string thong…and only a thong. This same hot day: teenage girl wearing the most unflattering one-piece ever designed - with the focal point being a giant dolphin on its front. Another slightly hotter day in August: young woman wearing yellow bikini designed with the illusion of ants crawling on it. Why? I am the last person on earth who would claim to understand international fashion trends. I'm just a casual observer who enjoys every moment of casual observation.
Beyond fashion, let’s say – deeper than fashion, the Kyrgyz pool has even more to offer. There’s the adrenaline that runs through your veins as you sit on the side of the pool and realize that 80% percent of the children swimming in front of you CANNOT SWIM. Then there’s the confusing that comes with watching children set a large stone next to the pool off of which to jump, because those extra 6 inches are 6 times more exciting. Then there’s the disgust that comes from noticing bursting boils upon the skin of those swimming next to you in the definitely not chlorinated water (really, the boil thing happened only once...but it was scary!).
All that being said, the pool is the place you’ll find me on a hot summer day. We have several, which are refilled on different days of the week and it’s a constant struggle to know the schedule well enough to follow the clean water. The 3 hours I may spend at the pool stand out as the ONLY 3 hours of the day during which I am not dripping sweat. That’s why I go. The people watching is just an added bonus.
Kyrgyz fashion is taken to the next level at the pool. The boys run around in their flimsy underwear like they own the place. They also may jump from the roof of a neighboring building into the rather shallow pool, but that has nothing to do with fashion. The young ladies, who dare wear bikinis, sling a sheer scarf around their bodies to maintain their modesty.
The most egregious fashion mishaps were one time sightings, though we do go to the pool quite often. Spotted on a hot July day: young girl, maybe 8, wearing a string thong…and only a thong. This same hot day: teenage girl wearing the most unflattering one-piece ever designed - with the focal point being a giant dolphin on its front. Another slightly hotter day in August: young woman wearing yellow bikini designed with the illusion of ants crawling on it. Why? I am the last person on earth who would claim to understand international fashion trends. I'm just a casual observer who enjoys every moment of casual observation.
Beyond fashion, let’s say – deeper than fashion, the Kyrgyz pool has even more to offer. There’s the adrenaline that runs through your veins as you sit on the side of the pool and realize that 80% percent of the children swimming in front of you CANNOT SWIM. Then there’s the confusing that comes with watching children set a large stone next to the pool off of which to jump, because those extra 6 inches are 6 times more exciting. Then there’s the disgust that comes from noticing bursting boils upon the skin of those swimming next to you in the definitely not chlorinated water (really, the boil thing happened only once...but it was scary!).
All that being said, the pool is the place you’ll find me on a hot summer day. We have several, which are refilled on different days of the week and it’s a constant struggle to know the schedule well enough to follow the clean water. The 3 hours I may spend at the pool stand out as the ONLY 3 hours of the day during which I am not dripping sweat. That’s why I go. The people watching is just an added bonus.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Summer Scenery Cont'd
There's a cave on the side of the mountain that houses a historical/cultural museum. This shot is looking out from the museum.
Base of the mountain. These steps lead to the holy site at the top of the mountain.
Looking down on the city from the lookout point on the top of the mountain.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wish List?
I am a low maintenance person and so life here in Kyrgyzstan goes smoothly for me. But, like anything, there are ups and downs. For those down moments, a taste of home is soothing. I compiled this Wish List for that reason, but please don’t feel obligated to send me anything. Shipping can be super expensive.
Please note that for anything remotely valuable, some safety precautions should be taken. Wrapping the entire box (like in that brown package paper) seems to help with tampering, as does drawing/taping the Islamic symbol on the exterior of the package. If you want to hide something within the package, it’s recommended that you put it into an empty tampon box or something similar. Should safely arrive in about a month. If you’ve forgotten my mailing address, please email me or comment on this post. It’s safer if I email you the address directly.
Coffee (ground for a French Press)
Energy/Protein Bars or Granola Bars of any kind
Chapstick with sunscreen
Hot Sauce
Maple Syrup
Ranch seasoning packet
Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter Pretzels
Butterfingers
Reeses Pieces
Dijon Mustard
Blueberries (dried or canned? if that exists)
Spicy Seasonings
Hand/Foot Cream
Pumus Stone
Face Wash
Face Lotion with sunscreen
Aloe lotion/After-sun lotion
Glide or Satin Floss
Emergen-C or Airborne
Nyquil
Magazines, CDs, DVDs
Pictures of y’all
Craft materials to entertain me over the winter
Books (re: Prostitution, Democratization, Human Trafficking, Russian Grammar, Gender in Development, Studying for FSOT, something you think I might find interesting)
Please note that for anything remotely valuable, some safety precautions should be taken. Wrapping the entire box (like in that brown package paper) seems to help with tampering, as does drawing/taping the Islamic symbol on the exterior of the package. If you want to hide something within the package, it’s recommended that you put it into an empty tampon box or something similar. Should safely arrive in about a month. If you’ve forgotten my mailing address, please email me or comment on this post. It’s safer if I email you the address directly.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Check out the scenery
I have lots of photos from around town, so here's the first in a series of scenery. I'm climbing around on top of Mount Suleiman. This photo is from June. It's way too hot to do this during the middle of the day right now. We went up the mountain late at night last week. Scary, but we didn't melt.
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