Diversity Camp

Last week, we again worked with CMME to put on a Youth Diversity Camp to local Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, and Kazahk children. I was lucky enough to present on Leadership Skills and Cross-cultural Friendship. Many concepts were new to the students, so we were really excited to share. But they were even more willing to share their culture with us. We all learned a great deal from each other, which marks a great success. We were invited back to so many villages, but I'm afraid we'll be unable to accept them all. One particular student invited me to his home in March. I'd be amazed if he remembered.

Diversity education is extremely challenging and never sails as smoothly as you'd like. Either in spite of this, or because of it, I truly enjoy diversity education, dialogue, and training.

















All these pictures seem rather self explanatory...except maybe the 'steal the bacon' action-shot. Hope that clears things up. Also, be on the look out for Halloween photos. I'll get them posted soon.

CMME

The Center for Multicultural and Multilingual Education does great work in the city and its surrounding area. I love them! I'm lucky enough to assist in a workshop this week by presenting on Participatory Analysis, Priority Ranking, and Identifying Resources. I still don't feel like teaching is my calling, but I cannot resist new opportunities to share wisdom.

And I'm trying to keep busy here - that's one thing that I can truly say I've been successful at.


The CMME crowd at their last event I attended.

An American Tale

I’m not an astronomer by any means, but you could call me an occasional stargazer. I often think of the cartoon I saw when I was younger that featured the little, lost Fifel Mouskawitz. He looked up at the stars and pondered how, despite distance, he and his loved ones were gazing at the same deep, blue sky. Distance is relative and since he was a mouse, they probably were looking at the same sky. I find myself in an entirely different hemisphere now, which makes this analogy almost impossible. Though, as the days get shorter this winter, if you wake up before dawn and I stay up late (or vice versa), we may find ourselves simultaneously stargazing. We won’t likely see the same constellations, but those are so hard to make out anyway. I’ll pick a random star and I’ll think of you.

Summer Camp

Since summer is over, this may seem untimely. However, I just realized that I never shared photos or stories from the Jalal-Abad summer camp I completed this August.

What the camp lacked in facilities, we made up for in content. Together with 5 other PCVs and 5 local volunteers, we taught on various life skills, including: self-esteem, healthy relationships, reproductive health, nutrition, and goal setting. At the end of week-long camp, the students then created and presented their own lessons on these very topics that they could again use in the their communities. These kids were sharp and managed to impress me at every turn.

In addition to this very successful transfer of skills and knowledge, we had some hilarious times. We played a hide-n-seek variant, Sardines, and thought we had actually ‘lost’ a student for over an hour. The students completed a Scavenger Hunt that included a request for them to serenade a particular PCV. The songs that they came up with in the heat of the contest were adorable! We prepared over 300 hundred water balloons and used them to ambush the students in the middle of the soccer field. After momentarily starring in shock, they rushed after us to find our stockpile and mustered up a serious counter-attack. We had an all-night bonfire that included the craziest game of charades I’ve ever witnessed and the roasting of potatoes in-lieu of marshmallows. We awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of a mouse eating our chips on the cabin floor. We held a talent show that easily demonstrated our miserable lack of talent as well as our inability to understand the Kyrgyz sense of humor as performed by the students. We fit more students/people in one old, rickety Soviet bus that also carried all of our camp’s food, bedding, and supplies. This bus traversed steep, unpaved terrain that included a precarious, dry riverbed.

I took hundreds of pictures and not one shower. After this camp, I vowed to never again eat soup for breakfast. We videoed some of the camp’s conditions for a piece I call, “Outhouse Exposes: Episodes 1-4.” We set goals for ourselves as trainers each and everyday. We maintained an insanely positive attitude after each and every pitfall. I gained some great experience teaching young people in this country. I learned so much from my fellow volunteers on how to be a volunteer. We celebrated our victories and laughed off everything else. This camp definitely prepared me for the difficulties that I faced during my conference a month later.

Summer Camp Photos

Teambuilding exercises!





My reproductive health presentation to the young ladies.






Badass bonfire.






Hiking to a waterfall.






Group shot as the camp comes to a close.






Absolutely packed busride home from camp.

Conference Photos!

To my great relief, our Gender Equality Conference last week was a great success. There are plenty of things I wish I had done differently, but that just leaves more room for improvement come next year. And I look forward to working extensively on gender issues in the meantime using the valuable wisdom gained from this crazy experience. I'm glad it's over and want to share some photos with yall:
Having fun with ice breakers!



Thoughtfully pondering gender issues.



Resourcefulness at its finest.



Yoga time.



More quality learning and sharing.



Some debates were more heated than others.



The fearless leaders determining the next course of action. Ha.



Look at all our certificates! So proud.



Volunteers really stepped up. I'm so grateful and impressed by what we accomplished.



So happy to be done!

Gender Equality Conference

It's been really hectic here the past weeks in preparation for our upcoming Gender Equality Conference. Only 2 more days until we kick off this annual event. I am really excited for the themes we will cover...I'm just realizing quickly how difficult the details can be when trying to work within the context of another culture. I'm sick, so emotionally drained, and stressed to the max.

On the upside, I think this is a conference that we can be proud of. I have 15 confirmed presenters and 50 participants, who will hopefully rise to the occasion and make up for any of my planning pitfalls. Flexibility is crucial. Check out our logo and wish me good luck in next few days:

Yummy Summer Food

I guess September 1st calls for autumn here in Osh, though the weather is not quite aligned with the new season. Saying goodbye to Summer in Osh is hard to do.


The early stages of my host mama's lagman. The beauty of most national dishes from this region is that they can be cooked in just one pot. That's a potential cooking show in the making.



I'll really miss the summer fruits and vegetables! For the past month, almost every meal is followed by a second course of melon. Above, Nika is enjoying cherries and apricots.

Scenery: Take 3

At the base of Mount Suleiman.


City overview.

High-dive at the 'Big Fish'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hiking in Issyk Ata

Right before training ended, we took a day trip into the mountains just South of Bishkek to a resort town called Issyk Ata. We didn't partake in any of the resort's ammenities, but instead chose to hike up though hills.


Traditional Kyrgyz yurts used a temporary residence for bringing livestock to the mountains during the summer.


Sasha and I hiking in Issyk Ata.


Beautiful grazing horses in the mountains. I know we speculated before I left for Kyrgyzstan, what would Kyrgyz horses look like?