Well, I am definitely settled in to my PST site! Three days ago I was recovering from the worst bowl malfunction that I’ve ever experienced. The after-effects alone dictated the necessity of a roll of toilet paper and hand sanitizer as constant companions wherever I decided to go; school, training, the kitchen, etc. As such I decided the best idea was to have a roll and bottle in my backpack at all times, as well as some in my room. But I digress. On Wednesday I was coming back via ‘marshuka’ from our ‘HUB’ day (it’s a day when every PCT gets together for long lectures on obvious things [safety, health, how Peace Corps still hasn’t gotten our ID’s ready yet, etc.] that waste a majority of the day…but it’s a great chance to socialize with people other than the folks at my training site whom I see every damn day, so it’s pretty cool:) when one of my friends recognized my Apa (host-mother) in the back. Evidently she was coming back from a shopping excursion in Kant, the same place where we have HUB day, and offered to pay the taxi fare for me and two other people that live near me to get back home.
--note: I live in Station Ivanovka, Ivanovka is the main town that has the marshuka connection to ‘the big city’ Kant. It costs 10 com (about 33 cents) to get from Station Ivanovka (it’s a town around a train station) to Ivanovka via taxi, then another 20 com (about 70 cents) to get from Ivanovka to Kant via marshuka. Then the same back, but in reverse.
Once we got back to Station Ivanovka my Apa insisted that all three of us accompany her to a local ‘magazine’ (shop). There she made it clear that we were all to drink vodka to my health. Keep in mind this local magazine is like 1/8th the size of a small 7-11 back home, and individually owned/operated. She then proceeded to buy a 1/5 of vodka, a giant can of mackerel, and four giant pieces of pita bread, then she asked the ladies behind the counter for a knife to open the can with and cups for our vodka. She was also so kind as to get my friends and me some juice-boxes because we’re weak Americans and have a hard time drinking our vodka straight. Meanwhile old lady’s are coming in and buying their vodka and pita bread while trying to work their way around us…we were honestly taking up over half the available customer space, but no one seemed to care! Over the next twenty minutes (she was pouring double shots for everyone…it’s the only way they drink their vodka here!) we finished the bottle of vodka, ate mackerel and pita bread sandwiches, chased our drinks with juice boxes and gave many toasts in broken Kyrgyz. We were in this tiny shop the entire time, with the shop ladies smiling kindly from the other side of the drink cooler my Apa was using as a cutting board/bar!
The weather here has been a little crazy over the past week and has alternated between raining at 55 degrees and sunny with no clouds at around 100 degrees. In the time we were in the shop it went from being slightly cloudy (you know, Seattle year-round) to a torrential downpour! Well, my Apa wasn’t about to let our heads get wet on our walk home, so she asked the shop ladies for some plastic bags, which she cut open with the knife she used on the mackerel to make little hats for us to wear on our walk back in the rain. Unbelievable. Here I am, trying my damn hardest not to shit my pants, I’m full of mackerel and vodka (roughly 6+ shots worth in 20 minutes…so I’m definitely drunk) and I’m walking home with my Apa and two of my friends wearing plastic bags on our heads. These plastic bags are so thin, however, that the only purpose they really serve is as water soakers that condense the rain into pools that then drop in full force straight down my shirt collar. What a sight!
Luckily after a night of gut-wrenching lack of sleep, I actually did recover and am doing just fine as of the writing of this blog. This is just one of countless stories that seem to happen out of nowhere here!
I’ve had a great time at Ivanovka Station thus far and between swimming in the river, collecting water on my host brother’s motorcycle, and playing pick-up games of soccer with the neighborhood kids I’m really going to miss it when it does come time for me to leave for my permanent site. Luckily I can take solace in the fact that I’ve got two more months of what will surely be more random local happenings to keep things interesting and you, my loyal reader, ever the more intrigued.
31 July 2008
18 July 2008
How to send me letters, packages, gossip magazines, candy, porn...etc.
This is taken from an e-mail sent by my "country desk" officer. It details exactly how to send letters and packages to me DURING MY THREE MONTHS OF TRAINING (after training--end of September--I'll have a completely different address, and it takes a little over a month for anything to get to me--FYI)
At the post office: The U.S. Postal Service uses the name Kyrgyzstan. The country names “Kyrgyz Republic” and “Kyrgyzstan” are interchangeable and are equally recognized. You may need to clarify to the postal clerk that the package is to be sent to Kyrgyzstan. Airmail delivery of letters and packages generally take between 4-10 days. Your post office will be able to assist in determining a reliable and cost-effective way of shipping items to the Trainee.
A note on sending packages: Please be sure to seal all packages with strong packing tape. Insuring the package may discourage tampering and pilfering. Unfortunately, from time to time Peace Corps Trainees and Volunteers have found that their packages have been tampered with, opened, and/or pilfered of the items inside. PC/Kyrgyz Republic cannot be held responsible for damaged or open packages.
For example: A letter to Trainee James Swift would have the following address (but instead of being one on top of the other, they should be clearly divided next to each other--English on the left, Cyrillic on the right--I just can't figure out how to format them like that for this blog posting...sorry)
KYRGYZSTAN
722140 Kant City
Lenina 97, RUPS
P.O. Box 22
ATTN: JAMES SWIFT
Кыргызстан
722140 г. Кант
ул. Ленина 97, РУПС
а/я 22
Please remember to put the Trainee’s name on the envelope or package to ensure delivery.
ALSO! BECAUSE CORRUPTION IS SO RAMPANT, THE ONLY WAY TO POSSIBLY ENSURE DELIVERY WITHOUT TAMPERING IS TO PUT THE MUSLIM CRESCENT MOON AND STAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE/PACKAGE. DISPLAY IT PROMINENTLY!!! --Just do a Google image search for "muslim crescent moon and star" and you'll see what to put on there:)
This is, of course, assuming you have any interest in sending me anything other than your well wishes and good karma...which is CERTAINLY appreciated:)
Thanks!
At the post office: The U.S. Postal Service uses the name Kyrgyzstan. The country names “Kyrgyz Republic” and “Kyrgyzstan” are interchangeable and are equally recognized. You may need to clarify to the postal clerk that the package is to be sent to Kyrgyzstan. Airmail delivery of letters and packages generally take between 4-10 days. Your post office will be able to assist in determining a reliable and cost-effective way of shipping items to the Trainee.
A note on sending packages: Please be sure to seal all packages with strong packing tape. Insuring the package may discourage tampering and pilfering. Unfortunately, from time to time Peace Corps Trainees and Volunteers have found that their packages have been tampered with, opened, and/or pilfered of the items inside. PC/Kyrgyz Republic cannot be held responsible for damaged or open packages.
For example: A letter to Trainee James Swift would have the following address (but instead of being one on top of the other, they should be clearly divided next to each other--English on the left, Cyrillic on the right--I just can't figure out how to format them like that for this blog posting...sorry)
KYRGYZSTAN
722140 Kant City
Lenina 97, RUPS
P.O. Box 22
ATTN: JAMES SWIFT
Кыргызстан
722140 г. Кант
ул. Ленина 97, РУПС
а/я 22
Please remember to put the Trainee’s name on the envelope or package to ensure delivery.
ALSO! BECAUSE CORRUPTION IS SO RAMPANT, THE ONLY WAY TO POSSIBLY ENSURE DELIVERY WITHOUT TAMPERING IS TO PUT THE MUSLIM CRESCENT MOON AND STAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE/PACKAGE. DISPLAY IT PROMINENTLY!!! --Just do a Google image search for "muslim crescent moon and star" and you'll see what to put on there:)
This is, of course, assuming you have any interest in sending me anything other than your well wishes and good karma...which is CERTAINLY appreciated:)
Thanks!
PST placement and host family adventures...
Well, I’ve been living in Станция Ивановка (Ivanovka Station) now for about a week and am still having a blast! My Kyrgyz language lessons are coming along quite well when I have my books in front of me, but when speaking I’m still limited to жакшы, рахмат, and каечиресиз (good/hello [jakshay], thank you [rakchmat], and sorry [catch-er-isis) but I feel like with the progress I’ve made in my understanding of Kyrgyz grammar the speaking will come along soon enoughJ Ivanovka Station is by far the least scenic of the various PST (pre-service training) stations in the area, but with that said it is still incredibly beautiful! The people here are so warm and friendly and the Kyrgyz mountains that I can see every day I walk to class are so big (honestly they put the Cascades to shame) they take over the sky in front of me even though they’re about 10km away! It’s extremely hot here right now. Every day has averaged about 95+ of dry heat, but there are a few signs that it might be letting up. Last night Kristen’s host mother, or ‘apa’ as we call them all (‘ata’ for host fathers) invited my apa and me over for “guesting” at her place. Guesting basically means you’re treated like a king with more food than you can possibly eat forced upon you and more vodka served than you thought humanely (yes, humanely) possible; then about mid-way though our four hour guesting it rained. Granted, it rained for about 20 seconds but there hasn’t even been a single cloud in the sky since I’ve been here so hopefully the weather will be cooling down a bit soon.
PST is coming along well…though I can’t wait to be done with it and it’s only the second week. They do too much hand-holding for my taste. Those of you that know me know that I am by nature extremely independent (too much so, according to my mother) and being required to dress a certain way, do certain things and have permission for everything is tiresome to say the least. But, I was speaking to a K-14 (I’m K-16) who’s service is up in September about it and he said that once I’m placed at my permanent site not only does the hand-holding stop but they pretty much leave you alone altogether…just 10 more weeks…just 10 more weeks…
I know I mentioned something similar in my last blog posting, but I am still surprised at how adjusted to this I already feel. I know that I’m still experiencing the ‘high’ that comes with travel and living in another culture—I experienced the same thing when I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy, and I know this will be followed by a ‘down-turn’ so to speak. However, after working in a law firm for the past 2 ½ years, and for 8 years before that being so focused on “the future”, finally being thrust into a situation where I’m literally living day-to-day with nothing to concern me except day-to-day activities is incredibly liberating! When I was working at Williams Kastner I was constantly reminded of what day it was, what time it was, and what I had to get done by when. Not that it was necessarily a ‘bad’ thing, but I feel that my daily personal life was sacrificed at the expense of a generous pay check. Now, I’ve decided to sacrifice the generous pay check for the ability to live my personal life day-to-day…not a bad deal, in my opinionJ
Kyrgyzstan is amazing. I’m reminded of that fact every single day I’ve been here. The weather is great (though too hot right now), the people are beautiful, the scenery is gorgeous and the food is amazing! Also, outhouses are not nearly as bad as I feared, and already everyone in my group is becoming somewhat of an outhouse connoisseur. For instance, mine has a wobbly board on the left and is just a big hole, whereas Jonathan’s is brand new, has solid footing and a very nice discrete hole. Though Kristen’s is not as nice as mine she at least has a door that closes properly, and Jenna’s has more open air at the top. I think I definitely drew the short straw with my outhouse, but even still it’s really no different than squatting in the woods. I think that when I’m done with this I’m going to write a definitive piece of literature on the topic of outhousesJ Also, the sun-shower is still the most amazing part of this whole experience. Showering outside is incredible, and with the sun on your face it’s almost heavenly…honestly, if you can get away with it, I sincerely recommend trying it!
My host family is awesome! It’s me, Apa, Erchayim (she’s 22), Tonya (she’s 20) and Adi (he’s 17). On Sunday I helped Adi with some yard work, and then we drove his motorcycle with side-cart up to the water-pump station to fill up three giant jugs of water for use at home. Unfortunately they don’t have running water in Ivanovka so we have to get it from a pump about 4 miles away…but that just means I get to ride on the back of a motorcycle that was probably built in the 1950’s, whipping around turns with a side-cart that’s always threatening to tip us over, while holding on to my host brother who’s ultimately only trying to show off how fast he can go without killing both of us. I love the Peace CorpsJ
Also, the beer here is phenomenal! They don’t have the same quality control that America has, so they can get away with so much more! For instance, they’ve got this beer called “Baltica” that ranges from #1 - #11…#1 is practically non-alcoholic, while #11 will knock your teeth out (it’s roughly 17%)! After much experimentation with Jonathan and Joe (yeah, Jonathan, Joe and James…it’s a sitcom waiting to happen) we’ve concluded that Baltica 8 is the best and actually better tasting than ANY major American brand. They’ve also got this beer called Piva, that’s about 5% but comes in a 2 liter plastic bottle (that’s about four beers in one) and only costs 53c (Som) which is roughly $1.25…Baltica 8 is 35c which is about $1 for a 22oz. glass bottle. The vodka is amazing too. I was really worried about it before I got here because I’ve never really liked vodka, but what they’ve got here is amazing! Take the top shelf Vodka in any American bar and you’ll likely get something that would be considered mid to low range here. Seriously, I’m completely convertedJ
That basically sums up what I’ve got going on right now. Today is “HUB” day, which means ALL the Peace Corps trainees get together in Kant (in Kyrgyz it’s pronounced ‘cunt’…I think I have way too much fun with that oneJ) for medical and technical training. HUB days are every Wednesday in Kant (ha ha ha) and it’s really just a great excuse to see everyone again. All 62 of us got really close during Staging in Philadelphia and Orientation in Bishkek, so now that we’re in our smaller groups (about 5-8 people per location) everyone really misses everyone else. I can already tell that HUB days are probably what I’m going to be looking forward to the most during these next 10 weeks.
That’s it for now…again, I’m actually paying to use the internet so I’ve got to keep this short and sweet. Rest assured o loyal reader, more stories are yet to comeJ
PST is coming along well…though I can’t wait to be done with it and it’s only the second week. They do too much hand-holding for my taste. Those of you that know me know that I am by nature extremely independent (too much so, according to my mother) and being required to dress a certain way, do certain things and have permission for everything is tiresome to say the least. But, I was speaking to a K-14 (I’m K-16) who’s service is up in September about it and he said that once I’m placed at my permanent site not only does the hand-holding stop but they pretty much leave you alone altogether…just 10 more weeks…just 10 more weeks…
I know I mentioned something similar in my last blog posting, but I am still surprised at how adjusted to this I already feel. I know that I’m still experiencing the ‘high’ that comes with travel and living in another culture—I experienced the same thing when I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy, and I know this will be followed by a ‘down-turn’ so to speak. However, after working in a law firm for the past 2 ½ years, and for 8 years before that being so focused on “the future”, finally being thrust into a situation where I’m literally living day-to-day with nothing to concern me except day-to-day activities is incredibly liberating! When I was working at Williams Kastner I was constantly reminded of what day it was, what time it was, and what I had to get done by when. Not that it was necessarily a ‘bad’ thing, but I feel that my daily personal life was sacrificed at the expense of a generous pay check. Now, I’ve decided to sacrifice the generous pay check for the ability to live my personal life day-to-day…not a bad deal, in my opinionJ
Kyrgyzstan is amazing. I’m reminded of that fact every single day I’ve been here. The weather is great (though too hot right now), the people are beautiful, the scenery is gorgeous and the food is amazing! Also, outhouses are not nearly as bad as I feared, and already everyone in my group is becoming somewhat of an outhouse connoisseur. For instance, mine has a wobbly board on the left and is just a big hole, whereas Jonathan’s is brand new, has solid footing and a very nice discrete hole. Though Kristen’s is not as nice as mine she at least has a door that closes properly, and Jenna’s has more open air at the top. I think I definitely drew the short straw with my outhouse, but even still it’s really no different than squatting in the woods. I think that when I’m done with this I’m going to write a definitive piece of literature on the topic of outhousesJ Also, the sun-shower is still the most amazing part of this whole experience. Showering outside is incredible, and with the sun on your face it’s almost heavenly…honestly, if you can get away with it, I sincerely recommend trying it!
My host family is awesome! It’s me, Apa, Erchayim (she’s 22), Tonya (she’s 20) and Adi (he’s 17). On Sunday I helped Adi with some yard work, and then we drove his motorcycle with side-cart up to the water-pump station to fill up three giant jugs of water for use at home. Unfortunately they don’t have running water in Ivanovka so we have to get it from a pump about 4 miles away…but that just means I get to ride on the back of a motorcycle that was probably built in the 1950’s, whipping around turns with a side-cart that’s always threatening to tip us over, while holding on to my host brother who’s ultimately only trying to show off how fast he can go without killing both of us. I love the Peace CorpsJ
Also, the beer here is phenomenal! They don’t have the same quality control that America has, so they can get away with so much more! For instance, they’ve got this beer called “Baltica” that ranges from #1 - #11…#1 is practically non-alcoholic, while #11 will knock your teeth out (it’s roughly 17%)! After much experimentation with Jonathan and Joe (yeah, Jonathan, Joe and James…it’s a sitcom waiting to happen) we’ve concluded that Baltica 8 is the best and actually better tasting than ANY major American brand. They’ve also got this beer called Piva, that’s about 5% but comes in a 2 liter plastic bottle (that’s about four beers in one) and only costs 53c (Som) which is roughly $1.25…Baltica 8 is 35c which is about $1 for a 22oz. glass bottle. The vodka is amazing too. I was really worried about it before I got here because I’ve never really liked vodka, but what they’ve got here is amazing! Take the top shelf Vodka in any American bar and you’ll likely get something that would be considered mid to low range here. Seriously, I’m completely convertedJ
That basically sums up what I’ve got going on right now. Today is “HUB” day, which means ALL the Peace Corps trainees get together in Kant (in Kyrgyz it’s pronounced ‘cunt’…I think I have way too much fun with that oneJ) for medical and technical training. HUB days are every Wednesday in Kant (ha ha ha) and it’s really just a great excuse to see everyone again. All 62 of us got really close during Staging in Philadelphia and Orientation in Bishkek, so now that we’re in our smaller groups (about 5-8 people per location) everyone really misses everyone else. I can already tell that HUB days are probably what I’m going to be looking forward to the most during these next 10 weeks.
That’s it for now…again, I’m actually paying to use the internet so I’ve got to keep this short and sweet. Rest assured o loyal reader, more stories are yet to comeJ
08 July 2008
In Kyrgyzstan!!!
I am writing this in an internet cafe in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. So far, this has been an amazing experience. All 62 people in my group are amazing! In such a short while (about a week) we've all really bonded, and there's quite a few people that I know I will be friends with for the rest of my life. That's an odd statement to make after such a brief period of time, but there's something about being thrown into the fire together that really brings people together immediately:)
Training is intense and long, but very very good. I found out that I'll be learning the Kyrgyz language, and have already made quite a bit of progress in it which is encouraging. Also, today (Wednesday 7/9/08) I meet and move in with my host family! I'm going to be in Ivanaka Station in the south about an hour long Marshuka ride from the big city of Kant. Marshuka's are crazy by the way...the drivers are nuts and everyone stands. Imagine an old VW bus with all of the seats ripped out and you'll get the right image. So much fun though:)
I'll be starting my PST (pre-service training) tomorrow and will go through it for the next three months while living with my PST host family. After training I'll move in with a different host family at my permenant site and start working!
Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country. It's got high green mountains and low valleys. Every day so far it's been sunny and about 90+ degrees outside, so it's a little tough for my British skin to get used to but I'm managing:)
Behind me in this internet cafe is a crazy Russian dude listening to Michael Jackson loudly and on shuffle...where else in the world would that be going on!!?? I miss all of my friends back home, but now that I'm actually doing what I've talked about for the past few years I really don't think I'll be home in Seattle for a very long time. Some of my friends here have already been talking about post COS (close of service...everything is in acronyms here) we're going to take a massive trip (no planes) through Mongolia, China, Thailand, Cambodia, The Phillipines and India. Sorry;)
For those of you that are reading this, thank you. I miss everyone but trust that I'm having the absolute time of my life! All of the stress of leaving is just a distant memory and I'm living in the present moment for the first time in my life. It feels amazing. I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision and I know that this is going to be the start of some more crazy adventures!
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I'll post all of the crazy pictures of my staging event in Philadelphia (we all partied every night...what better way to bond?), the crazy layover in Istanbul, Turkey and all of the shinanigans we've been getting into here in Kyrgyzstan. The people here are incredible. They're beautiful and warm, friendly and genuine. Honestly it's a bit of a shock at first, but once you get used to it there really is no better way to be.
Hopefully when I do make it back to America I'll be able to take some of that with me.
Sorry for such a short post but it's 35 som per hour and I'm quickly running out of time. Also, as soon as I get a cell phone over here I'll post my cell phone number so you can text me and/or call me (it's expensive, but how cool would that be?;)
Training is intense and long, but very very good. I found out that I'll be learning the Kyrgyz language, and have already made quite a bit of progress in it which is encouraging. Also, today (Wednesday 7/9/08) I meet and move in with my host family! I'm going to be in Ivanaka Station in the south about an hour long Marshuka ride from the big city of Kant. Marshuka's are crazy by the way...the drivers are nuts and everyone stands. Imagine an old VW bus with all of the seats ripped out and you'll get the right image. So much fun though:)
I'll be starting my PST (pre-service training) tomorrow and will go through it for the next three months while living with my PST host family. After training I'll move in with a different host family at my permenant site and start working!
Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country. It's got high green mountains and low valleys. Every day so far it's been sunny and about 90+ degrees outside, so it's a little tough for my British skin to get used to but I'm managing:)
Behind me in this internet cafe is a crazy Russian dude listening to Michael Jackson loudly and on shuffle...where else in the world would that be going on!!?? I miss all of my friends back home, but now that I'm actually doing what I've talked about for the past few years I really don't think I'll be home in Seattle for a very long time. Some of my friends here have already been talking about post COS (close of service...everything is in acronyms here) we're going to take a massive trip (no planes) through Mongolia, China, Thailand, Cambodia, The Phillipines and India. Sorry;)
For those of you that are reading this, thank you. I miss everyone but trust that I'm having the absolute time of my life! All of the stress of leaving is just a distant memory and I'm living in the present moment for the first time in my life. It feels amazing. I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision and I know that this is going to be the start of some more crazy adventures!
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I'll post all of the crazy pictures of my staging event in Philadelphia (we all partied every night...what better way to bond?), the crazy layover in Istanbul, Turkey and all of the shinanigans we've been getting into here in Kyrgyzstan. The people here are incredible. They're beautiful and warm, friendly and genuine. Honestly it's a bit of a shock at first, but once you get used to it there really is no better way to be.
Hopefully when I do make it back to America I'll be able to take some of that with me.
Sorry for such a short post but it's 35 som per hour and I'm quickly running out of time. Also, as soon as I get a cell phone over here I'll post my cell phone number so you can text me and/or call me (it's expensive, but how cool would that be?;)
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