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?;)

Back from Western Travels...time to move Eastward!

I had an amazing trip. Too many stories to tell, too many places visited and far too many drinks consumed have made this one extremely difficult blog post...but I'll try my best:) After Chicago I went to England where I connected (I was about to type re-connected, but that would imply a prior connection) with my paternal grandparents, my paternal Aunt, her husband and their daughters--or rather, my cousins. That was actually the highlight of my trip, connecting with people I didn't know yet are my family. It could have been quite an awkward endeavour but luckily we're all related so we're all fairly gifted with gab. That's just one of many comparisons and similarities I could draw between our like personalities based solely on the briefest of encounters. Incredible. I will sincerely try to make it back to London after my service in the Peace Corps to solidify those relationships.

The following weekend I left for Amsterdam. I know, I know...Amsterdam. The first thoughts that come to the American mind are glutenous indulgence in sexual and/or narcotic activities, and I can assure you none (well maybe a wee dose of the latter) transpired. I continue to hold the same opinion of prostitution that I had before: good to have as an option for those that care to use their 'services', but certainly not for me. I had been to Amsterdam once before when I was nineteen. On Spring Break. With three of my fraternity brothers. Even then none of us consorted with the ladies-of-the-night...though the medicinal use of natures green herb was used to an excess I'm sure no one's doctor would recommend:) However, this time in Amsterdam was different. It was refreshing. Not only was I staying a comfortable distance away from the center, but I had a personal Dutch guide to show me the 'real' Amsterdam. Jonathan and I met during my study abroad in Perugia, Italy and have luckily remained in contact these three years later so he was an invaluable resource in my re-discovery of what is truly one of the prettiest and nicest of European cities. We got a chance to bike-ride along all of the canals and tour the best parts of the city. Plus he introduced me to the best coffeeshops Amsterdam has to offer, as well as their various wares-which really should be introduced to our fine culture; if only temperance was a virtue America held dear, as the Dutch so do...but that's neither here nor there.

I digress...following my Amsterdam tour-de-farce I made my way back to beautiful London-town!! London is an amazing city with a seemingly endless amount of activity to offer. I got a chance to see Royal Ascot as well as Taste of London (as a VIP, I might add) and partied with beautiful people in beautiful clothes drinking beautiful drinks on a beautiful deck in the heart of the city. Have I hammered the point home? Good...too many stories to tell individually, but believe me it was incredible.

Post London I had a brief respite from my travels in Seattle, before I made my way to L.A. Well, Hollywood to be exact. There I met up with my friend who works in the industry and met two guys who are leads in a popular sitcom and we partied all. night. long. Quite the Hollywood experience, and certainly one I will not be repeating anytime soon, but well worth the hangover:) Post L.A. I went with my friend Justin to Las Vegas. Yes. We had a good time:)

Now I'm home in Woodinville getting last minute preparations going for my epic departure on Wednesday to Kyrgyzstan. It's strange. I'm neither nervous nor excited..and you can see I have still not alleviated my improper application of alliteration--which is a good thing. It means not much has changed. As the clock slowly winds down to my inevitable departure I can't help but feel anything but grateful. Grateful to my friends for letting me stay with them for free in every city I visited, grateful to my newly-met family for being so warm and welcoming, grateful to my family for being so understanding, and yes, grateful even to my gracious former employer whose steady paycheck slowly allowed me to indulge in this month of debauchery.

The next step is Peace Corps. I have no idea what to expect, yet I know myself well enough to know that anything that's thrown at me will easily be coped with. I'm anxious to get over there and start living the life I've been planning for myself for the past three years. I still have no idea what I'll be doing post-service, but right now that's the furthest thing from my thoughts. Now I have packing to consider, gifts (for my host family) to buy, and local friends to have one last horrah with before I leave. Speaking of which, tonight at 9 at Peso's in lower Queen Anne, if anyone's interested:)

For now I leave you hopefully humored, curious, debating whether you gleaned the proper veracity from my ramblings, yet overall I hope I leave you entertained. More stories sure to come, just give me some time to figure out how to work the Kyrgyz' Cyrillic-Alphabet keyboards:)

Chicago

I've been here for two full days now and don't think I've sweated more in my life!! It's been 85+ degrees both days with 378% humidity! At any rate it's been a great trip thus far. I've not only been having a great time staying with my friend Dave but I've also re-connected with, and rehashed a close friendship with my ex girlfriend Ann. All three of us went out Friday and Saturday and have had a great time!
Today Dave and I grabbed some breakfast at The Golden Nugget...the greasiest and simpelest breakfast in Chicago--plus the coffee was horrible, so it was a perfect introduction to mid-west life:) Then we picked Ann up and spent over an hour chatting and laughing at an outdoor cafe before meeting up with Dave's friend Dan. Ann left, so Dave, Dan and I all hopped on some bikes and rode around the city (actually the ENTIRE city...I'll post pics soon) for almost 6 hours. We stopped for a bit at "Blues Fest", a free outdoor music festival then kept riding.
Tomorrow Ann and I are going on an "architecture cruise" that Dave hooked up tickets for, and my flight to London leaves at 9:50.
I've got to cut this post short, there's a rousing game of Halo calling my name, but rest assured o loyal reader--more posts on more travels to follow!!

"POPS"

I had such an amazing night with my friend Jessie last night. She and I have been friends now for about a year, but it feels like we've known each other our entire lives. Actually after meeting her brother at a BBQ at my place where I provided some delicious mojitos we all decided that I was the middle child lost at birth. Anyway, I provide this information so that you know how close we are as great friends.
Seeing as I'm leaving for an indefinite period of time she wanted to take me out for a night out with just the two of us. Seeing as she was paying, how could I refuse!? We hit up a couple bars in Bell Town and finally made it to Black Bottle. This place is a trendy/upscale nightspot/bar/restaurant just north of the main action on 1st Ave in Bell Town. It's also the restaurant we ALWAYS find ourselves at whenever we're drunk together:) At any rate, it seemed like the fitting end to what was a really great night between two close friends. At one point in the restaurant we actually couldn't stop laughing for 15 minutes!
Okay, if you've read my past blogs you should know that I don't bring up useless facts without some point and here it is o loyal reader ye, the definition of the title of this piece: when Jessie and I left Black Bottle we were in the highest of spirits and really just loving life and each other. When we passed The Del Ray on 1st there was a homeless man with an empty water jug hanging around his neck that stopped us. "Can I sing you a song?" he asked. "No," we replied, "we really need to get going..." You know, the usual bullshit you give to homeless people that are hassling you. But then he said: "that's okay, would you like to hear a song for free though?" Now, normally one would assume that this was just a ploy for us to take pity on him and give him change anyway, but there was a manner about his physical presence and a look in his eye that was so peaceful and so giving that both of us independently said "yeah, sure..." Then Jessie said "James is joining the Peace Corps, do you have a song about that?" Now this is when he looked at her with his wised eyes and responded with one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It lasted only about a minute and was played on an empty water jug, but his voice was so spiritual and the words were exactly what I needed to hear...it was quite literally like he was speaking directly to my heart. Yeah, I know...cliche? Sure...but I lived it and I make no apologies in this post; just the facts o loyal reader, just the facts.
When he was through he shook both of our hands and HE WALKED AWAY. We were dumbfounded. I took Jessie by the arm and led her back to my car, but she wasn't ready to go. She was saying (what I was thinking) over and over that we can't just leave him like that! We got back to my car, drove to the nearest ATM and she took out $20. Then we drove back to where we found him but he was gone. As I was turning around Jessie screams "STOP!! I see him!" No sooner have I put my foot on the brake than she's jumping out of the car and running after him. So, of course, I park and follow her on foot. By the time I get to her she's talking to him about something obviously very personal. With tears in her eyes she gives him the $20, and I lead her back to the car after we both give Pop's (the name he gave us) a hug. When we get back in the car Jessie tells me about a homeless person her family took in a long time ago named Pop's who used to paint in water-color...which our Pop's does as well as sing beautiful poetry on the streets of Seattle...
All in all, considering that each of us had only had roughly 5 drinks over the past six to seven hours and were more tired than any hint of inebriation this was one of the most powerful nights I'd had in a long time.
I share because as a spiritual person with no affiliation with any religion or organization my faith was reaffirmed last night. Not only in my own beliefs, but in the human spirit and the truth of the soul.
I read what I just wrote and I can't believe I said that, but there really is no better way to say it so I'm going to let it stand. I'm going to leave this story for all interested parties to read at their leisure and I'm going to remember Pop's and his empty water jug that he turned into the greatest accompaniment to his sung-poetry that anyone could imagine. I shared this amazing experience with my friend Jessie, and no matter how long our absence from each other or distance between us, last night will be something we will both always remember.
I'm sad to leave, but I'm now more hopeful for the future than ever before. It's time to go, I leave for Chicago tomorrow at 2:40, then London on Monday...my life is finally starting to get interesting, but Pop's showed me that it really always was...and hopefully always will be. By the way, I'm also working diligently on my grammar and use of punctuation but I fear that you may have a long wait as learning Russian is now taking up a predominant amount of my time:)

Stay tuned for more, but in the meanwhile if you see Pop's be sure to ask him for a song, because he's got more to give than you have cash to spare. Think about it.

The Kyrgyz Republic

I received (and accepted) my official invitation to serve in The Kyrgyz Republic beginning in July 2008!! I will leave for my “staging” event on July 3rd…I still don’t know where it will be yet, but it will be somewhere in America. That’s good, now I’ll be able to celebrate the fourth of July in America before being whisked away to Central Asia for over two years. I am incredibly excited and ready for this adventure! I just have to keep telling myself that it’s more than just a trip; it’s a life-changing move. I am moving to Kyrgyzstan for two years to teach English and involve myself in whatever other community development projects they might need me for.

I’ve already begun practicing Russian with the mp3’s Peace Corps had available to download…and I suck. I think that language will be the biggest barrier for me to cross, but once I do it’s going to be amazing!! Whether I learn Kyrgyz or Russian it’s going to change my life. It’s odd saying that, in a way, “change my life”…one never fully appreciates how much something has changed their life until they have hindsight to give them the proper perspective. Because I’m already fully cognizant of the fact that this will indeed “change my life” I can’t help but feel like I’m about to embark on a truly incredible journey!


I’ve been working at Williams Kastner for 2 ½ years now, and I’ll be leaving for good on May 30th. I can’t stress enough what an amazing experience it has been for me to work with such great people. I feel like over these past two years I’ve grown by leaps and bounds, and that is in no small part due to the attitude, work, appearance, and professional atmosphere that this firm has demanded. It’s strange to think about it in these terms but although I’d planned on serving in The Peace Corps since my sophomore year in college it’s taken this job to actually prepare me financially, personally, and professionally enough to do a full and complete good job with my service. Williams Kastner enabled me to do the proper job I’d always envisioned I would. For that I will always be grateful.

As I look ahead to the coming months I see great changes getting closer by the day. May 30th I’ll quit the best job I’ve ever had. June 6th I leave for Chicago, then London, Amsterdam, possibly Mykonos or Dublin, and then back to London before maybe heading to L.A. for a final goodbye to my good friends down there prior to setting off for staging on July 3rd. Sometime between now and then I’m going to work on my grammar so I don’t subject my loyal readers to these God-awful run-on sentences. Unfortunately for you, this is certainly one of my lowest priorities at present.

As much as I can’t wait to travel in Europe and rekindle old friendships with everyone I know over there and get set for my 2 years in Kyrgyzstan, I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy the present and stay in as much contact with my amazing friends here before I leave. Who knows? Where I end up in The Kyrgyz Republic might not have any easy access to my world back home in Seattle, I might go months without even so much as a letter to remind me of my roots! It could be weeks before I get to take a shower! Electricity could be nothing but a wishful thought, let alone some good pay-per-view to keep me company…ahhh, the ‘great unknown’ that is Kyrgyzstan. I’m so ready!

I just got medically cleared for Peace Corps!!!

As I've said in my previous blog, I've been nominated to teach English and work with community developement in Asia. I just found out that I've been medically cleared for service in July 2008!!! I am still awaiting the official invitation, but now I am 99% of the way through the application process (that's taken me roughly 2 years to complete). I'm keeping this post short and sweet, because I just wanted to make the ever-so-brief announcement--stay tuned for more updates!!!

It's official...

May 30th I will be quitting my job at Williams Kastner & Gibbs PLLC. They have been so kind as to employ me for the past 2 1/2 years, but the time has come for me to move to greener pastures. Where might that be, I'm sure you're asking? Where indeed? Well, after I move out of my gorgeous 2 bedroom apartment on Lake Union with views of the city and Gas Works Park (sigh) and cram all of my incredibly useless yet painstakingly accumulated belongings into my parents house I will be leaving for Chicago on June 6th through June 9th to hang out with friends there, and then it's off to Europe! Run-on sentences aside, I will be staying with family (whom I've only just met) from my father's side for the first week, then my Dutch friends in Amsterdam the next week, followed by a brief sojourn to Dublin, then Edinburgh, then finally London again for my final week. I'll be returning on June 23rd to pack another suitcase for my 2 1/2 year stint serving somewhere (I'll find out in May) in Asia with The Peace Corps.

Ah! Now it becomes clear (my reader undoubtedly says), that's why James is writing this blog! Neither because he suffers from any sort of foolish belief in posterity, nor because his vanity has increased to such a level that he actually believes people care about his preposterous ponderings, but he will truly be gone from modernity for an extended period of time. A period of time, which if the past three years are any indication, people will get married, people will die, people will be born and James will be living in a jungle teaching English to those deserving youth in post-colonized ruined countries...while continuing to speak in third person, no doubt.

So, there you have it o loyal reader! The long, short and midway succeeded of it. This blog will be my only connection to you my friends, family, acquaintances and curious voyeurs for at least the next 2 1/2 years. Get used to the language:)