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A Very English Month

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Salut, In mid-February, I took a trip to Bishkek for medical leave. My last time in Bishkek for medical was in July. A prospective K-31 member asked me if we ever get sick. I pride myself on having satisfactory health most of the time, but the same cannot be said as a whole for my cohort. We’re a sick bunch; food poisoning and dog bites abound. Anyway, the visit was perfunctory and fast—no problems, no cavities at the dentist. I was on a delayed flight with some Peace Corps staff members. Regarding an update on the grant and projects: it looks as if projects will not be restarted, and those who were in the middle of theirs (at varying stages) won’t get to proceed and may have to return the money. I’m in the process of working on submitting mine. English Olympiad was in full swing. Olympiad is what it sounds like: district-wide competitions for school subjects that evolve into oblast (state) level competitions, then national. It’s a bit like UIL competitions back home in the US if anyon...
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Wandering Through Time

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Salut, Disclaimer: The following represents my own views and do not represent the Peace Corps or the United States government. Where does one even start? Especially when everything seems to have upended itself, and everything I once had planned spirals out of reach. Of course, I’m not unused to this, being in the Peace Corps has taught me the value of patience and adaptability, all the while knowing nothing will go to plan. Yet I write this blog, both for myself and my family and friends, and for potentially anyone else interested in the Peace Corps and wanting to serve. Or just to learn something about Kyrgyzstan. A sneak peek behind the curtain to daily life. I have never tried to be grandiose in these ambitions, and I’m thankful for everyone who continues to read my blog. Coming back to Kyrgyzstan after being in America, having had just a taste, it is so very easy to miss everything and everyone back home. In other ways, it creates a necessary distance from overreacting, overthinki...
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Going Home

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Salut, Happy New Year! The target audience for this blog is generally undefined, but the major readers are, I presume, usually family and friends back home. As such, considering this post is about me being home, it may feel like some retreaded ground. This is my 38th (!!) blog post; that’s crazy.  For anyone who has traveled cross continentally, or even just flown across the Atlantic, you can relate to how difficult and agonizing it can be and just how exhausting it is.  When I first made the trip to Kyrgyzstan, I was alongside a ragtag group of people I barely knew anything about, but I was with people. Doing it alone is hard and mind-numbing. The route I took to get home, involved a drive to Jalal-Abad city, a 2-hour marshrutka to Osh city, a taxi to the airport, a 30-minute flight to Bishkek, a 7-hour night layover at the Bishkek airport, then a 5.5-hour flight to Istanbul, an 8-hour layover in that airport, and then a 13-hour flight to Houston, then a drive home. Coming ba...
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End of the Year, Part Two

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Salut, This is the 19th blog post for this year and it's last. Additionally, it is my last end-of-year post. With only two years, every first is a first, and every second is its last.  Reflecting on a full year in Kyrgyzstan is crazy; the last time I was here I had only had six months, and now I look ahead to the next 7-8 months. I spoke a long time ago of seeing the seasons change, of seeing time wean and the students grow old. This time last year, Frank, my site partner, had left. Does it feel like a year? Yes, and no. I said I wanted to see Kuz Saykal grow and walk around the house; she was only 4 months old when I first arrived. I see Adelya wake and eat breakfast next to me, as we both prep to go to school, and I see her put on her thick coats and boots to brace the snow. I got to see the tree leaves fall and grow again. The flowers bloomed again, the memory of a field of poppies in my mind. I went to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan which I had wanted to do. I see the sun rise and s...
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