My group, the K-17s, at our COS conference last month. We are called the K-17s because we are the 17th group of Peace Corps volunteers to come to Kyrgyzstan.
Enjoying a sunny day with my little host sister and neighbor.
The spice displays at the bazaar are beautiful but it must be a pain to pack it all up. Also, I get worried for spice vendors on windy days.
A sampling of the goods available in one of our village shops. This is why I’d love to see my neighbors experience Super Target.
A gas and electric bill (post-it note) stuck to a door.
One of my friends who lives in a neighboring town in this apartment building is away for a few weeks, so I went to pay her bills but they weren’t taped to her door (someone took them?) so now I have no idea what to do.
Getting water, one of my daily chores. If I’m not home between 10:30a and 2:30p to fill up my buckets then I’m outta luck because the water pump shuts off.
Though I have never picked up a hitchhiker in my life, I got extremely angry at drivers who passed me by on really cold days while I lost all feeling in my hands and feet. I’ve screamed at their cars as they sped by, “You think you’re too good for me with your fancy pants car? I know how to drive a car too, you know!”
I’ve met many interesting people while hitchhiking several times a week over the course of two years. In various car rides with complete strangers, I’ve: shocked people with my Kyrgyz; conversed painfully badly with Russians; gotten into arguments about politics; unwittingly gotten into a mail car that stopped at EVERY post office; been lectured about religion; been in a video; randomly met fluent English speakers; held people’s cute babies; been sat on by strangers; accidentally offended old women; received invitations and marriage proposals; been nearly thrown up on; had my phone stolen; made up fake identities; been scared by animals in the trunk; been offered a shot of vodka; seen butter smeared on the tires for good luck; ran out of gas; skidded on ice; been stopped by countless herds of animals; screamed at drivers to go slower through mountain passes; faked emergencies to evacuate cars; been offered all kinds of food (nice) and drink (communal car Fanta bottle, no thanks); been stopped countless times by police for bribes (from the drivers, not me); had various children fall asleep on me; been given a free ride on a beer delivery truck; been stepped on and squashed; almost died from overcrowdedness + no cracked windows (the worst!).
My street was in charge of the entertainment at our local “Nooruz” concert on March 21 which celebrated the beginning of spring. Everyone from my street did a dance, song or skit so I did my first ballet performance since my retirement at the age of 12. I got rave reviews from my neighbors but apparently I didn’t inspire the gods to send springtime with great haste because it snowed as late as April 5.
These little boys are being Manaschas, or tellers of the legends of Manas, Kyrgyzstan’s epic hero. Most Kyrgyz people can recite at least a few verses.
My host mother and neighbors singing, and the onlookers.
Eating oromo, a big rolled and steamed dumpling, with my host family.
Playing Sorry with my host siblings. They are not that competitive by nature, so I really had to encourage them to knock someone's pawn off the board and yell "SOOOORRRRYYYYY!" with no regrets.
Lots of little kids in my village help their parents carry buckets to the closest water pump. So cute!
Sheep in the mountains
Some stores and post offices still use abacuses. Calculators are more common. My bank (in the nearest sizeable town) has computers but when I go there they still have to go find a brown folder with my name on it, on a shelf, tied with string, in order to look me up and give me my money. The people who work there are really nice but it’s, um, not speedy.
More lambs! We named them Bob, Billy and Betty.
My little host sister Begai is like Elmyra from Tiny Toon Adventures, who luuuved animals but they didn’t luv her back. (If you’re not convinced, see previous post for kitten washing picture.)
My little neighbors making springtime mud/grass soup. Guess that’s universal!
There isn’t a McDonald’s in Kyrgyzstan but there is this suspicious-looking MAC Burger chain in Bishkek (the capital city).
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enjoyed. especially liked the hitch-hiking entry.
ReplyDeleteso, can you make OROMO? (as well as you perform ballet?)
eric in japan