Just A Meager Volunteer

Disclaimer: this was actually written 4 days ago....

It’s been 4 days since I was officially sworn in as  K23 Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic Volunteer. Life has certainly slowed down a bit since Phase 1. I have settled into my new home for the next two years. My mother is a 30 year old widow with 3 children. We live in the small Kyrgyz village of Epkin, which is about an hour marshrutka ride from the capital city of Bishkek. Since my big move, I have gone into Bishkek 2 out of the 4 days. The foodie in me needed some comforting and familiar foods. Never have I been so happy to eat a Caesar salad in my life. The past two days were full of muffins, salads, burritos, and Korean food. As much as I like the Kyrgyz food here, sometimes I just need a short break from the goat meat and potatoes. If any of you end up visiting Bishkek… don’t worry, I’ll find all the best places to eat. Story of my life…

 Yesterday was my first day of “work” with my organization. They had a “conference” with the activists from the oblast. So, my organization works with women in rural villages around the “state” by teaching them better farming techniques and business skills. Each of the villages that a part of the organization are represented by a local activist. These women met yesterday to discuss and evaluate the pros and cons that had been occurring in their villages. I look forward to working with these amazing women for the next two years. 

1 Phase Down, 2 More to Go!

Clarification: I actually wrote this post a week ago, but was never able to post it online…

Let me start by apologizing for not posting or updating blogs lately. Life in Kyrgyzstan has been pretty busy… We had our Language Proficiency Interviews this past Friday and language classes had taken up most of my time. Good news! I passed my interview/exam! To continue where I last left off:

I believe my last post was about my new permanent site, Epkin. Since then, I have hiked a beautiful mountain (only 40 minutes away from my new site btw), met my permanent host mother, passed my language interview and climbed a historic minaret.

ISSYK-ATA:

About two weeks ago, I hiked Issyk-Ata (which literally translates to “Hot Father”) with some fellow volunteers/friends. It’s about an hour and a half marshrutka ride from our Rayon Center (village center?). Famous for its natural hot springs, springs and waterfalls, it was certainly a memorable and wonderful trip! We started the day with a 40-minute hike to a little nice natural spring. With green rolling hills surrounding us, a soothing river below us and gray-ish snow-capped mountains in the background, I was just in awe of Kyrgyzstan’s beauty.

Often, we see glimpses of these mountains and hills in the distance from our current villages, but once there, I was just dumbfounded by God’s beautiful creations. I couldn’t help but think and be reminded of how insignificant we are on this Earth. We, as humans, live and die… however, God’s creations live on for generations and generations. Moments like these remind me that the world doesn’t revolve around me and this world is certainly more than what I want and aspire to be. I was just a tiny little humble creature in the midst of such beauty that at the moment, seemed so large and majestic. However, even then, my surroundings were just another tiny part of a puzzle. 

Once we reached the spring, we saw a handful of people climbing near us to capture a better view. The adventurous side of me who has missed climbing decided that it would be fun to follow suit. After climbing approximately 30 feet of steep and loose gravel, we finally reached a beautiful viewpoint. Climbing down was even scarier than climbing up… but I made it back down safe and sound! When we reached the bottom, we were surrounded by a group of junior high school aged students. Most of the time, the Kyrgyz people ignore me because I tend to fit in due to my Asian physical appearance. However, when you have a few other volunteers with you who look as Caucasian as possible, we were taking countless selfies all the way back. After this hike, I don’t think the life of the rich and famous is one I’d like to pursue if it involves paparazzi. 

A NEW FAMILY:

This past Thursday, we volunteers, met our new permanent host families in Bishkek! It was exciting and nerve-wrecking all at the same time. My new host mother is 30 years old. Her name is Nargiza and she is the widowed mother of 3 children: 2 girls (11 and 1.5) and 1 boy (9). More to come on my new family once I meet them….

THE DREADED LANGUAGE INTERVIEW:

Last Friday, we all had the dreaded Language Proficiency Interviews. It is an oral exam to test our language levels and in order to continue our training, we needed at least a Novice High to pass. Well… I PASSED! Since I’ve never had an oral exam before and was being recorded, I completely blanked out and basically forgot everything I had learned. It was quite embarrassing and terrifying. BUT I PASSED!!!! YAY! 

A LOST TOWER:

So, it’s not really a lost tower, but it made you interested right? Right? A volunteer and I went to visit a nearby minaret that is a remaining minaret of a former mosque and fortress from the ancient city of Balasagun. The city was established by the Karakhanids and was once part of the great Mongul empire. The tower itself is now only half the original size due to several major earthquakes and was rebuilt as a result. However, once we made it to the top after climbing a tiny, dark, slippery and steep staircase, the view it offered was breathtaking. As usual… oh how thankful I am to be a volunteer in this beautiful country. 

Chui, Chui, Chui

Today was the big site announcement day! When I arrived at hub site this morning, I was very nervous. So nervous in fact, I had hardly slept the night before and had a dream that I was going to an oblast that I didn't want to go to. Funny how dreams work sometimes.... 

I will be staying in Chui Oblast (when I say oblast, think states as an equivilant) in the small village of Epkin. Epkin is home to approximately 1,300 and has the basic corner stores and schools. It is located in the foothills with plenty of hiking trails and beautiful scenery! I will be working with an NGO that works to empower the women and youth population in rural villages around our oblast. This is usually done through business and basic computer training. A fellow volunteer and I are hoping to start secondary projects involving health/fitness in the area! While the location may not have been my first choice, I am extremely excited about my organization and new projects!

To be perfectly honest, I was somewhat hoping to get any other oblasts but Chui because it is where we have been for the last month during our language training. I wanted to get placed somewhere different and new in the Krygyz Republic. However, as I read about my job description and learned more about my host family, I became more and more excited. I think that it will take some time before I completely accept the fact that I will not be near Issyk-Kul, Naryn or even the newly opened and intriguing Jalala-bad. At the same time, I know that my experience will be what I make of it and I couldn't be more excited to get one of my top job choices. Besides, I'll be very close to the capital city of Bishkek and even get to eat fresh fruit year round. 

The one thing Peace Corps is definitely teaching me is to be more patient. With patience and perserverance, I know that I can make the next two years some of the best years of my life! We have two more weeks of language training before the Language Proficiency Exam (LPE). Hopefully I'll be able to pass it.... especially since I'll need to achieve an advanced level of Kyrgyz to be able to live and work effectively. After the LPE, we have one week of preparations and training for our jobs before we actually leave for our permanent sites for six weeks. After six weeks, we will then return to our training villages for three more weeks of language training before we finally complete Pre-Service Training (PST) and our 2 years service officially begins!