Little Victories

It’s now the final countdown in Phase 2. Since my last post, I have visited Issyk-Kul (Hot Lake) and am adjusting to life in Epkin. 

ISSYK-KUL

Issyk-Kul is the neighboring oblast (province) and the name of the actual lake itself. According to Wikipedia, the lake is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume, and the second largest saline lake. It gets its name due to the fact that despite being surrounded by snowcapped mountains, the lake never freezes as a result of the high saline content. 

I went with my host family to the their family home in the city of Balykchy, which is about a 2.5 hour marshrutka (minivan) ride away. It was beautiful. For a lake, the water was very clear. Much clearer than Lake Degray (for all my homies in the Delph). There are little snack vendors and yurts/small restaurants that line the sidewalks near the beaches. The weather is perfect. Not too hot with a nice breeze. I also got to visit with a few fellow volunteers! Yes, it was the perfect remedy to homesickness and escaping the ridiculous hot Chui weather. While we were in Balykchy and enjoying weather in the mid-to-upper 80’s, Chui was in the 100’s. 

This is the yurt/restaurant we snacked in. It was pretty cool!

My host "mom" and the youngest munkin' of the family.

Sit back and relax... 

The top of the yurt, which I finally realized is also on the Kyrgyz flag....

Another view of inside the yurt. Pretty spacious eh?

Took a little cruise out into the middle of the lake. 

KG flag waving proud!

One of the cousins in the family... he's a twin! They were absolutely precious!

And of course, you have to have camel at the lake.

Balykchy itself was quite beautiful. Lake Issyk-Kul was pristine and it honestly felt more like an ocean than a lake. I enjoyed spending time with my host family and their extended family at the beach. We would go all day and just relax. It was interesting because, having been a part of a swim team for most of my youth, I was able to impress my host family. They didn’t expect me to be able to swim in the deep end for long periods of time, and they certainly didn’t expect to dive off the boardwalk. I really liked proving them that girls can be athletic and daring sometimes. We also enjoyed a nice little boat tour of the Balykchy lake area, as well as a spin on a jet-ski. I really thought that I was going to fly off of it, but miraculously, I survived. Seriously, you try going full speed and making sharp turns without having anything to hold onto but the sides of a jet-ski. 

I can’t stress how much needed this trip was. The few weeks prior, I had seriously considered waving my white flag. I was getting more and more homesick, physically ill and isolated. However, I ended up bonding with my family more. The extended host family was wonderful. There were so many cute little kids. 

BACK TO REALITY

After my short trip, I had to come back home. Renewed in spirit and re-energized, life has lately gotten better and better everyday. I now know more about what my organization does and what role I will be playing in the next coming months. I will be visiting nearby villages and rayon centers to train the village activists and leaders basic computer skills. From learning how to turn on and off a computer, using software such as Microsoft, to utilizing the internet and use an email account. It will be a challenge, but one that I certainly look forward to! 

As I soon learned after the two weeks in Phase 2, daily trips to Bishkek from my village would not be wise. The trip itself to the city soon grows expensive, and just a day alone in Bishkek is expensive. Therefore, I have been staying home more often. This has allowed me to play with my host siblings and neighborhood kids more. They actually come running and work out with me sometimes! They help correct my Kyrgyz, while I help teach a little day-to-day English. I actually leave my room now. While I previously locked myself in my room all day, I now actually go out in the village more. Last weekend, I even went on a mini-hike by myself. I've also learned how to can homemade jams, muffins/cupcakes, bread and compote! These will prove to be quite handy when I come home in two years, I'm sure. 

So, I can confidently say, I look forward to the next two years in the KG. I really, really do. Life is good. It’s as simple as that.