It's hot in the South. Really hot. 110 degrees Farenheight hot. And when you're riding in a crowded shared taxi, sandwiched between plump ladies, fidget-y kids, and sprawled out men, it seems even hotter. I often catch myself giving small Kyrgyz kids the evil eye because they are allowed to run around in their underwear and splash in the canals without reprimand. The tiniest ones can even lose the underwear. Oh, to be young.
The soaring temperatures mean that my schedule is kind of strange. On the days I don't have anything particular to do (which happen pretty often now that school's out for the summer), it's something like this:
6:30-7:30 am: Wake up, make coffee (I'm currently enjoying the Tanzanian stuff given to me by my favorite new UVa med student), and listen to music whist dancing around in my underwear (and yes, I realize how cool this makes me...but don't pretend you don't do the exact same thing on occasion)
9 am: Venture outside, eat breakfast (usually something freshly-picked from the garden) with my family
10 am-1pm: Run errands before the heat renders me incapable of sustaining any physical activity.
1-7 pm: Sleep, pretend to read a book
7-11 pm: Join the living again, eat with the fam on the 'tapjan' (raised outdoor platform with cushions where we eat in the summer; men sit Indian-style and women side-saddle it), play with the little ones (our new favorite game: making shadow puppets on the wall), and -- if I'm really lucky -- take a 'sun shower' (a spigot attached to a tub of water which is heated outside by the sun). I've taken 3 showers in 4 days and am nearly delirious with happiness. Whoever said that cleanliness is next to godliness was on to something...
11-1 am: Read, watch movies, eventually fall asleep.
Repeat.
Yesterday afternoon, though, I took a major step in the battle against the heat by buying a big standing fan. I've been sitting in front of this marvel of modern invention for hours at a time and can feel my stamina returning. Bring it, summer.
27 June 2007
23 June 2007
Grant Info
So my grant has finally been processed by Peace Corps (hooray!), which means that it's time to ask you guys to help me out. Anything you are able to contribute will be very much appreciated -- even $10 or $20 will go a long way. Here's a brief description of the project:
Having a large, useable space is an invaluable resource for a school. Students, teachers, and administrators can meet comfortably as large groups and, as a result, make the school more than a just place for lessons. At present, the Gymnasium has no such space. Its main building is a converted dormitory; half of it is still used to house students from other villages. Although these converted rooms serve well as classrooms for groups of 15-20 students, they are not conducive to larger group meetings. A large space – the club building – exists but is currently in poor condition and, as a result, only used for student holiday celebrations. Once renovated, the club will used for a variety of purposes. Students will be able to gather there for multiple extra-curricular activities, from student parliament to dance club to holiday celebrations. Teachers will be able to use the space for meetings and training sessions. Administrators will be able to use the space for regional meetings and seminars it gives as a professional development center. The school will be better equipped both to host larger numbers of people for already-planned seminars and more future groups, such as government officials, school commissions, and local teacher organizations. Instructions for donating:
Just go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.volproj and scroll down to projects for the Kyrgyz Republic. My project is listed as "Kurshab Gymnasium Renovation" with my name next to it. Click on the link, which will take you to a project description and will give you instructions for donating online. If you aren't comfortable donating online, just let me know and I'll give you a different set of instructions. All donations are tax-deductible. If you have any questions about the project (even if you want to see the budget or timeline), don't hesitate to contact me. Also PLEASE send me an email if you are able to give. I'd like to be able to send you a proper thank you (you might even get a note from one of my students, which are always entertaining).
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!
Terri
Having a large, useable space is an invaluable resource for a school. Students, teachers, and administrators can meet comfortably as large groups and, as a result, make the school more than a just place for lessons. At present, the Gymnasium has no such space. Its main building is a converted dormitory; half of it is still used to house students from other villages. Although these converted rooms serve well as classrooms for groups of 15-20 students, they are not conducive to larger group meetings. A large space – the club building – exists but is currently in poor condition and, as a result, only used for student holiday celebrations. Once renovated, the club will used for a variety of purposes. Students will be able to gather there for multiple extra-curricular activities, from student parliament to dance club to holiday celebrations. Teachers will be able to use the space for meetings and training sessions. Administrators will be able to use the space for regional meetings and seminars it gives as a professional development center. The school will be better equipped both to host larger numbers of people for already-planned seminars and more future groups, such as government officials, school commissions, and local teacher organizations. Instructions for donating:
Just go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.volproj and scroll down to projects for the Kyrgyz Republic. My project is listed as "Kurshab Gymnasium Renovation" with my name next to it. Click on the link, which will take you to a project description and will give you instructions for donating online. If you aren't comfortable donating online, just let me know and I'll give you a different set of instructions. All donations are tax-deductible. If you have any questions about the project (even if you want to see the budget or timeline), don't hesitate to contact me. Also PLEASE send me an email if you are able to give. I'd like to be able to send you a proper thank you (you might even get a note from one of my students, which are always entertaining).
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!
Terri
Settling Back In
I've been back in country for a week now...gradually getting used to the Kyrgyz pace of life again. Before I got back to site, I visited some friends in Issyk-Kul (the giant lake in the northeast). Not sure if they were happier to see me or the Jack Daniels I brought, but we had a great time. The day before I left, we went to a resort area called Jeti Ogyz ("Seven Bulls"). Jeti Ogyz is pretty famous around here, not only for its natural beauty but also for being the site of Yeltsin's first meeting with Akaev (K-stan's 1st president) post-Kyrgyz independence. There, huge red rocks thrust themselves from the ground -- pretty striking, really. I suppose they kind of look like bulls, especially if you think Cubism and deconstructionist art instead of "big animals with horns." The coolest rock formation -- the Cloven Heart -- is this giant red rock that looks like, well, a broken heart. Some serious seismic activity must have gone on to get that huge rock to stand vertically. Actually, something I didn't know about K-stan until I'd lived here for a while is how many earthquakes we have. This spring, we had probably 4-6 little ones in my village.
So after wandering around the slightly dilapidated resort area for a while, we went hiking up one of the adjacent hills. Two of us, however, didn't really think about what direction we were headed and ended up in a giant thorn patch, a-la-Brer-Rabbit. This was particularly unfortunate because we were wearing sandals and shorts. I'm still picking thorns out of my feet 3 days later. I eventually turned around once the prickly bushes reached my head. The view was pretty sweet, though. The day became an officially perfect Kyrgyz day when we heard the Akon classic "I Wanna F--- You" drifting through the valley to the mountain peaks.
I finally made it back to my site and was greeted by my exuberant host siblings (who, for fear that I am going to abandon them once again, refuse to leave me alone...yet I can't stay annoyed because they are just so darned cute). The two four-year-olds wowed me last night by reciting Manas (the Kyrgyz epic poem -- the longest of its kind in the world). And the baby has grown into a tiny person who can answer yes-or-no questions and toddler-run. Had yet another language flub-up yesterday when I told her, "Don't lick the wall!" -- I realized afterward that the phrase might mean something more like, "Don't be a whore!" (since the word for lick and whore are one and the same). Ah, well.
So after wandering around the slightly dilapidated resort area for a while, we went hiking up one of the adjacent hills. Two of us, however, didn't really think about what direction we were headed and ended up in a giant thorn patch, a-la-Brer-Rabbit. This was particularly unfortunate because we were wearing sandals and shorts. I'm still picking thorns out of my feet 3 days later. I eventually turned around once the prickly bushes reached my head. The view was pretty sweet, though. The day became an officially perfect Kyrgyz day when we heard the Akon classic "I Wanna F--- You" drifting through the valley to the mountain peaks.
I finally made it back to my site and was greeted by my exuberant host siblings (who, for fear that I am going to abandon them once again, refuse to leave me alone...yet I can't stay annoyed because they are just so darned cute). The two four-year-olds wowed me last night by reciting Manas (the Kyrgyz epic poem -- the longest of its kind in the world). And the baby has grown into a tiny person who can answer yes-or-no questions and toddler-run. Had yet another language flub-up yesterday when I told her, "Don't lick the wall!" -- I realized afterward that the phrase might mean something more like, "Don't be a whore!" (since the word for lick and whore are one and the same). Ah, well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)