Flush-Toilets, Air Conditioning, and Internet Access

We are now halfway through our pre-service training. Time is flying. Our language skills are improving, and we still feel blessed to have such a wonderful host-family. Last week was Sarah and my first week, of two weeks, of practicum, which gives us a taste of what we’ll be doing over the course of the next two years. I was helping Counterpart-Sheriktesh, a development organization in Bishkek, develop their strategic plan, and Sarah was teaching English to a group of students at Aribiyeva (Pedagogical) University in Bishkek. We’ve both enjoyed our assignment and feel empowered by being able to navigate the one-hour commute to and from our village to our workplace without the help of the Peace Corps staff. Working at Counterpart-Sheriktesh was amazing; they had flush-toilets, air conditioning, and computers with Internet access! I was not expecting such amenities in my workplace and am not expecting to see them again any time soon, but maybe I’ll be proven wrong…again. In two-weeks we find out where we’ll be living and working for the next two-years! We can’t wait. We’ve heard a lot of speculation as to where we might be placed but, in the end, it doesn’t matter. We want to know but probably wouldn’t do anything differently if we did know. It’ll surely be the subject of our next post.

At Counterpart-Sheriktesh (www.cen.kg) it was interesting to hear about the issues affecting many of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Kyrgyz Republic. Just as in the States, Kyrgyz NGOs struggle with funding; however, the primary difference, according to those with whom I’m working, is that since Kyrgyzstan is still a developing country and its government lacks the financial and infrastructural resources that are available in the United States, the NGOs must rely mostly on grants from international aid organizations such as the SOROS foundation, USAID, and the World Bank. And with over 8,000 registered NGOs in Kyrgyzstan, international aid is beginning to dry-up; therefore, the challenge that I hope to help with is aiding organizations in developing their own self-sustainable sources of funding such as purchasing rental properties and opening businesses in order to reduce their dependence on external sources of funds. But, then again, I’ve heard getting funding for such sustainable development projects, such as purchasing a building that can be rented, is the most difficult for which to receive grant money. I guess I’ll find out in due time. I’ll keep you posted.

When we’re not at language lessons or work, we are studying or hanging-out with our family. No recent animal slaughter-ings to speak of. But we have been practicing our Kyrgyz by showing people who stop-by pictures from home. It is so funny. As they are flipping through our pictures, everyone always stops and points to Juan and Alicia’s (Sarah’s cousins) son, Elijah, and say “Kyrgyz?” Sarah and I laugh and try our best to explain that he really is American. Other than that, there’s nothing else too exciting. Oh, our parents sold two cows in order to fix our host dad’s work truck and buy another car, which they should get tomorrow. It appears there are four makes of vehicles here: Audi, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and the Soviet-era Lada.

A brief observation on the juxtaposition of technology here: It is so odd to see someone walking out of the outhouse on their cell phone, or to be walking down the street and see a brand-new Mercedes swerving and honking its horn at the family riding in the donkey cart or the cows crossing the road. Not sure what to think of it, but it’s just something that can only be seen in a developing country.

Well that’s all until next time. Enjoy your flush-toilets, air conditioning, and Internet access for us.

More exciting stuff since we last wrote. We’ve gone on several trips. Two weeks ago we visited some peace corps volunteers (PCVs) in Naryn, which is like central Kyrgyzstan. We went with a group of other trainees. It took about 6 hours by martshutka, which is a van converted into a bus… picture a van with up to 30 people sandwiched inside. Our ride was pretty comfy though because we rented out the whole martshutka, so there were only 12 of us. The drive through the mountains was beautiful and a little chilly. In Naryn we got to see the university and get the scoop on what it’s really like to be a PCV. We walked to the home of a famous Sherdak maker (a sherdak is a really cool felt rug). The woman is very talented; she’s been on the cover of a several magazines (Elle or Vanity Fair or some magazine like that). Our walk back wasn’t too eventful except for the young boys who were playing in the river and then laying face down on the super hot asphalt … I guess that’s what you call having tough skin. The whole trip was a nice break from language and technical classes, and our hosts were great. They made us some yummy American food (French toast) and we even had pizza at one of the cafes. We also got to do some dancing! People here LOVE to dance. Our host family just bought a karaoke machine and they are enamored with it. Ibek, our ene (host brother), enjoys practicing late at night, and if he sees our light on he’ll randomly shout “Devin baeke” (which means older brother Devin) into the microphone. The other night we couldn’t shop laughing. It was so bizarre to hear our host brother singing and the cows mooing in the background. Speaking of cows, Devin is quite the expert at milking cows. I tried, but nothing came out. We’ll post pictures as soon as we get the camera cord (we left it in America, oops).
Yesterday we were invited to our cousin’s home in the nearby city Tokmok. He showed up this cool monument (again, we’ll upload pics later). And then we went to his home. When we got inside, it was remodeled and he had purchased two apartments and combined them into one. He and his wife were very gracious hosts (like all other Kyrgyz and Russian people) and fed us until we couldn’t eat another bite. We’ve noticed that in Kyrgyzstan there is a lack of maintenance on the outside of the building. Inside the houses look modern, but outside buildings appear much older and neglected.
We also went to Bishkek (the capital) last weekend and visited the museum and bought a cell phone. We weren’t planning on owning cell phones here, but we gotta keep in touch with the mamas and papas somehow, especially since phones and internet aren’t always dependable.
Other news: it is super hot here. We can’t escape the heat. We are constantly sweating, but luckily we get to use the “summer shower” often, which is the outdoor shower next to the sheep and cows.
The only news resembling anything remotely bad is that I had a little run-in with a dog the other day. Now, normally I’m not afraid of dogs, but I’ve heard Kyrgyzstan dogs can be aggressive and will bite. It was the first day I was walking alone (Devin had to stay in our village for language class and I had to take a martshutka to the next city for a different class). I was only a block away from our home and this dog started walking towards me and he looked pretty aggressive and mean. For some reason I locked eyes with him, and he became a little more upset and continued to come towards me. So I decided to be proactive and pretended to throw a rock at him (which is what many advise), and he started growling and lunged towards me, so I’m freaking out and I fake-pump again. That time he backed away but started growling at me and his teeth were scary! I turned around, picked up a big rock, and kept walking while the dog was barking at me. I thought I was going to be mauled! I was pretty afraid during the walk home later that day, but I didn’t see my arch-nemesis. Then when I got home I was an emotional mess during my therapy session with Devin. I just can’t believe dogs are so mean. I wish I could’ve gotten Rocco to talk some sense in him (actually, Rocco would’ve ran away in terror!). My host family felt badly for me and my younger host sister even walked me to class a few times. I felt like a big baby, but I’d rather be that than dog food. Besides the whole dog thing everything else has been good. I’ve started teaching neighborhood kids and that’s been enjoyable. Devin starts working with an NGO (non-governmental organization) next week. We’ll keep you posted. Love you all.