January 3, 2009
Hi
All,
Life
is a bit slower in January as we have no school. We might not have any in
February if it gets real cold, but so far it's been pleasant as mountain
winters go. Pretty amazing, one month and I'm an expert of mountain
winters.
PC
meetings and a drama workshop at AUCA will help January fly by.
Gotta
run (not really, but I want to sound busy)
Michael
A Milestone of Sorts
Tuesday,
January 7th marks six months in Kyrgyzstan. (December 20th was
my 3 month anniversary as a volunteer.) Of the 63 trainees that
landed in Bishkek on July 7th, 54 of us are still
here. We lost 6 during training and only three since swearing
in. Granted we don't live in the middle of nowhere in thatched roof huts
with no electricity—actually the no electricity thing we do have—but, still,
there are difficulties and adjustments have to be made. Health, both
physical and mental, is the key to survival in my opinion. I'm not
discounting homesickness, less than ideal work environments or any of the many
other valid reasons for leaving, but if you're not healthy you're not going to
be able to work through any of those other issues.
The
next month will be a real test as the weather will likely be very cold and
there is no school. That means lots of down time that must be spent
indoors. Keeping myself busy with writing, extra classes for my
students and a drama workshop at American University in Bishkek will help me
navigate my way to February when it's rumored school will resume. If
not, we'll have another month of even less to keep us busy. It would
be easy to fall into a depressed state and/or drink more than
usual. That could result in more volunteers going
home. Let's pray that doesn't happen.
In the book I talk more about what I did to avoid getting too depressed, a good decision, and how my background helped as well.
January 3, 2009
Bits & Pieces
Throughout
my life I've had people tell me I remind them of somebody, none of whom I would
have chosen. There was an actor in the 70s named Bradford Dillman
and a basketball player named Brian Winters; I was told I resembled both and
they look nothing alike. Not to mention no one knows who the hell
they are. But, during my recent meetings in Bishkek, I realized I'm
definitely moving up, prestige-wise, on the “You look like”
ladder. On successive days I was told I looked like Kevin Kline and
Robert DeNiro. While I was flattered I could make no sense of the
choices.
Winter in Kyrgyzstan
On
Christmas morning, just another Thursday for most Kyrgyzstonians, I awoke to a
foot of snow. Gorgeous as it was, I was mildly cursing the heavenly powder
as I had to shovel a hundred feet of it to get to the outhouse. Yesterday,
it was warm enough that some of the Xmas snow was beginning to
melt. Then today it snowed again. I'm thinking we might
have snow on the ground until the spring thaw because of our elevation (4000 ft.);
that every time some starts to melt it will snow again. Not sure
what's worse, all that sloppy slush or ice hidden under the
snow. Either way, walking has been quite an adventure in itself the
past ten days.
In the book:
details on the fall and how fortunate I was not to suffer a serious injury.
New Year’s in Kyrgyzstan
New
Year's Eve in Kyrgyzstan fairly resembles the States with a couple of
variations. We have Christmas trees, they have New Year's
trees. Both are decorated and presents are exchanged in some
houses. I didn't see that in ours, but maybe they did it when I
wasn't looking. House parties are the norm with lots of food and
plenty of champagne and vodka. At midnight people revel outside and
there are fireworks. The major differences are 1) Most of the house
parties involve only the family. Friends and neighbors gather
earlier in the day or on New Year's Day. We had people over at 3pm
on the Eve. 2) Fireworks are legal as they are sold at the bazaar
and I'm not talking fire crackers and sparklers. Everybody shoots
off smaller versions of the kind you see in major displays. It's
colorful, loud and fun to watch, but I gotta think it's dangerous. My
host brothers, 9 and 11, were firing away and even though my host parents were
watching, something could have gone wrong.
Rumors
A
fellow volunteer overheard me talking on the phone to a Peace Corps staff
member and the next thing I hear is that we are an item. I had heard
the Volunteer rumor mill was creative but this was a stretch even for
them. Today I was going to visit a fellow volunteer in his village,
but my body decided I needed some exercise instead and had me running to the outhouse
all morning. In a text message he said his host family knew a little about
me from a family friend or member. According to him, I said I have a
wife and children in America. I have declared myself the Center for
Misinformation in Kyrgyzstan.
In the book: the same rumor under different circumstances in China.
