We invited 34 children from the rural villages of the oblast to a career skills seminar called “My Future Profession.” Our first day of trainings included Setting Realistic Goals, Professional Behavior, and Mock Interviews in order to prepare them for the second day during which we took them on six separate field trips depending on their prospective career fields. We had each group later present to the whole group on what they learned on their excursion.

I was hyped about increasing the opportunities of young Kyrgyz people and am really thankful that I got to help coordinate this event. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget the rural Kyrgyz high school student standing up and declaring her career goals with such conviction and presence that when she tells me she plans to find a cure for AIDS – I believe her. Later I watched our group of children engage in lively debate on how to alleviate poverty in their communities. These are the questions more people should be asking their generation (and our generation).

Since I’m not a teacher, this opportunity comes rarely to me. But maybe because of that I have a different perspective on it. It’s so powerful when you give these children the benefit of the doubt and aren’t afraid to challenge them. At the same times that you challenge them by refusing to simply give them the answers, if you encourage them and watch them actually rise to meet your expectations - the whole experience is inspiring. And I hate to portray some ‘movie of the week’ vibe but it simply merits mention and further appreciation of the truly good teachers out there.

I went along with the future medical professionals to the children’s hospital and rehabilitation center in Osh. I felt on the verge of tears practically the whole time. Partly due to the adorable disabled and diseased children wandering the hallways and lying in the hospital beds - and partly because I could just imagine the deep feelings of hope that our children get to experience when they’re granted the luxury of thinking about their futures. They have such remarkable dreams - especially considering the extremely low salaries of doctors in this country. They dream of futures where they can help the sick, the underprivileged, their family – I admire their dreams.

Photos of the event to follow shortly.

Now that winter has wilted away all that is green, I like to look back at the picnics of summer's past. Oh so warm (read: disgustingly sweaty_) and happy (read: buzzed) we all were...those were the days.

The famous 'Abercrombie Catalog Pose.'Fourth of July done right.

Nika and Courtney present to you....pumpkin samsa! Learn to love them. They're amazing.

Photos from a workshop we completed a month or so ago. I get so behind on this blog! Boring photos, but here they are nonetheless:

Sisters so happy and so proud of the workshop!

Look at my expression. This represents the extensive confusion that I feel EVERY DAY when I don't understand what's being said. Usually, I do a better job feigning that I'm in the know...HA!

Definitely not your typical Thanksgiving celebration, but as long as there food and good friends = great holiday. I wish I could have spent it with my family far away, but this was the next best thing:

Bermet displaying our beautiful turkey (which was really several chickens...but no one seemed to care).

Everyone is so happy and sooooo full.

The music started playing and the night was almost too perfect.

Too much make-up!

Taking the make-up thing to a whole new level.

Halloween in Kyrgyzstan.

Last week, we again worked with CMME to put on a Youth Diversity Camp to local Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, and Kazahk children. I was lucky enough to present on Leadership Skills and Cross-cultural Friendship. Many concepts were new to the students, so we were really excited to share. But they were even more willing to share their culture with us. We all learned a great deal from each other, which marks a great success. We were invited back to so many villages, but I'm afraid we'll be unable to accept them all. One particular student invited me to his home in March. I'd be amazed if he remembered.

Diversity education is extremely challenging and never sails as smoothly as you'd like. Either in spite of this, or because of it, I truly enjoy diversity education, dialogue, and training.

All these pictures seem rather self explanatory...except maybe the 'steal the bacon' action-shot. Hope that clears things up. Also, be on the look out for Halloween photos. I'll get them posted soon.

The Center for Multicultural and Multilingual Education does great work in the city and its surrounding area. I love them! I'm lucky enough to assist in a workshop this week by presenting on Participatory Analysis, Priority Ranking, and Identifying Resources. I still don't feel like teaching is my calling, but I cannot resist new opportunities to share wisdom.

And I'm trying to keep busy here - that's one thing that I can truly say I've been successful at.

The CMME crowd at their last event I attended.

I’m not an astronomer by any means, but you could call me an occasional stargazer. I often think of the cartoon I saw when I was younger that featured the little, lost Fifel Mouskawitz. He looked up at the stars and pondered how, despite distance, he and his loved ones were gazing at the same deep, blue sky. Distance is relative and since he was a mouse, they probably were looking at the same sky. I find myself in an entirely different hemisphere now, which makes this analogy almost impossible. Though, as the days get shorter this winter, if you wake up before dawn and I stay up late (or vice versa), we may find ourselves simultaneously stargazing. We won’t likely see the same constellations, but those are so hard to make out anyway. I’ll pick a random star and I’ll think of you.

Since summer is over, this may seem untimely. However, I just realized that I never shared photos or stories from the Jalal-Abad summer camp I completed this August.

What the camp lacked in facilities, we made up for in content. Together with 5 other PCVs and 5 local volunteers, we taught on various life skills, including: self-esteem, healthy relationships, reproductive health, nutrition, and goal setting. At the end of week-long camp, the students then created and presented their own lessons on these very topics that they could again use in the their communities. These kids were sharp and managed to impress me at every turn.

In addition to this very successful transfer of skills and knowledge, we had some hilarious times. We played a hide-n-seek variant, Sardines, and thought we had actually ‘lost’ a student for over an hour. The students completed a Scavenger Hunt that included a request for them to serenade a particular PCV. The songs that they came up with in the heat of the contest were adorable! We prepared over 300 hundred water balloons and used them to ambush the students in the middle of the soccer field. After momentarily starring in shock, they rushed after us to find our stockpile and mustered up a serious counter-attack. We had an all-night bonfire that included the craziest game of charades I’ve ever witnessed and the roasting of potatoes in-lieu of marshmallows. We awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of a mouse eating our chips on the cabin floor. We held a talent show that easily demonstrated our miserable lack of talent as well as our inability to understand the Kyrgyz sense of humor as performed by the students. We fit more students/people in one old, rickety Soviet bus that also carried all of our camp’s food, bedding, and supplies. This bus traversed steep, unpaved terrain that included a precarious, dry riverbed.

I took hundreds of pictures and not one shower. After this camp, I vowed to never again eat soup for breakfast. We videoed some of the camp’s conditions for a piece I call, “Outhouse Exposes: Episodes 1-4.” We set goals for ourselves as trainers each and everyday. We maintained an insanely positive attitude after each and every pitfall. I gained some great experience teaching young people in this country. I learned so much from my fellow volunteers on how to be a volunteer. We celebrated our victories and laughed off everything else. This camp definitely prepared me for the difficulties that I faced during my conference a month later.

Teambuilding exercises!

My reproductive health presentation to the young ladies.

Badass bonfire.

Hiking to a waterfall.

Group shot as the camp comes to a close.

Absolutely packed busride home from camp.

To my great relief, our Gender Equality Conference last week was a great success. There are plenty of things I wish I had done differently, but that just leaves more room for improvement come next year. And I look forward to working extensively on gender issues in the meantime using the valuable wisdom gained from this crazy experience. I'm glad it's over and want to share some photos with yall:

Having fun with ice breakers!

Thoughtfully pondering gender issues.

Resourcefulness at its finest.

Yoga time.

More quality learning and sharing.

Some debates were more heated than others.

The fearless leaders determining the next course of action. Ha.

Look at all our certificates! So proud.

Volunteers really stepped up. I'm so grateful and impressed by what we accomplished.

So happy to be done!

It's been really hectic here the past weeks in preparation for our upcoming Gender Equality Conference. Only 2 more days until we kick off this annual event. I am really excited for the themes we will cover...I'm just realizing quickly how difficult the details can be when trying to work within the context of another culture. I'm sick, so emotionally drained, and stressed to the max.

On the upside, I think this is a conference that we can be proud of. I have 15 confirmed presenters and 50 participants, who will hopefully rise to the occasion and make up for any of my planning pitfalls. Flexibility is crucial. Check out our logo and wish me good luck in next few days:

I guess September 1st calls for autumn here in Osh, though the weather is not quite aligned with the new season. Saying goodbye to Summer in Osh is hard to do.

The early stages of my host mama's lagman. The beauty of most national dishes from this region is that they can be cooked in just one pot. That's a potential cooking show in the making.

I'll really miss the summer fruits and vegetables! For the past month, almost every meal is followed by a second course of melon. Above, Nika is enjoying cherries and apricots.

Kyrgyz pools are the craziest place for people watching. They keep you on your toes too. There’s a lack of rules that leads to many slips and falls along the poolside. There’s also the Kyrgyz national water sport of throwing your friends into the pool. And it doesn’t matter how hard he may try to resist and how many other friends it takes, they will throw him in the pool.

Kyrgyz fashion is taken to the next level at the pool. The boys run around in their flimsy underwear like they own the place. They also may jump from the roof of a neighboring building into the rather shallow pool, but that has nothing to do with fashion. The young ladies, who dare wear bikinis, sling a sheer scarf around their bodies to maintain their modesty.

The most egregious fashion mishaps were one time sightings, though we do go to the pool quite often. Spotted on a hot July day: young girl, maybe 8, wearing a string thong…and only a thong. This same hot day: teenage girl wearing the most unflattering one-piece ever designed - with the focal point being a giant dolphin on its front. Another slightly hotter day in August: young woman wearing yellow bikini designed with the illusion of ants crawling on it. Why? I am the last person on earth who would claim to understand international fashion trends. I'm just a casual observer who enjoys every moment of casual observation.

Beyond fashion, let’s say – deeper than fashion, the Kyrgyz pool has even more to offer. There’s the adrenaline that runs through your veins as you sit on the side of the pool and realize that 80% percent of the children swimming in front of you CANNOT SWIM. Then there’s the confusing that comes with watching children set a large stone next to the pool off of which to jump, because those extra 6 inches are 6 times more exciting. Then there’s the disgust that comes from noticing bursting boils upon the skin of those swimming next to you in the definitely not chlorinated water (really, the boil thing happened only once...but it was scary!).

All that being said, the pool is the place you’ll find me on a hot summer day. We have several, which are refilled on different days of the week and it’s a constant struggle to know the schedule well enough to follow the clean water. The 3 hours I may spend at the pool stand out as the ONLY 3 hours of the day during which I am not dripping sweat. That’s why I go. The people watching is just an added bonus.

There's a cave on the side of the mountain that houses a historical/cultural museum. This shot is looking out from the museum.

Base of the mountain. These steps lead to the holy site at the top of the mountain.

Looking down on the city from the lookout point on the top of the mountain.

I am a low maintenance person and so life here in Kyrgyzstan goes smoothly for me. But, like anything, there are ups and downs. For those down moments, a taste of home is soothing. I compiled this Wish List for that reason, but please don’t feel obligated to send me anything. Shipping can be super expensive.

Coffee (ground for a French Press)

Energy/Protein Bars or Granola Bars of any kind

Chapstick with sunscreen

Hot Sauce

Maple Syrup

Ranch seasoning packet

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter Pretzels

Butterfingers

Reeses Pieces

Dijon Mustard

Blueberries (dried or canned? if that exists)

Spicy Seasonings

Hand/Foot Cream

Pumus Stone

Face Wash

Face Lotion with sunscreen

Aloe lotion/After-sun lotion

Glide or Satin Floss

Emergen-C or Airborne

Nyquil

Magazines, CDs, DVDs

Pictures of y’all

Craft materials to entertain me over the winter

Books (re: Prostitution, Democratization, Human Trafficking, Russian Grammar, Gender in Development, Studying for FSOT, something you think I might find interesting)

Please note that for anything remotely valuable, some safety precautions should be taken. Wrapping the entire box (like in that brown package paper) seems to help with tampering, as does drawing/taping the Islamic symbol on the exterior of the package. If you want to hide something within the package, it’s recommended that you put it into an empty tampon box or something similar. Should safely arrive in about a month. If you’ve forgotten my mailing address, please email me or comment on this post. It’s safer if I email you the address directly.

I have lots of photos from around town, so here's the first in a series of scenery. I'm climbing around on top of Mount Suleiman. This photo is from June. It's way too hot to do this during the middle of the day right now. We went up the mountain late at night last week. Scary, but we didn't melt.

I'm catching up on all the old photos from training, but I promise some new ones soon. I've been having a good time this summer...though business is slowest at this time. Understandably so...we've definitely broken 100 degrees already and it's only getting hotter. The work/projects will pick up again in September, so I'm not worried.

I taught my host family about California's official sport (no, not surfing). They think I am a Frisbee genius even though they think it's just a giant plate that they've seen dogs catch in their mouths in the movies.

I'm eating lots of delicious local fruits and vegetables. Most American agriculture, whether imported or not, seems to be engineered for durability and transit. Since the transit of produce is so limited here (we get dozens of varieties that people living only a few hours north never have access to) freshness and flavor are paramount. As an admirer of fine produce, I love this quirk.

Enough about produce, here's photos from the day we became official Peace Corps Volunteers:

The Health Promotion group after our Swearing-In Ceremony.

My training village group after Swearing-In, with our wonderful teacher Albina.

All the host families of Dmitrievka.

More of the same. Such a welcoming community...I miss them.

Giant monument/park dedicated to the epic hero Manas. This is right behind the hotel we often stay at and is the coolest park in Kyrgyzstan.

We used a giant chalk map of Kyrgyzstan to announce where we would be sent. I love maps.

Sometimes Peace Corps Volunteers take bored photos of themselves. And by sometimes, I mean very often.

Well, probably not international news, but nonetheless. Osh's central mountain was chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

“Now the Suleiman Too Sacred Mountain will receive the world recognition under the aegis of the international organization. Tourists from all parts of the world will visit the mountain and the flowof investments will rise. Besides, UNESCO will allocate funds annually for maintenance and preservation of cultural and historical values of the Sulaiman Too,” Osh mayor Melisbek Myrzakmatov said.

Mount Suleiman lies in the center of the city. Atop sits a previous residence of a babur, which has been reconstructed and remains a sacred place to Muslims.

The center of the old bazaar in Osh has a peace symbol that caught my eye. This bazaar is supposed to be the oldest open-air bazaar in Central Asia. It's so large that I haven't even begun to see the half of it.

We have a nice park running alongside the river. It's defintely a city park with lots of attractions and food stands. But it's still a nice relief from the hustle and bustle of the city's roads.

Right before training ended, we took a day trip into the mountains just South of Bishkek to a resort town called Issyk Ata. We didn't partake in any of the resort's ammenities, but instead chose to hike up though hills.

Traditional Kyrgyz yurts used a temporary residence for bringing livestock to the mountains during the summer.

Sasha and I hiking in Issyk Ata.

Beautiful grazing horses in the mountains. I know we speculated before I left for Kyrgyzstan, what would Kyrgyz horses look like?

I visited my site back in May to meet with my organization and my new host family. It was such a pleasant trip that I did not want to return to training. Osh is an awesome city.

My new host mother Gavhar, sister Nigora, and I in front of our house.

My new host parents, Gavhar and Kadir.

My new host brother Aibek was visiting from the army and we all wanted to take pictures together. The younger brother is named Atabek.

We went rollerblading at the square, where little Asel had the hardest time!

Nigora and my new friends Umut and Asel.

Back in my training village, we celebrated Russian Orthodox Easter as a family. I cannot remember whether or not I explained this tradition already, but I want to show the pictures.

An important part of the day was visiting the grave sites of those family members who cannot be present physically to celebrate with us. Many families brough picnics and set up tables next to the grave stones. Everyone brings flowers, candies, and gifts to lay on the graves. It was a festive environment, yet still quite sad.

Then we had guests over and ate a delicious lunch at the outside table. All of the guests came bearing gifts and colored eggs. It's as if the eggs are colored only to present to other families. So, by the end of the day, we had many colored eggs, but none of which we dyed ourselves.

Mama Luba and Veka as they prepare to dye the eggs using old panty hose. The dye is made from the skins of red onions and the designs are made using weeds/leaves from the garden.

Sasha and I - displaying the beautiful eggs that we helped dye.

My first week at work went really well. I still anticipate a long adjustment period before I really get my hands dirty. Yesterday I did get to tag along on some outreach work, which was really interesting. The whole office participated in a training on Friday on Outreach Work and Consultation on HIV. It was challenging for me linguistically, but I enjoyed connecting with my coworkers. Now I'm pouring most of my time into a grant that has a quickly approaching deadline. I don't want to jinx it, so I'll tell more about it if I get it.

But don't worry! There's fun to be had. Our city has several cool beer gardens, excellent ice cream, and a gigantic public pool. Long story short, this summer is starting off nicely.

Several orphanages hosted us during the first few months for various trainings. We are greatly indebted to them for their hospitality. Luckily, we had lots of time to play!

Teaching and playing with the children from the Dmitrievka orphanage.

More Dmitievka orphanage fun.

Carnival games and such at Kirgshelk orphanage.

Letting the orphans get hold of the facepaint was one of the funniest mistakes of training.

I know this is off topic, but I feel out of the loop as to what is cool right now in America. Let me know what you're enjoying right now, here's the dish on my current tastes:

When it was still gloomy this Spring I was diggin Bon Iver's latest EP, specifically the title track Blood Bank. Check it out. But now that it's sunny and hot, hot, hot in Osh, I'm liking the poppy stuff that you can hear in every bar/restaurant in town. Most of all they love Akon (crazy, I know). I will admit he has some catchy tunes.

Also, speaking summer, please tell me that you've checked out Summer Heights High. It's a hilarious mockumentary orignally aired on Australian TV. It makes me laugh after I've had a long day in Kyrgyzstan.

I had to say goodbye to my great host family in my northern Kyrgyzstani village. I'm excited to call the South my home now, but I wanted to share some pics from the family that I will miss.

My adorable host neices, Nastia and Veka, playing with our newest baby kitten. Spring in the village means lots of babies (chickens, lambs, bunnies, and puppies too).

Mama Luba and I in her garden. PC made us pose for this one, she's not fond of being photographed so I have to thank them for making her.

Nastia and Veka again, this time at our Going Away party.

Mama Maria gracefully hosted us for all of our language lessons, while Albina (the younger woman) taught us from the very beginning. We were certainly difficult to communicate with at the time, but they did their best! This photo is from Sasha's birthday party.

Luxembourg volunteers performing the ceremony of a Kyrgyz baby's first crib.

Young Kyrgyz kids tired after a long day of performances.

Bride and groom celebrating their "Russian Wedding."

All of the host families and participants of our village's cultural presentation. We were very proud.

So far the Kyrgyz people have treated me with such kindness. My training host mother is a prime example and it's hard to say how much I've been able to give back. I know that I've definitely listened to her more than most of her family. Unfortunately, many of those one-sided conversations involved me feigning understanding (I am way too good at this!). But the night before I would be leaving her house to move to the south, we really had a nice heart-to-heart. We talked about life and love and how difficult it is to make decisions that affect other people.

My language skills are slowly improving to the point that I can address more complex topics, but I think this conversation was more special than that. After living with her everyday for the past 11 weeks, she and I have developed our own communication methods. She knows when to gesture to bring the point across and what vocabulary I am most familiar with. Vice versely, she can understand my misnomers and poorly constructed sentences more than anyone. The heart-to-heart conversation made it more difficult to say goodbye. She shed some tears as we parted ways on Wednesday, and for me, reflecting back on it right now evokes a similar emotion.

I just can't get over how human beings overcome so many obstacles to communicate with one another. It's fascinating and inspiring. I'm also at that point where I wonder: Did I really need another person to miss? I have plenty on the other side of the planet!

Kind marshrutka drivers, kind local children, and many more kind hearted community members have given me a warm impression of this country. Everything about this country is so different than I expected, but I somehow feel exactly like I expected I would.

As of June 11th, I will be living in the South of Kyrgyzstan, specifically Osh city. This is my postal box where I can receive letters and packages:

714000

КЫРГЫЗСТАН

Г. ОШ

Кельнер Кортни

General Delivery

Attn: Peace Corps Volunteer

Courtney Kelner

Osh City

714000

Kyrgyzstan

I want to wish my very special brother a very happy birthday! I wish I could be there to celebrate his 21st birthday!

Know that somewhere on the other side of the globe, a table full of Russians, Kyrgyz, and Americans are saying a toast to congratulate you. No joke.

Bam! 10 weeks into language training, I reached Intermediate-Mid on my Language Proficiency Interview. I feel so relieved to have reached the goal that I set for myself. I hit some sort of Russian plateau a few weeks ago, but I powered through.

Now we have but a few more days in our training villages, to say goodbye and to celebrate our accomplishments. We're throwing a party on Sunday for all the host families in my village. We're supposed to cook American dishes for them, but I skeptical as to how they'll taste. It's bittersweet to leave this village that has been so welcoming. I have promised to visit. The 'swearing-in' ceremony on this upcoming Wednesday is a big day. We will officially become Peace Corps Volunteers.

My training village presented a Russian Wedding along with a traditional Russian celebratory dish (Blini) on Culture Day. Every village got together with their host families and village members to create great performances from Kyrgyz, Russian or Turkish culture.

All of the new volunteers who will be working in Osh Oblast. We were super excited, and now that I've visited Osh, I can say that were rightfully so.

Exchanging ideas and culture is like my job right now. I find it incredibly fun and rewarding. Since my language skills are so limited, I spend much too much time speaking about food. One of the first phrases that my host mother imparted on me was instigated when she found out that I drink tea without sugar. We discussed why I might do this and she made all kinds of speculation. The conversation ended with a proverb (I think) that cannot be literally translated very well, but means ‘different strokes for different folks.’ На вкус и цвет – товарищей нет. I love this phrase and use it often. My host mother finds my use of it hilarious and I always enjoy getting a laugh. I would try to teach you all, but I don’t think my phonetic typing of the phrase would be very accurate.

On the subject of tastes and how they vary from culture to culture and from individual to individual, I started thinking of certain tastes that I’ve acquired over the years. Those who remember that far back knew me as a very picky little child. I have definitely come full circle and eat most anything now. But I wonder where and how I made the decisions to broaden or even to narrow my horizons. I have some silly examples in my head, but that’s because the silly occasions are more memorable. I distinctly remember the first time I realized that I hated roller coasters, my first taste of sushi, the first time I enjoyed tuna, and the great taste exposé of beer that I experienced in Germany. Using that example, whenever I meet people who dislike beer, I usually think to myself that the only reason is that they’ve never lived in Germany. I know this is a gross generalization, but I can’t help but associate that location and that culture with the broadening of this particular taste in me.

This has me wondering what tastes of mine could be illuminated or developed here in Kyrgyzstan. My Russian host mother is training me to be more knowledgeable about flowers and, thus, more proactive about presenting them on all sorts of occasions. Also, I already find myself enjoying watching figure skating and musical performances much more than I ever thought I would. I am developing a new taste for chocolate butter. It’s not like Nutella or any other chocolate spread, it’s literally chocolate flavored butter. However, my absolute adoration of all potato dishes seems to be diminishing. Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. I never thought I could get sick of them, but it is a possibility. On second thought, that’s impossible.

I’m sure others could comment on this topic more eloquently. Do you have a specific taste that you developed upon exposure to a new culture?

Chai – It’s the everyday term here used (in all languages) to refer to tea. I’ve been given both black and green teas at various occasions, but my family prefers black tea, with tons of sugar. They find it strange that I refuse to put tea in my sugar. Luckily, this has facilitated a learning opportunity about our differences, plus, I’ve now learned how to say a variant of ‘Different strokes for different folks’ in Russian. It’s my first of many Russian proverbs.

Banya – It’s by far the best time(s) of the week. For most of the families in these rural communities who lack indoor plumbing, bathing can be a luxury. We have a separate structure on the property, between the barn and the flower garden area, called the banya. It’s basically a sauna designed for bathing, although we do our laundry in it as well. The wood/coal burning stove is lit to heat the vat of hot water filled up in the corner of the sauna. The room becomes nice and cozy, hot, and when I bathe I can maneuver all kinds of buckets and bowls of hot or cold water to suit my bathing needs. I can see how this would be the only logical bathing method in harsh winter temperatures. Right now, it’s still, like I said, a luxurious experience.

Marshrutka – This is the primary mode of public transportation in the Chui Valley area (where I currently live) and I cannot really speak for other parts of the country where I think public transit is limited. It’s similar to a tall van, so passengers without a seat can stand in the aisles, but barely. The idea of personal space in a marshrutka is thrown out the window. And in my short time here so far, several marshrutka drivers have invited small groups of us to board the vehicle when it seems physically impossible for us to do so. He reassures us that lots of people are getting off at the next stop, as if this knowledge will allow us to defy the laws of physics. They are otherwise quite comfortable modes of transportation, in which elderly are ALWAYS given seats and change is passed back from the driver with utmost trust that no one will snatch some to short change his fellow rider.

Mayack – I’m not sure how widely used this Kyrgyz term is…it could very well be Peace Corps slang. Mayacking is when you need to talk to someone, but don’t have enough units on your cell phone. You call them and hang right up, which signals them to call you right back. Since no cell phone plans charge to receive calls here, it’s basically a collect call. Some Peace Corps staff encourage us to mayack them, so we don’t have to waste units when they have better cell phone plans. So, beware, I may mayack you. Just go with it.

Yowza! Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been insanely busy studying Russian like it's my job (since it is my job right now). Communicating with my host family is my number one goal right now...luckily, they are very patient with me and things are going as smoothly as could be expected.

It's much colder than I expected for April and the food is much tastier than I expected. I wish I could put together something thoughtful to share with you about this culture, but I think I need to settle in more. I need to get over the culture shock before I can discuss what's going on in my life intelligently. All I can say is that it's awesome and it truly is a world away.

PEACE AND LOVE,

CK

Dork alert!

I woke up early this morning for a run through Philly. After yesterday's rain, today's sunshine was welcoming. Though chilly, the weather made for a very clean and fresh smelling city. It was a pleasant stroll along the Schulylkill River banks. The dorky part of the run was my destination, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, aka the Rocky stairs. And, yes, I ran up and down them multiple times while listening to Eye of the Tiger. Wow.

Nerd alert!

I spent the rest of this early morning visiting some historical sites of early America. Actually, it's a fitting way to say goodbye to America for the next 2 years.

The Liberty Bell (which is both symbolic and historical) and I - imitating a pose from the Dalai Lama when he visited the bell. It's a little blurry because I was fighting with all the other tourists to get close enough for a photo.

The Congress Hall, our nation's capital building until 1800. FYI - You can get some valuable historical information by following packs of middle schoolers on field trips.

I just gorged on a fabulous cheesesteak from a street vendor. Me and my full belly are headed to Peace Corps meetings for the rest of the day. Wish me luck meeting 60 new people in such a short time!

The one and only Lisa Minieri showing Bubba how to pose for a picture.

Just wanted to share some pics from my New Years trip back to Scottsdizzle. Here's one of Bubs and I looking beautiful (as usual).

After last's semester hectic schedule, I've finally found a job for this upcoming spring semester. I'll be working back at the on-campus coffee shop, Aromas.

I'm pretty excited about this development, but not as excited as I am about my classes:

Life in the Oceans;

International Relations Theory;

Sex, Power & Politics;

Politics of Germany;

US/East Asian Relations.

Let's just say I've got quite a bit of optimism invested in 2006.

I've heard plenty of songs in my day that were dedicated to a specific place (like Carolina in my Mind, Sweet Home Alabama). I've never before understood why someone would feel the need to sing about a place. Now I get it. If I had a musical bone in my body, I'd be occupying myself with song composition right now. ...sigh... Munich.