Hey here are some pics from my bday and some events in June

P.S. if you've been reading the news I'm safe :-)

-Peace

First ans for most the scenery around Osh is beautiful!!!! Before I left for the states it was a interesting shade of tan and now that spring has arrived Osh has exploded into a lovely shade of emerald green. It has transformed the city so much in fact that when I returned to Osh I almost missed my apartment lol Coming back to Osh has been great my life has seemingly returned to normal (more on that later) and I like to think that I hit the ground running. Since my last blog I've restarted my vigorous training regimen and have cranked out two more grants. One of the grants that I wrote was for administrative software designed by the UNDP for the rural villages around Osh. This project is centered around increased productivity within the local government and cooperation between the youth and adult elements of society. How you ask? We are going to have the students from the Osh State technical university trained in the software who will then train the current and subsequent employees in the technology thus increasing the interactions between them. The second project is to repair a workshop in Kara-Suu (a village about 45 minutes outside of Osh). This workshop is at a center for deaf children and is in dire need of ceiling and roof repairs. I'm finding as I write more grants the easier they get (even though some are excruciatingly boring lol) Anyways both of these are good projects and my organization is well equipped and motivated to carry them out. This past week I have been at the Kara-Suu children's home (mentioned above) essentially just hanging out and spending time with the kids. As with everywhere else in KG that has had children they have stolen my heart. Its really interesting because the kids are taught two types of sign language one is simple gestures that are basically universal and the other resembles the sign language in America. I've been told that although some of the gestures in American and Russian sign language are similar they are also vast differences. It was great when they were using the simple sign language I was able to communicate with them instantly because I had used many of the gestures during my first months in country when my Russian language skills were lacking. So besides talking with the children we showed "Surf's Up" (my favorite movie about surfing penguins lol) and played basketball and soccer with them. They were a great bunch of kids and I am glad to be able to support them. Amazingly enough along with all of this productivity there has also been crazy things going on. In the 16 days that I have been back in Osh we have been put on standby three times. What this means that we are not allowed to leave our homes until we get the all-clear from PC.

Ok so that first part was two weeks ago when I was originally trying to type this blog out, but I havent been able to access blogspot since so here is how the rest of May went. The rest of the time that I spent at the Hearing Impaired school went very well and the last day of the program we brought the kids to Osh for s field trip about the city. It was great we took them to Suliman Mountain (yes the same mountain that I climb everyday), then to a restaurant that serves pizza (a first for all of them) and finally to the park to play and relax. They were so grateful and kind and just regular kids doing crazy kid things :-)

So today is my birthday! It is the second bday spent in KG and it seems like each one is getting better. Last year I had a party with all of my friends in PST with me and this year, since my bday is on a Tuesday, we are saving the festivities until the weekend. On Friday we are going to rent a playstation 3 hall and play video games all night and hang out, then on Saturday we're are getting chinese (my fav!) and hittin the clubs. Its really cool this year because I have local friends to celebrate my birthday with, also this means that I only have one more birthday to go until I'm stateside again. Anyways I'm beginning to ramble but I'm posting some pics from the Hearing Impaired school activities, and trust me there will be plenty from my birthday also so be ready ;-)

ok so it looks like the internet only wants to cooperate a lil bit today, be on the lookout for pics in the near future

-Peace

Where do I even begin? Home was both a blessing and curse and since so much happened I'm gonna try to remember everything that happened. Well the first week was actually great, I got home, ate junk food, hung out with my friends, read to my moms kindergarten class and generally enjoyed vacation. The second week however is when the chaos began. As planned me and my parents drove to Washington DC to see some grad schools that interested me. The schools were pretty neat but not really what I am looking for but still worth going to visit. Anyways on the drive back, I start getting text messages from my friends asking me if I was going to KG, had I heard what happened, is everything ok, will I be going back. This was surprising to me to say the least because in the modern era of technology, I nor my parents had anyway of confirming what was happening in KG. So I ended up calling one of my best buds (shout out to Adam Hirsh) and asking him to read me any articles on KG from the New York Times website. Since I am still stateside as of the time of this blog I still have no clear picture of what went on. All I know is that PC told me to stay put until further notice. Instantly my world was turned upside down, my vacation went from relaxing to extremely stressful. Between worrying about my friends, my local volunteers at the UN, my apartment, and my future it was rough to say the least. Honestly without the support of my fam and friends back home, it would have been way worse. Adding to the stress was the conflicting reports of what was going on between the media, my friends and workmates in KG, and Peace Corps, this is not anyones fault just the nature of what happened. Everyone had a different perspective and were all trying to process a very complex and constantly changing situation. Now although I was on an emotional roller coaster for 3 weeks the extra time that I was allotted enabled me to spend more time with my family and friends, as well as buy new clothes, laptop, prepare some surprises for my fellow volunteers in Osh and time to think and contemplate my next move after PC. So I guess all in all it wasn't horrible being home for an extended period but my life is in KG and so is my heart for that matter (hahaha at least for now) Anyways I'm posting some pictures with this blog so that its not all text. The first one is my watch showing how long (in hours lol) I was traveling for from Osh to Cleveland, and the second is my first and last meal in the US. ;-)

-Peace

So I leave for the States in a week and I can't begin to tell you how anxious I am. Two months ago I could not contain my excitment to come home and now its the opposite. I think I'm just worried about how I'll fit in in the world that I left behind. Simple things that I have learned to live without or adapt to will suddenly be available again, things like drinkable tap water, constant power, washing machines, flowing hot water, central heating, menu's in english and supermarkets just to name a few. Not to mention now that EVERYONE will be speaking english, I just don't think that many people can comprehend what it is like to walk down the streets hearing two languages day in and day out. Another thing is that here everyone stares at me, its not a bad thing and I understand why they stare but I've learned how to walk down the street and not smile or look at anyone else, I NEVER did this in the states. My personal bubble/space has been reduced to KG size (super tiny, you get used to people always touching you) and I worry about being socially awkward when I get home, anyways I don't want this to sound like a super complaint blog but just a few things that are running through my head right now. Anyways if you see me while I'm back in the states and I'm kinda awkward at least you know why now lol

P.S. just to make this post a lil less depressing here are some pics of KG volunteers having some fun :-)

-Peace

Spring has come to Osh and its awesome! Recently I've been able to go hiking twice a week and there are some truly beautiful places around Osh city. It so nice to see people out and about again, after a rough winter I almost forgot what spring was like. In other news my primary site was changed to the UNDP in Osh, which means that my reports and such will be from this organization instead of the orphanage. I will still work at the orphanage but my time will now be split. At UNDP I've already become hyper productive. We've started two clubs, a culture club and a debate/discussion club, have 3 grants in the works and are working on developing career and college guidence curriculum for the schools of KG. I've been really busy recently to say the least. The best news of course is that I'm coming home to visit in 18 days :-) Man I can't wait to see my family and friends, it will have be a full year since I stepped foot on US soil, crazy right?! Anyways just wanted to give everyone a lil update, I'm going to try and take some pics of the hikes I go on and post them next time, anyways I'm out

Oh P.S. for those of you who I will see when I come home I'm making a movie of a day in my shoes in Osh, be ready :-)

-Peace

Hey guys I know its been forever since I've posted but hopefully you arent too mad lol Anyways I'll bring you up to speed on whats happened since Jan. First, I forget how the mundane things in my life are actually pretty interesting to you guys back home, hence I tried to wait until something exciting happened. Since my last post, I attended the PC Project Design and Management (PDM) conference, where I learned to design and implement grants and projects. As with most PC events we learned a lot but most of the fun came from seeing all of my friends from around KG. Unfortunately my only jacket was misplaced (stolen) at the hotel and the package that was sent from the states containing my winter coat never arrived, life sucked for about 3 days. Luckily my parents helped me out and I was able to buy a winter coat and light jacket so I wouldn't freeze to death. This winter has just been one crazy occurance after another. As most of you know my electricity situation is anything but perfect and it finally came for me to do something about it. After the umteenth time replacing my fuzes (which were from the soviet era, no lie) I man'd up bought the new replacement fuzes and did the work myself. Now I'm sure that most of you can't recognize the awesomeness of that statment. I almost died (not really but it sounds cool lol), I did get shocked three times though. I was proud of myself because I asked the guy at the hardware store how to change the fuzes and he explained them to me in russian and I was able to complete the task:-) Anyways on to other things, winter has finally broken!!!!! In the fastest change of seasons I've ever seen in my life, it went from 6-7 inches of snow on the ground to nothing in 4 days! I'm soooo happy that the weather is getting warmer. On the workout front I'm exercising like a crazy person. I'm lifing 4 times a week and I climb Sulimon Mountian everyday, trying to be like HULK for when I come home ;-) Speaking of which only 33 days til I come home to visit and man I can't wait to see my fam and friends. It will have been a full year since I've been home and boy do I have some crazy stories hehehe Mens/ Defenders of the Homeland day was on February 23rd and it awesome! Think of Fathers day but for every guy. It was really cool, my staff at High Times (where I have two English conversation clubs) bought me a Kalpak (the hat), horse whip, and the robe so that I could finally be a man in KG lol It was super fun and I can't wait til next year. :-) Lastly and I think the best news, I have started working with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) here in Osh. We specialize in Youth Development and I help write grants and design programs, its awesome and rewarding work and I love my staff there, whats better I can still work with my orphans :-) Ok, thats all I have for now, who knows when I'll post next ;-)

oh and heres a shout out for the K-18s (the newbies lol) that will be here in a month :-)

Here is the explaination of the pictures from top to bottom

1) That is Maxim and Rushana at lunchtime, my two tablemates when I eat lol

2) This is me and Suheyla on Suliemon Mountain (that was the second time for me that day lol)

3) Me and Ak-Jyldyz (which in Kyrgyz means white star, kinda pretty right?) with my robe, Kalpak and horse whip, I am now officially a man lol

4) Nazgul (which means tender flower in Kyrgyz) and Ilona, who loves to hold my hand.....always lol

5) Rushana and Valadik being goofy as always

6) Me and my Hightimes staff after Defenders of the Homeland day (such a good name for a holiday)

Anyways thats it :-)

-Peace

These are some pics of me in and around Osh, explaination to come tomorrow morning

-Peace

So New Years here is an interesting mix between our American Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July and of course New Years. I say this because there are copious amounts of food eaten, gift exchanges, fireworks, and celebration in the streets. Personally I think it gives our New Years celebration a run for its money lol Anyways from December 27th to January 3rd I hosted Peace Corps volunteers from various oblasts. We had an AWESOME week to say the least. It was nice to hang out, gripe, eat good food, gripe some more and generally just relax. Also since there were people staying at my place it was a little warmer ;-) Oh and by the way, I HATE living by myself, its so boring, but I always have people over or go and hang out somewhere else, so all in all its not that bad. Other than that there is nothing new to say, wait actually there is. I'm coming back to America!!! (to visit) In April I'm flying home to visit some grad schools, family and friends. I would call it R&R but the travel schedule that I have planned is crazy and by the end of it I'll probably be begging to come back home to KG. Anyways I hope everyone had a Happy Holidays and be on the look out for the next post :-)

-Peace

Hey guys! Hopefully everyone is having a great holiday season, I finally found an internet spot where I can upload pics!!! This is a picture of me before I waltzed for a high school celebration (more on that later ;-) Anyways this is just the first of many to come and Im gonna write more, I'm just waiting until after New Years lol

-Peace

So I think maybe because its holiday time or maybe just because its been nine months since I've been home but I wanted to mention a little of what we as volunteers or anyone serving abroad sacrifices. Besides even the simple material things that I miss (good food, warm housing, utilities, etc lol) its the experiences, family and friends that I really miss. We as volunteers leave behind our family and friends in hopes of making people's lives that we've never met a little better. So if your reading this keep all your loved ones who are abroad in your thoughts and prayers and send them some love when you get the chance, it will mean the world to them, trust me :-)

-Peace

I know most of you probably don't care about this but whatever, but I have found myself craving foods I never ate back in the states so here we go

Cookie Cake (suger butter, with Chocolate, red and white icing lol)

A Large Geraci's Pizza (sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms)

Pull-n-Peel Twizzlers

Sesame Oil

Corned Beef Sandwich

My homemade Tofu Stir-fry

Cheese Grits

Soco ;-)

Cream Soda

Ginger Ale

Fresh Mushrooms

Gaterade

Coffee thats not Instant

Honey Bunches of Oats

Skim Milk

Flavored Coffee Creamer

Donuts

Hound Dog's Veggie Pizza (best in the world!)

Sushi

Blizzard (cookie dough, oreo, or m&m)

Oreos

Gummi Bears

I'm sure theres more but I can't think of them right now

Cookie

-Peace

So this week started off really great, then turned horrible. On Monday I moved into my new apartment which has a great location, great size (for an awesome bachelor pad lol) and most of the things a PC Kyrgyzstan volunteer could ever want: fridge, running hot water, a shower, tv, and a HUGE warm bed. The one problem, the heat is run off of electricity, little did I know how much of a pain my heating being dependant on electricity would prove.... So after I moved in I had power for maybe 12 hours until it cut off. At first I thought ok, this is KG this happens all the time no big deal. Then I went outside and saw that ALL of my neighbors had power, which meant something was wrong with MY apartment. Luckily one of my good expat buddies (and a former PC volunteer in Ukraine) helped me find the problem. One of my transformers had blown. I though no big deal right?! Wrong it took me an hour wandering through the bazaar looking for this replacement part and when I eventually found it, the lady said everyone sells these peices, I was using the wrong word in Russian. Another stroke of luck the peice only cost 25 som (50 cents) so I bought 2 and headed happily home. Once I installed the said part I had power for 12-13 warm happy hours, then my power went out....again. This time I called my landloard hoping maybe she could help me out. Well I called and she was busy so we scheduled to meet at 12.(this is Tuesday mind you just to keep the progression of this week known) Well 12 came and went and I called again and she said that she couldnt meet until 3, again I say ok and I head out to another meeting. Well once at this other meeting, the people weren't even there and I was notified that the meeting had be reschedule without my knowledge, this is after the 45 minute wait in the lobby. As I was walking out of this failed meeting in a terrible mood, guess what? A marshrutka drives by and splashes my clothes....yay, so now I'm soaking wet, miserable, and have to go home to an arctic apartment. Finally my landlady shows up at 5 with the building supervisor and fix the electricity...again. Another semi-warm night and a happy Alexandre in the morning. Now this is Wednesday morning, I have a report due to PC administration which had detailed my accomplishments as a volunteer so far in country, a VERY important document. As I set out the power goes out AGAIN, but at this point I said "well I'm leaving anyways so no biggie, I'll fix it when I get back". So I go out to complete and turn my report form in. Unfortunately of the FIVE internet cafes that I went to NONE could open the file. So I ended up downloading it and borrowing a fellow volunteer's laptop, completing it and turning it in, this took all day mind you. So exhausted and frustrated I return home to the cold and powerless apartment, I totally forgot to get another transformer peice, and by now it was too late to buy another one. Not only did I not have the part, I also had forgotten to go grocery shopping, so I went to sleep cold, hungry, miserable, and frustrated. On to Thursday morning, I fixed my electricity for the final time and went to the bazaar for food shopping. Actually this day really wasn't that bad, and yesterday was a good stress reliever because I went clubbing with my buddies. So yeah that was my horrible week, I made it through, hopefully another doesn't happen any time soon, but if I was cranky or weird this week, now you know why. Man this will make a good story if I ever have kids lol

-Peace

Hey guys! Happy late Thanksgiving to everyone! Just a thanks to my family and friends who sent me messages on Thursday (and those who tried to), that really made my day:-) Anyways Thanksgiving in KG wasn't nearly as lonely as I thought it would be. I made the long and tedious trek to Talas oblast (10-12 hours by taxi) to spend the holiday with the volunteers up there. We had everything that you would have at Thanksgiving, Turkey (which was a miracle in itself) stuffing, pumpkin and apple pie and even cranberry sauce (purely ornamental, that stuff is disgusting lol) All in all it was a really good time. I must admit the past few weeks I was feeling lonely with the holiday and all, but now I feel much better and galvanized for work. I have decided to start a new club at the American center. Initially the club was going to be purely about sports, but the consensus is that people have a whole range of things to talk about so I'm going to name it "Club Alex" and facilitate the club through its participants. I think this will give me a good window into what the locals here are thinking, to which then I can move on to do more focused development here. Anyways these are just a few of my thoughts this week, I'm really trying to make a goal of blogging more often so you guys know whats going on here. Sometimes I forget that the normal things in my life are pretty interesting to you guys back home. Well thats it for this week :-)

-Peace

Heyo everyone!!!! Its check-in time with your favorite volunteer in KG. :-) Most recent news..... ITS COLD HERE!!!!! Well not cold as in the like Arctic Circle but as the PCV community here puts it "its not that its cold, rather its that you never warm up", which makes me miss central heating even more. Fortunately like many of my fellow college goers, my last year at OSU we rarely has heat so I'm kinda used to sleeping under four blankets. Moving on, IST was a blast! Eventhough I was sick for most of it and the sessions were boring as sin lol Like the previous conference, I think that my counterpart got more out of it than myself. Which speaking of my counterpart and work and such, I have some sad news. A week before IST my director was fired (for undisclosed reasons) and once the new director started she fired 80% of my staff. Just as I was beginning to get comfortable with them it seems that I have lost them all. I don't blame my director for this because that's just life, she is going to bring in people she knows best, but it still breaks my heart to see my staff laid off. :-( Anyways I'm sure I have way more things to tell you but I can't think of them right now, so expect another post soon :-)

-Peace

Hey guys sorry again for the long absence. This past week I was in Issyk-Kul for a HIV/AIDS and Life Skills conference. It was a really productive conference and it was nice to get away from Osh for a while. I think my counterpart Guljan (the person I work with on a daily basis) got a lot out of it and we hope to implement our ideas very soon. My work is going well, I finally have a set work schedule. I rotate subjects (english, health, and sports) and teach two groups everyday. Its pretty easy and I wanted to work more but thats all that my orphanage needs me for, so now I am looking around for some secondary work. Our In-service Training (IST) is coming up soon and I'm pretty excited about that. Not because of the training part but because I will get to see all of my friends together again. It has been almost four months since we finished training and this will be the first time that we have been all together since our swearing in. Anyways this is just a brief check in and I'm still looking for some fast internet so I can post some pics :-)

-Peace

Hey sorry its been a while since I've posted but life it seems has finally started to settle lol This past month has basically been me hanging out at my orphanage getting to know my new kids and staff. I was supposed to be working on a concert but I've realized that just its a lil much right now. Unfortunately the internet cafe that I am currently using is faaaaar too slow to post pictures :-( But I am determined to find a faster cafe!!! Other than that there is a Health conference in Issyk Kul (my old region) in the middle of Octeober and because its so close to Karakol, I'm gonna stop by for a visit :-) I'm excited to see my kids, old co-workers, host family, and friends in Karakol. Its only been a month but I already miss them dearly :-( But anyways as usual I just wanted to keep you guys up on what going on with me in KG, I'm out

-Peace

Sorry about the long delay, but the past few weeks have been quite hectic for me. So as the title reads I have indeed moved to Osh city, about as far away from my beloved Karakol as possible, 18 hours by car. :-( Peace Corps moved me because my orphanage was found out to be funded by a Christian organization back in the states and being in a Muslim country they thought it prudent to relocate me for safety reasons. I miss my kids immensely and I still keep in contact with my Co-workers and I hope to visit Karakol again sometime around Thanksgiving. Whew! Well now to tell you about my new site. Osh is HUGE and is just like the capital Biskek in terms of size and population. (as a matter of fact its the second largest city in KG and is 3000 years old!) Climate wise Osh gets to 115 degrees in the summer and single digits in the winter....yay :-/ My new orphanage is pretty awesome too. Its a combination of orphanage and elderly home. Its a neat concept because both the elderly and the children help each other out, its pretty amazing to witness. I will be doing the same things here as I did in Karakol, ie teaching health, sports and english, and on October first we are putting on a concert to celebrate the Fall season. :-) I have fewer kids here, only 33, but I am super excited to work with the elderly as well whom number 26, so 59 total. The orphanage/Elderly home is situated on an old soviet sanitorium for children. I know sanitorium sounds ominous but its actually a really pretty place with apple and pear trees everywhere. I'm really excited to start working and teaching here. Well thats all I got for today, I just wanted to give a lil shout out for OSU today, they're playin the Trojans and I really wish I could see the game so GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh and for those of u familiar with OBO and such, the quest for cut city as resumed ;-)

-Peace

So normally I wait at least a week until I post a new blog but this weekend was just so good I felt it necessary to post early. lol After spending time in the hospital with Sergei I was finally able to get some R&R at home. Productivity was the name of the game this weekend. I typed out my program travel reports, a new exercise lesson plan for a camp I'm doing next week, and put a proposal in to Peace Corps asking them to allow me to tour other volunteers orphanages and draft a report detailing their respective situations. After that was done it was WEDDING TIME!!!! One of my coworkers got married this weekend (this would be my 4th wedding in country, including my own :-P) and it was a really nice affair. They asked me to be the camera man during the drive around town (don't ask me its a Kyrgyzstan thing I guess) and it felt like I was riding shotgun in a HUMVEE in Iraq, the camera is all jumpy and such because of the roads. Being camera man was cool for about 15 minutes then it got reeeeeeal lame because people keep shouting at you in Russian to get the "best" angle/shot. I was glad when that task was over. Anyways, it sucks that althought I've been to so many weddings, I missed my brother's on July 4th :-(, such is the cost of being a Peace Corps volunteer I guess. After, well actually during the wedding I dipped out for a MMA training session, it was one of the best sessions that I've ever had. We went about 90% and man did I get worked!!! Suffice to say striking is not my forte, but after the first round my trainer taught me a new defence (somewhat like Randy Coutours for those of you who know MMA) and I was back in it. I think for now my style going to be ground and pound with a lot of Jujitsu mixed it, I'm really really good at both of those (thanks to 7 years of wrestling) but yeah even though I got clocked a few times it was a great session and I learned a lot. Best part about the training was that afterwards I went back to the wedding (yeah it lasted from 11am to 8pm) and smashed on some plov and got to dance the night away, twas a great time :-)

-Peace

So for the past two days I've been in the hospital. :-( One of my orphans apendix burst and he needed immediate surgury and since hes an orphan there was no one there to care for him, so I volunteered to stay with him at least until he was functional. He is doing much better now and is smiling and walking around like a normal little boy again. The doctors said he'll be out on Monday or Tuesday. Its been a crazy month for me so far. Between traveling all across KG and being with my orphans I've barely had a moment to just sit and reflect. At one point when I was staying the hospital I had no idea what city I was in, Osh? Jalalabat? Karakol? Cleveland? Columbus? It was sheer craziness for a moment. Anyways I bounced back and after a few days rest I am fully coherent. lol My trip to the South of KG (Jalalabat and Osh) was nice. Both cities are much bigger than Karakol and have nicer amenities but Karakol is my home and has my heart. :-) While I was in Jalalabat I gave a healthy diet and exercise lesson to some orphans. They seemed to really understand the material and I was happy to practice my presentation skills. Other than being extremely tired life is going on as usual. After this month I would have clocked over eighty hours on the road gallavanting from place to place. It'll be nice to just chill at home with my kids for a while. Anyways this was just an update, and I hope that everyone reading this is well and in good spirits. :-)

Note: this is Sergei, my orphan in the hospital, this is a HORRIBLE pic of him but he made my promise to post it, crazy kid lol

-Peace

This past weekend I did a camp at Song-Kol lake. It is about a 4 hour drive from where I live in Karakol and utterly beautiful!!! (see the pics) These past couple of days have actually been kinda rough because between traveling around KG and spending time at the orphange I haven't slept at my house consecutive nights for 3 weeks. Honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. :-) Anyways the camp went fine (sort of),I taught a lesson on leadership that went well and the kids were, well they were kids. The biggest problem that I ran into was that they were all ethnic Kyrgyz children so they spoke little Russian. Trying to handle ten 13 year old boys is rough enough in english but doing it in another language is another thing entirely. Finally on the 3rd day (after I they saw my tattoos, go figure), everything came together and we all had fun. This was an interesting camp for another reason as well, I got to sleep in a Yurt;-) Although very nostalgic, sleeping on the ground for two nights was more than enough for me. They had these little oven/heaters and they would be blistering hot for like 3 hours but after that you'd freeze the rest of the night. Suffice to say that I started the night in just boxer briefs and ended it fully clothed with a jacket lol Anyways it was a great time and just the start of my adventures for the month of August.... Tomorrow I leave for Jalalabad and Osh, which some people say is like going to another country (these are two cities in the South of KG) but more on that next week when I get back;-)

Note: The girl in the pic is NOT my girlfriend, wife, or anything else!!! and that is what a yurt looks like.

-Peace

On Monday a patch of dry grass caught fire at the summer camp. As soon as my kids ran in and told me what was happening I immediately grabbed my phone to call the fire department.... only to realize that there was no fire department near by lol As I was thinking what to do next my kids (mind you I have some as young as 6) snapped into action and started putting the fire out themselves!!! They were hauling water up from the beach and using wet brooms to snuff out the embers. I was extremely proud and impressed by what my kids did in a pinch. I asked my coworkers if fires happened often and they said that it was the first fire ever at the camp. We are still mystified with the cause of the fire and I am even more surprised with how my kids knew exactly what to do, they truly are amazing:-) Interestingly enough the boys at the orphange have been caught twice for smoking (which I have an inkling feeling that a still lit cigarette butt caused the fire) and once for stealing fruit from our neighbors garden, so as much as I've been praising them they also have had some serious tongue lashings as well lol On a side note I was thinking the other day (I have tons of time just to sit and think lol) that at 22 I am very grateful to have seen and done so much at 22, Life is Good:-)

-Peace

The past few weeks since I last blogged have been pretty sweet. I've kept busy, eating well (reletively) and am integrating into my community. As usual my orphans always keep me on my toes but this week even more so. Ususally my diet at the orphanage summer camp consist of Kasha (imagine watery cream of wheat) for breakfast and soup for lunch and dinner....EVERYDAY!!!!!! The soup is usually little more than broth and some potatoes and the Kasha gets old real fast.... Honestly though I can't complain because its free food and my orphans are eating a lot better than most kids in their situation. Anyways back to why I've been eating well this week, we've had watermelon, carrots, cabbage, tons of other veggies and rice!!!! I know these things don't mean that much to you guys back home but here they are like gold, sooooooo delicious. To add to that feast a company in Karakol donated a case of candy bars, which while very nice, it meant that my kids were bouncing off the walls all week. As for keeping busy and integrating into my community I've recently begun training in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). If you don't know what it is google it and you'll see that its pretty intense. My trainer/partner happens to be the Kyrgyzstan national champion at 80kgs so im in good hands. He says that I may be ready for a real fight in 6-7 months so im super excited! My trainer also has a break dance team so last night he invited me to watch his team perform at a local club and they are very impressive. Its really cool to have a local friend. Our communication is sometimes comical because he knows about as much English as I do Russian. (which my Russian is getting better by the day so I may have to stop using that reference) Anyways things are continuing to go smoothely here, and if you feel up to it hit me up with an email or a phone call or if ur really ambitious send a packages, any communication is appriciated:-)

Note: the picture I've posted is where I work during the summer, the camp is by the pier on the left side behind the trees, hahaha my life is sooooo hard;-)

-Peace

Me, Taylor and his two volunteer host brothers from Holland went hiking this weekend. Seeing as this was my first time ever seriously hiking I had no idea what to expect, round trip we hiked 21km to 12500ft. Sleeping at this height offers some interesting side effects. First ur really light headed, then you get a headache and finally your dreams are REALLY messed up!!! i.e. James Earl Jones and I were in a battle royal tag team match and he was offering me words of wisdom during our ordeal. Imagine teaming up with Mufasa and Darth Vader, how can you lose lol Anyways I took a few pics, I hope your jealous ;-)

-Peace

During the summer my orphans go to a camp about 20 minutes outside of Karakol. The camp is right on the beach and its AWESOME!!!! I spend three to four days out there every week just hanging out, learning Russian and swimming in the lake. As with everything there is a downside, like getting jumped on at 3AM, hearing a crying children (tears my heart everytime), and figuring out how to stop fights and disciplining them in Russian. They are always super busy either with swimming, arts and crafts, or "DiscoTeka", where they blast loud music and do little kid dances all night. I'm being kept really busy and I can't complain, life is good:-)

-Peace

Ugh!!!!! I left my phone in a taxi on my way back from Bishkek this weekend. The taxi driver made off with it because I realized that it was gone the moment I stepped out of the cab. The driver knew it was in his car because he promptly drove off and turned my cell phone off, meaning I couldn't call it. Thus have a new number now, if you want it just hit my email up. Buying a new cell phone stings when your on a PC budget, I think its just gonna be one of those weeks......

-Peace

In the PC world early termination is known as ETing. When someone ETs you feel like you lost a part of yourself. These people have gone through so much with you and when they leave country you may never see them again. You constantly ask yourself "is there something I could have done to make them happier in country?!". We've lost five in Issyk-Kul Oblast (where I live), as a matter of fact all of the ET's post PST have been from here. Sometimes its pretty lonely and depressing when you think about it. Thats why when someone ET's its best to move on as soon as possible, because to dwell on their loss would drive anyone crazy. People leave for different reasons, all of them good, but it still stings and leaves a hole in your heart when one of your family decides to go home.

-Peace

Hey all!!!! Okie dokie lets begin with the explaination of culture day/the wedding misunderstanding

Culture Day

Culture Day is an event sponsored and held by PCT's to show aspects of other cultures in KG. (ie Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkish, etc)Many groups sang traditional songs in the respective national dress. My group in Dmitrievka presented a Russian wedding. It is a very elaborate process, and the entire ceremony was done in Russian;-) First the groom and family memebers get into a line and approach the bride singing, the bride is sitting with another female friend/family member. When I, the groom reached a predeterminded spot I was stopped and asked playful questions on why I was there (to get married clearly) and I then had to pick out my brides lips from a poster of different peoples lips. Once I picked the correct lips I was able to move one space closer. The I was given an apple with matches sticking out of it. As I picked out a match I had to say a tender word, there were five words and the last match that I needed to pick out needed to be the shortest or else I couldn't get married. After this I was able again to move one more step. Now I was given a plate which I threw on the ground and members of my entourage placed money on the shattered pieces. When this was done my "best man" (Jared) collected all the money and presented it to the bride. Luckily my plate had shattered into enough pieces that I was able to "purchase" my wife lol At this point I was able to sit next to my wife, I kissed her on the cheek and the deed was done..... but wait!!! My host father took my new brides shoe and my best man was made to get it back for her. (I think this part was supposed to represent her purity or honor I think) After the shoe was returned everyone got into a big circle and we danced the waltz, I never thought my social dance skills would come in handy ever again lol After the dance me and my bride walked hand in hand down the path with our entourages singing us farewell. The whole process took about 20 minutes and resembled a musical, it was extremely fun!!! Thanks to Freckers for being my fake bride ;-)

Note: I have no idea if this is a Russian wedding in KG or in all Russian tradition as such this is only what I experienced.

Site Visit

After culture day we went to visit our permanant sites. My perm. site is really cool and I finally met my orphans! My counter part doesn't speak english, well no one at my orphange speaks english which is good for my language but stressful and frustrating sometimes. They are all really cool and meeting with my new host family (the one that I will live with for two years) was great. My father is a retired Akrana, which I am still trying to figure out, its something between a hunter, police officer and soldier, but really cool nonetheless bc he still goes out for romps with his old Akrana buddies. Both my mom(Chinara) and 26 yr old sister(Aidai) are doctors which is cool and my 16 yr old brother(Salamat) wants to be an economist. I have another sister in who lives in Bishkek but I haven't met her yet. My new place is also really cool. I essentially live in compound housing. My room and the kitchen are connected and the rest of the house is separated by a mud room/reception area. My new host fam is a good mix of wanteing to talk to me and also giving me my space. I think the nex two years are going to be SWEET!

My Birthday

As most of you know my birthday was on June 1st, it was my first birthday away from home and a tad sad to start off with. I was super excited that my parents called me right before I headed to language. I was nice to hear their voices and speak with them, you guys just don't realize how much it means to volunteers when we get communications from home, be it letters, emails, or phone calls. Anyways the day went on like usual until after language. My family threw me a big party with music, dancing, and my favorite Kyrgz dish, Plov! It was one of the best but also saddest Bdays that I've ever had, such is life right.

Swearing In

For our Swearing-In ceremony I was asked to give a speech. Now normally I would have done this without a thought, but the US Ambassador attended and I had never spoken in front of a government offical, as such I was nervous as sin! Luckily I got through it without a hitch. Afterwards we were invited to the Ambassador's house to have American food (burgers, fries, DORITOS!!!), we also got to meet some famous singers and rising youth in Kyrgyzstan. Its so nice to be done with PST I didn't realize how rough it was until it was over. I will miss my friends and host family in Dtown, but I am super excited to be starting my work with the Orphanage!!!!

Well thats all I have for you guys now, expect another post and maybe more pics next week!

oh and sorry this one took so long, lifes been a whirlwind the past few weeks

-Peace

Heres just a lil something to whet your appitite about my permanent site ;-)

oh and further explaination about Culture Day,  ie the whole wedding misunderstanding lol COMING SOON!!!!!

-Peace

Let me clear up the air with the whole marriage thing. It was meant as a joke in which I was going to explain in a subsequent blog, but knowing KG the power went out at the internet cafe that I was using and this is the first time that I was able to get back to the internet. With that said, that picture was from culture day which I'll explain later on, if there are any hurt feelings I apologize and it really wasnt meant to be a big deal. So chill out ;-)

-Peace

Ok then with the whole marriage thingy out of my system I have a lot to catch you guys up on. Since there is sooooo much to write on I split up the topics.

Jared's Birthday

Jared (one of my training village mates) had his 25th birthday earlier this month and his host family threw him a party. It was a pretty calm affair with just the rest of Dtown (Dmitrievka)and our lanugage tutor. It was nice to have celebrate his birthday bc we're surrounded by so many new things that when an occasion arises that makes you feel at home again you snatch it. Not to say that people in KG don't have or celebrate birthdays, but it was nice to do something that I did in the states often. During the party we sang songs in russian, danced, ate our fill and Jared's host brother played the accordion. For some reason dancing with the locals here is great fun and really innocent. They all dance in a group with ample space between you and your partner using wavy arm movements and simple steps to the music. Suffice to say it was a really fun night and a nice break from language.

Tech Issues

So my technology has seen better days in KG. My ipod blew out, my computer AC adaptor is shot which means my laptop is also down. Also my clippers gave out when I let a fellow volunteer borrow them and they also died. These unfortunate events have made me a sad panda in the tech department and more importantly it means that I have no music to work out to and 8000 pics still on my camera lol When looking at this from a positive perspective I've been able to write a lot and talk to my host family and fellow volunteers more often. On the flip side, my two outlets that made me feel at home are down and sometimes I just wanna veg out and watch a movie or play solitare for hours.......or cut my hair with good clippers, that dont leave streaks lol

Victory Day

On May 9th KG celebrated Victory day which markes the victory over Nazi germany in WW2. All over the former Soviet Union countries porudly remembered their veterans and observed the sacrifice that people made. The local school children sang songs for us and there was a big parade thoughout our village. Think the 4th of July meets Veterans day. I met some KG vets and they attempted to tell me some old war stories which I only understood tiny fragments due to my limited language skills. Again it was a good day:-)

Relationship Dynamics within the PC

The relationship dynamics that are created by the PC constantly intrige me. I remember my first roommate in philly, the it Issyk-Kul hotel (the first place we stayed in Bishkek), my language group (hehehe gotta rep Dtown), and my new crew in Karakol (again rep'n the Kings of Karakol lol). Its crazy to think that all of the people in these groups have been assigned by the PC and luckily they all have been very fufilling. Although there are plenty of other volunteers that I want to get closer to, I am limited to once a week at hubday, which is usually filled with administrative meetings. Just imagine the friend overload that you get when you see 58 of your newest friends every week! This aspect of the PC is something I think few of you guys back home will understand, but its one of those dynamics that make the PC experience so interesting, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Failures/Bad days

I was looking at this blog one day and I realized that for the most part its a super happy reflection of what goes on here. Let me get one thing straight, I DO have bad days, typically tho I really don't want to relive them by typing them at my infrequent internet visits. With that said, I remember thinking that the toughest part of the PC would be the physical strain. I never gave a second thought to the emotional or mental aspects. I mean I felt like I had done it all, I graduated in 3 years and I did tons of activities during that period. I thought I was adequately prepared for what was coming. Hahahaha NO WAY!!! Its funny you never realize how stressed you are until after the fact, and over here the rules for dealing with stress are entirely different. Back home I was rarely stressed because I always worked out, slept, or had awesome friends to talk to (OBO 4 LYFE;-). Here, I have none of that. I "work out", can't sleep because of the rigorous PST and language schedule, the whole integration processes, and my friends here are all "tough". The interesting thing is that, everyone over here is going through the same thing but since we all think that no one is supposed to be "weak" everyone puts on a front. We all crack at some point, I know that personally, I cracked a few weeks ago. When it happens you can't blame anyone because it's no ones fault. Its a combination of things. Between always being watched by the local people, the language barrier, regular PST stuff, demands from home(America), and building new relationships. Then all of a sudden you find yourself overwhelmed and unfortunately some volunteers can't make it through, luckily I did. I made it though because I stopped caring about putting up a strong front and talked to my fellow volunteers about it, who in turn shared the same problems. Reading, listening to music, and watching movies also helped a ton. In short I just wanted you guys to know that it does get rough sometimes, and if I'm in a bad mood, or I text you or whatever just wanting to talk, recognize that even when I'm happy theres a lot of stress on me already, so just CHILL OUT, and don't make it worse by adding stress. lol

Well thats all I got for today, next blog is gonna be about site visit, hehehehe get ready:-)

-Peace

........you guys all said that I'd come back married, and its true, I got married on saturday!!!!! Let me introduce you to the new Mrs. Courtney Dumas!!!!

-Peace

As usual I have no idea where to start. lol Ah ha!!!! I LOVE getting letters, recently I got three from my parents and it definately made my week. Its crazy how little things like a few words from home can make such a difference, but when everything I know is half a planet away, these things become treasures. :-)Also please bear with me if I am not responding to the various emails in a timely fashion, I typically only have a few moments to read and respond online and sometimes things just have to wait.

Life in KG goes on as usual with everyday bringing new experiences and surprises. Recently I had my first "round table" discussion about black people with a local who spoke excellent english. As I expected most of his opinions were formed from the media's representations of African-Americans. I patiently dispelled numerous myths such as is it true that 80% of black children do drugs and does every black person know how to rap. I am extremely pleased that I am able to represent African-Americans in a positive light here, its going to take a lot of effort to combat the negative sterotypes that the media portrays. Interestingly enough most people here think I am mixed? hahaha Probably because of the "lighter" skin and the green eyes. ;-)

On Wednesday I found out where and what I will be doing for the next two years! I will be placed in a orphange in Issyk-Kul Oblast(state), working as a health teacher/P.E. instructor/youth developer. I am super excited because I will be working with kids and near the lake and its gorgeous! If you want to google a town that I may be near, just search under - Karakol City, Kyrgyzstan. I can't wait to get started, even though my language is still in its infant stages (literally). lol

Also I figured that you guys might find this interesting, its a list of first that have occurred to me while I've been here.

1)Taking shots of jet fuel smelling vodka with my host family at dinner

2)Walking past intersections where herds of cows/sheep, people and cars are all trying to cross

3)Using a squatter toilet

4)Bathing once a week (thats a big maybe its been about 11 days since my last banya lol)

5)Using distilled water for EVERYTHING (teeth, drinking, etc)

I'm sure there are more, just wait.....

Anyways I'm pretty sure thats all I have for now, if you want to know anything about what life is like here just email me and I will give you a more indepth report. Finally I've posted some pics of me during a childrens day where we did some work around an orphanage and played with the kids afterwards.

-Peace

Heyo all! :-) As of Thursday it has been three weeks since I left home. Everything here is still going weel and I am integrating into my community very well. It is far colder here than I expected, and it snowed two days ago!!! I sleep in layers every night, but I still love it every minute. First of all let me start off with my new favorite thing here, Banya. (pronounced BAAN-YA) This is how I bathe every week. Yup I get a bath once a week here, which means as of this post I have only bathed twice. (one is scheduled for tomorrow though don't worry) Although I know it sounds really gross, its really not that bad. Plus, Banyas are amazing, I really wish that we had them in the US. A banya is essentially a sauna where you have a cistern of hot water and a cistern of cold water. You mix the two together in a seperate container to however you like it then wash yourself with that water. The heat is very nice and relaxing and it really opens your pores. In all honesty I have never felt so clean as I have after a banya. Me and my host mother recently have come to an understanding. Instead of eating tons and tons of meat at every meal she now makes me a special veggie version which makes me and my stomach smile. Fortunately I have not gotten sick yet, and I still feel strong as an Ox. As for my typical day with the Peace Corps, its very busy. It starts at 8am with language lessons until 230pm. After that we have cross-culture sessions, then we are finished around 6pm. Wednesdays are hub days, and Thursdays are tech days. During these days we learn about PC policy and technical skills about the health promotion unit. During our tech days recently though, we have been touring the local health facilities and interviewing health professionals. This has been very interesting and helpful in understanding the need for health promotion volunteers to be here. The main health problems, at least in Dmitrievka deal with cardio-vascular problems, anemia, iodine deficiency, poor nutrition and youth development. On Tuesday I had my placement interview which will determine where I will end up in kyrgyzstan for the next two years. There is a placement craze among my fellow K-17s and many people are anxious to find out where they will be going. Personally, I don't really care, I know that I will enjoy and be successful wherever the PC places me. So far going with the flow hasn't led me astray and I don't think that I will, so thats what I'm doing. Anyways tomorrow I have scheduled a massive soccer game with the locals and the other PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees)which I am super excited about and I think will integrate our different communities. Ah well I'm out of things to write about, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, I'm just an email away. Miss and love you all:-)

-Peace