And So It Begins

It has almost been a month since I became an official volunteer and moved to my permanent site in Balykchy. Our induction ceremony was an early, hot and long day. We had to get up at the crack of dawn with our host families and drag all our luggage to our training site. From there we were bussed with our family members to the Philharmonic in the capital city of Bishkek for an hour long ceremony. The ceremony included speeches by the US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and the Director of Health in Kyrgyzstan. Also our very own volunteers performed a national Kyrgyz dance and we all sang a national song. 

My Colorado friend, Tamlyn and I.

Getting ready to be sworn in.

Kyrgyzstan's Director of Health

US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

Official Volunteers!

After the ceremony it was mass excitement as we had to say goodbye to our current host families, say goodbye to friends, and find our new counterparts to begin the journey to our new village or city. It was hectic trying to get last minute photos in, but we did manage to get one with the Ambassador. Most people left in groups relating to which area of Kyrgyzstan they were going to move to. Much like our states, Kyrgyzstan has regions, or oblasts. My counterpart and I went with other Issyk-Kul volunteers on a packed marshrutka. Issyk-Kul is the name of the oblast as well as the large lake in that region. 

Driving.

Could be Colorado.

KG flag!

After a two hour ride through mountains that looked similar to Southern Colorado, I was in my new city and my new host father picked my counterpart and I up from the bus station in his car. I immediately noticed the cooler climate and the closeness to the mountains. While the city may not be that pretty or architecturally interesting, the surrounding area and the view from my house is great. My house is on the outskirts of the city. We have no houses directly across from us or behind. Our view is pretty great. 

My family consists of a mother (Akjoltoi), a father (Kandibek),  and five siblings. Three of my siblings are older and live outside of the house. The oldest daughter (Maral) is a doctor who lives in town with her husband and two kids. The second oldest sister (Saikal) lives in Bishkek and works as a bank manager. The oldest brother (Semuk) is studying to become a doctor. I also have a 16-year old sister (Taazem) and a 13-year old brother (Akniet). They are wonderful. 

Siblings.

The next day after a much needed sleeping in, my family was celebrating a relative's 60th birthday, a baby’s 1st birthday, and my arrival. What a day! With big celebrations, the tradition is to kill a sheep, koi so, and grill/boil the meat. Well, more like everything except the lungs. We killed one of our sheep at home and then went to a place outside of town by a river and had a picnic. The meat was cooked, salads and fruit were on display and lots of toasts with vodka were made. Relatives of my father kept appearing and we had a great crowd of over 25 people. 

Cleaning the sheep parts.

PICNIC! 

Just around the river bend.

I had survived my first koi soi and my first weekend. I was now eager to see what work had in store. My first week was slow and hard. We went from seeing other volunteers every day to now only being able to talk to each other on the phone. My counterpart was busy the first week so we only met twice. The first day was to watch the 11th grade class graduate. I was introduced to the school and made a speech in Kyrgyz. The second day, my counterpart and I met with the other English teachers at our school and planned my summer English Club. The other days I tried not to get homesick with little to do and hung out with my host family to get to know them more. 

Graduates!

Library Day!

My second week I was thankfully given the opportunity to help lead the American Corner Sports Camp in Karakol. While Balykchy is the farthest west city on the lake, Karakol is the main city in the oblast and on the most eastern side of the lake. I helped teach lacrosse, lead warm-ups, and got kids excited about trying new sports. The camp was a month long and four volunteers were needed each week. I joined the group for the last week and was rewarded with a library promotion day. It was great that they worked with the library to promote reading and sports together! Camp was usually from about 10am to 12:30pm every day so we had a lot of free time after. The other volunteers and I took advantage of the free time and hiked, hung out together, and planned our Fourth of July celebration. This week was much better for me as I was busy, with other volunteers and got to visit a new city.

KARAKOL!

Play Ball!

Hiking.

Karakol from above.

Fourth of July was great. A volunteer who lives in Issyk-Kul now had a relative who owned a beach house away from main resorts. We rented the house and had two great days relaxing in the sun on the beach.

America in KG.

Making s'mores.

The Crew.

Most recently I went to a training for a different camp I will be helping at. This time I get to work with my counterpart and we will teach three sessions. Peace Corps has a great grassroots camp for girls called GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and a great camp for boys TOBE (Teaching Our Boys to Excel). Both camps promote volunteerism, leadership, and teach about health related topics that may not be discussed in everyday life but are important. For example: reproductive health, HIV, healthy relationships, and drugs and alcohol. My counterpart has a huge heart and seems to be very excited to work on this camp. It is a free camp for both the participants and the teachers. The best part is that after participants attend the week long camp, they are supposed to peer teach to other students in their community and pass on the information. I’m eager to see how this will go and how my counterpart and I will work. The sessions we will teach are self-esteem and identity, healthy relationships, and public speaking. 

Overnight training.

Session working.

For now, I am feeling much better. I know my town, I’ve traveled all around the lake on both the North and South shores, and I am busier with work. I also have three great site mates (fellow volunteers) who I can organize things with, bounce ideas off, and use as resources. It’s beginning to come together.