Touch Down

We've made it; we're in Kyrgyzstan!

After over 36 hours of travel and three different planes,we're finally here in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. We traveled with 60 people, 120 pieces of luggage, and only ten of us have all their luggage. We think our luggage got caught up in Frankfurt because our connection time was short and the plane was much smaller than any of the other international flights. Oh well, here starts the ready to be adaptable component.

Luckily I packed about two pairs of pants, four shirts, sweats, a dress and all my electronics in my two carry-ons.  I can make do for a while, people will just see me in the same clothes for the next few days. The luggage I did get has all my winter clothes and boots. Not very helpful since it's going to be in the 70s and 80s. Hopefully today our luggage comes.

The first day of arrival, April 26th, we started off things with a bang. We got overviews of safety and security, core expectations, and language training. That was fun to try to learn a language at the end of a three-day travel period. Everyone was so tired, but we managed to absorb things.

The second day we broke out into groups and worked on language and cultural norms.

Our language groups are made up of six people with two groups in each village we live in for preservice training. Sometimes our teachers will come together and co-teach making our classes twelve large. I will be living in the city Ivanovka and can't wait to be outside.

So far during travel we've been in hotels or on planes and it still seems surreal. Today we get to meet and go home with our host families. It's very exciting and nerve-wracking. We've only had two days of language, but managed to learn a lot. I'll probably be referencing my notes until I get things completely down.

For now, I'm taking advantage of the shower, wifi, and speaking English. This evening, everything will change.

I will probably be out of contact for a while as I learn the language and figure out how to buy data for my phone and an internet hot spot.  And if they will even work. Who knows when I'll be able to update again, but I'm here!

Things are going good and this view today of clear skies and snowcapped mountains definitely made it even better!

The Day Before Lift Off

It's Tuesday, April 21st and I'm leaving for staging tomorrow in D.C.  Then on Friday, my birthday (April 24th), I'm leaving for Kyrgyzstan. What a mix of emotions. I have points where I'm super excited, confident, and ready to do this. Other moments I'm like, 'Oh, man! Big change soon.' It's a constant nerves and excitement battle.

I had my going away party Sunday and the support from family and friends was incredible. I will miss them all but know they are rooting for me in the toughest of times. It was great to see everyone and I created one of the coolest keepsake momentos that will join me in my travels. I had an idea of everyone signing a poster related to Colorado or Denver. I went to the wonderful IHeartDenver store in the Pavilions mall downtown and had a hard time choosing artwork. I ended up with this awesome piece.

Today I also came across this post about me on the SouthWest Regional Peace Corps blog. Peace Corps highlights all their volunteers to show the diversity in backgrounds and interests of the people joining. I'm honored they chose to highlight me!

The post explores exactly what I will be doing and some of my reasons for joining the Peace Corps. Take a look here.

I also finally finished packing. I just started yesterday, but boy was it hard. Fitting two years worth of stuff in just two bags, one carry-on and a back pack. WOAH! I thought packing for six months to Italy was hard. This just trumped that. I did succeed and here is my life for the next two years summed up in four bags.

As I start this journey, bear with me. I probably won't have time to update on my blog, nor the interwebs as I figure things out in country. But I'll try to post that at least I made it and I'm alive. As soon as I know my permanent site address, I'll post it here for letters and packages. Thanks, everyone and see you in two years!

You know it's becoming real when...

1. You book your flight to staging in D. C. for the 22nd. (D.C. friends, I'll have time the evening of the 22nd to catch up and the morning of the 23rd.)
2. The regional Peace Corps office asks for a media release to post about you on their website.
3. You set up auto pay for your student loans. Yes, I'm still going to pay off my loans.
4. You go to REI and spend some good money. New camping backpack/carry on, CHECK!
5. You keep meaning to call Verizon to cancel your cell service and unlock your phone.
6. You only have one more week of work left.
7. You look into insurance for your computer/camera/iPhone.

The list will go on, but these are the ones in my head most recently.

So you know that feeling when you plan something and it doesn't really become real until you get closer and closer to the moment? Closer to the time you start packing and cleaning out your room. Closer to the time when you step on the plane and are actually leaving on the adventure you've been planning. That's how I feel. I've been talking about this experience and planning for the opportunity for over a year now and it really just hit me.

I'm joining the Peace Corps.

When we got our staging details last week, I think that's when it started this 'it's becoming real.' I now have a one way ticket to D.C.

Staging is where all the new Peace Corps volunteers for a country meet before traveling to their country of service. Staging can happen in any city, it just depends on when other groups are leaving and if your country of service is closer to the west coast than the east. My group is meeting in D. C. a day before we leave for the Kyrgyz Republic.  I get to start this adventure on April 24th, my 26th birthday. I think that's pretty neat.

Anyway, at staging we have training on the Peace Corps organization, what they expect from us as an institution and their core values. It's not until training in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where we get the country specific details.

Since Denver doesn't have any flights to get me to staging in time on the day of the 23rd, I get to leave the 22nd. I know a few other people from Colorado flying then, so I won't be the only one on the flight carrying two years worth of luggage. Another group from Seattle is flying in an hour after us, so us Colorado folk are meeting the Seattle group and taking the subway together to our hotel. The hotel will be home base for two nights for us and others are coming in on the 23rd. I already have plans to meet two friends for some last minute US eats and goodbyes.

Today is April 4th and I have exactly 18 days until I leave.

It's becoming real.

Two Months to Departure

Okay, so I'm back to the blog. When I worked at Glacier National Park last summer, it was easy to update everyone in one place, explain my week, and upload my favorite photos. I'm hoping this works again. I may not be able to update once a week, but I hope this blog can act as the main disseminator of my adventures in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Where is the Kyrgyz Republic? How do you say it? What am I going to be doing?

Well, I've accepted a position as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer with the Peace Corps in the Kyrgyz Republic/Kyrgyzstan.
Here's how you say it:

I'll leave for pre-departure training on April 22nd, 2015 and then fly to the Kyrgyz Republic for a three month in-country training.  If I'm still committed, I will become an official Peace Corps Volunteer in July. I will live in country for two years and return to the States in July of 2017. So for now, let the excitement and planning ensue.

But to answer those questions, here are some common facts about where I will be living and working:

The Kyrgyz Republic, formerly known as Kyrgyzstan (the names are used interchangeably) is a small country the size of Nebraska in Central Asia. The Kyrgyz Republic has influences from the Middle East, China, and Russia. It's bordered by China in the East, Kazakhstan in the North, Uzbekistan in the West, and Tajikistan in the South.  The map below can help you with your bearings. The teal country is Kyrgyzstan.

From its former name, Kyrgyzstan, you can tell it was previously part of the Soviet Union. The country became independent in 1991. People in the country speak Kyrgyz which is similar to Turkish but uses the Cyrillic alphabet. The people are predominately muslim and very accommodating. I'm not even in country but have heard stories from volunteers and have read about the Kyrgyz custom of 'guesting.' Guesting is when people open up their homes to others and feed them course after course. Guesting can last anywhere from two hours to ten hours depending on the occasion. Not only do you eat, but you drink and chat and just enjoy each other's company. This is such a large part of their culture, they devote an entire room in the house to just this activity. A guesting room seems to look similar to our living room set up, but is only in use when company is around. I better get used to saying 'No, thank you. I'm full' or some other excuse.

Bishkek (the star near the lake and by the Kazakhstan border in the map above) is the capital in the North where I'll have my three month training before I'm sworn in.  That big body of water you see is Lake Isyk-Kul and is the second largest high altitude lake in the world.

Now to give you some background about me, I applied to join the Peace Corps to not only have the opportunity to live and work abroad, but to share my skills with others and get government preference for jobs back home. Really, this experience is all encompassing in what I want to do with my life at the moment.

I applied to the Peace Crops right as they were transitioning to a new application system where you get to chose your country. Between my medical application and my resume, I was given about six countries to choose from. I then worked with my placement officer who nominated me and narrowed it down to two countries. After some googling on my own and reading the country profiles, I picked Kyrgyzstan. I don't like humidity, I like seasons, and I NEED mountains. Kyrgyzstan is about 95% mountainous.  So, we had a winner!

My application then went into the Kyrgyzstan country pot and I waited for the Peace Corps group in country to go through the volunteers who had submitted their preference for Kyrgyzstan and pick their next group. I got an email in November stating I had been accepted!

This entire process took about a year from my first application submission, to an interview, to the nomination, to the waiting to hear if I would be chosen. The waiting was the hardest and longest part. Once accepted I had to update my resume, get cleared for medical and dental, and begin to take some on-line safety and training courses.

Presently I'm two months away. I feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. I'm excited to learn a new language and culture and share with others my experience and American culture. I'm nervous about what exactly this work will bring, but I know between the ups and downs it will be a time in my life I'll never forget.

For now, and throughout my adventures, I'm going to stay open, be adaptable, and take things as they come.  I have no expectations, except for some great hiking, and will make the most of whatever comes my way.