The Amazing Adventures of Kyrgyzstan and Col

Chapter Fifteen: Do it for the Fat Lady

Apple replaced my broken PowerBook with an upgraded, brand new MacBook. It has a camera on it. It's sweet. And you know what, I'm sweet.

I also got my camera back, so now I can take pictures of all the breathtakingly beautiful sights here in Kyrgyzstan. There's a whole lot of them too.

Now all I lack is music, which has definitely not been an enjoyable experience, but I'll be sure to get some tunes from some other suckers in the near future.

Well, what's new? I talked to my host-sister on the phone last week and told her I'd come visit and drop some books off for her. She's going through quite the transition, so anything I can do to make her days better, I'm all for it. I finally ended up visiting her this past weekend, and it wasn't as fun as the first time I went to see her, right after the "wedding."

I've grown accustomed to locals asking me to take them to America with me when I go home, but when someone I consider to be a friend asks that, it's not really the same thing. You can't just brush it off with a laugh because then it's a serious request. A request the people actually believe is possible. Without going into too much detail about how I feel about that, I just wanted to say that with each day, I understand just how good we have it in the States and how much we are still viewed as a country "where your dreams can come true." I know, I know, that sounds lame, but people still think all things are possible in America. They see one movie and claim that Chicago is a place with guns and gangsters, but they still want to come. Maybe it has to do with the paved, asphalt streets. As cruel as our media sources make the US out to be, the truth is, people continue to bang down the doors to come on in. It breaks my heart when I talk with the locals about living here and experiencing their culture, knowing that chances are, they won't get the opportunity to do the same in the red, white and blue. But that's enough of that.

Two weeks ago, I went up to Cholpon-Ata, which is on the north shore of the lake. After running into one of my 4th graders on the street, me and a sweet, sweet group of 7, let the good times roll. We took in some sights. Green pastures, wild horses and rainbows. I was also fairly certain that I saw a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow, right next to the pot of gold.

I'm not funny anymore. I'm sorry. Here's what I'm talking about though.

Ordinary people. Lenin stayed behind.

Sight for sore eyes.

Pot o' Gold.


I'm going to start to write again, I just need some more practice.

Oh, I'm also moving out of my host-family's place at the end of July, when I get back from Europe. It's nothing against my family, it's just that I need to get out on my own and start doing things. I've been extremely fortunate with the whole host-family experience, I really can't complain in terms of their personalities and genuine care for me. These guys are my Kyrgyz family, for sure. I'll just be moving across the village onto another family's property, but in my own little compound house. Since I wasn't planning on ever moving out, I of course spent all the readjustment allowance Peace Corps gave us 6 months ago, so it looks like I'll have to drop a hefty sum of my monthly living allowance on new appliances, so that I can live and cook on my own. My sensitive stomach has never quite gotten accustomed to the daily use of oil in everything, so I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of granola and tomatoes once I'm incharge of what goes into my body. I've changed. I never, ever ate tomatoes in the States. I simply just can't stand the texture, so on the rare occasion I'd eat one, someone would have to hide it in the middle of some sandwich, disguised by other foods or serve it really, really warm, so that the actual tomato was all soft and not, well, like an actual tomato.

And now, a yurt.


"Like a dream, a flash of lightening, or a cloud
So should one consider all compounded things."

posted by C @ 11:49 AM