6. June, 2003
I just returned from a two night visit to my first host family in Telman village. The bad news was that my host father, Kaibali, who had been so very ill while I was living there in the fall, passed away April 1st. He had needed an operation for a long time, but they didn't have the money and waited to long. He was about 65. It is very, very difficult for that family right now. The son, Talai, and daughter-in-law, Jamila, who had been working in Kant, are now at home. They were needed at home, but this means that the cash flow into the family is Apa's pension (500 som per month, about $10). Dinara, Apa's daughter, and her two boys are still living there, and Dinara's husband Sergei is working in Russia. They all seemed a little subdued. I could tell how hard up they were by the fact that my presence didn't keep them from discussing money troubles at the dinner table. The water situation in Telman is also bad. They supposedly have running water, but it only runs every few weeks for a short time. The small stream behind their house was diverted by farmers. Now they have to drive to a neighboring village to get water. (They acquired a tractor, that is another headache because it's always breaking down.) Poverty is one thing, but having no water adds so much to the stress level. I know it's hard for you to imagine- it's hard for me to imagine, too. My situation is so much improved in Talas, that I don't see this poverty every day. I guess the only positive thing I can say is that I admire my Apa's strength in the face of all this adversity. They did not always live like this. In the past, they hired people to work their fields for them.
So it was not the easiest visit. They spent all day in the fields, and there wasn't much for me to do. I played with the little girls and helped at some of the meals. I visited Michael's host family, and talked to his sister, a beautiful girl my age, who speaks fluent English, and is terrified of being stolen (into marriage). I hope her future is as bright as she deserves. Right now I'm not feeling so optimistic about Kyrgyzstan. A 19 year old girl in Telman recently killed herself by drinking vinegar. She died later in a the hospital.
Michael came to my house to drink tea, and provided everyone with some comic relief. His Kyrgyz is not quite fluent, but he sure can entertain people. He told about his host family in Talas. His host brother is studying Islam in Bishkek, and when things like electricity outtages happen, he will tell Michael it's a gift from God. And his father tends to drink vodka everyday until he passes out in a stupor. One day at dinner, his father yelled at Michael for some reason, and Michael's host mom later apologized to Michael, with something like "please excuse your father, he hasn't had any vodka today so he isn't himself." !!!
Anyway, it was funny, but maybe you had to be there.
I haven't had any mail delivery in the month of May. It's very bad. I spoke to Peace Corps about it, and they are going to call the regional mail center, so maybe it will get straightened out. I'll let you know if I have to open a post office box.
I just returned from a two night visit to my first host family in Telman village. The bad news was that my host father, Kaibali, who had been so very ill while I was living there in the fall, passed away April 1st. He had needed an operation for a long time, but they didn't have the money and waited to long. He was about 65. It is very, very difficult for that family right now. The son, Talai, and daughter-in-law, Jamila, who had been working in Kant, are now at home. They were needed at home, but this means that the cash flow into the family is Apa's pension (500 som per month, about $10). Dinara, Apa's daughter, and her two boys are still living there, and Dinara's husband Sergei is working in Russia. They all seemed a little subdued. I could tell how hard up they were by the fact that my presence didn't keep them from discussing money troubles at the dinner table. The water situation in Telman is also bad. They supposedly have running water, but it only runs every few weeks for a short time. The small stream behind their house was diverted by farmers. Now they have to drive to a neighboring village to get water. (They acquired a tractor, that is another headache because it's always breaking down.) Poverty is one thing, but having no water adds so much to the stress level. I know it's hard for you to imagine- it's hard for me to imagine, too. My situation is so much improved in Talas, that I don't see this poverty every day. I guess the only positive thing I can say is that I admire my Apa's strength in the face of all this adversity. They did not always live like this. In the past, they hired people to work their fields for them.
So it was not the easiest visit. They spent all day in the fields, and there wasn't much for me to do. I played with the little girls and helped at some of the meals. I visited Michael's host family, and talked to his sister, a beautiful girl my age, who speaks fluent English, and is terrified of being stolen (into marriage). I hope her future is as bright as she deserves. Right now I'm not feeling so optimistic about Kyrgyzstan. A 19 year old girl in Telman recently killed herself by drinking vinegar. She died later in a the hospital.
Michael came to my house to drink tea, and provided everyone with some comic relief. His Kyrgyz is not quite fluent, but he sure can entertain people. He told about his host family in Talas. His host brother is studying Islam in Bishkek, and when things like electricity outtages happen, he will tell Michael it's a gift from God. And his father tends to drink vodka everyday until he passes out in a stupor. One day at dinner, his father yelled at Michael for some reason, and Michael's host mom later apologized to Michael, with something like "please excuse your father, he hasn't had any vodka today so he isn't himself." !!!
Anyway, it was funny, but maybe you had to be there.
I haven't had any mail delivery in the month of May. It's very bad. I spoke to Peace Corps about it, and they are going to call the regional mail center, so maybe it will get straightened out. I'll let you know if I have to open a post office box.
Peace Corps Volunteer Projects
Erika has a special project this summer!
please click here for information or to contribute funds.
Below the description is a link that says "Contribute to this project!"
(To look at other Peace Corps Volunteer projects, click here.)
Creative Arts Week
"Critical thinking skills were absent in Soviet curriculum, and creativity was not valued. As a result, today's teachers are not equipped with the tools necessary to teach these skills, which are so fundamental to an open and democratic society. Kyrgyzstan's economic and educational infrastructures have only worsened since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to extreme economic hardship, Kyrgyzstan's administration has been unable to prioritize educational reform. New programs reflecting the values of democratic society, such as arts education, have not been implemented. Community members have identified a lack of constructive youth-oriented summer activities as a problem. The community is requesting Partnership funds to conduct a week-long day camp to address these very important issues. The camp will be held successively in three villages, Ming Bulak, Amanbaev and Pokrovka. The camp will demonstrate the value of arts education through planned activities such as a talent show, student art classes, drama, dance and music lessons. Through these activities, a precedent will be set for the community to develop their own arts program. It will also expose students to creative traditions of other cultures and improve their English language skills."
please click here for information or to contribute funds.
Below the description is a link that says "Contribute to this project!"
(To look at other Peace Corps Volunteer projects, click here.)
Creative Arts Week
"Critical thinking skills were absent in Soviet curriculum, and creativity was not valued. As a result, today's teachers are not equipped with the tools necessary to teach these skills, which are so fundamental to an open and democratic society. Kyrgyzstan's economic and educational infrastructures have only worsened since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to extreme economic hardship, Kyrgyzstan's administration has been unable to prioritize educational reform. New programs reflecting the values of democratic society, such as arts education, have not been implemented. Community members have identified a lack of constructive youth-oriented summer activities as a problem. The community is requesting Partnership funds to conduct a week-long day camp to address these very important issues. The camp will be held successively in three villages, Ming Bulak, Amanbaev and Pokrovka. The camp will demonstrate the value of arts education through planned activities such as a talent show, student art classes, drama, dance and music lessons. Through these activities, a precedent will be set for the community to develop their own arts program. It will also expose students to creative traditions of other cultures and improve their English language skills."
June 3, 2003
I had an enchanting few days in my village, from the time that Loren and Megan and Sarah left on Sunday until Thursday. We still had no electricity at my house. (After two weeks, it finally did come back.) I spent one evening with my host sister Chinara and Nurbek, the youngest of my host mom’s nephews who work at my house. We talked for hours about all kinds of things, like what we thought of each other when we first saw each other. And it was all in Kyrgyz, and they were good enough and patient enough to have this long conversation with me. We had a lot of guests at our house since Elderbek got back from the hospital. It’s a tradition that when someone gets out of the hospital all relatives must come with gifts of money and well-wishes. It’s something really interesting about the economy here, that I would like to learn about. People have NO money, really, but they can always dig up enormous sums of money to give away on these various occasions. We volunteers talk!
about how this is an illogical waste of money. Why give away what you have when you don’t have enough to eat? It’s true, but I also know that it has to do with the fact that it is a different conception of money, what it is for and what you need it for. I recently rode a bus with a woman whose son lived in the states for a while. She had more nuanced ideas about the differences between here and there than the usual “In America, life is easy for everyone!” She said something about the fact that in Kyrgyzstan, you give away your last piece of bread to your parents/relatives. I think it is true.
We just had the most divine breakfast of omelette and fried potatoes. Loren’s family’s summer kitchen is outside, so cooking is fun. Will good food taste so good when I go home?
I had an enchanting few days in my village, from the time that Loren and Megan and Sarah left on Sunday until Thursday. We still had no electricity at my house. (After two weeks, it finally did come back.) I spent one evening with my host sister Chinara and Nurbek, the youngest of my host mom’s nephews who work at my house. We talked for hours about all kinds of things, like what we thought of each other when we first saw each other. And it was all in Kyrgyz, and they were good enough and patient enough to have this long conversation with me. We had a lot of guests at our house since Elderbek got back from the hospital. It’s a tradition that when someone gets out of the hospital all relatives must come with gifts of money and well-wishes. It’s something really interesting about the economy here, that I would like to learn about. People have NO money, really, but they can always dig up enormous sums of money to give away on these various occasions. We volunteers talk!
about how this is an illogical waste of money. Why give away what you have when you don’t have enough to eat? It’s true, but I also know that it has to do with the fact that it is a different conception of money, what it is for and what you need it for. I recently rode a bus with a woman whose son lived in the states for a while. She had more nuanced ideas about the differences between here and there than the usual “In America, life is easy for everyone!” She said something about the fact that in Kyrgyzstan, you give away your last piece of bread to your parents/relatives. I think it is true.
We just had the most divine breakfast of omelette and fried potatoes. Loren’s family’s summer kitchen is outside, so cooking is fun. Will good food taste so good when I go home?
