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
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wowo!!! I didnt think that would generate such a response lol
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
-Peace
Monday, May 25, 2009
Lots to catch up on:-)
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
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
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I know its kind of sudden.....
........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
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Check-In time yet again :-)
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
