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

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

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

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

Twice in 3 weeks lol

Heyo all! :-) As of Thursday it has been three weeks since I left home. Everything here is still going weel and I am integrating into my community very well. It is far colder here than I expected, and it snowed two days ago!!! I sleep in layers every night, but I still love it every minute. First of all let me start off with my new favorite thing here, Banya. (pronounced BAAN-YA) This is how I bathe every week. Yup I get a bath once a week here, which means as of this post I have only bathed twice. (one is scheduled for tomorrow though don't worry) Although I know it sounds really gross, its really not that bad. Plus, Banyas are amazing, I really wish that we had them in the US. A banya is essentially a sauna where you have a cistern of hot water and a cistern of cold water. You mix the two together in a seperate container to however you like it then wash yourself with that water. The heat is very nice and relaxing and it really opens your pores. In all honesty I have never felt so clean as I have after a banya. Me and my host mother recently have come to an understanding. Instead of eating tons and tons of meat at every meal she now makes me a special veggie version which makes me and my stomach smile. Fortunately I have not gotten sick yet, and I still feel strong as an Ox. As for my typical day with the Peace Corps, its very busy. It starts at 8am with language lessons until 230pm. After that we have cross-culture sessions, then we are finished around 6pm. Wednesdays are hub days, and Thursdays are tech days. During these days we learn about PC policy and technical skills about the health promotion unit. During our tech days recently though, we have been touring the local health facilities and interviewing health professionals. This has been very interesting and helpful in understanding the need for health promotion volunteers to be here. The main health problems, at least in Dmitrievka deal with cardio-vascular problems, anemia, iodine deficiency, poor nutrition and youth development. On Tuesday I had my placement interview which will determine where I will end up in kyrgyzstan for the next two years. There is a placement craze among my fellow K-17s and many people are anxious to find out where they will be going. Personally, I don't really care, I know that I will enjoy and be successful wherever the PC places me. So far going with the flow hasn't led me astray and I don't think that I will, so thats what I'm doing. Anyways tomorrow I have scheduled a massive soccer game with the locals and the other PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees)which I am super excited about and I think will integrate our different communities. Ah well I'm out of things to write about, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, I'm just an email away. Miss and love you all:-)
-Peace

12 Days In

Geez I don’t even know where to begin so it might as well be at the beginning! The trip from New York to Istanbul (a ten hour flight) was nice and went by really smoothely. Since we had a 7 hour layover many of us chose to go into the city for some brief sight seeing. Being the adventurous person that I am, I and a few other volunteers decided forsake the usual touristy things and went about the city by ourselves. Taking the tram from the airport into the city proper was an experience in itself. We had only scant knowledge of where we were trying to go, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque (I think this is where we went), thus asking locals was the best idea. Unfortunately no one that we spoke to knew English, go figure right?! Lol Luckily, Stephanie, one of the girls I was with knew fluent enough French to obtain the necessary intel to get us to where we needed to go. As we neared our destination my stomach started grumbling and suddenly I had rumblin’ hunger (hopefully someone picked up that BK reference lol) so before going to see the sights we got some local food at one of the many stalls surrounding the Blue Mosque. I wish I could tell you what I ate but I have no idea myself. In trying to be as un-tourist like as possible I told (motioned rather) our waiter that I wanted whatever the locals ate, as such I have no idea what was on my plate, it was quite delicious though. When we got to the mosques I was astounded by their sheer size and beauty. It’s amazing that these places were built so long ago and still retain there majesty. Anyways after an exciting day exploring a small piece of Turkey we headed back to the airport to board our plane. Once we got to the gate we were told that our gate had moved, I was like “ok this is normal, no big deal”, once we got to the new gate we were told again that we had to move to the first gate, this happened three times. So eventually we boarded the flight to our final destination and my new home, Kyrgyzstan. This flight was AWFUL!!!!! while it was only 5 hours in the air it felt like thirty. Between the stuffy cabin, window seat, and beginning signs of jet lag, landing at Manas Airport was a blessing indeed. Since we got in at three in the morning we didn’t get to see much of anything my first night. We were met by Peace Corps staff at baggage claim and immediately wisked off to the hotel. My first night in Kyrgyzstan went off without a hitch, and I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start my new life here. Orientation began promptly and we went through the usual ice-breaker and administration that comes with any new comers joining an organization. During this two and a half day orientation we were given our first immunizations, numerous safety and culture sessions and told the language that we will be learning. Many of the volunteers here are learinging Kyrgyz, while I and a few others are learning Russian. I guess I probably should have paid way more attention to Rosetta Stone. lol Then came Wednesday, Matching Day for our host families. Everyone was nervous because these are the people who will be feeding, sheltering, teaching, and taking care of you for the next three months, G-d forbid you end up with a bad match. Luckily everyone seems to have gotten matched correctly. I am living in a small village called Dmitrievka. There are three other volunteers here beside myself and we are all learning Russian (and Dmitrievka is a Russian speaking village) I am posted with a Turkish/Tartar family. They are super nice and make me feel really welcome. It is an interesting experience living with a host family that speaks no English, my charade skills have improved greatly to say the least. Essentially Dmitrievka is a farming village with many of its inhabitants owning various livestock. My family alone has a cow (April), numerous chickens, a really mean dog (a very common feature here in Kyrgyzstan) and a mama rabbit with her ten baby rabbits. I’m a lil worried because the rabbit doesn’t have a name which means I’m pretty sure I’ll be eating them at some point, ah well, I don’t ask questions and when in Rome do as the Romans do. The food here is pretty good, it mostly revolves around meat and potatoes……. my worst enemies. Lol Slowly but surely my Host Mama is starting to believe that I am indeed a vegetarian. After coutless meals of barely touching any meat we seem to have reached an understanding. So far my favorite meal is Plov, its sooooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious. It is basically fried rice with carrots and chicken, which is right up my alley. J In terms of vegetables I am mostly eating potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage. Recently though Host Mama has started throwing in cucumber and radishes, yummmmmm. I keep laughing because the hospitality here is so great. My host family keeps trying to overfeed me and a few days ago I finally put my foot down and denied the pressure to eat more. I know that they are only trying to make me feel at home, but my biggest fear here is not being able to stay in shape. To accomplish this I have my little body-weight workout that I do ever other day and my attempts at eating healthy. Hopefully these will keep me roughly the same body type as when I left the states, though I doubt it. Speaking of body type, the local kids all call me Mike Tyson, because I apparently to them I look like Mike Tyson, what can I say there are far worse things to be called. Lol The people here in Dmitrievka are so so so nice. I and my classmates are known as the polite Americans because we say hello to everyone on the street. The PC really emphasises community integration and I think that my village group is doing a fine job at this skill. My days are composed of roughly 5 hours of classroom language instruction, with informal language contantly thrown at you. In the afternoons I have community assignments, these are small task like mapping the community and interviewing local health staff. On Wednesday and Thursday we have no language but instead technical days where we learn about Health Promotion and other things. My days are long and busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lastly the scenery here is simple gorgeous. On a clear day I walk out of my house and see a horizion filled with snow capped mountains, words and pictures cannot describe their magnificence. I came to Kyrgyzstan with such low expectations and at ever moment I have been surprised, I am truly grateful for the oppurtunity that I have been given here and I hope to make the best of it. Anyways I think that I have covered just about everything and if not I’ll put it in the next post. Oh yeah, I got a cell phone so if you want my number just ask me either on facebook or hit my email up, alexandre.dumas1@gmail.com and I’ll gladly give it to you. Well I love and miss you all and I’ll be writing again soon. J

-Peace

Don't have much time

Hey guys I don't have much time but I wanted you guys to know that I got here safely. Things here amaze me everyday and I am having the time of my life!!!!! I gtg but be looking for another post within a week. Love and miss you all :-)
-Peace