I’ve had many adventures since arriving here just two weeks ago. I’ve already spent a night in a yurt in the mountains, slaughtered two sheep in one day, and attended a giant double birthday party, for my sister’s 18th, and my brother’s very auspicious 1st. The Kyrgyz 1 year old tradition is that the child takes his first official steps at this age, and then, in celebration, they hold a series of foot races among the different age groups of party guests, from the other munchkins all the way up to the forty-year-olds.
The fact that it was my sister’s 18th was important as well, as she’ll be leaving for 5 years to university in Bishkek in a few days. But along with this reason for leaving, she is also somewhat concerned about being kidnapped for a bride. This practice, though discouraged, is still practiced in some places in Kyrgyzstan, and Bishkek is one of the safest places, in this respect, in the country.
But the most extraordinary parts of my life here have been the everyday activities. I have hired a tutor who is a teacher in a Kyrgyz school. She speaks no English, and I only understand only half (at best) of what she says. She makes me memorize blessings, copy stories from children’s books, and do boring drills. But she also tells me fairy tells, and simply reminds me more of the first love of my life, my kindergarten teacher, than anyone else in the world.
And besides studying Kyrgyz, lately my days have been defined by canvassing for the “Clean City!” campaign my NGO is working on. Naryn has only a very limited formal garbage collection service. So I spend my days trailing other volunteers as we go house to house, signing people up for a new garbage program. I’ve seen one room apartments deep in lightless hallways, and large outdoor patios. I’ve been invited to come again and visit, and “tasted the bread” at more houses that I can count.
But the icing on the cake, of course, is that this program was started by one of my professors from Bucknell. This professor, currently on sabbatical doing interviews all over Kyrgyzstan, just walked into my office one day, taking pictures of me and the horde of girl volunteers, and preparing her questionnaire for my boss.
It seems as I keep traveling, folks, the word just keeps getting smaller. Sitting over a beer at a café here in town on the riverside, my professor and I talked about the program, the amazing hospitality of the people here in Kyrgyzstan, and about the students we both still know in sleepy little Lewisburg, the town that feels now like a lifetime away. Just one more piece of the puzzle that tells me everything is right.
Thanks again for being with me on this journey folks. I love hearing from all of you. Keep in touch, God bless, and its getting to be post-card time again! So shoot me an email with your name and address, and between 1 and 6 months from now, you may very well be hearing from, yours truly, the one and only, Kyrgy Carl.
Originally Written June 25th, 2009
