Pictured to the right: My village in Ak-Talaa ("White Field") Rayon, Naryn Oblast.I arrived in my new village yesterday afternoon after a 7.5 hour taxi ride from Bishkek (in which the only mishaps was a flat tire that delayed us only a half hour in the oblast center, Naryn City). Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and clouds obscured the highest peaks as we drove through the Moldo-Too mountain range, so when we finally turned into my little town of 800, I was excited but somewhat letdown for missing the mountains.
Turns out, my reputation has preceded me in my village; apparently parts of our Peace Corps swearing-in ceremony were broadcast on national television, including the two Kyrgyz songs I performed with my host father, who accompanied me on accordion. (There was only one song on the program, but a standing ovation demanded an encore—and me awkwardly running off stage to find the words for the second song.) Anyway, I arrived a local celebrity and anticipate many repeat performances of “хайлоодо” and “бал бачым татым татайн” in the future. My first host mom wants me to perform at a national talent show next year, so you might be reading the blog of the next Kyrgyz star. Check out the following clip of my performance with my host father at the Peace Corps Cultural Day talent show:
The K-16 whom I am replacing at my site also performed at the ceremony; he recited part of the Kyrygz epic poem of Manas, the longest in the world. The full story takes two days, and any true Manas erdachu (reciter) is required by tradition to give a performance whenever requested.
This morning I visited the school, which is literally across the street, and met the teachers I will work with for the next two years—or most of them. I still haven’t met the woman who will be my English teaching counterpart; I believe she’s sick, or either she’s up in the jailoo (mountain pastures) with her husband tending sheep for the summer. The first volunteer in my village, a K-14, designated and decorated a beautiful English classroom at the end of the right wing of the school. The windows let in lots of natural light, there are English wall charts, maps, even a TV. I feel very lucky.
Afterwards, my host mom showed me the health post where she is a nurse (also just across the street). There too I was incredibly surprised to find well-kept, well-stocked, diagram-decorated rooms. After introductions, I took a walk to see the other 4 streets of the village and attempt a good look at the mountains behind. Along the way, I made a number of successful introductions of which I was pretty proud—mostly because I understood the questions being asked and could apply my ready answers. So far, only one (in jest) marriage proposal.
I returned home for a little “esal” (rest) time, then a delicious salad for lunch with cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh dill, copious amounts of salt and fresh cream. May sound strange, but it’s delicious. And Apa amazingly made scrambled eggs for dinner last night and in French toast this morning, in deference to my preference of eggs over meat.
After lunch, Apa suggested a hike with my sister (I mentioned this was something I like to do yesterday). The skies had cleared, and without really realizing where we were headed, we took off at a trot up the 750 ft. “hill” (by comparison to the actual mountains) essentially in my backyard. The climb was seriously steep so maybe it was partially altitude induced, but by the time we summited, I was as giddy as the 10 and 11-year-old who raced ahead of me (pictured at right: my host sister Daria and her friend Tolgonai). It turns out, what the clouds obscured are ridges beyond ridges of 10,000 ft. peaks on three sides of the canyon-ed valley that is now my home. To say the view was breathe-taking is an understatement. And I get to live here for two years!!
At my host mom’s request, I took out my komyz (three-stringed instrument) after dinner for a little neighborhood performance. So far I can really only pluck out the melody of the two songs I can sing, and the neighbor who can actually play didn’t know the songs, so I would up just doing a vocal performance of the two songs I sang at the swearing-in ceremony. I’m hoping my sister and her friends will teach me more soon!
We finished the forth or fifth chai session of the day around 10 p.m. For our snack, my host mom brought a bucket of strawberries back from Bishkek that she stewed into delicious jam to spread on our naan. The jams here are amazing and in abundance at every meal! I chased down bread with another 2 cups of chai that brings me up to 12 or 13 for the day (I stopped putting sugar in my tea after only a week here when I realized 15 cups of chai a day meant 15 tea spoons of sugar). Thankfully caffeine has never really had the stimulant effects its supposed to for me. I anticipate sleeping soundly shortly.
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