Made it safe and sound. The mountains are incredible, we ate
spaghetti for breakfast today, and I'm learning Kyrgyz. I meet my
host family tonight, so wish me luck! In Kyrgyz, I know how to say
hello, thank you, I'm from America, vodka makes me sick, and this is
delicious... So yeah, I'm gonna need some luck. I'll write more soon,
but for now, time here at the internet place is limited. But
basically it all amounts to this: I am happier than I've been in a
long time, and this is where I should be right now.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
And...GO!
Ok. First things first. Watch this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DA_l-hkOY9o
Yup, that's where I'm going...on Friday!
I'll be working as a teacher trainer with the Peace Corps. This fall, a few days before I found out where I'd be going, I was hiking in Virginia when all of a sudden this trail runner came up behind me, trying to pass. He stopped to look at a view and I caught him and we got to talking. He'd been a consultant for emerging democracies for some years in the early nineties, and when I told him I would probably be going to central Asia in the spring, he told me about Kyrgyzstan, how it was the most beautiful place on earth that he'd ever been. (Yes, the AT is magical and I love it.) At that time, all I knew was that my future country of service would probably end with -stan. I didn't know I'd be going to Kyrgyzstan specifically, and I definitely didn't know anything about where it was or the people that live there. So in case your knowledge of Kyrgyzstan is about what mine was this fall, and you want to know more, here's what I've learned since that time:
First off, this map. Look south of Kazakhstan, west of China, the blue country.
Next, Kyrgyzstan has been in the news recently, believe it or not: http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav021209.shtml Basically, the Kyrgyz Parliament recently kicked the US out of an air force base we used to fly supplies into Afghanistan. From what I understand, it reflects growing tensions between US personnel and native Kyrgyz and Kyrgyzstan's attempt to get more money out of us by pitting us against Russia who offered Kyrgyzstan a nice package of loans, loan forgiveness, and money to kick the US out. Fortunately, it doesn't affect Peace Corps in any way.
Some general history... Kyrgyzstan was born along with many other eastern European and central Asian countries in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Peace Corps has been there since that time and I will be among the 17th group of volunteers to serve there. Kyrgyz people, like many of the other ethnic groups in the area, have been semi-nomadic until recent times. Over the centuries, lots of different groups have fought for control over the area where Kyrgyzstan is today, but most recently the area has been ruled by the Russian Empire starting in 1876 and then the Soviet Union from 1919 to 1991. The long-time Soviet rule of the area brought development and infrastructure and increased literacy, but the collapse of the USSR left a vaccuum that impairs development even now, 18 years later. Even though the Soviets tried to repress any nationalism, the Kyrgyz actually retained much of their traditional culture through this period until today. So maybe by the time I get back to the Sates I'll have learned how to make felt and play the komuz... In 1991, Askar Akayev won the presidential election with 95% of the vote and held power until 2005 when he was kicked out of office by popular demand for taking too much executive power. He was replaced by a coalition of opposition leaders and now Kyrgyzstan is led by President Bakiyev and Prime Minister Kulov.
Some basic facts:
-Main languages: Kyrgyz, Russian
-5.4 million people
-$713 per capita income -Became independent from USSR in 1991
-75% of the population is Muslim -Ethnic Kyrgyz (about 60% of the population) look Asian, as do Uzbeks (about 15% of the population)
Other points of interest:
-Kyrgyzstan has huge mountains! The Tien Shan range dominates 80% of the area of the country.
-It has a huge lake too, the second deepest in the world: Lake Issyk-kul
-Yurts and yaks are central to traditional nomadic Kyrgyz culture
-Guests in Kyrgyzstan are expected to eat yak eyes and drink lots of fermented mare's milk and vodka
-The Silk Road runs right through the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, in the area known as the Ferghana Valley.
Enough of that.
Now here's a piece of something beautiful and true that I love. It's from a poem called "Why We Tell Stories":
we will begin our story
with the word and
Lisel Mueller, the lady that wrote that, she's right. I always start with and, when I meet new people I always start by telling stories about the people I've met, the people I love, by trying to find some connection, some "and", between their stories and mine. Everyone does. Man, she's smart.
So start with and. You're part of my and. And I'm going to start Kyrgyzstan with you.
Yup, that's where I'm going...on Friday!
I'll be working as a teacher trainer with the Peace Corps. This fall, a few days before I found out where I'd be going, I was hiking in Virginia when all of a sudden this trail runner came up behind me, trying to pass. He stopped to look at a view and I caught him and we got to talking. He'd been a consultant for emerging democracies for some years in the early nineties, and when I told him I would probably be going to central Asia in the spring, he told me about Kyrgyzstan, how it was the most beautiful place on earth that he'd ever been. (Yes, the AT is magical and I love it.) At that time, all I knew was that my future country of service would probably end with -stan. I didn't know I'd be going to Kyrgyzstan specifically, and I definitely didn't know anything about where it was or the people that live there. So in case your knowledge of Kyrgyzstan is about what mine was this fall, and you want to know more, here's what I've learned since that time:
First off, this map. Look south of Kazakhstan, west of China, the blue country.
Next, Kyrgyzstan has been in the news recently, believe it or not: http://www.eurasianet.org/
Some general history... Kyrgyzstan was born along with many other eastern European and central Asian countries in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Peace Corps has been there since that time and I will be among the 17th group of volunteers to serve there. Kyrgyz people, like many of the other ethnic groups in the area, have been semi-nomadic until recent times. Over the centuries, lots of different groups have fought for control over the area where Kyrgyzstan is today, but most recently the area has been ruled by the Russian Empire starting in 1876 and then the Soviet Union from 1919 to 1991. The long-time Soviet rule of the area brought development and infrastructure and increased literacy, but the collapse of the USSR left a vaccuum that impairs development even now, 18 years later. Even though the Soviets tried to repress any nationalism, the Kyrgyz actually retained much of their traditional culture through this period until today. So maybe by the time I get back to the Sates I'll have learned how to make felt and play the komuz... In 1991, Askar Akayev won the presidential election with 95% of the vote and held power until 2005 when he was kicked out of office by popular demand for taking too much executive power. He was replaced by a coalition of opposition leaders and now Kyrgyzstan is led by President Bakiyev and Prime Minister Kulov.
Some basic facts:
-Main languages: Kyrgyz, Russian
-5.4 million people
-$713 per capita income -Became independent from USSR in 1991
-75% of the population is Muslim -Ethnic Kyrgyz (about 60% of the population) look Asian, as do Uzbeks (about 15% of the population)
Other points of interest:
-Kyrgyzstan has huge mountains! The Tien Shan range dominates 80% of the area of the country.
-It has a huge lake too, the second deepest in the world: Lake Issyk-kul
-Yurts and yaks are central to traditional nomadic Kyrgyz culture
-Guests in Kyrgyzstan are expected to eat yak eyes and drink lots of fermented mare's milk and vodka
-The Silk Road runs right through the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, in the area known as the Ferghana Valley.
Enough of that.
Now here's a piece of something beautiful and true that I love. It's from a poem called "Why We Tell Stories":
we will begin our story
with the word and
Lisel Mueller, the lady that wrote that, she's right. I always start with and, when I meet new people I always start by telling stories about the people I've met, the people I love, by trying to find some connection, some "and", between their stories and mine. Everyone does. Man, she's smart.
So start with and. You're part of my and. And I'm going to start Kyrgyzstan with you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
