Chasing Kate: February 2006

Monday, February 27, 2006

A day in the life...

As frustrating as it can be that my sister’s won’t speak Russian to me, I have to say sometimes I appreciate Jildes’ and I’s conversations when they’re half and half because combined we have a much larger vocabulary. She wants to learn English slang and idioms to be able to understand when I talk to my friends and she’s constantly asking me to translate songs. I couldn’t give her a good enough answer for songs like, “candyshop”, “dirty” and “my humps” but I was able to tell her what “ghetto” meant in definition and in slang. So the other day we were getting ready to watch a movie on my laptop, which unfortunately has a teeny crack through the monitor because my porter dropped it when I was in Fiji. After I explained what happened she looks at it for a minute and asks, “is it… ghetto?” and I burst out laughing hysterically. She was like, “What? What? Is that right?” And I was like, “yeah, that’s exactly right, this laptop is ghetto.” It’s always one of my proudest moments when one of my students actually remembers what I say and then correctly use it in context but this topped all of that, she used the word “ghetto” correctly. Hey, I said I was going to come here to teach English… that includes slang too, right?

A major topic of conversation between volunteers is always about how we are losing a sense of what’s “normal”. Not that things are necessarily abnormal here but just different from what we’re used to. (That’s me being culturally sensitive). The thing that bothers me about marshrutkas is that there is too much protocol for when you should give up your seat. Old babooshka? Any man under the age of 25 would be expected to give up his seat but every time I try to give up mine, most people insist I sit down. But the other day there was mitigating circumstances: a screaming hungry baby in a jam-packed marshurtka. I stood up to give the mother my seat but in all the confusion there was no where for me to go so I ended up sitting on the Turkish woman’s lap while she breastfed her son. Is that normal?

I have also realized that the 5-second rule does not apply in this country. There was one particular night out in Adam’s Morgan this past summer where Craig and I ended our debauchery with a Jumbo Slice nightcap. I took one bite and accidentally dropped it on the cement, cheese side down. I think Craig understood my thought process as I stood there, contemplating the logistics of picking it back up and eating it. To stop me from doing something out-of-control he looked at me, looked at the pizza, stepped on it and said, “no” in a way that someone scolds a small child. I am happy to report that no one has to take such drastic measures to keep me eating a dirty germy slice of pizza here. The other day I was waiting for a marshurtka (one of my most time consuming tasks) and this grandma looked at me, scowled at me and blew a monstrous snot rocket on the ground. I was quite impressed by the trajectory and velocity from which a glob of mucus (I hate that word) flew from her nose. I feel like I could practice that move everyday for the next two years and I still wouldn’t acquire that skill.

Recently I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries on what to send and what kind of stuff that I need here. I can actually get a lot of stuff at Beta Store, a Turkish grocery store, which I usually refer to as “heaven”. They carry a lot of American products and although there is a 100% mark-up, sometimes I can justify spoiling myself with a $7 jar of extra crunchy peanut butter. I hate making requests but I figure some suggestions wouldn’t hurt. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to send me anything, because letters are just as good as a package… with that said, here is my “wish list”:

Trashy magazines (the trashier the better with Life and Style topping the list- Libbey, Tiffany, I know you understand)
Beef jerky, turkey jerky, tuna jerky… whatever as long as it’s rock hard meat (I am dying for protein because I don’t get enough of it)
Any old DVD’s that you’re sick of or you just don’t like. (I watched Monster-In-Law twice in a row and thought it was Oscar-worthy - that’s how desperate I am for movies).
Mac and Cheese or any other snack-type stuff.
Facial or body scrub (I only shower once a week, you know?)

I think that covers it for now, I’ll try to add stuff as I go along but like I said, there is no really big pressing need and letters will do just fine too, I know you fresh-out-of-college-kids are just as poor as I am. One thing I don’t need is pads or tampons. Our Peace Corps Medical Office is awesome and they take good care of those types of things.

Quick shout outs:

Lace, I got your pictures, your puppy is so adorable and you look fantastic!

Tiffany, I got your Valentine’s package but I’m ashamed to admit that the candy did not last for more than 3 minutes. I think I set some kind of record wolfing that chocolate down. Thanks so much!

My Mom also wrote out instructions on how to call me because she figured that maybe if people knew how to call cheaply then they would (thanks Jase ;o) So here they are:

1. Go to Nobelcom.'s website:
http://www.nobelcom.com/nobelcom/jsp/home/nobelcom_home.jsp

2. Search for phone cards- From: United States To: Kyrgyzstan - cell

3. Four phone cards will come up: the best one we found is the 3rd one :
Call Kyrgyzstan Cellular, Nobelcom $20
Rate: 12.5cents
No Connection Fee
Rechargeable Card
Pinless Dialing
Minutes - 160 - $20.00

4. Select "Buy Now"

5. You will be directed to a page that asks for information; profile name (?), name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and credit card information.

6. They will send you an e-mail confirmation of your purchase. It sometimes happens automatically, sometimes takes about 5 minutes. Could be up to 20 minutes before you can use the card.

7. You will receive this message: Thank you for shopping with NobelCom.com!
If your order has been automatically confirmed, your calling card PINs will be sent by email in a few minutes.
Your order may be subject to additional confirmation. To confirm your order, please call
Local: 1-760-517-0765

8. To call Katie: Use calling instructions they send: They give a 1-800 number, but from whatever state you are in, you can link from their site onto a page that has local access numbers. From Virginia I use the Warrenton number: 703-468-0692. Then enter your PIN number that is given at the top of the e-mail they send you. (The PIN number is the same as your Password for future orders.) Then dial Katie's cell phone number: 011-996-502-173-582#(Pound).

7. The best time to call Katie is from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM our time which is her evening or anytime past 10:00 PM our time which is her morning (our 9:00 AM is Katie's 8:00 PM, our 10:00 PM is her 9:00 AM)

8. There is a good chance of getting disconnected while talking to her, the instructions say you can just re-enter her phone number followed by the pound sign, but often you will have to re-enter the access number, your pin, and her phone number and the # sign. It is annoying but just because Kyrgyzstan has cell towers and phone access doesn’t necessarily mean that it works flawlessly. Nevertheless, I have always re-connected and can continue my conversation.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Grab and run.

This article on Bride Kidnapping has been called to my attention recently. I haven't wrote about it yet but it's basically a tradition where a guy can snag any girl off the street and make her a wife. Think she's pretty? Nevermind asking her out on a date, just steal her. It's one of the only traditions that I find that is really unfortunate and some people here think so too but they also know it's a tradition so they abide by it. My 21 year old sister is really worried about it because she wants to marry for love instead. Smart girl. My cousin's sister was just kidnapped and I was surprised by his response. He told me he offered to go and get her back but his parents declined and said it's too late. Too late for the rest of your life?! Some other guys asked me what I would do if it happened to me, I said it's not my tradition so I would never marry someone who kidnapped me unless he was ridiculously good looking and rich (ok, sorry, no time for jokes). Read the article though, it's interesting and well explained and is a major part of the culture here.

Sand castle cemeteries.

I'm feeling unoriginal and not very creative so I don't have too much to say. I think I'm going to have to password protect my blog because I said some insensitive things that may be offensive to the culture so all you stalkers (kidding) are going to have to e-mail me so I can send my password out to you. Don't crowd my inbox yet, I'll let you know when. Does anyone know html? I have no idea and I have to put a disclaimer on my blog but I don't know how to format it in. Suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

I have heard from my brother (grrr, Nick) once or twice since I've been here but one of my favorites was when he said, "I was taking a dump at work the other day and I thought about you halfway around the world pooping in a hole." He's so eloquent.

Tiffany, sent me an e-mail that said:

Libbey, Ben and I were watching Family Guy the other day and they played one where Chris goes joins the Peace Corps to avoid going to high school and we were like awwwww, Katie. It was so funny cus he was on some tribal island where everyone was wearing loin cloths and face paint and they made Chris do the same and he quickly realized it was cool to be naked in front of people. And the people asked him to sing a song for them and he busts into this whole song and dance of, "Wake Me Up," by George Michael. It was so funny.

Let me just say that this is very similar to my experience except that I joined Peace Corps to avoid real life, not everyone wears loin cloths but I do every opportunity I get, it is cool to be naked in front of people and I burst into George Michael song and dances all the time, too. You should see my "Father Figure" rendition.

Bosterie was a really good time, it was nice to get away, it was really pretty but I think it will be much better in the summer when it's warmer. We basically hung out, watched 6 episodes of "Lost", "Point Break" and ate spaghetti. Perfect weekend to me, though. When I got back, my marshurtka driver asked me how my trip was. That's funny, I never told him that I was going in the first place. I love how my every action is well documented by people within a five mile radius of my village. I miss anonymity.

The cemeteries here are really gorgeous. A while ago, they put a cap on how much money you can spend on your gravesite but no one really pays attention to that law. Instead of the usual tombstones, practically everyone has their own monument and gated grave site. The ones in Bosterie all looked like sand castles. Some of them are built on hill sides and on top of mountains. Not a bad way to settle into eternity.

The best thing I did this week was buy my plane ticket to Turkey. I am going in June and am meeting my family in Istanbul and we're also going to Bodrum and Cyprus. I am so excited to wear high heels and short skirts. My brother bought his girlfriend Kathy a plane ticket so she'll be coming too which I'm also psyched about. As much fun as it would be to go clubbing with Nick, it will be much better now that I have a girl to dance with. It will give me something to look forward to... only 3 months, 2 days and 16 hours to go (but who's counting?).

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Leave it to Russians...

... to tell it like it is. So yesterday was Scott's birthday. He's a volunteer living in Bishkek and he's married to Leslie, they are one of the 6 married couples in our group. (Leslie and Scott hate it when we call them "mom" and "dad" but we can't help it sometimes given that we are all a bunch of punk 22 year olds and they are around our parents age.) So anyways, I figured it'd be nice to pick up a bottle of his favorite red wine and some cake for a present. I go into the store but a whole cake is expensive and I didn't know which one would be good, so I decided on ordering 4 different individual slices instead. One Russian lady was helping me and here's how our conversation went:

Me: Give me please, a piece of that cake, a piece of that, a piece of that, and a piece of that.
Russian Lady: (laughs) Do you really want all that? You need to lose weight.
Me: (contemplating a future eating disorder) No, no, it's not for me, it's not for me.
RL: (eyeing me suspiciously) You need to be skinny.
Me: It's for my Dad, it's his birthday today.
RL: (eyeing my hips suspiciously) Well, ok, then you should get a whole cake.
Me: No, I think that's enough, thanks.

I haven't been trying to lose weight, I haven't even lost all that much, it's just been a product of being here. It's funny, my self esteem was getting a little high, I'm glad she brought it right back down again where it belongs.

Charlie and I are going to Bosterie today to see Bohee, I think we both need a break from Chui valley. I haven't been to Issy-kul (the only lake in Kyrgyzstan) yet but it's supposed to be the crowning jewel of the country. I am excited to see it although it will be too cold to swim. It'll be good to see some different faces though.

Valentine's Day was just like any other day, pretty girls running around showing off how many cards they received to their no-so-pretty friends who sulked in the corner. I thought it would be a cute, fun idea to have my students hand-make Valentines in English. I started it with my 11th form class. They had these looks on their faces like, "you want us to color what?" but I pretended I didn't understand and passed out the crayons. I taught them phrases like be mine, I love you, sweet heart, and you're dumped and told them about our traditions of giving chocolate and flowers to loved ones. I intended them to give the valentines to each other, but at the end of the class they all ended up on a pile on my desk. I was like, no no, I'm not collecting them, give them away. One of my star students told me to read them and they were all addressed to me... not what I had intended. They were pretty funny though. One girl called me her angel and one boy professed his love for me. Mine on the other hand was addressed to Charlie and I guess I've been listening to too much Stephen Stills lately because it said, "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with". I never was a romantic one.

Quick shout out:

Mr. Puryear, I got your letter and the picture of when Jordan was a little boy was ADORABLE. Thank you for your kind words, a lot of what we do here goes unappreciated but it's nice to know that we still have support from back home. You know you're a Texan when the opening line of a letter is "well dip me in sugar and finish me off." Very sweet.

Friday, February 10, 2006

This sh*t is bananas

Yesterday I was walking around Bishkek and I had a craving for a banana, so I bought one. Let me tell you what a rare occurrence this is. Bananas are 15 sohm which is relatively expensive on my salary. When I started eating it, I immediately felt guilty because bananas are a luxury many people can't afford. I was walking and eating at the same time and I could feel people's stares (even more than usual). I think next time I have a banana craving, I'll eat it in the privacy of my own room and then stash the peel somewhere. I never thought I'd be a fruit-smuggler before.

I have always been a lover of dogs and children but living here has tested my patience with both. Not babies in particular, but any child under the age of 5. I was sitting down yesterday and this kid ran up to me, zapped me and ran away. I gave this look of "what-the-", I am so going to find your mother, but she was no where to be found. I guess that explains it. And dogs. Don't even get me started. I always thought, "what kind of an idiot gets bitten by a dog?!" (no offense, Charlie, Tana and Tim) until I was home last weekend and I was at Phil's host family and their dog (aptly) named Fox was gnawing the crap out of my leg. I don't think it hurt so much as I was surprised by it. Little bastard.

I am pretty used to getting ripped off by now but I have gotten pretty keen on my Russian bargaining skills. I was buying two pairs of hand-knitted socks for 300 sohm total and I talked her down to 250. By the time the whole business was said and done I felt so bad for cheating this poor grandma out of 50 sohm (roughly one dollar) for a pair of socks she made with her own hands, so I just told her not to worry about my change. I'm either getting ripped off or feeling bad for getting a fair price for something. Either way I pay the same amount. I need to stop consulting my conscience so much in this country.

(Censored by Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan)

I'm just about to hit my 5 month mark here and I was thinking about how much of a different person I was before and about how naive I was. I imagine that Martha (the K-11 I visited in Karakol) had a good laugh to herself when I asked if the milk she was drinking was skim, I now understand her the look on her face when she said, "we got it from the nearest neighbor who owns a cow". I laugh every time I'm on my way to our neighbors house with a jar in my hand to pay 10 sohm for a liter of milk. And I used to care that when I was in the banya you use one basin for all of your washing, before I got grossed out that I put my feet in it, then my face in it but now I don't care and realize that it's all going to get (semi) clean anyway. Whenever I go to the public banya, I don't even give it second thought about who's face or feet have been in the basin before me. It's going to be a rude awakening when I come back in two years when people expect me to shower everyday and get a new change of clothes (we wear the same thing for a week here). I guess that's too soon to be thinking about anyway. I just think my concept of normal is getting more and more distorted as time goes by here.

Alright I know this was a really random blog entry but it has just been a culmination of things that I've been thinking about lately. I feel like this blog isn't accurately representative of my life here but I have a hard time putting most things into words. My life here is a constant joke that ends with the punch line, "guess you had to be there."

Quick shout outs:

Mrs. John, I got your letter today with the pictures, Lacey's bridal shower must have been so much fun, I wish I could have been there too. And girls (Lace, Brin, Krott, Jenn and Halie) you guys look gorgeous, it was nice to see you all. My first thought was, "they all look so... so... healthy! and young, and vibrant." The way I've been treating/damaging my body it's no wonder that I've aged so quickly in so little time.

And Jase, I love you so much, you're the best. It was so good to hear your voice, you brightened my entire month.

And the rest of you, I hate to complain but my letter-return-rate is sub-par at best. I can't help it that I hate going to the internet here, I never have enough time, I'm always rushed and I never get to say everything I want to say so letters it is for me. I know you all are super busy with your own lives but don't make me divorce you all when I get home, just go make friends with your local postman. Some of you are doing great though and I appreciate and love the effort and it literally makes my whole week that much better to get something tangible from home.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Luche, no ne otleatchna...

That means... better but not great. I am still struggling and coping but I feel a lot better because I went home to my first host family and they pretty much babied me all weekend which is what I needed. My mom showered me with kisses and even tucked me in at night. I went to see all of the other volunteers families and they all claimed I was too skinny (I'm not) and (force) fed me a bunch of delicious food. I miss being around Russians constantly. My mom is insane, she is always carrying on about something but now that I actually understand her, she's actually pretty funny. I was able to relax and not be on edge about anything. The only thing the families in Koshoi want me to do is love them and come home often (and bring cake when I do). And that's it. Next time I feel like I can't take another day, I'm hopping on the first marshurutka and going home. She even made me grilled cheese but I must have not explained it clearly enough because she made a grilled peanut butter and cheese sandwich. I ate it anyway.

This week we have quarantine because 1/2 the students are ill and the other half don't come anyway and our school is cold because we don't have heat so I am going to basically study Russian nonstop until Thursday and work on the scarf that I'm knitting Charlie (another volunteer) and avoid my oldest sister. Danier, my favorite students' Father has been helping me with Russian lessons and I've been hanging out at their house a lot. He said he wants me to come live with them and he said he'd even build me my own house in their backyard. I know he would build it too if I actually took him up on the offer but from now on, I'll just go there as a refuge from my own house. I mentioned to his mom that my middle sister, Jildes and I were going to make pumpkin monti (dumplings) together and the next time I was over there, she had made it for me for lunch because she knew it was my favorite. So yeah, things are better, not great, but getting there, and it's the thoughtful and loving people that make being here worthwhile.

And thank you girls for your loving comments, the other thing that keeps me going here is knowing that there are people back home thinking about me, praying for me and supporting me. It really means a lot to me, so thanks.

Chasing Kate