10 Pictures of 2023

I can't believe that we only have one week left of 2023. This year has by far been the craziest, most hectic, and most significant year of my life. It was full of milestones, best days, worst days and everything in between. It would be difficult to sum all of it up into words. Instead here are 10 pictures, in chronological order, to represent my 2023, because as they say "a picture is worth a thousand words": 

1. 

My best friends and I pre-Taylor Swift Concert

Anyone who knows me knows how much my life revolves around Taylor Swift (literally my favorite artist since 7 years old). Before coming to Kyrgyzstan I was able to see her in concert with so many people (not all pictured) who mean so much to me. It's hard to beat seeing your favorite artist of all time with your favorite people of all time. 

Actually 2023, or technically January - May of 2023, was full of being able to see my favorite musicians live. Going to concerts is my favorite thing to do, and I think going to so many in the months before  Peace Corps made it even more special. I knew concerts were going to be one of the things I missed most, and so I'm grateful for every show, artist, and person who made each one special.

2.

The best day of my life

 I'm notorious for calling every single great day "the best day of my life," but this time I really mean it (@ mom). This was my birthday and I spent it in Atlanta, GA with my best friend, Adrienne. We spent the morning at the Georgia Aquarium (I love aquariums and I can talk about the Georgia Aquarium for hours).  This picture was in front of my all-time favorite animal: the Beluga whale. It's safe to say that this day was already great with the aquarium, but we ended it by going to see guess who...Taylor Swift with Gracie Abrams as the opener (my two favorite artists). I've told people since this day that I'm afraid that my life will never be as good as it was on this day, so there was no doubt it needed to be included on this list. 

3.

@girlswhostep 4ever

I graduated college, which is still a very weird thing to say. Pictured above is my best friend, Brooke, and I immediately after our ceremony ended. We both can easily say we would not have survived without each other. She is the epitome of what it means to be both the most brilliant and kindest person in every room. We also run a joint Instagram @girlswhostep (self promo). Not pictured are so many others, that I cannot even begin to name, who had such a profound impact on my college experience, and made it so difficult to leave. 

4. 

Training Wheels and I 

My cousin, Caitlyn, graduated from high school! In the 3 weeks between my own graduation and leaving for Kyrgyzstan, I was so thankful to be able to witness this moment. Caitlyn is more like my little sister, and seeing her accomplish something so great is a top 10 moment for sure. Since this picture, she's also completed her first semester of college and I could not be prouder (until she graduates college of course.)

5. 

My going away party! Pictured here are most of my family, childhood friends, a few college friends, and my dogs. A couple days before I left, they all gathered at my house for one last time to say goodbye. We also had matching t-shirts courtesy of my mom (which if you know her, you know this was a given). This was a very bittersweet day. It was also surreal in that it was the last thing I did before joining the Peace Corps, a dream that so many people in this photo had heard me talk about for years prior.

6. 

Here is me asleep on the marshrutka during PST. There's no heartwarming message or story to take from this. PST was exhausting and I basically slept anywhere I could. I maintain that the best naps were taken on the marshrutkas from Bishkek to our village.

7. 

Culture Day!!! One of my favorite days in Kyrgyzstan so far!! Full of games, dancing, food, and spending time with so many people who have made this entire experience so great. For a more in-depth look at this day, you should check out my blog post about it from August 2023 (hint hint).

8. 

This was taken during our PST Teaching Practicum and I was demonstrating how to play a game to my students. More importantly, I think it represents how I've felt many times throughout this experience: confused and with no idea what is going on. 

9. 

Swearing In! The day we became official Peace Corps Volunteers and marked the beginning of our official service. It was also the culmination of 11 weeks of hard work and training during PST. For me, it was also a day I had dreamed about for 4 years prior, and so to finally reach this moment still does not feel real.

10. 

Last but not least: the Jalal-Abad volunteers! These are the volunteers in my oblast (Jalal-Abad) nearest to me and the ones I am lucky enough to see almost every weekend. Before coming to Jalal-Abad, it was probably the area of Kyrgyzstan I knew the least about. We are also the first volunteers to be in Jalal-Abad since all volunteers were evacuated due to COVID in 2020. It has been so great to explore Jalal-Abad and "reopen the south" with these volunteers. Even though we all live in different villages, we have been able to come together when we can and share our experiences with one another. Also, I may be biased, but the Hollywood sign has nothing on the Jalal-Abad sign pictured above. 

There it is, my ten photos that best capture 2023! I would write more, but I think I said more above than I initially intended to. Hope you enjoy, see you in 2024 (the year of the fish in Kyrgyzstan)!!

Month 6: "Everywhere, Everything"

    Before I start this post, I would like to dedicate this post to Dr. Chumley, my former professor, mentor, and research PI.  Thanks to you, I know exactly what is happening in my immune system everytime I get ill here (which is once a week) and I was also able to catch a mouse one time when it ran into my house. He's also the second most active person on my blog, other than my mom (don't worry I told her you're still expecting a bottle of wine from her.) I'll try to write in proper English on this post just for you, but if you remember my thesis, we both know writing is not my thing...

    Now on to my month 6 recap. This month had a lot of firsts: my first time leaving my oblast since going to site, my first time being in a Kyrgyz wedding party, my first time presenting at a conference, the first snow of the year, my first time escaping a burning building, and many more.  Many of these can be attributed to the fact that for half of this month, I was actually in Bishkek for three different trainings.

• The first training we had: In-Service Training (IST)

The volunteers in my oblast and our counterparts



• IST marks the end of 3 months of being official volunteers. It's used as a time to reflect on our past three months and also further our working relationships with our local counterparts

• If you're my cohort, it also involves your hotel catching on fire mid-week and having to evacuate to a different hotel (no complaints though because the new hotel was in the middle of the mountains with an incredible view)

The view from our (not on fire) hotel 

• We also were invited to dinners at both the U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan's house and our Country Director's house

• Peer Support Network (PSN) Training
• PSN is a group of volunteers that are trained to act as another resource of support for fellow volunteers during service. We spent two days being trained on how to offer support and planning the upcoming year.
• I also found out that Kyrgyzstan has Papa Johns! It tastes almost exactly the same as American Papa Johns, their garlic sauce included.

• The First EMA Social Media Workshop
• Kyrgyzstan hosted the first social media workshop for all Peace Corps countries in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia (EMA)!!

The First EMA Social Media Workshop Participants



• It featured 13 different Peace Corps staff members from 11 different countries (also known as Team Chuchuck, Kurut, Yak Cheese and Old Schoolers...iykyk)
• Myself, along with 2 other volunteers, gave a presentation on how volunteers use social media and how to speak Gen Z's language
• We also had a session with famous Kyrgyz blogger, Adilet Nogoibaev, who taught us how to increase our engagement on social media posts

      

Kyrgyz Blogger, Adilet Nogoibaev

• This was one of my favorite things I've participated in so far in Kyrgyzstan. I enjoyed getting to meet Peace Corps staff from other countries and hear how service in their country differs to that in Kyrgyzstan. If anyone needs me, I'll now be planning trips to each of these 11 countries.

    In addition to these trainings, this month was FULL of unexpected moments and findings. 

• On my flight back to my site from Bishkek, the man sitting next to me was wearing a hat that had my University (TCU) on it!?!
• To make this story even better, he was wearing a hat that said "TCU 2022 CFP National Champions" on it (we lost the national championship)
• He said he got in Kazakhstan so now I know where my next vacation will be!

                                                    

• I found Dr. Pepper!
• If you remember my second ever post, I talked about how much I'll miss Dr. Pepper. Good news: I found it in Bishkek!
• I can't say it tasted anywhere as good as Dr. Pepper in America, but Dr. Pepper is still Dr. Pepper to me (I also forced my friend to take a full photoshoot of me and the cans I bought)
• Harvest Day
• My school hosted a Harvest Day to celebrate the end of Autumn, hosted by the biology and chemistry teachers at my school.
• The older classes made science themed posters, while each 6th grade class (my school has 3) competed against eachother in various things such as public speaking, singing, dancing, a costume contest and making food into animals

• 

  One student's animal creation

  
  
• The teachers at my school found out I have a degree in Biology and actually let me help judge the competition. In reality, I have no idea how that made me qualified, but I was just happy to be a part of it 
• The first snow
• It snowed for the first time! As someone who has never experienced a real winter, I quickly realized that I have no idea how to survive in the cold 
• I learned that I love looking at snow from the comfort of being inside
• 
  

  

  The view from my classroom

    It's hard to believe I've already spent half a year in Kyrgyzstan. Before coming here, the thought of being here for 27 months felt daunting and it was almost impossible to grasp just how long that would be.  However, reflecting back on how quickly these 6 months have been, I can only imagine how fast the next 21 will be. With this, I have found myself embracing more of every moment, taking more pictures and writing down as much as possible (hence the extra long post). Hopefully you'll hear from me again before month 7, but if not make sure to follow me on Instagram @emilyinkgz for more frequent updates!

Month 5: "There It Goes"

    Month 5 in Kyrgyzstan has officially come and gone, and it feels like each month passes faster than the one before it. This month also contains a significant milestone as it was the end of the first quarter at school! In Kyrgyzstan, school is divided into four quarters with a week or two break between each (except for the 3 month summer vacation). With this, month 5 has been full of time for reflection, plenty of frustrating moments, and many firsts for both myself and my students:

• Halloween
• My students are actually the ones who asked to celebrate Halloween! They've spent years seeing pictures and videos of it online, but have never been able to celebrate.
• Throughout the week we had several Halloween themed lessons including vocabulary, jack-o-lantern making and our own version of Trick or Treating
• My English Club also had our own Halloween party! Several of the students dressed up, we played games and ate even more candy

My 7th Grade Students' Jack-O-Lanterns

• End of First Quarter

• As I mentioned earlier, this month also saw the end of the first quarter of school! With this, came exams to see what information the students retained and planning curriculum for the future based on the results.
• Most importantly, the end of the quarter meant we had a week off school which was much needed for both students and teachers alike. For me, this time off included visiting new places near me, spending time with my host sisters and catching up on the random tasks I'd been putting off for weeks.

• Arslanbob 
• Speaking of a week off school, one thing I did during this time was visit Arslanbob!
• Arslanbob is the world's oldest walnut forest and one of the bigger tourist sites in Kyrgyzstan. In addition to being surrounded by 1000 year old walnut trees, there are also two waterfalls that you can hike to. I only hiked to the smaller one, where there was also a cave was once used for prayer and viewed as a holy place
• Peak tourism season is over for Arslanbob, so it was pretty empty when I visited. The majority of the bazaar stands and shops were closed and the only people I saw were those that lived in the village. However, it's still the most beautiful place I've been to in Kyrgyzstan so far and I cannot wait to go back in the summer!

The view fron the cave

The view driving in to Arslanbob

The small waterfall at Arslanbob

• I have so many host cousins!!
• Before this month, I thought I had met the majority of my host family...it turns out that's not the case.
• This month, I think I've met 15+ additional family members. Everyone is just called a cousin so I also have no idea what the relationship to them is, but I'm not complaining because it's exactly the same as my actual family. 

• Hollywood? More like Jalal-Abad
• One of the first things I noticed in Jalal-Abad city was that there was a giant sign in the mountains, similar to the Hollywood sign, spelling out Jalal-Abad.
• For weeks, the other volunteers in my oblast and I have talked about hiking to the sign (even though we weren't quite sure if it was possible). And although we completely went off the path and walked through a forest of pistachios, we eventually made it!! 
• We also met some children on the way down who proceeded to debate about Ronaldo vs. Messi. I also completely faceplanted while trying to show them pictures from the time I saw Messi. In the end, they gave us sunflower seeds, asked us for money and then ran away once we got back to the city.

The one and only, regionally famous Jalal-Abad sign

• I made it on the official Peace Corps Website and Instagram!!
• My blog post "How Did I Get Here" was featured on the Peace Corps website and even earned it's own Instagram post!!
• Harry Styles was also mentioned in the Instagram caption (which I did not make or have any idea was happening), and honestly it seems very fitting that he was a part of this

    Those are just some brief highlights from Month 5. It's hard to believe that I've already spent five months in Kyrgyzstan. It feels like just yesterday I was on the plane to Philadelphia. With this, this month's post is named after the song "There It Goes" by Maisie Peters. Solely for the line "I wake up and it's October," because that's been my main takeaway from this past month (also I do realize that it's now November, but technically Month 5 was the majority of October). This has without a doubt been the busiest and most hectic month so far. So busy, that at the time I'm writing this, we're closer to Month 6  -- so stayed tuned for that in the very near future :)

Season of Tois

     If you read my month 4 recap post, you may remember me briefly mentioning something about it being party season in Kyrgyzstan. More specificly, I mentioned something about attending a circumcision party. If you're wondering if you read that correctly, you did... The entire season of Autumn is also known as "party season" or "Toi (Той) Season." With this, there are many different reasons for throwing a toi and they can range from something small for 20-50 people at one's house, or something huge held at a banquet hall meant for 200+. Here are just a few of the different toi's I've attended thus far:

• A joint housewarming/double circumcision Toi
• This was the first toi I attended and it was at a banquet hall meant for 150-200 people
• It was thrown by one family who were celebrating a new house and the circumcision of both of their sons (hence the double circumcision). There's a joke among volunteers that you haven't had the true PCKG experience until you attend a circumcision party, so I'm happy to announce that I can cross that off my bucketlist! 
• Given that this was my first big toi, everything came as a surprise
• It started with a 10 second countdowndance for the DJ/Emcee of the evening
• The family then entered to a 5 minute Kyrgyz ballad sang live by professionals
• The entire night was a cycle of different games (my table won 200 soms for a game and I still don't know what we did), eating and dancing
• The night also consisted of different speeches by guests offering their blessings to the family. I thought this was just reserved for family and close friends...it turns out that's not the case. Imagine this: you're sitting at your table, all of a sudden the lights go out, you hear the emcee say that we have a guest from America, and boom there's a spotlight on you and you're forced to give an impromptu speech in Kyrgyz. Well I don't have to imagine it because it actually happened...it was probably the worst Kyrgyz I've ever done and since then I've practiced my speeches in case it happens again 

My table's pre-game strategy session

• Wedding #2
• If you remember from previous posts, I attended my first Kyrgyz wedding during PST with my previous host family. It was a small party held at the groom's house and I was able to witness many traditional aspects of Kyrgyz weddings
• This wedding was slightly different as it was held at a banquet hall with 300 people, similar to the previous Toi I went to, and I actually found several similarities to American weddings: 
• The bride wears a white dress, the couple makes a grand entrance, there's dancing, and plenty of food
• One thing I thought was interesting was that when the bride and groom entered, they walked down the banquet hall (with a live singer accompanying them) and bowed to all the guests several times. At the end of the hall before their couple's table, their friends lined both sides of the dance floor to greet them 

The wedding setup (discoball not pictured)

• Rememberances
• These are not  tois/parties, but instead the opposite and held when someone passes away. There are several different types of rememberances as well:
• Traditional Funeral: held immediately when the person passes away, and in my experience, lasts for 3 days
• I attended 3 different funerals with the teachers at my school. At these, we usually said a brief prayer and Quran reading for the family and then ate quickly before leaving in under an hour.
• A 1 Year Rememberance ("julduk"): this is held 1 year after a person has passed away and mainly features a Quran reading
• For women in Kyrgyzstan, when a close family member passes away, they usually enter a 1 year grieving period. During this time, they do not attend other tois/social events, and keep their hair covered. Therefore, this Julduk also marked the end of the grieving period, and it is tradition to give any women family members a white headscarf (jolook)
• I was able to attend the Julduk of my Kyrgyz teacher's wife. Although I never met her, I feel like I knew her with all of the stories my teacher used to tell about her, so it was an honor to attend and meet so many people that loved her.  
• Rememberances held years after a person has died (Ash): these can be held any year after a person, specifically only a man, has passed away
• The one I attended with the teachers at my school was held 15 years after a prominent community member had passed
• At this, there were several pictures of him hanging up and all of his family from around Kyrgyzstan had come to visit. Once again, it mostly consisted of us eating quickly and leaving after an hour as more guests were arriving 

    These were just some of the more memorable gatherings I've been able to attend so far at my permanent site. These types of events are also so frequent, that there have been multiple times I've had two on the same day and had to choose which to go to. Other types of tois I've been invited to/heard of from other volunteers include: a Beshik Toi (held 40 days after a baby is born and symbolizes them being moved to a cradle), parties held for just the bride before her wedding, too many birthday parties to count, and many others. With this, this post is just a brief introduction into the types of events and traditions held in Kyrgyzstan, and my own personal experiences with them. Also, given that Autumn is not technically over yet, I still have a few more Tois to attend, so stay tuned for more stories of circumcisions and love.

Party Favors!!

Month 4: "Nice to Meet Ya"

     We've now reached 4 full months here in Kyrgyzstan. I know I say this every month, but this month definitely has gone by the fastest. It's actually been closer to 4.5 months at this point, but it has been so busy I barely even noticed we reached this milestone! Anyways, here's a brief recap on the whirlwind that was month 4.

• I've attended approximately 8 different parties
• Fall in Kyrgyzstan is the time for all the parties (or Тойс/"tois")
• With this, there's what feels like dozens of different types of tois
• Some I've been to include: 1 wedding, a joint circumcision/housewarming party, and several memorials (don't worry if you read circumcision party and want to know more...a full post on Toi season is in the works)

A Common Toi Set up 

• It's official walnut and pumpkin season
• Jalal Abad is known for their walnuts (we even have the world's oldest walnut forest - Arslanbob) and there are walnut trees everywhere
• Everywhere I go there are walnuts and students are constantly bringing them to me convinced that I have never eaten a walnut before (I also pretend every single time that I haven't)
• With pumpkins becoming available, it means two things: pumpkin samsa and pumpkin manti (equivalent of dumplings)
• Basically just 2 foods I can't get enough of now that I know I love pumpkin 

The Pumpkin Samsa I'm in Love With

• I'm learning how to crochet!
• Spoiler: I'm not good at it nor do I know what I'm doing
• It's also been 3 weeks and I've made nothing 
• We celebrated Teacher's Day!
• This is a holiday meant to acknowledge/appreciate all the teachers and each school does it a little differently
• For me, it included one day full of performances and gifts from students. The rest of the week, students would bring flowers and little notes for teachers 
• The week ended at a celebration at a nearby cafe for all of the teachers. We played games, danced, ate, and I tried to avoid being dragged into the middle of the dance circle
• We judged a spelling bee
• Myself along with the other volunteers in Jalal Abad were invited to judge the Spelling Bee hosted at our local university by the American Center (a program run by the US Embassy to promote English)
• If you're wondering what makes me qualified to judge a spelling bee, the answer is "I'm Not." Don't worry though I don't think I messed anything up and my biggest contribution was telling the students that I ate horse sausage.

The Other Volunteers and I at the Spelling Bee

• My first English Club started!
• I've started an English Club for my 8th-11th grade students. We meet twice a week and it's mostly just a chance for them to practice conversation and work on topics they don't go over in class
• I've also made it my unofficial goal to make them like all the music I listen to, so every lesson we listen to one English song. 
• Their current fav: "Nice To Meet Ya" by Niall Horan played after we talked about greetings. (this post is dedicated to them and their love for this song <3)

How Did I Get Here?

    Today marks 1 year since I received my official invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan! In honor of this, I thought I would make a post all about how I ended up here in Kyrgyzstan. Also, over the past year, I've noticed that the number one thing people say to me is "How did you find Peace Corps and Kyrgyzstan?" 

   

   I discovered Peace Corps during the Fall of my freshman year of college at TCU (Go Frogs). I attended a seminar all about the ethicality of service and the fine line between volunteering and "voluntourism." As someone who volunteered every weekend during high school and never thought anything of it, the seminar really opened my eyes to the potential harm that can occur even while you think you are doing something "good."  At the seminar, there was also a raffle for a book called "When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself." I ended up winning and took home the book thinking that it'd sit on my bookshelf until I had time for it. Well, I actually ended up reading it all that night. Unrelated, but a year later I met someone during a Zoom meeting and casually mentioned the book and the impact it had on me. That someone turned out to be the son of the author, who then texted his dad to let him know that people actually read his book. Anyway, after finishing the book, it sent me into a mental spiral of how I was going to spend my future days. I always knew I wanted to go into a profession that at its core was meant to serve others, but now I was unsure of how to actually achieve that. So...I did what every person does and started looking things up on the Internet. It was there I found the Peace Corps. This sounds cliche, but almost immediately after reading about the Peace Corps and what they stood for, I knew it was what I wanted to do after graduation (which at that point was 3.5 years away). 

    This was in the Fall of 2019 and a short time later the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, Peace Corps shut down and volunteers around the world were evacuated with no clear timeline for a return. Throughout, the following year, I kept monitoring the Peace Corps and their updates on when they anticipated volunteers returning to their site. However, I also began accepting the idea that it may not be something that I would be able to do immediately after graduation. 

    Beginning in 2021 (my junior year of college), Peace Corps posts around the world slowly began to reopen and welcome volunteers back in-country. With this, my dream of becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer after graduation was once again alive and well. During this year, I started to do more serious work and research into the Peace Corps: attending web seminars, connecting with a recruiter, talking to former volunteers, and reading every blog a volunteer has ever written (if there is anyone reading this thinking of applying: hi!)

    When you apply to the Peace Corps you typically have two options: you can apply to a specific position in a certain country (for example a TEFL Co-Teacher in the Kyrgyz Republic) or you can apply "Serve Where Needed Most." This is where you give Peace Corps Headquarters your application, and they decide where they believe you will be best (you can also give your preferences on certain types of jobs or general areas of the world.) Peace Corps also recommends that you apply 1 year before when you would like to depart for your service. For me, I knew I wanted to leave as close to June 2023 as possible. With that, I am pretty sure I submitted my application the day that positions opened for Summer 2023 departures (Mid-May 2022). I also applied "Serve Where Needed Most" with preferences to work in either the education, youth in development, or health sectors. I didn't have a preference on where in the world I would like to serve, all I knew was that I would go anywhere Peace Corps said as long as it meant I could be a volunteer. Another fun fact about my Peace Corps journey, I never seriously mentioned it to anyone in my life until I actually submitted my application. Of course, I had mentioned it casually over the past 3 years to certain people, but no one really gave it any thought until my application was actually submitted and they realized I was serious about being a PCV. For those thinking of applying, I don't know if I recommend this particular strategy...

    Anyway, two weeks after submitting my application, I was in Las Vegas (lol) for my family/friends'  annual "everyone who turned 21 that year goes to Vegas" trip. It was there I got an email saying I was being considered for the TEFL Co-Teacher Person in the Kyrgyz Republic. The first thing my friends and I did: look up where that was (I know, not my best moment, but now you won't find a bigger fan of Kyrgyzstan than me). A few weeks after that I received an interview invitation. I had my interview in early July 2022, and to say it was the most stressful 90 minutes of my life would be an understatement. Afterward, I remember telling people that my interviewer knew more about me than I knew about myself. I was also convinced afterward that it had gone so horribly that there was no way I'd ever be offered a position. Despite this feeling, they told me I would hear back by December 1st, 2022, or if I was lucky, possibly earlier.  

    Due to the latter statement, naturally, this meant I checked my email obsessively every single day from July to September hoping for an update. Every day without hearing anything was worse than the day before, and it reached the point that I had convinced myself I would never hear anything (dramatic). However, finally, on September 23rd, 2022, when I was entirely sure I would never become a volunteer, I got the email saying "Congratulations." Funnily enough, I was out of town that weekend in Austin, Texas. I was spending the weekend with my best friend since 5th grade, Adrienne, and we were planning to have an entirely Harry Styles-themed weekend (including going to see the movie "Don't Worry Darling" and going to multiple of his concerts). We were in Target and I'm pretty sure I was rambling to her about how Peace Corps would never happen when I received that "Congratulations" email. From there, I don't think I read anything else, instead, I sat on the ground in Target, cried, and then called my mom (who was in Las Vegas at the time...a lot of my Peace Corps journey centers around Las Vegas and Harry Styles). As monumental as this moment was, the reason we were at Target was to buy snacks before going to the movies, and I had about 20 minutes to let as many people know as possible before the movie started. I ended up calling a few people in the car, texting others, and then putting a mass announcement up on my private Snapchat story (pictured below). I then turned off my phone for 3 hours. Safe to say when I turned it back on, I had hundreds of messages ranging from "Congratulations" to "Are you alive? Answer your phone." 

The picture that I used to let all of my friends know the big news

    I also need to take the time to show you the photo proof of me sitting on the ground in Target immediately after finding out. Shoutout to Adrienne for this picture. Even though Adrienne has admitted to me that she never reads this blog, I do need to take the time to say that along with Harry Styles and Las Vegas, she also played a significant role in my Peace Corps journey. If we're lucky, we only really see each other 2 or 3 times a year. However, I happened to be with her when I both received my official invitation and the original email saying I was being considered for Kyrgyzstan. I can't think of anyone I would've rather had with me for either of these moments. She has supported every idea, insane or not, that I've had since 5th grade (including Peace Corps, doing the worm at every opportunity, cutting her own bangs in my bathroom senior year of high school, traveling around the US to see Taylor Swift as many times as possible, etc...) I am also a big believer in fate and people being where they are meant to be, so I don't think it was an accident that we were together in those moments. 

Proof

    After receiving my invitation, I quickly accepted (note to future applicants: once you receive your invitation you only have 3 days to decide), and then spent the weekend celebrating at the Harry Styles concert (hearing "Matilda" hurt on a level that I did not think was possible and I cried a lot). From there, the following 9 months until my departure date were a whirlwind, including legal clearance, medical clearance, telling everyone I knew, taking my MCAT (gross) to be ready for after PC, doing everything to prepare to move to Kyrgyzstan, and becoming an aunt the night before I left. I can write a more in-depth post about all of these things later, but for now, that's the abbreviated version. I also graduated from the best college in the world (riff ram) in May 2023 with my B.S. in Speech Pathology and B.A. in Biology. Then, roughly 3 weeks post-graduation and almost 4 years after first learning about Peace Corps, I was on the plane to Kyrgyzstan. And now here we are, one year later. 

    So that's my Peace Corps journey leading up to actually being in Kyrgyzstan. I know that everyone's  journey to Peace Corps is different, but if there's anything else you want to know feel free to let me know either on here (https://emilyinkgz.blogspot.com) or on my Peace Corps Instagram @emilyinkgz (shameless plug). Until then, enjoy this picture of Adrienne (we'll see if she reads this) and me celebrating my PC invitation at the previously mentioned Harry Styles concert :)

   

Month 3: "Begin Again"

 It has officially been 3 months in Kyrgyzstan, so it’s time for another month recap with all the little stories I haven’t had a chance to tell yet. This month has by far been the busiest and the fastest month yet. We started the month as trainees still living in our training villages and ended it as volunteers spread out all around Kyrgyzstan. To say a lot happened would be an understatement. If you haven’t read my latest posts with the newest life updates, you should check those out. Until then, here’s a few things that have happened that are never before seen on the blog: 

• We had our official Kyrgyz Language Test
• It was at the end of our 2-month training where I went from knowing 0 Kyrgyz to being able to survive on my own
•  All I have to say is I'm glad it's over (although my Kyrgyz lessons are not)

• I went to a wedding
• This was during my last weekend in my training village and it was super special because my host parents were the "Okul Apa and Ata" (equivalent of the Bride and Groom's Godparents)
• Fun Fact: in Kyrgyzstan, the Okul Apa and Ata are responsible for buying the wedding rings (therefore, I did try on the bride's ring at my house beforehand)
• This was a very traditional wedding at the Groom's house with several ceremonies involved
• First, the bride was behind a curtain with her hair tied up in a white scarf - it is tradition that the bride should remain there until later in the night
• There were several presentations involving jewelry
• First, the groom's sister in law presented the new bride with a pair of earring and placed them on her
• Second, my host parents presented them with their rings, making them officially husband and wife

The Wedding Setup (my host mom loved to take pictures of me at every opportunity) 

• I made apple turnovers
• This was a very big deal for me because I made the dough from scratch and had no way to measure anything AND they actually tasted good

The Aforementioned Turnovers

• So many goodbyes
• Now that my cohort is officially volunteers, we are all spread out around Kyrgyzstan and after spending nearly every day with them for 11 weeks, saying goodbye at the end of the Swearing In Ceremony was harder for some people (me) than others (everyone else)

Documentation of Goodbyes

• I watched Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime Show 6 times
• My new host family love's Rihanna (I mean who doesn't)

• Even though I haven't taught an official lesson yet (I've spent the past two weeks observing), the kids at my school are so excited for me to be there and can't wait to start learning 
• Seriously, the third graders have started applauding every time I walk in the room
• I'd like to imagine this is what it's like to be a D-List celebrity with a very niche group of fans

One of my student's message to me after class

 

That's all I have for little stories and moments from this month. With this, this month's post is titled "Begin Again" (and if we're getting specific: "Begin Again (Taylor's Version)").  Now that training is over and my life as a volunteer has begun, it is time for the real work and service to begin. A new host family, a new village, a new title and a new set of things to look forward during the next 2 years of service. 

Day of Knowledge aka The First Day of School

    I've been at my new village/permanent site for about 2 weeks now (go check out my previous post for some exciting life updates!) With this, I've also officially finished my first week of school as an English Teacher. Although we have spent the past 11 weeks in training for this very moment, nothing compares to being in the school for real. 

    It began on September 1st, an official holiday here in Kyrgyzstan, also known as the Day of Knowledge or Day of Learning. This marks the first day of a new school year for every single student in Kyrgyzstan. This is one of my favorite days that I've experienced in Kyrgyzstan so far. I think it's really important that this much emphasis is placed on education and schooling, so much so that it's a national holiday. It makes the beginning of the school year a big event and something to be celebrated. 

    At my school, we held an assembly early in the morning to acknowledge the holiday. When I first walked onto the school grounds, I was greeted by my fellow English teachers who had bread and borsook (fried dough) waiting for me. It is a tradition in Kyrgyzstan that you should have bread or borsook when entering a new place for the first time or starting a new phase of your life to ensure success and good fortune. From there, all of the students, teachers, and parents (over 1000 people) were gathered outside the school where the assembly began with a speech from the Director (equivalent to the Principal) of my school. During her speech, she introduced me to everyone and explained why I was there. After that, it was my turn to give a speech...in Kyrgyz. This speech was something I had written weeks ago with my language teacher and had practiced over and over in advance for it. I think it well...at least everyone clapped after every single sentence I said. Now I'm not sure if they were clapping because my Kyrgyz was amazing, my speech was really moving, or because the Director was standing behind me and forcing the crowd to applaud. 

The Ceremony Setup 

   After my resounding and groundbreaking speech, there was a ceremony where each 1st grade student walked into the square while everyone cheered as they are beginning their time at this school. After every 1st grader entered, students from the 11th grade (the oldest students) gave each of them a flower. Following this, there were several student performances. One boy played the Komuz (the national instrument of Kyrgyzstan) and another girl sang a traditional Kyrgyz song. 

    To conclude the ceremony, there was the ceremonial ringing of the first bell of the new year. This was probably my favorite part of the entire day. It involved two younger students, a girl and a boy, sitting on the shoulders of two older students. They then ran around the crowd while the younger students rang a cowbell and everyone cheered. And maybe the best part of the entire thing, the two students were sharing one bell, and the entire time they were yanking it back and forth between them trying to be the one who was primarily ringing the bell.

    After the ceremony was over, I was under the impression we would have lessons that day. However, other than meeting some of the other teachers at my school (there are around 65 in total), there was nothing else scheduled that day. Although, it is technically the "first day of school," it is primarily a holiday, so there were no lessons and everyone was free the rest of the day. I ended up spending the afternoon with one of my host sisters at our Rayon Center (the main city in my Rayon/Region). The park in our Rayon Center also includes several amusement park rides, which although I did not ride, I watched kids ride over and over while celebrating their last day of freedom before actual lessons started. 

One of the Rides
Side Note: The park is called "Family" so the word "Family" was written all over the park

      Since the first day, we've now had a week of actual lessons.  For these first few weeks, I will just be observing their lessons and getting to know them, the school and the students. However, eventually, I will be co-teaching each lesson with the other English teachers (aka Counterparts). My school has 7 English teachers; however, I will only have 2-3 counterparts this first year. Although it has only been a short time, both the teachers and students are very excited for me to be there and cannot wait to start working with me. Seriously, I can't walk anywhere in the school without getting stopped by 15+ kids, and one of the classes has taken to applauding every single time I walk into their room for a lesson. I'd like to imagine that this is what it's like to be mildly famous and probably the closest I'll ever get to achieving that. On a serious note, this excitement has been a major reassurance and comfort to me. Ever since I found out I was coming to Kyrgyzstan (almost an entire year now!!), I've spent countless hours wondering what it would actually be like and if people would actually want me there/like me. So seeing everyones excitement and eagerness to get to know me has been a massive relief, and I cannot wait to begin teaching for real. 

    p.s.: I realize I've taken very few pictures since being at my permanent site...it's a work in progress so stay tuned for more

A New Title AND A New Village

 It's been a while since I last had a blog update...mostly because there's been so much going on I haven't had any time to sit down and write. My current situation: I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer (hence "a new title") and have moved to my permanent site ("a new village" - where I will live for the next two years!!). School officially starts on September 1st, and until then, I am getting to know my new host family, school, and community.

Here's a brief rundown of everything that has happened in the past couple of weeks:

First: I found out my permanent site!!

    This is a complicated process that I can only describe to sorority recruitment. We had a meeting with PC staff to tell them our preferences for our permanent site. For me, I cared more about having a host family and counterpart(s) that I would get along with, and less about location. Meanwhile, the staff is also taking into account what each site (school, counterpart, host family) is looking for in a volunteer and who they believe will fit in best where. After staff had matched us with our permanent sites, we had what is equivalent of Peace Corps Bid Day. We all gathered in a room with a map of Kyrgyzstan on it, opened our envelopes with our site on, and went to stand on our village location on the map. With this, I am excited to say that I will be spending the next two years in the Jalalabad Oblast!! This is one of the two southern oblasts that PCVs are allowed to serve in and is known for being home to some of the world's oldest walnut forests, having heavy Uzbek influence, and incredible nature scenes. To read more about everything Jalalabad has to offer, check out this website: https://jalal-abad.com

Second: I became an official Peace Corps Volunteer! 

    I have spent the past few months as a Peace Corps Trainee, but as of August 25th I can now officially say that I am a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV)!! This was a monumental day for me and all of my fellow volunteers. It was the day that we had been working towards for 11 weeks, and also marked the beginning of our journey as volunteers (seriously, the majority of my cohort left for their permanent sites immediately after the ceremony was over).

    The day began with an official oath administered privately by the USA Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan (fun fact it's the same oath that Senators, Representatives and the President take). After that, the Swearing In Ceremony began with over 200 guests including representatives from our host families, PC staff, our counterparts, and members of the Kyrgyz government. There were several speeches made by PC staff (including the Regional Director that flew all the way in from Washington DC to attend), performances by a Kyrgyz musical group, and performances by my cohort. My group was the last group to perform and we did a traditional Kyrgyz dance. Even better, the first time we danced the music cut off early, so we returned to dance again once the issue had been resolved (double the screen time!!). 

With the Ambassador

My group's ending pose (Take 2)

    After the ceremony was over, there was an hour or so of lunch where we had a chance to talk to everyone who attended. Spoiler: I also gave an interview to a Kyrgyz TV station, so stay tuned for that. Towards the end, volunteers began slowly leaving to head to their permanent site. This was the last time we would see each other for three months, and considering we have spent everyday together for the past 11 weeks, to say it was difficult to say goodbye would be an understatement...

    Also the Swearing In Ceremony is available on the PCKR Facebook page for anyone interested in watching it!!

Third: I'm now in my permanent site and school starts in less than a week!!

    Due to the distance of my permanent site from Bishkek (where the Swearing In Ceremony was), I actually didn't leave for my site until the next day. I spent the last night with the few other volunteers not leaving till the next day, and also trying to cram everything into my suitcases (fun fact: I way overpacked). After waking up at 4 am, driving an hour to the airport, taking a quick 1 hour flight to Osh and a 3 hour drive to my village, I finally arrived at my new host family's home.

    When I walked in, the entire family was waiting outside with signs and someone playing the Komuz (a traditional Kyrgyz instrument). They had also decorated the house with more signs and balloons, which was above and beyond anything I could've ever expected. Although it has only been a couple of days, I can already tell that I will fit in with this host family, school and community really well, and I cannot wait to see where these next 2 years take me (also one of my sister's knows Taylor Swift, so I can't really ask for much more)...

A "Welcome Home" sign from my family

    Anyway, that is a brief recap on what I've been up to the past couple of weeks. So many big events and monumental changes happening, that it was difficult to find time to write. Here's an attempt to catch y'all up on the biggest and most important things to happen. I also know that the next few months will also be full of change and new experiences, as I officially start my journey as a PCV, so stay tuned for more (and hopefully I'll be able to update a little more often).