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!