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!