Hey folks! Internet access for me is highly irregular, so I haven't been able to update this thing since I've been here. Long story short, things are great! I have an awesome host family; five host siblings, a host mom, and a host dad. Today they were planting potatoes and flowers in the front and backyard gardens. I have a great dog named Fox that protects me when I have to go to the outhouse. It's the cutest thing...he walks with you to the outhouse, stands guard in front of the door while you are, ya'know, busy, then walks you back to the house. I live on a small plot of land, maybe an acre, and do have an actual shower sometimes. My language learning is going slow, but it is nonetheless going. I have six more weeks to get to a good grip on the language, and then we'll have an exam. Here, we eat alot of lamb. Tons and tons of lamb. Most families have their own chickens (we do...I get fresh eggs every day), many have their own cows, and even more have their own herds of sheep and goats. All of the meat that we get is fresh, grass-fed, and pretty good. The meals do tend to a be a bit fatty, which has been a bit hard on my stomach, but I feel like I've adjusted pretty well. I got sick once, once, and only once. I've been pretty careful with water filtering, which I think has made quite a bit of a difference.
The mountains surrounding the Kyrgyz Republic are incredibly beautiful. Stunning. Like a photoshopped postcard. Except even better. And REAL. Huge peaks of white shattering the skyline, enormous towers of green protecting protrusions of grey and blue...I have never seen anything like it.
My favorite thing about my time here so far has been the presence of animals. Donkeys (and fuzzy ones to boot), cows, cats, dogs, sheep, goats...roaming in a beautiful and wonderful way. Practically maintained, albeit they are a bit dirty, and utilized fully (i.e, milk and manure do not go to waste). The entire village that I live in reminds me in some ways of a giant Heifer project come to life. Zero grazing pens, no-electricity milk and cream separators, and hand-sheared sheep.
Anyway...I'm going to get gone for now, but please feel free to drop me an email and I will reply whenever I have internet access again. Take care, everybody!
Wow, it sounds like paradise. You should post pics at some point, if ya can! Maybe someday things can be so simple, well, natural here again.
ReplyDeleteIf ya only got sick once, you must be doing something right, lol, especially with having to eat so much meat. Seems like everyone here has been sick lately, too... spring sprung all in a day or two. Literally. Friday nothing was blooming, Sunday wisteria was everywhere & everyone's car was painted yellow with pollen. & The quick change has been making people sick, I think-- I had the world's worst sore throat for a week and a half but it finally left me, lol.
A dog named Fox, lol. Love it!
I've been trying to learn how to do woodworking type stuff from my dad lately. I've actually only been over there twice so far, but have learned a lot both times and can actually produce a product-- Arkansas red oak wine stirring spoons, lol. & actually, I can cut anything out of a single board--I mean, I wouldn't have to cut a spoon shape. My dad made a rack to hold his shot glasses the 2nd day I went out there, so although I don't think I would be able to repeat the process, I do have an idea of how to go about it at least, if I ever wanted to make myself a small shelf to hang on the wall. The next project is a bookshelf of some sort. I'm excited. I feel like I'm learning ancient arts... and I guess, despite the technology, the tools, I am.
Sustainability is becoming a brighter possibility. "And it was good." :D