Blogless

Well, folks, it's been an incredibly long time since I've had access to the internet, and even longer since I've had the time to sit down and blog. Sorry about this. The time is now!

As many of you know, the southern part of Kyrgyzstan is unstable and violent. I am, luckily enough, living in the northernmost part of the country in the Talas region, a dry, rocky, hilly area filled with friendly people and herds of animals. The drive from my old home to my new home was incredible. We drove through clouds and valleys. We passed by yurts and drove through herds of cows, sheep, and goats. The driver made no efforts to slow down; he simply honked until the herd moved out of the way. The long, hilly drive took a bit over six hours. We made a few stops to get a tire repaired, and eventually made it home in pitch black. Nic and I are living in two rooms; we have a sitting room and a bed room. The sitting room is connected to the eating area. From the eating area shoots of the family bedroom and a kitchen. There is a hallway that leads from the kitchen to our banya, and to the outdoors. You know, I feel dull talking about this stuff. I know it isn't as exciting as discussions about the violence and instability in this country. But let me put it this way: I'm a stubborn soul that is forcing herself to see positive and to focus on the positive elements of my life here in Kyrgyzstan. Thankfully, I am in a peaceful region of the country. Anyway, Nic and I have four host siblings, three sisters and a little brother. The youngest is our brother, 9, and the oldest is my host sister who is 21. She has worked with volunteers before, and can speak English. My counterpart is a tiny Elvish woman who speaks English pretty well, but she has recently had a baby, and does not have too much time for me just yet. I'm waiting and working to maintain my patience. Nic and I have tried to organize English clubs and meetings, but the unrest in the country has caused some interruptions. Peace Corps is working hard to keep us safe, but this means sometimes that we cannot complete the work we were sent here to do. Once again, I'm waiting. The Peace Corps is an incredible test of patience.
Our village is a former German village, my school is a former German school, and my home is a German style home. I've actually gotten to use my German here in country, which is surprising. At each major corner in the house, there are large black pillars that are heating stoves. This is a trademark of German-built homes in my area. Most older people speak some German (with an adorable accent mind you). Our family has two milk cows that they milk daily, and in the morning they sell milk. We get tons of fresh milk and cream daily. We also have two calves that I've fallen in love with, but one is quite shy, and doesn't like attention from people. Our family also has some cows "in savings," aka, in the mountain. They are saving up livestock to later use to purchase my youngest host brother a car when he is old enough. The current exchange rate is 6 cows equals 1 car. Nic is working with my host sister to help build a chicken coop, and we might eventually get chickens. We'll see.
The best news so far is that the volunteers are out of the south, safe, and sound. Staying positive. I mailed my mom a letter with our new address in it. Please get it from her. I am a dummy and didn't bring the piece of paper with our zipcode written on it....maybe soon .Keep in touch, ya'll.