I realize it has been a long time since I wrote in here last. Much has happened since then, but I communicate much of this in my last newsletter. In the last two weeks there have been many random events/memories taking place.
The last two weeks have been sandwiched by two definite signs of winter—central heating turned on and the first snow fall!!! The heating for the entire city is regulated by the central heating factory. My apartment has hot water registers, but there are no knobs or switches to turn it on or off or up or down. I get what they give me for heat! So this has been nice…to have a warm apartment for a couple weeks, at least until the really cold weather sets in. And now, only two weeks later, snow is falling on Bishkek for the first time this winter! It started as a light rain this morning and has since turned to a beautiful, wet snow sprinkling the trees just out my window.
Other things that have taken place in the last couple weeks include three excursions with the students, graduation celebrations, visa applications, and the end of Ramadan.
Excursions: Each week we go on either one or two excursions with the local English teacher at our school and one or two of her classes. The last three excursions have included a trip to the geological museum, the zoological museum, and the Musicology Academy. As interesting as rocks are, the geological museum was not the highlight of the excursions! The zoological museum was quite fun and interesting. They had all kinds of mounted animals that can be found in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, and even a few that I don’t think are found here. It was quite fun! And at the end of it I was even offered a lady’s son to marry if I wanted to come back in three or four years when he is 20 or 21. Hmm… Don’t think so! The third excursion was to the Musicology Academy! It was a lot of fun! We were given a small concert by a Kazak man who seems to do concerts all over Asia! He played several native instruments for us and even allowed me to play the Kyl-Kiyak, an instrument much like a violin but is played upright! It was a lot of fun!
Graduation Celebration: I attended a graduation celebration last Friday. It was much different than ours in the States. It was a combination of awarding diplomas and welcoming the new students. There were no parents present, no robes, no hats, no tassels, students performed different talents, including anything from singing a song to doing a circus performance, the students receiving diplomas had to stand because there were not enough seats for everyone, few teachers were present, and students were MC-ing it. Quite different than what I experienced last May!
Visa Applications: On this coming Saturday, our team will be making our way up to Kazakhstan to meet with the Kazakh teachers for a Thanksgiving retreat. I am extremely excited for it! So, this past week we had to go to the Kazak embassy and apply for visas. Thankfully, the process was much easier than people have experienced in the past and we will be getting our visas tonight or tomorrow, plenty of days in advance!
End of Ramadan: Last week was the end of Ramadan for all Muslims. On a regular day, you would never guess that this is a predominantly Muslim country. But if you stood in the central square on that Thursday, you would witness something most Americans have never witnessed. Thousands and thousands of men gathered there to say there prayers. I was not present of course, but the picture to the right was taken by someone and posted online. At the time, I could only guess what was taking place as I stood outside my school and watched literally hundreds of Kyrgyz men walk in front of me, each carrying his traditional mat to kneel on. It’s hard to believe that was here in Bishkek! After this, the day was spent by everyone in Bishkek celebrating and feasting, seeing as though they had been fasting in the daytime for the last 40 days.
So, this has been a glimpse into the last couple weeks of my life here in Bishkek. The next posting will undoubtedly be a recap of my trip to Kazakhstan!!! I can’t wait!!! I love getting new visas in my passport!
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