In June, 2015, I”COS”-ed. COS, one of the many Peace Corps acronyms (see #9), stands for Close of Service. It is when a Peace Corps volunteer has completed their service and fills out a heap of paperwork, closes any grants they had, ties up any other loose ends (apartment leases, work projects, other commitments) and says… Continue reading Post-Peace Corps, Six Months Later
My Book Club has meet nearly every week since September. It has been one of the best parts of my Peace Corps service, and the Book Club regulars are my closest local friends. At the American Corners, we’ve read Lord of the Flies, Madame Bovary, Brida (Paulo Coehlo), House of Sand and Fog, Norwegian Wood… Continue reading Book Club’s Goodbye Picnic
In March 2015 my friend and fellow volunteer, AJ, invited me to his organization in Karakol to do a presentation about trekking for his PC site Ecotrek. I presented methods for attracting clients and the hikes and times from my experience as a trekking guide in Guatemala (prior to Peace Corps) with Quetzaltrekkers. AJ invited… Continue reading Another Mural (March 2015, Karakol; Ecotrek)
During the second week of June, 2015, I spent 5 days walking to and around Song Köl, an alpine lake in northern Naryn Province (near Kochkor), Kyrgyzstan. A few days before I met two Israeli tourists, Dan and Maoz, at the Rabbi’s house for Shabbat dinner – a wonderful little part of my Peace Corps… Continue reading Song Köl is the most beautiful place on Earth.
On the last day of May 2015, six parents, twelve children, and seven AIDS Center staff met for the fifth and last Support Group for Parents with HIV+ children in Chui. The parents and HIV+ children (and their siblings) were the same ones who have come to almost every session – and by this last… Continue reading The Fifth (and last) Bishkek Support Group for Parents of HIV+ Children,
I live in Kyrgyzstan, and so I can spend weekends in the most gorgeous mountains anyone has ever seen, anytime I want. In fact, I revisited Ala Archa National Park during the first weekend, and Кёль-Тор during the last weekend, this May. The Ala Archa trip was exploratory, as we had never been to the right side… Continue reading May Hiking: a New Side of Ala Archa and Verdant Кёль-Тор.
At the end of April I went back to Nokut, outside of Osh, to meet with Mama+. We had planned to meet at 11AM, and Azamat, the amazing friend and translator who joined me the first trip, had agreed to help again this time. By 9AM the head of Mama+ called to say that already… Continue reading Osh Trip #3, Working with NGO “MAMA+”
This month we had the biggest turn-out so far for our Support Group for Parents of HIV+ Children in Chui Oblast. Five mothers brought eight children to the National AIDS Center, and the City AIDS Center psychologist, Galina, led three hours of group discussion. We started, of course, with lots of pizza, tea, and encouragement,… Continue reading Support Group Chui (Bishkek), #3
I live in a Soviet-style cement block of an apartment, built in 1973. My landlord is the angriest woman I have ever met. When mold appeared on my bathroom ceiling and I called her to ask how she preferred I treat it, she screamingly implied that I grew the mold on-purpose. On either side of… Continue reading Peace Corps, When The Power Goes Out
Our 3rd meeting for the Support Group for Parents of HIV+ Children in Bishkek will occur this Saturday, but it easily might not if I didn’t bully everyone into participating. This seems wrong to me too – trust me. It is not the “Peace Corps way” of supporting expressed community needs, and it is not… Continue reading Getting Things Done – A Struggle for Support (Group)
Larisa in Kyrgyzstan 