First Few Days of Work

September 26, 2007

So, I talked to my director about internet. Tried to convince her that if we had it I could help create a website, we could look for grants, network, etc. I don’t really know how they function without it. She said she’d look into it.

Also, Meg, Kelly, and I are going to have a women’s leadership club that will meet every Friday afternoon. And every Wednesday afternoon the 4 SOCD PCV’s in the city will get together for debrief and information exchange. This will give us the opportunity to get to know what other volunteers and NGOs are working on, collaborate when appropriate, and generate and share ideas. We have our first meeting today, which I’m looking forward to.

Tomorrow I have the day off because the whole office will be at a memorial day for one of our staff member’s brother who died last year. In the morning however, I will go with my counterpart to the kindergarten she works at for a few hours and after we might hike a small mountain. Tomorrow I think I’ll also go to the bazaar – buy some fresh fruits and veggies and cook myself something delicious – using just one burner and one pan. A vegetarian delight.

So I thought my ramen noodle days were behind me, but sadly I was wrong. Ramen noodles are as much of a staple here as is lopsha (round bread cooked in an outdoor clay oven, usually topped with sesame seeds). In the PC-Kyrgyz Republic cookbook there are about 10 recipes that call for ramen noodles. Last night I made ramen then mixed in fresh tomatoes and peppers and it was actually not bad. Plus – you can buy just the noodles (without the spice packets) in bulk at the bazaar for hardly any money. Individually, with the spice packets, they cost 6 som. A kilo of the noodles is about 20 som.

Opened up a Kyrgyz bank account this week, add that to my list of accomplishments.


September 25, 2007

Last night I received my first phone call from the states! Thanks mom! It was so great to talk to you, hear your voice, feel connected. 26 minutes flew by. Check out skype online – I heard it was cheaper.

My first day of work yesterday was interesting…I’m in the office now, brought my computer so I’d have something to keep me occupied today. My director asked me how often I would teach the staff English and what I would charge. Not exactly what I had in mind as an SOCD (Sustainable Organizational and Community Development) Volunteer. I want to help with the trafficking projects, with research and events, grant writing, etc. I’ve never taught English before, nor do I want to. If I did, I’d be a TEFL volunteer.

So, I think I’ve made up my mind to have 1 English session a week – during my normal work hours (not on Saturdays). And I will ask the interested parties to come up with the topic for each week – so I have something to work with. I cannot accept payments - That sounds like a reasonable compromise, right?

Since I spent the day yesterday reading all the information the organization had in English, today I brought and organized my SOCD binder. During training, we had 1 technical session per week, in which we received a plethora of handouts about the political/ economical situation in country, NGO development in Kyrgyzstan, Strategic planning, SWOT Analysis, Participatory Analysis for Community Action, mobilization, partnerships, organizational design, etc. This morning I sorted through the pound of papers, labeled and dated them, and organized them in a binder. This binder will give me some guidance and ideas when I don’t know how else to contribute to the organization.

I figure, these first couple weeks will give me a good opportunity to increase my excel and scheduling skills. Seems like there will only be 1 or 2 other people in the office from day to day. I have my own desk. The office has a computer but no internet.

I just had an interesting coffee experience: My co-worker asked if I wanted coffee and obviously I said yes. She then proceeded to pull an electric teapot out of her desk and a bucket of water. She filled the teapot up with the water from the bucket and plugged it in. A few minutes later she pulled out a tiny jar of Nescafe and a small bag of sugar – stirred the ingredients together in delicate teacups with matching saucers and handed me one. Delicious.

I’m meeting Kelly for lunch today. We figured out this past weekend that our offices are only a 15-minute walk apart. Theo’s office is just five minutes further past Kelly’s. It’s comforting knowing that they are so close.

I’d love to find an apartment close by my office so I can walk to work everyday.

Last night at dinner my host mom invited me to eat with them. I looked at the platter of greasy meaty noodles and politely refused, thinking how similar the dish looked to the one that made me severely ill a few weeks ago. I tried explaining that I had couldn’t eat meat and she told me to just eat the noodles – no meat there. I then had to explain that I had already bought products for dinner and would cook on my own. I ended up eating tomatoes and peppers with bread. My stomach was grateful. Tonight I think I will buy some olive oil (such a splurge) after work and make a veggie stir-fry. Wish I could find some tofu. The veggies are so cheap. 5 tomatoes and a big green pepper cost 5 som. Most people sell and buy produce in kilos so when I ask for just a couple of something I get some strange looks. It’s pretty funny actually.

On the corner of the street up to my apartment complex there are a couple of vendors. They sell stuff like soda, cookies, fruits and veggies, rice, ramen noodles, and fresh bread. Items like cookies and rice come in thin plastic bags, while fruits, veggies, and bead just lie out in the open and you either bring your own bucket or bag to carry your goods home. These vendors are everywhere – filing the streets with colorful displays and causing pockets of people on sidewalks and corners. There are also small kiosks everywhere selling candy, newspapers, vodka, phone units, and other miscellaneous items.


September 22, 2007

Today was nice. I went into the city (aka down the hill) 2 hours before I planned on meeting up with Meg and Theo. I found a nearly empty internet café and finally went online without the pressure to hurry up. I decided I didn’t care how much it would cost, but when I was finished I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I only owed 40 som! Twenty minuets up north would cost 40 som. So I’m real happy about that.

I have to negotiate with my new host family about how much I will give them for food each month. I’m a little apprehensive about having this conversation – especially because of the language difficulty. Plus, I don’t know how often they expect/ want me to eat with them. PC gives us a living budget, but it’s up to us to figure out how to use it. Some volunteers eat 3 meals a day with their host family and give them 1,000 som/ month, while others pay 20 som per meal. Some just give 300 for tea, and use of stuff like oil, salt, butter.

I’m thinking I’ll do breakfast, lunch, and dinners on my own. I found a small grocery store today and bought orange juice, cereal, strawberry jam, and 2 packs of soup for 170 som. I bought fresh bread at the bazaar for 6 som. Breakfast and lunch will be easy enough – the bazaar has tons of fruits and veggies to choose from, along with rice and pasta. Street vendors sell samcas – small pumpkin or potato filled hot pastries which are real cheap – good lunch food.

I saw a fellow volunteer’s house today – she lives near the bazaar in a compound. I couldn’t believe how big it was. She has her own little room, but shares the kitchen and bathroom with the couple she lives with. They had a huge courtyard and garden with an amazing view of the city.

I managed to travel downtown and back by myself today, which feels like a minor accomplishment. It’s the small things that count, right?

I’ve started many lists – to do, to see, to buy, books read, possible vacation destinations, possible visitors (anyone is welcome!), a wish list, items needed for apartment. I love lists.

Found a gamberger (not hamburger, gamberger – not the same) stand today. 30 som. Wasn’t ready to go there, but Kelly said it was good.

Hung out with 2 K-14’s for a bit. Nice girls. Awesome apartment right downtown – central meeting point for the people who live in villages outside the city. Can’t wait for my own apartment! My counterpart already said she would help me find a good one.

A little nervous about starting work on Monday, but ready to feel productive, useful. Ready to think about more important things than food, laundry, the everyday mundane.

So the wallpaper in my room makes me smile at night when I turn off the light – Every wall is covered with glow-in-the-dark stars! Found out yesterday that this used to be the kids’ room. All 5 of them slept in here on the floor before I moved in and took it over. Feeling slightly guilty about that.

Found this International-ish grocery store today. They sold Coronas for 175 som per bottle, and Bailey’s for 6,000 som! How crazy is that?!