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Hello, July was a mostly a quiet month, as I stayed in the village for the first three weeks. I went for walks, studied the language, met up with students, and worked on my drawings. The third week, I was busy helping my friends at the Kyzart Hotel, as they hosted 80-plus Europeans (mostly from France) on an adventure riding horses around the nearby lake. These were mostly ex-polo players. Every couple of years they go on a grand horse-riding adventure to places such as Oman, Jordan, India, or Morocco. But this year they chose Kyrgyzstan, specifically my village. As one of the few English speakers in the village, I helped them get situated and responded to their mealtime requests. It was a big deal, with the French Ambassador here and a big welcoming ceremony at the cultural center. Google Kyrgyzstan Gallop for more information about the group.

Last week, I visited an ancient Silk Road site, Tash Rabat, with two other volunteers. The site dates back to the 15th century. It was a stopping place for merchants and travelers. It is extremely well preserved....

Then we drove along the China/Kyrgyzstan border for three hours to a place called KelCuu (kelcyy). We spent the night in a lovely cabin in this very remote part of the country. The next day we rode horses for 2 hours to get to the beautiful mountain lake with aqua-marine colored water. The lake is filled only in the summer after the mountain snow melts. The lake itself was beautiful, but we were a bit turned off by the growing commercialism of the place. There were SUVs and jeeps at the lake, many motor boats on the water offering rides, and many yurt camps. I don't think I'd want to visit in 5 years....but, I can't blame people in this country from wanting to take advantage of tourists and their money, especially since the season is so short...
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Next, I returned to a village called Tamga to a Russian Sanatorium that I stayed in last year. This village is on the south side of Lake Issykol. I again tried to find an ancient Buddist site called Tamga Tash. Again, I was unsuccessful in locating it (maybe I will try again next year). I also hiked a trail to Barscoon waterfall with the 11-year old daughter of my taxi-driver--she really knew the route! But, I was surprised when the driver gave her all the money that I paid him for driving me there--it was like she was paid for accompanying me!

I have decided to extend my service for another year! Those of us extending are offered a 30-day leave. I will be meeting my sons in Lisbon, Portugal, then on to the United Kingdom for three weeks in September.

Today was 'Last Bell' day, graduation day for the twenty-nine 11th graders at my school. The ceremony consists of many dances, singing and awards. There was one girl in the graduating class whose English was good enough to speak to me. Unfortunately, most of the students cannot speak English, even after 8 years of studying the language. (English starts in 3rd grade). English is not particularly valued here in this village, particularly among the boys. This is despite the fact that the village receives many tourists, due to its proximity to a SonKol lake which attracts many tourists. Education in general takes a back seat to family obligations--female students often miss school to care for younger siblings or other relatives and boys, to help with farming chores.

Earlier in the month I did an overnight horse trek trip to Kol Ukok, a lake near Kochkor with my friend Elizabeth. This was 3 hours to a yurt camp for lunch, then an hour and a half to the frozen lake, then an hour and a half back to the camp to sleep. So a long day on the horse. But it was beautiful and well worth it.

May 9 was Victory Day here, a day celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. I was in Naryn City, an oblast center (similar to a state capital). They had a big parade, with different groups of soldiers marching. Many people marched holding old photos of loved ones. During World War II, Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union. Many men were recruited from here--many were lost fighting the Germans. There were also posters depicting different aspects of the war. This was an emotional day for me--I thought of my father who served in WWII in the New Guinea and Japan. Same war, different front.

Peace Corps headquarters has cancelled the next group of volunteers which was scheduled to arrive next week. We wonder if the plan is to close this country to volunteers, which would be a shame, especially considering the location of this country. It is the only 'stan' country that has volunteers, and borders China. Peace Corps volunteers who travel to a remote part of the world, live with a host family, learn the language spoken by the community provide long-term benefits to countries in need. The 'planting seeds' metaphor is quite true!

Hello All,
Another month has zipped by! We celebrated International Women's Day on March 8. This is a big day here, with male teachers giving flowers to female teachers and small gifts from parents and students. My birthday was March 11--my counterpart made me an embroidered bag to carry my books and laptop--I love hand-made gifts! Then my host family had cake and my favorite Kyrgyz meal--samsa with potatoes and onions and more cake. There were several March birthdays among the volunteers in my area, I had cake with them as well. The majority of people in my village were celebrating Ramadan during the month of March. They would have breakfast at 5:00 in the morning, then not eat or drink anything until 7:30 at night, not even water. I did not participate in the fast, but I was careful not to eat in front of those who were.

My friend Elizabeth visited my village early in the month. She is another 'senior' volunteer who lives 4-5 hours away. She is an experienced teacher, so she has many tips on how to make teaching fun and effective.

Spring break was spent in Romania. This is an interesting country. When they executed their dictator, Ceausescu, on Christmas Day, 1989, the huge Parliament building was 70% completed. Since he was despised, there was debate whether to tear it down or finish it. They decided to finish it, but of course there is mixed feeling about this huge building. My guide said it is the second largest building in the world, second only to the US Pentagon. Graffiti was everywhere in Bucharest. It seemed that part of the reason was because of recent political unrest (few people had heard of the man who won the Presidential election in November, as the election was compromised by Russian bots, so the election will be repeated soon, per my guide). I toured the beautiful Peles Castle in Sinaia, Romania, and went birding with a local naturalist near the Black Sea. The birding day was amazing (despite the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere--the adventures never ends!). I saw flamingos, owls, storks, pelicans and swans, along with many smaller birds. I stayed in nice hostels on this trip. I find hostel owners are very welcoming to single travelers. It is nice to meet travelers from other countries and to be welcomed back after an outing.
Yesterday was a big holiday here, Orozo Ait. It is the end of Ramadan. I went with my host-mom to several neighbors' homes in the morning, and to my counterparts' home in the afternoon. I feel privileged to be included in such festivities. Like most holidays everywhere, there is a lot of work involved for the women, cooking, cleaning, and hosting.
The end of the school year is fast approaching. I will make three trips to Bishkek in April, and May has several holidays so my teaching time will be limited for this school year.
Thanks for reading. If you are reading this separate from my Facebook page, you are missing out on the accompanying pictures.

Hello and Happy New Year!
I started the year with an international assortment of travelers in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. I was fortunate to find a lovely guesthouse where the owner welcomed me by name when I returned from an outing. Tbilisi is about a 4 hour flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan. There are no direct flights from Bishkek, so I first took a bus to Almaty. Tbilisi is a beautiful hilly city, with many churches. They celebrate Christmas on January 7 (Orthodox Christmas). I did not experience any Christmas celebrations, despite being there that day. People here speak Russian and Georgian. My limited Kyrgyz was no help at all, and English is spoken by some, a minority, I'd say. I took a tour to the snowy, northern part of the country (Kazbegi) to visit a monastery. I also took a marshutka to another beautiful city, Sighnaghi. Traveling in a marshutka without being able to communicate with the driver is a bit scary. The driver made eye-contact with me in the rear-view mirror, indicating that we had arrived at my stop. There is a plaque of George W. Bush on one of the intersections, as they believe President Bush helped them in their 2008 war with Russia. He visited this country in 2005. Georgia is known for its wine--they serve wine in pitchers, like juice. Honey is also big here.
I met up with my friend Amrita in Tbilisi. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, and is now serving in Tbilisi.
I also spent a lovely day birding with an ornithologist. He took me to an ancient monastery, David Gareja, from the sixth century. This was very interesting, built into a cave. It was in-the-middle of nowhere, near the border with Azerbaijan.
Back in Bishkek, I went birding with my Kyrgyz friend, Adinai. I am discovering that my new hobby of birding is a great way to meet people!
Back in the village, my teaching is going well, especially my Nature Journaling English clubs. On a very windy day we looked out the window for signs of the wind, such as branches swaying and flags extended. Then we went outside to feel the wind on our face. On a snowy day, we looked at snowflakes with magnifying glasses I ordered from home--very cool (pun intended).

Happy Thanksgiving to All!
This month started off with an amazing trip to southern India for fall break. India is 6 hours south of my village, although it took 36 hours to get there (don't ask!). I spent 3 days in Kochi, exploring on tuktuk, visiting historical sites (the Dutch, Portuguese and English all had a role here). I took a cool backwater boat trip with a fun group. (Backwater: fresh water during the rainy season and salty during the dry season as water flows in from the ocean--something I learned from the guide). Then I spent 3 days 'glamping' near the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary. I saw many beautiful birds, but the best was a nighttime walk to see owls. I have always wanted to see an owl in the wild--it was amazing, seeing a mottled wood owl in a tree, then watching it take-off! I learned that many birders are very serious photographers, carrying fancy cameras to officially 'capture' birds for their lifetime lists. Binoculars and my phone camera were all I needed...

Back in the village, the son at my house got married. My family has 5 girls (only the two youngest live here) and one son. The Kyrgyz tradition is that when the (youngest) son gets married, he and his wife move into the parents' home, care for the parents in old age, and eventually inherit the house. The bride arrived dressed in white, to blaring music on a Saturday morning two weeks ago. Instead of having one big reception, there have been 'tois' at the house every night since the wedding. Every night there have been different groups of about 15 people here. These 'tois' (parties) are a lot of work for the family. They prepare the food, lots of fruit, baked goods, and salads are served in the first room, then the group moves to another room for the Kyrgyz national dish, besh barmak. This dish is noodles and meat, eaten with one's fingers. At least three animals (cows or sheep, not sure which) were killed in the back yard in preparation for the wedding.

It has been interesting to watch the new daughter-in-law integrate into the family. She is only 21 years old, which is a typical age for a bride. (The groom is 29). She greets the parents in the morning with a bow. She is very busy with the food preparation and serving during the tois. People congratulate the mother-in-law, on the marriage of her son, not so much the bride. It is all very fascinating to my American eyes.

Last weekend, the Kyrgyzstan Country Director, Hoyt Yee, invited all of the volunteers to his home for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. About half of my cohort came to the dinner, mostly from the north of the country. Many of those serving in the south, who would have had to fly to Bishkek, opted not to do so. It was great to have turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, etc., especially because Thanksgiving Day was a regular work day for me.

I am happy to report that my Nature Journaling English Clubs have taken off! I purchased sketch books for students, and almost every day I take a group outside to notice, wonder, and ask questions. It is such a beautiful country--I hope one of my legacies here will be to build a greater appreciation for the natural world among the students.

My best to all who read this...

Wow! This month flew by! It started with the the First Bell ceremony on September 2, which is a big deal throughout Kyrgyzstan. The 11th graders march in as the younger students, parents and teachers cheer them in recognition of their 'top dog' standing. Then they symbolically pass their notebooks to the first graders. I was called to the front to say a few words in Kyrgyz. It took a few weeks to straighten out the schedule--this is all done by hand using spreadsheets.

I was in Bishkek the last week of the month for our MST--mid-service training. The focus was on creating student-friendly schools. This was basically anti-bullying sessions--I recall similar sessions back when my sons were in grade school. The Director said this was the first she had participated in such a session. During MST, we reviewed our past year and worked with our counterparts on how to work even better together this year.
I have purchased textbooks, school supplies, and books for the preschoolers with the money donated for my project. Thanks to all who contributed!

While in Bishkek I took a tour of a very interesting site about 15 miles south of the city. This site, Ata-Beyit is where 138 men were executed in 1939 by Stalin's men. The site was discovered in 1990 after a women recalled how, as a child, her father told her about witnessing terrible events near their home. She told her memories to a KGB agent, a man named Abdrahmanov. This man, now the Director of the site, was present and very willing to answer our questions! Our guide said she had been here many times and this was the first time she had met him! This place reminded me of our national cemeteries, as people killed in recent conflicts as well as famous Kyrgyz people are buried.
October will be an exciting month--I plan to start nature walks with my students. I'm not sure the students who live in this village appreciate the beauty of the area. By combining nature walks with English club, I hope to get students excited about the natural world around them!

Hello All,
The highlight of the month was a trip to the south of Kyrgyzstan. I visited my Kyrgyz language teacher, Salima eje. We typically work together virtually, so it was lovely to see her in-person in her lovely home. I continue to study Kyrgyz four hours a week with her. She has so much patience with me. I think if she can teach me, she can teach anybody! She lives with her husband, (who unfortunately was away when I visited), her son, daughter-in-law Ainora and two beautiful granddaughters. I slept on the floor on a tushok, as the vast majority of people in this country (and around the world) sleep. They have several fruit trees in their garden. We held a blanket under the tree while Ainora shook the branches and we were showered with a hundred apricots!
On the fourth of July, I visited Arslanbob, a village with a majority Uzbekistan origin. I hiked with a fellow volunteer to the top of a waterfall, a very, hot, steep hike, but made the US holiday memorable.
I then met other volunteers for a two day horse riding trip. This was absolutely beautiful, the most beautiful area I have seen in this beautiful country! The steepness and rain only made it more of an adventure! Such a fun group!
I then flew back to Bishkek and met with two volunteers, David and Amrita, who will be leaving the country soon. They are in the group ahead of me, and have completed their two years here. They have served as mentors to me, not only as older volunteers, but they are a wealth of information about the process of teaching English, which was all new to me.
The last two weeks I have been relaxing in my mountain village. I helped my host-mother make jam, from currents and apricots. I also help out at the hotel in the village, as there is a teenager there who wants to practice her English with me. There are many tourists in the village now--July and August are definitely the most popular times to visit. Most of them aim to get to Son Kol, the second largest lake in the country, either by hiking or horse trekking over a mountain pass. I am also preparing for my English camp, which will be the first week of August. I am hoping for a good turn-out, but it seems that many children are away.

Wow! I have completed my first year of teaching English in my village. May 25 is the Last Bell throughout the country, basically, graduation day. My school had about 25 graduates. No caps and gowns for the graduates, but sashes instead. The ceremony was long, with lots of singing and dancing by the graduating class. My mind wandered to all the graduation ceremonies I have been privileged to attend in my life. Many students in my village spend the summer in their family's 'jailoo', a pasture for their animals. Others work at the nearby lake, Son Kol, which attracts tourists from all over the world. Still others will be going to the capital, Bishkek, to spend the summer with relatives.

I am getting caught up on some reporting tasks and spring cleaning my room. It is a weird feeling not having any lessons to plan.

Earlier in the month, I had a chance to go to the National Park near Bishkek, Ala Archa. I was the only English speaker in my group. Fortunately, two lovely Russian ladies, incredible hikers, took me under their wing to guide me on difficult stretches. We didn't share a language, just basic humanity. The park was quite beautiful; it is nice that this country has set aside 13 national parks as well as other areas to protect from development.

The countryside is surprisingly green, a welcome site! When I arrived in the village at the end of August, it seemed quite brown. There are also beautiful wild flowers. Since it is now light longer, I now go for a walk after dinner. The light against the mountains is gorgeous! I am really beginning to love my village!

It is planting season--I 'helped' plant potatoes, a photo-op for me, but back-breaking work for many. There are many baby animals now, cows and sheep.

The Peace Corp group ahead of me is getting ready to depart, while a new group will be arriving next month. I am looking forward to my second year here. I think teaching will go smoother, and I will be more accustomed to the customs and traditions of my village.

The highlight of this month was my Spring Break trip to Uzbekistan. This is another former USSR republic. Like Kyrgyzstan, it has been independent since 1991. This country is much larger than Kyrgyzstan. It has recently opened up to tourism. It has many 'Silk Road" tourism sites. Names such as Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great all played a role here. The 'Silk Road' connected China to India and Europe back in the day. The language, Uzbek, is similar to Kyrgyz in some ways. I took a 14 hour overnight train from the capital, Tashkent, to Khiva, far to the west of the country. Khiva is a step back in time--it reminded me to Venice, as it seemed to be totally focused on tourism. There were many old madrassas, mosques, and minarets here, in bright blue cobalt. Then to Bukhara, my favorite of the four cities. It had a lovely 'town square', where I saw a fashion show with other volunteers whom I met up with here. I stayed in a very nice hostel, where I met other travelers, mostly from the UK. Next was Samarkand, where the mausoleum of Amir Timur is found. He was an accomplished warrior and Uzbekistan's national hero--he lived in the 1300's.
I found the people of Uzbekistan were incredibly kind. Here is an example: After arriving in Tashkent, I took a taxi to my hotel in an unlicensed taxi. To my shock the next morning, I could not find my money, which I kept in a separate pouch. I asked the hotel owner if he could charge my credit card and pay me the cash, with me paying the credit card commission and tax. He kindly agreed to help me in any way he could. Then, later that evening, there was a knock on my door--the receptionist said someone was downstairs to see me. Sure enough, it was the taxi driver returning all of my money! So amazingly kind! What a blessing!

Spring has brought rain and mud to my village. I will be glad when the muddy season is over, which I believe will be soon.

January Update: I often find myself asking: "Am I really here?" Compared to my life a year ago, this is a 360 degree flip! A year ago I was seeing patients in the clinic, supervising students in their clinical sites, writing simulation scenarios for my UIC students, etc. Now I am an English teacher in a remote village in Kyrgyzstan!

January started with 2 weeks of travel. For New Years, I went to Almaty, Kazakhstan with a fellow volunteer Mika. We explored the myriad of coffee shops, toured a beautiful Russian Orthodox church, skated at Medeu the highest skating rink in the world, and joined other volunteers for some great meals. Almaty is a beautiful city, 4-5 hours from Bishkek. Then, I flew to the southern part of the country, to Osh, the second largest city (after the capital, Bishkek). This was a 35 minute flight, but it is a 15+ hour drive in winter due to the rough mountain passes. In Osh, I visited with Santiago, another volunteer from Chicago. We played backgammon (I am hooked), climbed Sulaiman Too (a huge rock/mountain in the center of the city), shopped at the Osh bazaar and just had fun together. The winter break ended with a 6 hour bus trip to the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan for a volunteer retreat. This was in Karakol, on the eastern edge of Issykol Lake. The aim of the retreat was to discuss coping strategies for maintaining our mental health through the cold and dark winter. I joined a couple of volunteers for a day of skiing in Karakol. I love skiing in Colorado and think I am ok at it. But this mountain was very dangerous--downright scary. It was extremely steep and icy, and there was only one way down! But I survived--

On January 23 at midnight, there was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake here. I did not feel it at all, as I was fast asleep. But, the lovely little lake that I enjoyed skating on before Christmas, is now full of cracks. I skated there yesterday, but the cracks made it difficult. Volunteers nearer to the epicenter said their house shook like crazy...Fortunately, there was no structural damage reported in Kyrgyzstan, but I saw that 3 people died in China.

I have started offering English Clubs to my students. I have one club for grades 7-11, and one for grades 4-6. Only 4 older students attend, but 25-30 younger students. These clubs are challenging, as I am alone with the students, no counterparts participate. They take a bit of planning to keep the students engaged.

Overall, I am loving the winter here! It has not been extremely cold, and there is only an inch or two of snow, but it is beautiful. In the morning, the sun reflects beautifully off the mountains...am I really here?