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This will be my last update, as I will be heading home next month after three years in Kyrgyzstan. My emotions are very mixed: I'm ready to leave, then again, I don't want to leave this beautiful country. I have not been in the United States for three years. I know a lot has changed, but I have also changed...Peace Corps warns us about 'reverse culture shock'.

This week was the 'Last Bell' ceremony, graduation for the 30+ students who have completed the 11th grade. But this year was different, because I also was honored. I gave a 3-minute speech in Kyrgyz (read, not memorized!) which was well-received. I was blessed with some lovely gifts, cards from students, and lots of hugs. Besides my students, counterparts, host family and friends, I will miss the mountains, the wild-flowers, sun-dried laundry, the slower rhythm of life, freshly baked bread. But I'm also ready to return home and start the next phase.

I capped off my 5th and 6th grade English Clubs by taking my students to the local hotel for lunch. Students rarely go to restaurants here. (There are no restaurants or cafes or coffee shops in my village of 5000 people). The hotel is fancy (by Kyrgyz standards), as it primarily caters to foreign tourists. Students ordered off a menu (practicing "I would like..."). Each student had a job to do, such as set the table, pout the drinks or serve the dessert--it all went very smoothly and we all had a good time. These are the students that I believe I have had the biggest influence on, the ones I will think of as I look back on my time here.

Early in May I spent a week in Thailand where the heat was nearly unbearable. The malls are flourishing, as people go there to beat the heat. I saw many interesting birds, visited Hua Hin, a city with many ex-pats living in gated communities (which seems the opposite of my experience living in a village).

I am grateful for the love and support from all who takes the time to read these updates.

Hello All,
March turned out to be a very busy month. To start it off, all teachers in the country were informed on Wednesday, February 25th that there would be no school the following week. My friend Elizabeth and I quickly put in to Peace Corps office requests to go to Turkey that week. Requests were approved, so we flew to Antalya, Turkey (non-stop!). I enjoyed strolling through the city, looking at the Mediterranean Sea, and petting the myriad of cats. There is tons of history here, including Hadrian's Gate from 130 AD. I really enjoy seeing green trees and grass in March, as my village is still entirely brown. Our timing turned out to be perfect, as later in the week, Peace Corps banned travel to Turkey due to the war in Iran.

I returned to Bishkek to a lovely celebration with friends for International Women's Day on March 8. It is strange that we do not celebrate this in the US, as it is a huge day here (and in much of the world). Later in the month, March 20 and 21 were back-to-back big celebrations. The first was Arapa Kyn, the end of Ramadan. My host-mother and I joined many neighbors in sequential home-visits to eat snacks and drink tea to commemorate the end of fasting. The following day was an even bigger celebration, Noorus. This is always on March 21 to celebrate the end of winter. There was a big celebration at the village's community center. It was fun to see many of my students perform. A special food, called Somolok, is prepared. It is a sweet pudding-like food, scooped up with one's little finger. For each of these occasions, there was a celebration at the school with all the teachers. The teachers are a tight-knit group who seem to really enjoy spending time with each other. I am always seated at the head of the table, next to the Director. This is the first time I had experienced the Noorus celebration, as I had been out of town the previous years.

And in-between these celebrations was my birthday! Word somehow gets out among the students. I am quite touched by the notes and drawings I received from students!

Now the snow has melted, the days are longer and the rooks have returned to their rookeries. Spring is really here! Soon the potatoes and carrots will be planted.

Happy New Year!
I spent my winter break in Central Vietnam. After traveling from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan through Almaty, Kazakhstan and Seoul, Korea, I finally arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam. I found the city (and country) to be very safe and friendly. There were several memorable bridges, including an orange 'dragon bridge' which spews water some evenings. There were clean beaches, though too cold to swim, beautiful mountains and caves. A highlight was a day with a primatologist, who studies the rare red-shanked douc langur monkeys. They were on the brink of extinction a decade or so ago, but are now recovering and my guide knew exactly where to find them! We visited a place where American helicopters landed during the 'American War', as it is called here. Central Vietnam was part of South Vietnam at the time of the war. I asked a little about the fact that this country remains communist, but people are personally prospering. Vietnam now has many tourists (for good reason), but the war remains a sensitive topic, at least with me, an American.

I also visited Hoi An, a smaller town about an hour south of Da Nang. This historic town had Japanese and Chinese influences. Today, it seems to be a mecca for tailors. I went to the shop recommended by my hotel, where I was measured and fitted for a new blouse and trousers. I also meandered into a shop where a woman, with a small child in a playpen, was selling clothes she had made. There were no dressing rooms, so she physically blocked the view from the street as I tried on a couple of pairs of pants. It was neat to meet the person who actually sewed the clothes I bought!

After the long trip back to my village in Kyrgyzstan, I jumped into 2026 teaching at my school. I think that this semester will be my best yet. My English Clubs are going well--students are interested and participating. Clubs are my favorite part of teaching--I decide what I want to teach and the students who come are motivated to learn. I teach a nature journaling club to 5th and 6th graders. We almost always go outside and explore the beautiful sites of the village. I also teach a Tourism Club to the 7th graders. I now have two groups of them, as one group is more advanced (it includes the Russian language teacher at the school), and another group who recently told me they also want to join. Maybe they have realized that I only have four months left at the school, best to take advantage of my presence while I'm here, or maybe that only want something to do when it is cold outside. Regardless, I'm happy to teach them some tourism concepts.

I hope this is a wonderful year for all who read this.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I will be celebrating next weekend in Naryn City, the oblast capital, with other volunteers. This month I travelled three times to Bishkek. The first time was for fall break. We only had 5 days off, so not enough time to go anywhere internationally. This worked out fine, as I enjoyed my time in the city, visiting with English-speaking friends. I stayed with a friend of a friend who works at the US Embassy. I was surprised by how different our lives were. She lives in a 2-story, 3-bedroom townhouse with her own artwork (brought from home) on the walls. She has her own car. I, on the other hand, live in one room of a host-family house. Not complaining--she is living in an expat bubble, not getting an authentic Kyrgyz experience like I am.

My second trip to Bishkek was for a minor dog bite. I was petting a dog that I had befriended. (I even brough him a brush!) The people here find petting a dog very strange--animals are not considered pets here--they are guard dogs. So I did not get much sympathy after the bite. I had to have 2 rabies shots (along with flu, covid and RSV!). I'm glad these are available to us.

My third trip was to return to the Embassy to pick up my renewed passport. Each trip involves a 5-hour (one way) marshutka ride through several mountain passes. One time, returning to my village, the marshutka broke down and we had to wait for a replacement to come. Instead of five hours, this trip took eight hours. We are not supposed to travel after dark, but this time it couldn't be helped.
While in Bishkek, I participated in a 'felting' workshop. I made a pomegranate from dyed wool. We had to get it all soapy to replace lanolin that the wool had lost. This is a (nearly) lost art of Kyrgyzstan.

My English clubs are off to a slow start, partly due to my travels...I really hope the attendance picks up, especially in the Tourism Club. My village receives many tourists in the summer, due to its proximity to the second largest lakes in the country. Most tourists take a horse-trek to the lake. I have not met a tourist that didn't speak English. And English speaking guides or guesthouse owners often earn more money than non-English speaking counterparts.

A month of travel! A Peace Corps volunteer who agrees to serve a third year is granted a 30 day Special Leave away from their site. I spent this time in Portugal, visiting with my sons, and in the United Kingdom, both Scotland and England.

I left my village on September 1st, after the 'First Bell' ceremony, marking the start of the new school year. After a few days in Bishkek, I left for Lisbon, Portugal, where I was met at the airport by my son Ben, who had arrived earlier in the day with Kevin, who was waiting for me at the hotel. It was great to see them after 15 months! We spent three days in Lisbon, visiting castles and churches, and the historic town of Sintra. A highlight was meeting my friend's daughter, Kaitlin, who is living a virtual nomadic life in Lisbon. We took a train south to the Algarve area of Portugal. Here we had three wonderful days of togetherness, spending much of it on the beach! It was hard to say goodbye, but I know they are managing their lives just fine without me being in the states.

I next flew to Edinburgh, Scotland. I had never been to this historic city with so much to see and do! I took a tour of the ancient streets, many stories underground. I loved the National Gallery there, especially the landscape and nature paintings. The National Museum housed Dolly the Sheep, the first cloned animal. I took a train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, on the east coast. From here, I took a bus north to MacDuff, a village on the North Sea. This is where relatives on my father's side emigrated from in 1848. I walked around the village, thinking about what life was like there back then. I looked in a cemetery for any familiar names, but did not find any. In Aberdeen, I had a half-day birding outing. We went to an estuary where there were hundreds of seals lounging on the beach. I often learn a lot about a country's political situation when I go bird-watching with a local. My guide in Aberdeen thought it was unlikely that Scotland would gain independence any time soon--the time to do that, he said, was back in the 1980's and '90s when the off-shore oil boom was riding high.

From Scotland, I went south to England's Lake District. I went walking along the road near Lake Windermere, disappointed that the road was often far from the lake, as the shore was monopolized by mansions. I guess I was thinking it would be like Lake Geneva, in Wisconsin, with a public path all around the lakeshore, through the backyards of the lakeside homes. Anyway, a highlight of the trip was a hike from the village of Ambleside to a Loughrigg Fell (a fell is a 'low-level hill). This was a beautiful walk at sunset on well-marked paths.

I next had a few days in London. I was last here in the early 1980's. I spent much of the time during the last two weeks of my trip thinking about my Mom. Oh, how she loved England! I attended the ancient 'Ceremony of the Keys', where the London Tower is locked up for the night. This ceremony has been going on for over 700 years, even during the war when a bomb dropped nearby. Mom and I did this many years ago. My favorite part was when someone yells 'Whose keys?" and the answer now is "King Charles's Keys". I think the answer previously was "The Queen's Keys", not "Queen Elizabeth's Keys'. I visited the little village of Chilham, an hour east of London, where Mom's cousin Oryl lived. When I last visited here, in the early 80's, I planned to go out for a run in the evening, but soon returned to Oryl's house because it was too dark, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face! I wondered what Mom would think of the London Eye, the huge ferris wheel on the river. I don't think she'd like it. For the last week of my trip, I went to Cornwall, on the far western coast. Here I did another birding outing, which was delightful, and visited a town called St. Just. This is another place I visited with Mom. Back in the day, she and I did an inn-to-inn walking trip here. England does a wonderful job of maintaining footpaths in this area. So the good memories kept flooding back.

Now I am back in my village, ready to start my third year as a volunteer, teaching English at the local school I have a feeling this third year will be the best yet!

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...