Rick's Kyrgyz Adventure

Blogger not working, Don't know why! Go to PICTURES link for Man Camp Photos, sorry!!!

2007-07-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

Man Camp pictures coming soon...

2007-06-04T22:23:00.001-07:00

Man Camp Funded!

2007-06-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our Boys' Leadership Camp which will take place next week! Thanks to you all we achieved our goal well ahead of schedule and were able to take care of lots of details early to put us in good shape for the start of camp.

Boys' Leadership Camp, aka MAN CAMP!

2007-03-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

Hello again, long time no see! But don't worry, I'm still here over in Kyrgyzstan and I've got a really great project that some other volunteers and I are organizing for this summer. Peace Corps Volunteer orgnized summer camps for Kyrgyz youth have become a kind of tradition in country. They're always fun, interesting, and give students an opportunity to learn from each other and have fun outside the classroom. However, usually these camps are dominated by female students, mainly because they are gernerally more active in class and are raised to be more docile and respective of authority than are Kyrgyz boys. It’s for these reasons that so many Volunteer led projects are focused on girls. But we feel it's for these very same reasons that a greater attempt must be made to include and inspire the young men of Kyrgyzstan.

With the help of a local non-profit health organization, “Joy Masters,” located in Osh city and the Kyrgyz branch of the Rotary Club, located in Bishkek, we have raised enough local money to request Peace Corps Partnership funds for what we hope will become an annual boys camp – The Boys Leadership Camp, or as we affectionately refer to it, “Man Camp.”

Many of you were generous enough to donate to my last Peace Corps Partnership project, the English Resource Center for Teachers and Students, which was a huge success and is currently being used on a daily basis by students at Ak Tilek school as well as teachers from across the county. To see pictures of the Center’s opening teacher training seminar, please click the PICTURES link on the right side bar at my personal web blog – gotwald.blogspot.com.

Also, because the Resource Center project was funded so quickly, (almost $2,000 in less than a month! THANKS!) many of you who wanted to donate were not given the opportunity. Below I have provided a short summary of the camp’s goals as well as the official Peace Corps approved proposal and finalized budget.

To donate, please click on the DONATE NOW link on the right side bar of my web blog at gotwald.blogspot.com. This link will take you directly to Peace Corps official website donation page for our project, entitled "Boys' Leadership Camp" - Project # 307-076. At this website, you can make a donation using your credit card. You may also send a personal check to:

Peace Corps
OPSI
Partnership Program
1111 20th St. NW
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20526

If you send a check, please be sure to write our project title and number on the check!!

We've got just over 2 months to fund over $5,000, so please don't hesitate to make any kind of contribution you can. Tens and twenties add up quick! We've got ten Peace Corps volunteers all soliciting donations from friends and family. With your help, we will make this camp a reality!

Short Project Summary

Boys’ Leadership Camp is an annual summer camp aimed at promoting good values, leadership skills, and progressive gender roles to young men in the Kyrgyz Republic. Peace Corps volunteers will be assisting a local NGO in hosting the camp over the course of five days. Guest speakers will teach the fifty-five young men lessons on health, career planning, and proper treatment of women. Encompassing all these themes will be a central focus on leadership, and how a young man should carry himself – with pride, confidence, and optimism for his future.

Volunteers will attempt to foster an American summer camp mood at Boys’ Leadership Camp with the inclusion of cabin competitions through a variety of sporting events. Afternoons will be spent engaging in soccer, American football, basketball, and relay race events, culminating in a round-robin style tournament at the camp’s conclusion.

Gender development is an issue that affects the region, and one that Boys’ Leadership Camp will tackle throughout the week. Empowerment of women is a cause that has been taken up by volunteers in the Kyrgyz Republic for several years, but young men have been largely neglected. In an attempt to come full-circle with this issue, Boys’ Leadership Camp will take this task to the young men of the Kyrgyz Republic, instilling values that will allow them to succeed, and succeed with class.

Offical Peace Corps Partnership Proposal

Boys’ Leadership Camp
Arstan Bap Pensionat, Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan
June 10-15, 2007

Community Leader: Laresia Antonivna, director NGO Joy Masters
Peace Corps Volunteers: Phil Johnson, Rick Gotwald, Matt Grandmason, Charlie Moyer, and Sean Thompson

A. STATEMENT OF NEED

The Boy’s Leadership Camp will be for 55 boys from the 7th, 8th, and 9th forms. The boys will be selected from among the students of participating Peace Corps volunteers, and will be from different areas of Kyrgyzstan including villages near Kant and Tokmok, Karakul, Toshkumir, and Osh city. In addition to the 50 students from Peace Corps volunteers’ schools, the Peace Corps volunteers in charge of facilitating the project have agreed with the Rotary Club to bring 5 additional students from Bishkek’s Voenno Antonovka orphanage to the camp. Students will come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities including Kyrgyz, Russian, Uzbek, Turkish, and Tatar. Volunteers will select motivated students who exhibit enthusiasm and interest. In order to ensure that each student is able to fully understand all the presentations and guest speakers, and also to provide the opportunity to attend to those who cannot speak English, the entire camp will be conducted in the Russian and Kyrgyz languages, with help from local translators when necessary. Therefore, knowledge of the English language will not be a factor in determining which students will be able to attend. The camp will be located in Arstan Bap Pensionat in the town of Arslanbob.

The NGO Joy Masters will work with Peace Corps volunteers to plan and conduct the camp. This organization is located in Osh and provides information and gives presentations to the community on health topics such as AIDS, STDs, and reproductive health, along with healthy lifestyles among youth. The staff is experienced in working at summer camps of this type, even working at the same pensionat for the past few years at a variety of different camps. In addition, they are well-versed in working with our targeted age groups as their work is focused on younger secondary school students. The director of NGO Joy Masters, Laresia Antonivna, will send four trained workers to Boys’ Leadership Camp to lead sessions in Russian and Kyrgyz.

We have seen a need to educate the young men of Kyrgyzstan on subjects that are beyond the scope of the normal school curriculum. Our aim is to help prepare these boys to become future leaders who have strong values and character. In addition, we want to provide information that the boys may not receive in their local communities. For example, we will have presentations on planning for the future, living a healthy lifestyle, and the treatment of women. Finally, we want to give these boys, many of whom have never left their hometown, the chance to visit another place, meet new friends from other parts of Kyrgyzstan, and have a week where they can enjoy themselves doing healthy, fun activities. Our hope is that this camp will be a life-long memory, and that it will help the students become more confident, knowledgeable, and capable. This will not only help the boys themselves, but also, in the future, their communities as these students finish school and become active community members and leaders. They will use the values we are teaching to be positive contributors to society, and will also be good role models for others.

B. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In order to provide a well-rounded education for young men in Kyrgyzstan, our Boys’ Leadership Camp seeks to educate beyond the classroom. Many recent projects have targeted young female students, largely ignoring the young male demographic. Our project aims to foster strong values in young men such as leadership roles, character development, career planning, goal setting, healthy lifestyles/relationships, and proper treatment of women. Employing a curriculum that includes guest speakers, Boys’ Leadership Camp will provide its participants with strong role models and an opportunity to discuss issues concerning young men in Kyrgyzstan today. While the attainment of these values will be impossible to measure at the end of the camp, our goal is to provide numerous activities and sessions for the boys and we can base our success on participation in these. If students enjoy the activities and show interest in the information and discussion sessions, we believe we can consider the camp a success.

C. ACTION PLAN

Running from June 10-15, Boys’ Leadership Camp will be organized to present themes of leadership, health, career planning and goal setting, and character building. Excluding June 10 and June 15 as travel days, we have allotted four days for seminars and activities for the students. Each day’s events will be centered around one of the key themes, highlighted by presentations by guest speakers and activities focused on reinforcing ideas learned in the sessions.

Sessions will be held in the morning and early afternoon. Each speaker’s timeslot will be determined at a later date. Lodging, meals, and classrooms will be provided by the camp in order to accommodate the guest speakers. Similarly, the students will be fed and housed on camp grounds. Each cabin of students will be supervised by two Peace Corps volunteers – one male and one female – who will oversee their students’ well-being throughout the duration of the camp, as well as providing a continuing example of how to interact properly with women. This interaction will not be overt, but more subtle, in hopes that the boys observe the way young American men treat their female peers – with class as gentlemen. In addition, a select few K14 volunteers will be invited to participate in the camp’s events so that they may gather information on how to continue Boys’ Leadership Camp next year.

Split by theme, each day’s events will focus on that day’s lecture’s highlights. There will be three primary teaching days on June 11th, 12th, and 13th. One day will be led by NGO Joy Masters, focusing on HIV/AIDS, STDs, and healthy lifestyles. Another day will feature sessions led by Peace Corps staff such as Marat Usmanov, Usubaly Primkulov, and Eldar Rakhimov. Each of these local men was chosen to present the students with fine examples of successful men in their fields of work. As local success stories, they will provide excellent stories of role models which our young men can aspire towards. Our third training day will have time allotted to a different NGO such as NGO Kompanion which focuses on democracy development, as well as presentations by volunteers. Agreements with NGO Kompanion have not been finalized as of this grant writing, but verbal agreements have been exchanged. Volunteer-led sessions will include sessions led by our female co-counselors and unique activities led by Brenda and Mike Parker. The boys will benefit greatly from learning fun activities from young American females as well as seeing the interaction between an American married couple.

Boys’ Leadership Camp will not be solely focused on seminars and training. Instead, camp coordinators will bring elements commonly found in American-style summer camps to Arslanbob, such as team sports and inter-cabin competitions. Daily sporting events will be held with Peace Corps volunteers teaching the students sporting techniques while encouraging an active lifestyle through sports. Good sportsmanship will be promoted through inter-cabin basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, and wiffle ball matches. Said sporting events will become opportunities for the students to relax after sessions and build friendships among their peers. Our final day, June 14, will culminate the weeklong sporting events with a round-robin style tournament involving competition between all cabins. Prizes will be given after the final leader board is tallied up.

Each day after sessions, cabin counselors will be given the opportunity to engage with their students in activities of their choosing. Due to the location of Arslanbob, hiking will be a popular choice, but other outdoor activities will be encouraged. The main objective of these free hours will be to build friendships among the boys in their own cabins, strengthening their sense of teamwork and unity. Entire camp activities will be planned by the Peace Corps counselors as well such as: group movie viewings, camp fires, and other group games.

At the camp’s close, final remarks will be given, camp grounds will be cleaned, and the students will be escorted to their respective home sites by the Peace Corps volunteers. Evaluation forms will also be distributed and collected prior to dispersing in order to better gauge success at the camp.

Note: I was unable to post the finalized budget on the blog, but if you would like me to send it to you personally, I would be happy to do so. Please send me a request to my email at gotwald@gmail.com.

Thanks again!

Rick

Happy Belated Holidays!

2007-01-12T23:08:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Hope everyone's healthy and had a great Christmas and New Year's.

Not too much news here. I've begun work on a US Aid funded grant for about $800 to provide the school with some new materials, including classroom and corridor light bulbs, new hallway curtains, a new chemistry laboratory and some new athletic equipment. I hear back about that grant on Februrary 9th. Will be sure to let you know.

I just posted some new pictures on gotwald.myphotoalbum.com. They include Christmas and New Year's at home with my host family, some of my students at their annual New Year's party at school, and also a New Year's/Christmas pagent that my students and I organized with the kids from School #4 in the neighboring town of Kant. Just click on the PICTURES link to your right.

Best wishes,
Rick

English Center Completed!

2006-11-28T01:45:00.000-08:00

While unofficially the Center has been open and running for students at my school, Ak Tilek, for over a month now, we officially unveiled it to the English teachers of the Issik Ata county schools on Friday, November 24! Twenty-one English teachers from across the county showed up to take part in the Center's Opening Seminar which included methodology sessions from teacher-trainer and Peace Corps Volunteer Leslie Reed as well as an example 9th grade class taught by myself. After observing my open class, I familiarized the visiting teachers with all the available materials, including books, cassette tapes and CD ROMS. The teachers were allowed to peruse these materials, make copies, and schedule solo visits in the future to make further copies. Several teachers plan to come back this very week!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to this project and let you know that you have helped create an exciting new place for fun and learning for both teachers and students. Kyrgyzstan thanks you!

Please take the time to look at some pictures I have uploaded of the Center and the Opening Methodology Seminar. Just click on the PICTURES link to your right and choose the "English Center" album once you reach MyPhotoAlbum.

Opening Seminar November 1st

2006-10-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that the necessary funds have been obtained from the local village government and the iron bars have been installed on the windows and door of the Resource Center. We are now in the process of decorating the room and installing bookshelves. The opening date has been set for November 1st, on which day Ak-Tilek English Faculty and I will organize a teaching methodology seminar for the English teachers of the Issik Ata Region. I have already invited two professional teacher trainers, both American, from a prestigious private English training institution in Bishkek to take part in the seminar.

We are all very excited about the opening and I will be sure to update you all about it with pictures and details.

Thanks for your support,

Rick

Update!

2006-09-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Charlie, Amelia, and Jesika during Charlie's and my trip down south...seemed like a classic peace corps photo with the train tracks and the mountains...

Also from the trip down south...atop the Mountain of Solomon...
An oldie, but a goodie...my first turkey slaughter, back during training...

Well it seems now that about one post a month is all I'm capable of. However, I will do my best to make those rare posts full of interesting facts and engaging pictures...Lets's begin.

First off I'd like to make a brief comment about the Resource Center. Nearly all purchases have been made, including both computers, scanner, printer, stereo, books, cassettes and English language CD-ROMS. The only thing that has not been purchased is the large white dry-erase board and markers, which I have plans to go to Bishkek this week with my counterpart and buy.

Late last month I attended the annual meeting of all Issik Ata region teachers and addressed the over 40 English teachers as a unit. I explained that at my school, Ak-Tilek, we had recently obtained funds to create an English resource center for students and teachers and that once we opened this center, we would hold an introductory seminar to explain its purpose and how to use the new equipment. The teachers were very responsive and eager for the seminar to take place.

The reason we have not yet opened the Center is because we have been waiting for a small sum of money from our local village government to install metal bars on the windows and door of the Center's classroom to protect against theft. I have been assured (as much as possible) by my director that this week these funds will be obtained and that our Center's classroom will be secured by the first week of October. After the bars are installed and the Center decorated, we will hold a seminar celebrated the Center's grand opening. I will be sure to take many pictures and tell you all about that exciting event.

Now for some pictures...

Well I thought I would be able to post more pictures straight to the blog, but couldn't get it to work...so I posted about 20 new photos (with captions!) to MyPhotoAlbum.com - click the PICTURES link to your right and choose the new album entitled, "Hodge Podge." This album includes pictures from a fellow volunteer's costume birthday party in Bishkek, my trip down south last summer, Tom Paine's visit from China, and the Gotwald's European Vacation.

Until next time,
Rick

RESOURCE CENTER FUNDED!!

2006-08-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

While I was on vacation over the last two weeks, i received notification from Peace Corps that our Resource Center project had been completely funded. I just got back into town late last night and am sitting at the Peace Corps office waiting to meet with the financial officer to release the money. Then, most likely this week or next, I will make the purchases listed in the proposal and then hopefully have the Center opened by the first day of classes on September 1st.

Much thanks to everyone who contributed. I will of course keep in touch with all of you regarding our progress. Once we open, I will post pictures and updates here on the blog. Check back again soon for news...

THANK YOU!!!

PROJECT #

2006-07-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I was informed that I didn't supply the "Project Number" assigned to my project in my email, and you need this number to donate. It is on the the Peace Corps website, but a bit hidden. It is:

307-064

This is the specific number assigned to my project on the Peace Corps website. It will assure that your donations go to my project rather than someone else's. Because we would not want that of course.

Thanks again,

Rick

English Teacher and Student Resource Center: The Proposal

2006-07-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Above are pictures of the classroom that will become the resource center. The English grammar posters were created by Ak-Tilek faculty. Bars will be installed on the windows after 1/4 of Partnership funds are obtained. Below is my proposal for the resource center, approved by Peace Corps. Since I was unable to copy the Budget of the proposal directly to the blog, I have supplied a shortened version for your inspection. To the left, under the Links column, is the the DONATE NOW option. This link will take you directly to the Partnership projects in Central Asia. From there, you can select my project, and donate by credit card through secure connection. If, for some reason, the DONATE NOW link does not work, you can just go to the Official Peace Corps website and select the DONATE option from the right hand column.

Thank you for taking the time to read my proposal. Any small donation would be greatly appreciated! If you have any questions about the project, please don't hesitate to email me. Also, if you donate and would like to have your name on a poster listing all the donors that will be hung in the center after construction, please email me personally.

I. Proposal Summary

Ak-Tilek Secondary School
English Teacher and Student Resource Center

Ak-Tilek Secondary Public School
Internacionalnoye Village, Issik-Ata Region, Chui Oblast, Kyrgyz Republic
Total Request: $1,910.24
Peace Corps Volunteer: Rick Gotwald
U.S. Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Community Leader: Kubanichbeck Toktorbekovich

The current state of English education materials in Kyrgyzstan, especially those at village schools, is disastrously low. Village teachers have no access to additional materials other than whatever books their school can provide, if any. Even if a teacher does have access to a textbook, it is likely that only a handful of his or her students can afford to purchase their own copy. Teachers in the Kyrgyz Republic purchase all of their own supplies, including paper, chalk, rulers, and scissors. Additional items such as visual aids and activity booklets are made at home with purchased materials. Also, the extreme rarity of photo-copiers forces teachers to spend most of their class time writing vocabulary and grammar exercises on the black board. Having no outside consultation or help, teachers rely on their own knowledge and creativity when writing lesson plans. Very often a village school will have only one English teacher on faculty who is expected to teach hundreds of students without the necessary teaching materials taken for granted in other countries.

Ak-Tilek school and the surrounding Issik-Ata regional schools are an accurate example of these conditions.
There are 53 secondary schools in the region, educating over 30,000 students. There are also over 80 English teachers in the region. The goal of the proposed project, initially suggested by the regional government and now encouraged by Ak-Tilek faculty, is to create an English Resource Center at Ak-Tilek school for both teachers and students of the Issik-Ata region. Students and teachers would be invited on certain days of each month to examine all materials in the center (including textbooks, workbooks, flash cards, maps, visual aids, and audio cassettes) and make copies of them for use in their own classrooms. The copies would be made using a computer, equipped with a scanner and printer, and two audio cassette players obtained through Peace Corps Partnership.

A substantial contribution from Ak-Tilek and its faculty have already been made in the form of textbooks and workbooks, visual aids and English games. Also Ak-Tilek has agreed to install a metal door with a pad lock and metal bars on the windows of the third floor room designated as the center.

From Peace Corps Partnership, Ak-Tilek school requests funds in order to establish this resource center. In order to succeed in this task, the project will include the purchase of several items: 1) two computers, 2) a computer scanner, 3) a printer, 4) a dual deck audio cassette player, 5) English textbooks and workbooks, 6) a large white board with markers, 7) English language activity CD-ROMs.

II. Background Information

Internacionalnoye is a small village located approximately 40 kilometers from the national capital of Bishkek and approximately 15 kilometers from the Issik-Ata region (similar to U.S. state counties) center of Kant. Issik-Ata is one of 6 regions in the Chui Oblast (similar to U.S. states).

Ak-Tilek is a relatively large village school, enrolling over 500 students from Internacionalnoye and the two neighboring villages of Bos-Barmak and Jarbashy. Foreign language study is a major focus of the school. Because both Kyrgyz and Russian students attend, all students have the option of having their lessons taught in either the Kyrgyz or Russian language (both the national languages of Kyrgyzstan). However, all students of Russian conducted classes are required to take Kyrgyz language lessons and vice-versa. Furthermore, all 529 students study English as a foreign language.

The English Department at Ak-Tilek School was formed in 1991, when the administration switched the foreign language requirement from German to English. Since then, the school has made impressive strides to expand and improve this department. In 1995, the American based Soros Foundation built a library at the school, donating books on a wide range of subjects, including English.

Every year, the Issik-Ata region of the Chui Oblast holds Olympiad competitions among high school students in a number of different subjects. For the past 10 years, Ak-Tilek’s students have made outstanding performances in the English competition. For the last six years, they have swept the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade competitions, taking each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes. After yet another impressive performance this year at the January Olympiad, the Issik-Ata regional government suggested that Ak-Tilek English teachers develop a strategy to aid colleagues at other regional schools in language teaching methodologies. Ak-Tilek English faculty, along with the school’s Director, decided to create this English resource center for both teachers and students of the Issik-Ata region.

III. Proposal Guidelines

1. Project is Community Initiated, Directed, and Sustainable
As stated earlier, this project was initially suggested at the regional level after a series of strong performances at the regional academic Olympiad by English students at Ak-Tilek school. Then, the Director and Assistant Director of Ak-Tilek approached the English faculty and the current Peace Corps Volunteer about the viability of developing such a project.
Since then, preparations for the center have begun and been directed by Ak-Tilek faculty. All English books donated by the Soros Foundation along with personal materials donated by teachers themselves have been moved to the Volunteer’s classroom for safe keeping until the metal bars are installed on the windows of the room designated for the center. Also, many hours on the part of faculty have been spent, using school purchased materials, building and painting English grammar posters to hang in the center (see pictures). Finally, maintenance staff been instructed, also using school materials, to construct metal bars for the windows and a metal door with a pad lock on the center room to protect against theft.
Ak-Tilek Director Kubanichbeck Toktorbekovich has already informed the regional government that preparations have begun for the center. Once funds are obtained and the purchases made, he will, at one of the monthly regional school board meetings, announce that the resource center has been completed and will designate a time to invite all English teachers to visit and learn how to use the new equipment. An introductory seminar will be held, led by the Peace Corps Volunteer and other Ak-Tilek faculty, to explain the purpose and rules of the center. Because the summer holiday is approaching, this initial seminar will most likely be held at the beginning of the fall 2006 school semester, which begins September, 1. From that point on, every month teachers will be invited to the center to peruse materials and make copies. This process will continue long after the Peace Corps Volunteer has left the site. During these scheduled visits, at least one Ak-Tilek faculty member will always be present.
At Ak-Tilek itself, a schedule will be constructed by faculty and students as to certain times which English students and Ak-Tilek faculty of other subjects may visit the center. During scheduled times, students may use the computer for educational purposes only (such as typing papers or playing an interactive English CD-ROM purchased by Peace Corps Partnership funds) and teachers may make copies using the scanner and printer. At least one teacher will be present to proctor at all times.
In terms of computer maintenance, a prominent community figure and Ak-Tilek school teacher, Tolorygeldi Aidarbekov, who operates a private internet café out of his home, will be competent in most cases. In cases in which he cannot determine the problem, he can travel to nearby Bishkek, where there are an abundance of IT specialists who will fix the computer for a moderate fee, which will be paid by Ak-Tilek.

2. Community Contribution
Ak-Tilek school has contributed 42% of the project though the donation of books from its own Soros Foundation Library, the donations of English games and flash cards from teachers, the creation of English tenses placards, and also the pledge to construct metal bars on the windows of the center. The construction of these metal bars will begin after one fourth (approximately $475) of the requested Partnership money has been obtained. (See “Budget” for more details and monetary amounts.)

3. Indicators of Success
Quantitative indicators of success will include the following three aspects:
1) English Resource Center for Teachers and Students is opened in the fall of 2007
2) All purchases described below are made and installed in the Center
3) An introductory seminar is held for all Issik-Ata region English teachers at which they will learn how to use the new equipment

Qualitatively, through the use of this center, English teachers will get new ideas for classroom activities and use them in their own classrooms and students at Ak-Tilek and throughout the region will experience new ways to learn English and thus take a more active interest in the subject.

4. Purchases
Computer Equipment. The computers, scanner, and printer are necessary to the center’s success. Visiting teachers will be able to peruse the available printed materials, scan them to the computer, print as many copies as they please, and then take them back to their own schools for use in their classrooms. Also, students from Ak-Tilek and throughout the Issik-Ata region may use the computers for educational purposes, including enjoying the interactive English language CD-ROMs which will be purchased from the department store, “Zum,” in Bishkek. All other computer equipment, including a surge protector and the necessary cables, will be purchased from the company, “Inter Alliance Ltd.” in Bishkek.

Classroom Materials. The Panasonic stereo and microphones will allow the Volunteer to record English dialogues with other Volunteers from neighboring villages. Visiting teachers may then bring their own cassette tapes and make copies of these dialogues for use in their own classrooms. Also, students may make record tapes themselves for use at home. The stereo will be purchased at the “Tokyo Store” in Bishkek and the microphones will be purchased at “Zum.” The large white board will be a great addition to the center, since the current chalkboard is quite small and extremely old. Also, since all future English language seminars at Ak-Tilek will be held in this room, a more appropriate writing surface is necessary. The markers and the white board will be purchased at the “Kainak” store in Bishkek.

Books and Tapes. The books and tapes will be available to all who visit the center and pages may be duplicated using the computer, scanner, and printer. The books and tapes will be purchased from the bookstores, “Odyssey” and “Raritet” in Bishkek.

5. Budget

Computer Equipment.
M/B mATX ASROCK P4VM8 Computer (2) - $900
HP ScanJet 4370 Scanner - $130
HP LaserJet 1020 Printer - $150
Microsoft Windows Operating System - $150
Surge Protector and Cables - $52.72

Computer Equipment Subtotal: - 1,382.72

Classroom Materials.
Panasonic SA-VK31 Stereo - $245
Large White Dry Erase Board - $90
Microphones and Markers - $11.85

Classroom Materials Subtotal: - $346.85

Books and Audio Tapes - $180.67
Includes many dictionaries, work
books, methodology books, and dialogue
English audio tapes.

Total Funds Requested: - $1,910.24

6. No Additional Funding
The Ak-Tilek school has been informed and understands that there will be no additional funding beyond the authorized amount on this proposal as submitted.

7. Proper Use of Funds
It is clear to the Ak-Tilek school that Partnership funds are to be used only for the costs associated with the project.

So now, if you like what you see and you have no questions for me, please click on the DONATE NOW tab to your right under the Links column and contribute whatever you can. You will helping to create a resource center that will change the lives of many teachers and students.

Thank you for your time,

Rick

hangin out...

2006-06-21T03:14:00.000-07:00

hey,

haven't written in a while, just wanted to let yall know everything's jake over here in kyrgyzstan...i went down south to osh, jalabat, tosh komur, and toktogul a couple weeks ago with my friends charlie and jesika and had a great time...hardly any russians down there so i got to go wild with my kyrgyz language skills...

also, a couple days before we left for the south, some of us worked on a habitat for humanity project here in bishkek - they started "Habitat Kyrgyzstan" several years ago and have already built 35 houses and have plans to built a bunch more...we had a great time and it turned out like half of the local workers live in my village outside Kant so we shot the crap all day long...

friday and saturday i'll be participating in a 3 person pannel to conduct interviews in kyrgyz with 20 young religious leaders between the ages of 18-30 hoping to fill 10 spots for an American sponsored 1 month cultural awareness romp around the States...my conversational kyrgyz is pretty fluent, but about conducting professional interviews, we shall see...

then starting next friday i'll be working at an English immersion camp for kyrgyz english teachers for 10 days in a village outside bishkek...we start at 8am every morning and don't end until after 10pm each day - intense... should be fun though, they have professional teachers coming in and doing language sessions, so i get to do the fun stuff, like conducting speaking and listening classes, using videos, readers, and games...also we'll be there for the 4th so we'll play games and eat lots of watermelon...

i'll try to post some pictures from the south trip and the English camp after its over July 5th...probably wont be another post until then so....

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!! - be safe and have a great time wherever you may be -

Rick

Golf

2006-05-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

Hey, here are some pictures of our golf trip...i lost to charlie by 3 strokes, but i handed it to him by shooting an 8 on the 6th hole...the girl is annie, she did a pretty terrible job caddying for us...

The second set of pictures are from the hot springs near Charlie's village...there are two pools there, one big one and one little one, but the big one wasn't open the day we went, as you can see...

Spring in Review

2006-04-06T23:35:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone…

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, but chances are you’re used to having me gone now and are tired of checking this damn blog all the time. But, in case you’re not these things, I’ll give you a quick recap of what’s been going on the last couple months.

I believe the last time I wrote was in February when Graeme posted all those pictures. Since then, the third school quarter has ended and the fourth begun, I’ve given my first quarter grades in Kyrgyzstan, four Kyrgyz holidays and three host family birthdays have passed (plus Valentine’s Day and April Fool’s Day which are both observed here but sadly are still working days), I’ve made a trip back to my old village of Koshoy, one volunteer from my group was “administratively separated” (aka sent home) for writing inflammatory things about Kyrgyzstan on her blog (notice the new disclaimer above), I’ve enjoyed a week long In-Service Training Peace Corps seminar in Bishkek, and I’ve spoken at a training seminar for Kyrgyz English teachers. I’m also in the process of writing a thousand word dictionary (English to Kyrgyz) for my students and applying for a Partnership Grant through Peace Corps to create an English resource center at my school for English students and teachers in my region (more to come on this grant later).

February 23th, Men’s Day – An excellent and well deserved break for the men in this country. We had a party at school and all the female teachers made food, gave toasts, and sang songs for the men. We also drank vodka. The female students did the same thing for the male students, minus the vodka. It was fun.

March 8th, Women’s Day – Basically the same idea as Men’s Day, but instead of making Ploaf (actually the national dish of Uzbekistan – essentially rice, carrots, and mutton) like the female teachers did, the male teachers went to the store and bought bread and canned sardines to eat. That day I found myself killing off a bottle and half in my director’s office with him and the computer teacher. The Kyrgyz was flowing that afternoon.

March 21st, Nooruz (Muslim New Year) – This was really a fun day. In the morning we had a concert at school where students and teachers both performed songs, skits, and poems. Then in the afternoon there were horse races and a big game of ylack (like polo but more of a free for all and with a dead goat instead of a ball) in the field outside my village. On the way from the school concert to the ylack, we stopped in a little cafe (dark cold room in the back of a store would probably be more accurate) to polish off some V. Good day indeed.

March 24th, Revolution Day – This day was the 1 year anniversary of the “Tulip Revolution” during which ex-president Akaiev fled to Russia, and the current president Bakiev took office. Bakiev declared this day a national holiday about a month before the anniversary. I’ve heard it also called Bakiev’s Holiday or Bakiev Day by non-believers. This holiday was during spring break so there was no party at school and nothing exciting to speak of really happened. There was no repeat revolution as some had speculated.

Upcoming events…
This coming weekend I’m going back to Koshoy again because my good friends Anna, Fife, and Jesika from training are all going back. Anna and Fife both live in the town of Toktogul (down south in Jalabat) and Jesika lives out west in Talas City. Both Anna and her Koshoy host mother have birthdays in April and before we left, Rose Oppa (Mother Rose) said she would have us all back, slaughter a sheep, and have a kick-ass party. So that’s why we’re going. Also our friend Charlie who lives in the village over from me is coming along for the ride.

Also Charlie and I planned our first golf outing of the season for Saturday, April 22nd. I’ll be sure to post some pictures of that for you all. May is the month of holidays – there are three in a two week period. Also many of the boys stop coming to class to go work in the fields (the only work available) so I’m told in May the wheels pretty much come off the school bus as far as secondary education in Kyrgyzstan is concerned. But then it will be summer and I’ll most likely have enough free time to drive a normal person insane. I feel up to the task.

Rick

PICTURES

2006-02-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hello!

200 new pictures have just been added to the PICTURES link to your right. They include our volunteer Halloween party, a picture tutorial of a sheep slaughtering, a visit to the US Ambassador's house, and a bunch of drunk teachers, among other things. I'd like to thank my good friend Graeme Dennis in Nashville for uploading these pictures for us all to enjoy.

Also, it turns out it was jaundice that broke out in my village, and, as the PC Medical Office informed me, it is most often a sign of Hepatitis. So that's good news. However, I have been fully vaccinated against Hepatits so all should be well.

Enjoy the pictures,
Rick

Shame befalls Ak-Tilek High...

2006-01-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

Its been a bit of a bad PR week for my school. It started last Saturday when a news crew from one of the Kyrgyz television stations made an unannounced visit to do a story on classrooms being too cold for students. It is true that, while Ak-Tilek does have a working heating system, it does little good to actually make classrooms warm. There is perhaps a ten degrees difference between a classroom and the outside. Some rooms are better than others of course - a room with a window facing the sun is a bit warmer than those on the other side of the school, but regardless, both teachers and students endure class wearing heavy coats and scarves at all times. To combat this problem, for the entire month of January (and I will assume most of February) classes have been shortened to 35 minutes each. The shortned class, coupled with the fact that I only teach each section twice a week, gives each student but 70 minutes a week of English study. Anyway, the news crew came and interviewed some students, as well as my director and his wife, who is also a teacher at the school. It was made clear that the classrooms were much too cold for the poor children to study and that they would inevitably get terribly sick because of it. I didn't get to see it in person or on television as I was away in Bishkek, but I was told by my host father, as you will remember is the assistant principal, that it was quite shameful. I must add, however, that this is a major problem at every school in Kyrgyzstan, yet only mine was singled out.

In regards to the children's inevitable sickness, this too has come into fruition (is fruition the correct word to use here?). Whether in response to the cold classrooms, or as most people have decided, to the dirty potato biscuits served in the mess hall, there is now a jaundice outbreak.
I say jaundice, but maybe its yellow fever...its something that makes you yellow, I've never gotten an offical translation. Now I really know nothing about jaundice (which they call here sarik, because the word for yellow is sari, and the disease apparently turns your face yellow), but I'm pretty sure it's bad. Anywhere between one and four students in the school now have jaundice or whatever this really bad disease is that makes you yellow (I've been given different figures on several accounts) and the school has taken steps to quarantine. I say steps, but really it is one step - now the teachers travel to different classrooms to teach their respective subjects instead of the students. Whereas before the different sections would come to my classroom for English, now I walk all over the school to theirs. Whether this action will quell (also correctly used?) the outbreak remains to be seen. Luckily however, this problem has not made the local news, yet.

Please don't worry about me, though. Now I am fit as a fiddle and if I begin experiencing any symptoms, I will of course call Peace Corps immediately and acquire the necessary medications. I also plan to look up jaundice on the internet before I leave this cafe cause I thought you got it from alcohol.

Bye for now,
Take Care,
Rick

Wild times at the teacher xmas party...

2006-01-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

2 in 1 Post

2006-01-03T01:01:00.000-08:00

Hey...this is a really long post, but full of lively info so enjoy...

HOLIDAYS

Hello, I hope everyone had a happy holiday season. Mine has been and continues to be quite enjoyable. For Christmas, some other neighboring volunteers and myself stayed at a very nice hotel in downtown Bishkek, called the Kyrgyz Alton (Kyrgyz Gold). We had planned to stay at the Hyatt but apparently there was some kind of reservation mix up so we switched. However, it turned out for the best because the Alton was much cheaper and our room was much larger. For Xmas eve we actually went bowling at this club called Fire and Ice (the sign is actually spelled in English). The club doubles as a bowling alley/night club, with about twenty-five lanes on the first floor and a hopping dance club on the second. We tried to get into the upstairs club after bowling but they wanted to charge us $15 to get in! (which I probably don’t need to tell you is outrageous in this country). We tried to explain to the bouncer that were just poor peace corps volunteers and that 15 dollars was a week’s wages, but to no avail. Our decision not to pay the cover was probably a good one, since it kept some money in our pockets for our visit to the Hyatt Xmas brunch the following morning. We dined on champagne, waffles, turkey, lamb, roast beef, trout, salad, and real honest to God cold cuts. It was pretty sweet. It cost us 20 bucks a person, but we stayed there for three and half hours so I think we got our money’s worth.

After Xmas on Sunday, I still had a week left of classes. Theoretically classes continue right up until the 30th of December right before New Year’s Eve, but really this last week of classes is plagued by poor attendance and school sponsored Xmas parties for each grade. For the last couple of weeks I had been asking other teachers, my host dad who is the assistant principle, and even students when the last day of classes was and I could not get a straight answer out of any of them. I see now it’s because there isn’t really correct answer. School just kind of fades out in a haze of parties and disinterested teachers. I’ve heard of exams being given during that week but one actually administered.

The school Xmas parties are pretty funny. Sunday and Monday are the parties for the little kids, then Tuesday for the 7th graders, followed by the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade party on Wednesday. The teachers’ party is on Thursday afternoon after what I’m sure were some very productive classes in the morning. I wouldn’t know because I don’t have class on Thursday. These parties are actually New Year’s Eve parties although they look a whole lot like Xmas parties since someone’s always dressed up in a Santa suit and they have a fully decorated tree. The Kyrgyz people are a little bit confused about Xmas. They know that Xmas is Jesus’ birthday because the Russians are Christians and they celebrate Xmas, although they celebrate it on January 7th, not December 25th. The Russian guard at the Peace Corps office explained to me why they do this but I didn’t really understand – something about the old Soviet calendar I think. Anyway, for the Kyrgyz, neither December 25th nor January 7th are celebrated holidays, but for both the Russians and the Kyrgyz living in Kyrgyzstan, Santa Claus and Xmas trees are associated with New Year’s Eve (Jange Jill in Kyrgyz).So, back to the parties - all the girls go to Kant and rent these massive evening gowns for the day while all the boys wear black suits. They decorate the gym and have a big dance party for a few hours. Sometimes the kids prepare skits or dances, and often times some girls get up and sing. In the morning before the party started, all the girls were in my and my counterpart Jazgul’s room putting on make-up and fixing their hair. This seems to be the closest thing to a prom that I’ve seen so far. The teachers’ party on Thursday was actually the exact same as the children’s party - minus the rented evening gowns, plus many bottles of vodka.

New Year’s Eve was fun. I just stayed at home with my host family but it was really nice. My mom cooked Ploaf with mutton (a famous rice dish, actually the national dish of Uzbekistan) and also chicken with potatoes. She also bought me a bunch of beer, a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of champagne. Remember, my family doesn’t drink but they expected me to drink a lot. I mean, it is New Year’s Eve, right? So anyway, we hung around the house, we set off fire works, ate a ton of food, watched the all night concert live from Bishkek, and I got pretty drunk. We took a ton of pictures which I’ll try to post as soon as I can.

The days since NYE have been pretty tame. I spend my days reading and playing badminton with my little sister Malika. She loves “tennis” so for NYE I bought her this little badminton set from the Kant bazaar. She’s wild about it. As I write this, the two of us are watching American cartoons dubbed in Russian in my parents’ bedroom. I’m not really sure when I go back to work. I’d ask someone if I thought I would get an answer. I figure I’ll just sit around and think of English lessons until my dad tells me I have to teach the next day. It’ll probably be another week or so.

TEACHING

I came to International Village on Friday December 2, and was supposed to merely observe the classes of the two other English teachers for the following first week, but actually ended teaching a good portion of my counterpart’s classes. Every volunteer, whether they are a teacher or a Business volunteer, has a counterpart – someone who works at their organization and speaks some degree of English. A 24 year old English teacher named Jazgul is my counterpart. She went to high school at which we teach and then graduated from a university in Bishkek. Her English is a little bit better than my Kyrgyz right now. She knows more words than I do, but has a hard time following a fast conversation by two native speakers. This is the problem that occurs when you have don’t hear native speakers on a regular basis. Anyway she’s a really nice person and I’m lucky to have her help.

So by the beginning of my second week my dad, the assistant principle, had drawn up the new schedule for the school that included me and my newly acquired teaching hours. It was decided that I would teach 15 hours of class in the morning, which would then leave my afternoons free for different English clubs. English clubs have become a sort of tradition in Peace Corps teaching. They are good and for several reasons: 1) the volunteers may teach these clubs in a more relaxed atmosphere without the strict curriculum of the regular classes, 2) grades are not generally given, 3) the volunteer may decide which students may attend these classes, and 4) they provide extra hours of English lessons for motivated students outside school hours that would be impossible without the presence of a volunteer.

The 15 morning hours would be split among seven different classes within the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grades. That means that six classes I would teach twice a week and one class (which lucky for me happens to be a very small and talented 10th grade class) three times a week. This fact is not good for me because 1) two 45 minute classes a week is not enough for anyone to learn much of anything, let alone a foreign language, and 2) it means many different faces and less possibility for me to get to know students on a personal basis – like for instance, learning their names.

Anyway, so the second week begins and I have my own classes. By this point, after a week of teaching during training, countless group presentations, and another week of teaching here in International, I was no longer nervous in front of the students (a fear that I’m sure most teachers will tell you is one you must quickly master). So with that obstacle cleared, it was on to a lesser problem – actually teaching the students English. During the previous week I had copied down Jazgul’s calendar plan for the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grades and had scratched out some lesson plans. However, since I had never met any of these students and had no idea of their skill level, this was rather difficult. The teachers do have text books. However, they’re pretty old, in Russian, and teach British English. Oh yeah, and almost none of the students have copies of them. There are of course no copy machines either. All practice examples and homework examples I have to make up on my own. This isn’t really a major problem because homework isn’t that difficult to create, although it has gotten a little redundant. I feel so far the two things I’ve missed most from text books are 1) new vocabulary, and 2) passages for reading and translation.

After my first full week of teaching it became clear that I had a lot of work to do. Essentially, the 7th grade, 8th grade and one section of the 10th grade were on the same level, both the 9th grade sections were on the same level (a really really low level), and my favorite section of the 10th grade was on the highest level. However, I will point out that in every section of every grade the skill levels are extremely varied – I was making generalizations in the previous sentence.

This skill variance among grades creates problems because the curriculum for each grade is inflexible and must be approved by the Ministry of Education. In other words, these kids are expected to learn the material from the approved calendar plan. But in a cumulative course like English, it is impossible to teach some skills before others. For example, if the students don’t understand the Simple Present tense, I can’t teach them the Present Perfect tense. However, the other English teachers have been doing just that, which is why I have two 9th grade classes with a notebook full of notes on the Past Perfect Progressive tense but who can’t write me one sentence in the Simple Present. They have notebooks full of notes that they don’t understand - they’ve just copied them down from the black board like robots. While I continue to deal with frustrating problems such as these, I am comforted by the thought that I will be here for two years and that I am in no hurry. For the last three weeks of last semester and most likely for the better part of next semester, I will be doing extensive review and catch up on fundamentals and basic grammar. We truly are in no hurry, and if I force the students to move faster than they can, they will absorb nothing and it will be a waste. I’m taking the approach that it is better for them to learn slowly than not at all.

So far the English clubs I’ve instructed have been a delight. For right now I’m teaching 3 different clubs for one hour a week – a beginner’s club, intermediate club, and advanced club (this may change next semester when I’m may begin teaching fewer morning classes in order to open up more clubs because of such high demand – there are more talented and motivated students than I have room for in my current clubs). In the beginner’s club, which consists of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders we have begun from the beginning (numbers, colors, personal pronouns, etc.). The skill variance between the intermediate and advanced clubs is minimal (mostly just age difference) and so I do the same thing with both of them – debate. We’ve had one debate so far which was on the pros and cons of snow. I know this sounds elementary and arbitrary but formulating opinions and arguments and speaking aloud in front of people in a foreign language is quite difficult. Also debate encourages group work and critical thinking – all in English.

So that’s where my teaching career stands at the moment. I don’t claim to be the best teacher these students have ever had. We encounter problems on an hourly basis due to the rather large language barrier. While my conversational Kyrgyz has progressed quickly, I am a long way from being able to teach children in this language. However, I really do believe they benefit from listening to a native speaker, however little they may understand right now. Anyway, I know it’s a work in progress and I will continue to stay optimistic. I’ll keep you all posted on our progress next semester as we journey deeper (but probably not that much deeper) into the uncharted territories of the English language.

Peace for now,
Rick

New Pictures

2005-12-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

Hey...I added a couple photos of my new host family as well as one of all the Koshoy volunteers with their host families at the swearing-in ceremony in Tokmok....Enjoy!

Besh Bar Mak

2005-12-04T03:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 1st of many culture posts about Kyrgyzstan...

I felt without a doubt the best place to start with regards to Kyrgyz culture would have to be food. They love food here, not only as a means of nourishment, but also as entertainment, socializing, expressions of gratitude, respect, and of course celebration. However, just any food is not acceptable, and Kyrgyz cuisine is actually quite limited, but all the dishes have one thing in common – meat. And more often than not, the meat is sheep. That is to say mutton, not the young lamb we enjoy in the West. And they eat just about every part of the sheep – intestines, head, eyeballs and all. I don’t know I can convey how much these people love mutton. If they could, they would kill a sheep every day and eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. In reality, I would say 85% of my meals here contain some form of mutton. However, different ways to prepare mutton is not the topic of this post (although anyone needing recipes feel free to contact me because I have plenty) and so I will just talk about the Kyrgyz national meal, which is Besh Bar Mak.

The dish means literally “five fingers” in Kyrgyz and is so named because you eat it with your hands. Technically, the meat in Besh Bar Mak doesn’t have to be sheep, but I have yet to see or even hear of anything different. For any big holiday, most birthday parties, and generally any other decent reason to eat Besh Bar Mak is good enough for the Kyrgyz to kill a sheep. I’ve witnessed several sheep slaughterings as some of you may have seen from my pictures. I may provide a step by step instructional on how to go kill, clean, and prepare a sheep later.

Preparation
So after the sheep is slaughtered, the women of the house take all the entrails in a big wash basin to clean and prepare, while the men carve up the meat. Then, all the parts are boiled in a big, outdoor, fire heated wok-like thing called a Kazan.

Presentation
All medium sized to large Kyrgyz parties have the same presentation. All guests sit on the floor (men Indian style and women on their bottoms with both legs to one side kind of crossed) along all the walls of the room so that a square is formed with everyone facing each other. The seating of all guests is also quite precise and can sometimes be rather tricky. First, either the head woman of the house or sometimes a younger daughter or sister of the house sits at the end of the corner closest to the door where she pours and refills all cups of tea, which everyone drinks instead of water. Secondly, the oldest person at the party always sits in the honorable seat, which is farthest from the door. Then the people sit in decreasing order of importance all the way back to the women pouring tea. However, at most of the parties I’ve been to I sit right next to the oldest person because although I am young, I am also usually the guest of honor (me being a rich American and all). So the order is tricky because sometimes the important people are not the oldest and so forth. Also, usually the women sit on one side of the square and men on the other but that is not always enforced.

So finally the Besh Bar Bak is brought out, after sufficient tea, bread, and salad have been eaten. Usually about three or four big plates are prepared. Each plate is filled with raman noodles, which they call keseme. On top are five or six huge pieces of mutton, which are distributed again according to importance. However, the youngest male eating from each plate cuts the meat of his piece into the raman noodles and then distributes to the rest so that everyone has a big piece of mutton and then a plate full of cut up meat mixed with raman noodles.

Now its time to eat as fast as you can stopping only to take multiple vodka shots…Enjoy!

But now I’m tired of writing…next culture bit to follow soon.

I'm a Volunteer Now!

2005-12-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

Well……after roughly 8,000 miles, 2 ½ months, 100 + hours of language training, 50 + hours of technical training, countless cross-cultural and safety/security sessions, far too many visits to the outhouse, far too few visits to the banya, a trip to Talas, a couple trips to Bishkek, a few stays at the Issik Kol Hotel, one visit to the U.S. Ambassador’s house, 7 Ploafs, 8 Besh Bar Maks, and 3,000 cups of chai, I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer!

The swearing-in ceremony in Tokmok was nice, although the theater was freezing…Marie Yavonovitch, the U.S. Ambassador came and spoke, as did the Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affaris.

We went to the Ambassador’s house in Bishkek for a reception that night. However, Peace Corps had failed to feed us or provide us time to eat before so we were all starving. We were all huddled right outside the kitchen exit assaulting the waiters when they came out with food. Also there was no booze. I never thought my first visit to the Ambassador’s house would find me eating mini-cheeseburgers and drinking Pepsi, but that’s exactly what I did.

Also, I tried uploading pictues for this post, but couldn't get it to work...i'll try again later.

Keep reading for a delightful explanation of the Kyrgyz national dish…

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone...

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year wherever you may be as we say so long to 2005, the Year of the Chicken, and welcome with open arms and a milk bone 2006, the Year of the Dog.

I've decided to abandon all morals and totally sell out this year by spending XMas eve at the Hyatt in Bishkek. And then I will enjoy the American style continental breakfast the following morning. It will be delicious.

Also, I'd like to ask the question, "Andrew Berg, where are you?"

If you're alive and can find your way to a computer, I would enjoy hearing from you. I can be reached through email at gotwald@gmail.com or just call 1-900-KYRGYZSTAN and ask for Rick.

Again,
Best Wishes to Everyone,
Rick

News...

2005-11-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've been rather busy preparing to leave for International Village. Tomorrow is the swearing-in ceremony, at which the U.S. Ambassador swears us all in as official Peace Corps volunteers. Then we all have dinner at her house, then the next day we move to our new sites. I'll be sure to take pictures and write about the ceremony as soon as possible.

Also, Patrick uploaded about 100 pictures that I sent him...If you click on the PICTURES link at the right of this site you can see them...Thank you very much for your help, Patrick.

I've also decided to begin posting some culture blogs about Kyrgyzstan, so that people reading can not just hear about my personal exploits, but also learn some things as well...so stay tuned for the first one of those about Besh Bar Mak!

Finally, another thing about my new address...the way I wrote it on the blog is probably backwards - I have the country on top, then my actual address and vllage at the bottom...this should probably be reversed.

Alright,
More Later,
Rick

New Village

2005-11-10T23:18:00.000-08:00

New update! It's the same post but last time I forgot to put my zip code on my new address...its there now down at the bottom so, enjoy...

I writing you all from my new village, Internacionalnoye (or as most people here call it, Pervo Mai, The 1st of May), from the house of the computer teacher, Tukan, who runs an internet cafe out of his guest house. Needless to say this is quite convenient for me and this is already my second time to visit his house since I came to the village three days ago. Along with the village children who come to play video games, I will be his best customer I'm sure.

Pervo Mai is a small village about 15 kilometers outside of the county center Kant (which many of you know to be where I have been receiving mail during training). I can take a 10 com (25 cent) bus ride to Kant and then another 10 com bus from there to Bishkek every hour.

My new family is great, although I think I'll always be partial to my training family...there's a certain bond you form with people that you only communicate with through charades for 2 to 3 weeks. My new dad is actually the vice principal of the school and is considered the village artist. He sells his paintings in Bishkek and also painted all the murals in the school and also creates educational placards that he hangs in all the classrooms. He is extremely dedicated. As a young man he also played the drums, electric guitar, bass, mandolin, and komuz (national instrument of Kyrgyzstan). He was in a rock n' roll band and had long hair in the 70's (I saw pictures, he was pretty badass). My mom also works at the school and has very short hair dyed red. They have one little ten year old girl who might speak better English than me.

This brings me to my next topic, my new school. It is a public secondary school called Ak-Tilek and is well known for its highly motived students. It consistently sends many graduates to universities in Bishkek. All the students, from 5th to 10th grade, study English. And from what I have seen so far, they are extremely talented. Last night, one of the students came to my house and asked if I could help her because she had a test the next day (everyone here gets really excited when they hear a new American is in town). I tried to help her the best I could, but twice she corrected my grammar. I feel I have my work cut out for me. I need to brush up on my English, but I guess why ten year old sister can help me.

Also, I went to Kant today to open a bank account and everyone was speaking Russian. I knew that was the case in the north but now it seems a little frightening. I will begin studying Russian on my own immediately. Luckily, my friend Charlie who lives in the neighboring village of Yurevka is studying Russian so he may be able to guide me.

My new address is:
Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic)
Chui Oblast
Issik-Ata Region
Internacionalnoye Village (Pervo Mai)
4 Karl Marx Street, 722142

You may begin sending mail there immediately.
No pictures have as yet been posted, but hopefully Ryan and Patrick are on it.
All is good in Central Asia right now and I have a banya tonight, so I'm pretty pumped.

Peace,
Rick

Internacionalnoye Village

2005-11-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

After two months of waiting, my suspense is over...Site announcements were made on Wednesday and rather than traveling to the far ends of the country, completely isolated from all civilization, miles away from other volunteers and more importantly Internet, I am actually moving CLOSER to Bishkek! While I had begun full mental preparation for a disastrous placement, I scored BIG and have been placed in the Internationalnoye Village (formerly Pervo Mai in Russian) which is a mere 40 km from the beautiful capital city of Bishkek in the Chui Oblast. Also, a good friend of mine here named Charlie has been placed in the neighboring village (its name escapes me at the moment but it doesn't matter). Together we have already planned an outing for the first day of Spring at the one golf course in Kyrgyzstan which is located just outside....wait, wait, yes of course, Bishkek!

Life is good here and about to get even better...I go to visit my village and host family next week and will bring back more info then...

That's it for now,
Rick