valerie
May 6, 2025 - Flydubai’s animated aviation safety video featured women wearing golden face shields. At first, I thought it was just a random character design choice, but after looking into it, seems like it might be a battoulah? (Also I think the black is a veil rather than hair?)
May 4, 2025 - went to a Globus supermarket in Bishkek and they were selling emoji plushies which were put in Morrison’s bags for some reason (I assume to keep them clean, but it just looked weird)
May 3, 2025 - May 2nd is my host sister’s birthday, and May 4th is my host mom’s birthday, so my host family made chicken shashlik last night, and it was really good 😋 this is the second batch of skewers before they were cooked
May 2, 2025 - Shrek in Panfilov Park got a paint job done that makes him look truer to his color in the animated films. On the other hand, Donkey (not pictured) is darker now, but at least his second ear (which was broken) got repaired
May 1, 2025 - statue of famous Soviet-era Kyrgyz artist Chokmorov, who is also on Kyrgyzstan’s 5000 som bill (the largest bill denomination here)
April 30, 2025 - I remember when this was a thing in America, that you could find Coca-Cola bottles with various names on them. Seems that it’s here in Kyrgyzstan now, though I don’t know for how long. I could only find my host father’s name, not anyone else in my host family
April 29, 2025 - used a toilet at a hotel while there for a conference. The only dispenser on the wall next to the sink read “hair and body wash”. I didn’t want to use hair and body wash to wash my hands, but I also didn’t want to not use soap! (yeah yeah I assume that the label wasn’t accurate)
Anyone have phone or laptop stand recommendations? Or any other gift idea for someone who likes gifts that can be used (not just something that will sit and collect dust or be consumed)? Going to America for a short visit soon, so if you recommend something available there, that’s okay
April 25, 2025 - after our lesson yesterday, a student handed me a folded piece of paper as she left the classroom. At first, I thought it was just trash. But when I opened it, I saw this message 😭🩷 the students are 1000% the best part of this job
April 23, 2025 - despite being ‘fried with salt’, I find these almonds to be too sweet… will try different almonds next time
April 22, 2025 - I really don’t like rain, but at least these storms in the mountains pass through quickly (and it still doesn’t rain that much volume-wise anyway - this is a relatively dry area)
April 21, 2025 - a lot of future potato fields in my village have looked like this for the past month, with piles of poop sitting in piles and then spread to be used as fertilizer. My host mom said people use poop from their own animals, but that a few people also buy some
April 20, 2025 - a pot of something boiling. I’m not sure exactly what my mom was cooking, but it was for workers we had at our house last week who helped to sort our potatoes
April 19, 2025 - we noticed that a few trees have been chopped down in the small central Kochkor park. There was another being cut down when I was in town today
April 18, 2025 - the good/bad potatoes have been sorted and my host family is ready for potato planting season
April 16, 2025 - I forgot to share that I saw a rainbow this past weekend! Not very vibrant, but a rainbow nonetheless
