valerie

August 7, 2023 - barely trying to hide that this is a Choco Pie knock-off

red box with a picture of a layered chocolate and cream cookie and text "Choko Pay" on it; able to see cookies through plastic in middle which are topped with chocolate cream and powdered sugar but look nothing like the box's picture

August 6, 2023 - Kyrgyz cemetery

from afar - tombstones inside fenced plots and three small mausoleums. mountains in the background

August 5, 2023 - I don’t know what this bird is, but it looks so cool

bird with black and white striped wings, brown body, black and brown striped crest and a long beak standing in dry grass next to a dirt road

August 4, 2023 - green apple slices sitting on a table outside at a coworker’s host family’s house. I assume they are going to be used in cooking, but not sure for what

green apple slices on a wooden table in an enclosed concrete porch area

August 3, 2023 - moon in the sky

at night, roof of a building visible. tree on the left, full moon shining in the sky, and clouds to the right of the moon

August 2, 2023 - cows walking down the road while I was on transport

5 brown/white and 1 black cow and 1 sheep walking to the left of the photo

August 1, 2023 - entrance to the local school from inside

two open doorways, one with a few stained glass-looking windows above it

July 31, 2023 - first day of my short teaching practicum! I had students work in groups and make this at the end of a lesson on ‘I like’/‘I don’t like’. Not a v productive production activity, but oh well. I’m biased, but I think it’s an interesting visual. Maybe w more time could’ve done more w it

paper chart. rows labeled with names (3) and columns labeled with food/drink (6). Each cell has a happy or sad face, correlating with 'like' and 'don't like' respectively

July 30, 2023 - Was confused because I saw this guy from a distance so I could only see the black moving…was talking with someone at the time and couldn’t help but to turn away and say, “what IS that creature?” I don’t know exactly what it is or how it got there, but I hope it’s safe 😥

brown baby bird with black wing tips and spots of yellow resting on a ridge on bark of a tree

July 29, 2023 - There’s a phrase in Kyrgyz, Эл эмне дейт? (What will people say?) It encourages people to stick with societal expectations and community-approved actions. This cafe is called Эл эмне жейт which rhymes but means ‘what the people eat’. My sense of humor is so boring, I find this funny

July 28, 2023 - Kyrgyz grammar chart made by a past trainee/volunteer. There is a separate word for ‘if’ in Kyrgyz (эгерде), but it’s not always necessary to use. To show ‘if (someone) (verbs)’, you need to put a С between the verb stem and the possessive ending of the subject

grammar chart on a piece of paper called "If Chart" demonstrating how to form 'if' in Kyrgyz using verbs

July 27, 2023 - line of sinks out in the open in the entrance hall of the local school. I don’t know what the purpose of this is, maybe because appearances are important?

row of 8 white sinks against a wall, each with a small rectangular mirror above it

July 26, 2023 - crossing the road

asphalt road extended into the distance with several cars driving on it; dirt on either side of the road; traffic light at the top

July 25, 2023 - raspberry jam

large metal bowl of raspberry jam with a serving utensil in it

July 24, 2023 - my host cousin showed me pictures he drew. They had stickers which looked exactly like mine. Wait…I went to my room and saw that my cat sticker pack was missing. Later my 3 y.o host sister returned the cat stickers from his pictures. But no idea where the whole pack is 😂

July 23, 2023 - near Syn-Tash, Kyrgyzstan

green and brown mountain valley under a blue sky with some white clouds

July 22, 2023 - in the middle of yurt set-up

assembled red skeleton of a yurt without any felt coverings

July 21, 2023 - love the scent of trash burning in the evening

plants next to a wooden fence with trees behind and a layer of smoke in the air amongst the trees

July 20, 2023 - fountain in front of ЦУМ, a shopping mall in Bishkek (picture taken this past weekend)

multiple streams of water shooting up from a rectangular fountain in front of a modern building

July 19, 2023 - Welcome to my host family’s banya! The stove on the right has hot water inside. The blue basin is for mixing hot and cold water. The cold water is in a bucket on the table to the left of the basin, not pictured. We use the banya 1 or 2 times a week. Feels better than a regular shower

white walled room with stone floor and a partly unfinished ceiling with wood visible. right: stove for holding hot water / left: table with a plastic blue basin for mixing hot and cold water

July 18, 2023 - the clothes I have to wear for Culture Day on Saturday!

traditional female Kyrgyz clothes - long skirt with white silk slip and a mesh outer layer with a purple pattern; purple velvet-like top with red/orange embellishments; matching purple hat with red/orange embellishments and white feathers from the top

July 17, 2023 - Victory Square, Bishkek

monument in a city which looks like two sides of a yurt joined by the roof at the top

July 16, 2023 - Dordoi Plaza shopping center in Bishkek

July 15, 2023 - outhouse friends

wasp nest with about 5 wasps visible on a white wooden wall

July 14, 2023 - lyrics (only the first and third verses) to a Kyrgyz song called Угузчу бир сөз that the trainees in my village are learning to perform for Culture Day next weekend. 3 people bought a komuz in Bishkek yesterday to play and some of us (including me) will sing

song title and lyrics in Kyrgyz on an easel paper pad