valerie
January 6, 2025 - dough was too thick, but otherwise our pizza yesterday turned out not bad, especially for Kyrgyz style pizza. The peace sign covering part of the pizza is my host sister
January 5, 2025 - relatively new sculpture in Kochkor’s small central park, located in front of the cinema, honoring a Kyrgyz film director who worked during the Soviet Union named Gennedy Bazarov
January 3, 2025 - leftovers from a Chinese fast food restaurant. things like this are part of what make Kyrgyzstan so funny to me. As I’ve heard other volunteers say, “copyright law basically doesn’t exist here”
December 30, 2024 - some ‘bitter manhole’ for sale at Osh Bazaar. Горькая literally translates from Russian as ‘bitter’, so I understand why that word is in the English translation, but I’m not sure how ‘manhole’ got there
December 29, 2024 - a little produce shop in Bishkek. I thought it was funny how the shelves have been labeled with different prices over time
December 27, 2024 - road from Naryn City to Kochkor again, this time closer to Naryn City (yes, this was taken from inside a car 😅)
December 26, 2024 - I finished the 2nd grade Kyrgyz music textbook, so I started the 2nd grade Kyrgyz language textbook. Makes me wonder if I’m stupid when I read a text like this and feel like I got nothing at the end of it! But it’s okay, my Kyrgyz teacher will help me understand it
December 24, 2024 - was taking a break in my classroom when my second coteacher texted me to open the door to the classroom next door. She was teaching a lesson that she teaches alone. Apparently, a student closed the door hard and then they couldn’t open the door from the inside 😅
December 23, 2024 - some interesting items on this menu from a restaurant in Naryn City, including “liquid lagman” and “fantasy meat patties”
December 21, 2024 - Naryn City. Here for a Christmas party with other volunteers (since we work on Christmas Day. The last day of school before winter break is Friday, December 27th. I can’t wait)
December 20, 2024 - played Othello for the first time in my life earlier this month as part of an English game/activity demonstration
December 19, 2024 - taken from inside a moving car with tinted windows. Mountains near the village I visited yesterday. The scenery there was beautiful, and I wish I had had time to take pictures in the actual village. Generally wish for more time, daylight and health to spend outdoors in winter
December 18, 2024 - visited a teacher in another village, and her students presented project work on English speaking countries. This was the display that the American group made
December 17, 2024 - the mountains south of my village (they’re farther away than they look in the picture, about 10 - 15 kilometers away)
