January 4, 2013

It was snowing lightly when I got up. I got ready to attend the meeting at Forum and decided to walk up to the Kyrgyz National University as I had no idea what marshrutka could take me there. Willoughby had given me a program that could pinpoint the different bus routes on a city map, but I had forgotten to transfer it from my flashdrive to the laptop.

Just as Laira had mentioned, the fresh snow falling over the accumulated ice made for even more treacherous walking and I felt myself slip slightly on at least four occasions before reaching the university. I ran into Willoughby right in front of the building and we then spied Elvira coming up as well. Gulnara was already inside the building and Asel and Michael joined us a few minutes later. Matthew never showed up.

We got down to business with Gulnara outlining exactly what was needed for the refreshments part of the conference as well as the costs of the certificates so I’d have a final budget to summit to my RELO. Asel brought her laptop and we made changes to the schedule right there with the final decision being made that every presenter would only have one hour. I now need to rethink my presentation as the PowerPoint in itself could take one hour not to mention the four or five activities I was planning on carrying out.

Forum had purchased a new all-in-one printer that was still in its box as Gulnara indicated she didn’t know how to plug it into the computer. Having done mine so recently, I offered to do it and had it running in a just a few minutes. Gulnara congratulated me as if I had just invented the thing in itself.

Next on the agenda was a visit to Public School #2 where the workshops will take place to inspect the rooms and to determine if we could use their canteen for our coffee breaks. The two men guarding the school had no keys to any of the rooms and they called the principal who demanded a letter of appreciation from Forum for allowing us to use her facilities and said she’d be the one to open the rooms on Tuesday period. The canteen would be off limits to us.

Michael, Elvira and I repaired to a nearby canteen attached to the International University to have a bite for lunch only to find that everything had been cooked who knows when and the best they could do was to reheat it in the microwave. I had a lukewarm bowl of oily rasolnik soup and a roll along with a glass of compote. From there, Elvira said goodbye and Michael and I walked to the Seven Days store near my apartment so I could see what they offered, and he could withdraw money from his Peace Corps account. To think that the volunteers now have an ATM card and don’t need to spend half a day going to the bank do deal with the cashing of checks.

This store didn’t offer anything not found at the other ones and I couldn’t even find muesli, something I had easy access to at the store across the street from my old flat. I got some eggs, cream of wheat, juice, milk and water so as to make sure I would’t need to step out of my apartment over the weekend and just concentrate on the work I need to have done by this week.

I texted the landlady asking her for an update on the things she had meant to do, but she never replied. I really don’t have a good feeling about this.

Spent the rest of the evening reading a compelling book, “Teach like a Champion” by Doug Lemov that contained some really awesome ways to get students involved in learning. I’m definitely copying some of his ideas for my future observation feedback to Kyrgyz teachers.

January 3, 2013

Willoughby called from around the corner just as I was finishing my toast with Nutella. She couldn’t figure out the combination to the gate, so I hurried up and showed her how to do it for future reference. She was impressed with the apartment, and except for the lack of electrical outlets in the kitchen, found no fault at all with it. We headed to the Osh bazaar and ran into Brice, the Fulbrighter, on the way to boarding the marshrutka.

He claimed not to have read my email asking for his participation in the upcoming series of workshops, nothing new there, but said he’d be in Turkey meeting his girlfriend at that time. He happens to live just across the street from my building. Small world, indeed.

Willoughby had a long list of spices and seasonings she wanted to get along with table knives as most Kyrgyz use no knives when eating and thus her landlady hadn’t supplied any. When I thought of it, I realized I didn’t have any either, but hoped my landlady would buy me a set to match the silverware already in the apartment. I bought cumin seeds and the right variety of rice for the plov along with the shredded carrots and herbs for the Tajik salad to go with it. At one of the spice stalls, I spied what looked like cinnamon bark and couldn't believe my luck when the vendor confirmed it was cinnamon.

                             Unusually-shaped mushrooms just arriving at the Osh bazaar

I found a plastic pail to keep hot soapy water in the sink to soak the dishes, an oven mitten and a pot holder, but no small towel with a hook to hang from the small sink in the toilet room. Willoughby bought a towel and I found the felt purse I was looking for to use when I go out in the evenings and don’t want to carry my large handbag.

We found the right marshrutka to get back to my place and as both of us were hungry, we stopped at the Vanilla Sky coffeehouse across the street marveling at its glass cases full of tempting desserts, the high polished wood of its floors, tables and chairs and luxuriating in the fact that they had a separate non-smoking room. The menu was entirely in Russian, but someone had been ingenious enough to offer photos of the different dishes to help those of us unable to read Cyrillic. I settled for a bowl of soup while Willoughby went for coffee and cake.

My soup came in a bowl not bigger than the coffee cup I have in my apartment and looked nothing like the item in the photo while having no discernible flavor at all. Willoughby’s cake had little dough but lots of layers filled with cream or something resembling it. I made a mental note to only go there for coffee and dessert in the future. On my way out, I noticed they still had their Christmas tree up and Willoughby commented that most likely it'd be up until January 7 when the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated here.

The plov preparations started immediately and I returned Douglass’ call to ask him to come around three. The Tajik salad was a bust because the cucumbers had frozen in the fridge and lost all of its crunchy texture and the tomatoes were beyond ripe. I had no salt or ground black pepper for the salad dressing either. I called Douglas and he agreed to bring a bit of each from his apartment.

I have to say this plov was the best one I’ve ever made. It might be because I made half of the recipe I usually cook since I don’t really have much room to store leftovers in the fridge. Both Douglas and Willoughby had seconds and I still had a small portion leftover for tomorrow. I hope to recreate this recipe exactly as I did today for it was beyond delicious.

My guests left together when it began to grow darker outside. Douglas reminded me to stop bellyaching about the minor flaws in the apartment as he felt the place was perfect and wished he could live in such a flat instead of sharing an apartment out in the boonies.

I spent the rest of the evening searching for additional listening activities I could incorporate into the workshop next week. I then read a bit more of the book “The Giver” but wasn’t able to finish it to return it to Forum tomorrow.

January 2, 2013

How perceptions change! After puttering around the apartment all day, I decided to go for an afternoon stroll since they day had been sunny and the temperature was relatively mild at 25 degree Fahrenheit. Had I been in the United States, that same temperature would have instilled in me a desire to stay home curled in my sofa with a good book and a pot of coffee.

Too bad the sidewalks are still covered with that dangerous mix of ice and craggy leftover snow for what should have been a pleasant walk turned into an obstacle course for many blocks while I searched for the indoor market Douglas had told me was located on the same side of the street as my apartment complex.

I did find it and he didn’t lie when he said I’d find fresh coconut, Hass avocados, limes, pineapples, broccoli, spinach and a myriad of other vegetables including fresh ginger. I got the garbanzo beans I was looking for to add to my plov and a few other provisions until the bag got too heavy to carry.

Going to this bazaar would definitely warrant the taking of a marshrutka during the winter as it’s just too dangerous to walk that far with the sidewalks in the conditions that they are now and will probably remain so for the next couple of months.

Matthew confirmed he’ll be attending the winter break session and asked to be included in the meeting on Friday. I invited Willoughby to come over for lunch or dinner tomorrow and she called to say she’d like to spend the day with me. We’ll go to the Osh bazaar together to get a few more things for lunch and wander through the neighborhood in search of a delicatessen and German bakery Douglas told us about.

January 1, 2013

I was delighted to have a full day to spend at home so I could finally organize all of my work materials so everything should be at hand when needed. I unpacked the printer, all of my books and training materials and threw away what I didn’t need any more.

While having breakfast, I tried to watch the dropping of the ball in New York City but Anderson Cooper and whatever-her-name is comedian made for a pair of dull entertainers, so I turned it off. Instead, I watched the movie “Zodiac”, which Yoomie had recommended long ago, and found it fascinating especially since Mark Ruffalo, one of my favorite actors, was in it.

I got the dishes done, marinated the beef to make plov tomorrow, did my hair and contemplated unpacking my clothes, but gave up the effort. There’s still tomorrow to get that task done. It snowed for a little while but not enough to add to what was already on the ground.

I completed the forms on what my presentations will be for the mid-year ELF conference in Almaty and sent them back to my RELO. Looking through my windows throughout the day, the city looked empty and eerily quiet as I guess the revelers must have been at home nursing their hangovers for the most part.

December 31, 2012

Spent a very quiet day at the apartment just working on a presentation on listening skills for the upcoming winter break workshop. Nargiza had texted me the day before to indicate she was rescinding her New Year’s Eve invitation as the family was traveling to visit her uncle. Willoughby had invited me to spend the evening with her and two other Peace Corps volunteers and I had agreed.

Douglas had mentioned he had no plans for the evening and I emailed Willoughby asking her if she could include one more person to which she said yes. We agreed to arrive at five to have time to talk before dinner and we both offered to bring wine to contribute to her meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gingered carrots menu.

I stopped at two Narodni supermarkets on the way to the marshrutka and they both offered only non-alcoholic wine. Neither store personnel could speak enough English to explain what had happened to their full stock of alcoholic beverages. I called Willoughby to explain the situation and offered to bring a cake instead, but she declined the offer saying she had enough food for all of us already. I learned later on from Douglas that the supermarket chain had lost its liquor license.

As I waited for the minibus, I noticed a striking young woman standing next to me with her six-inch stiletto booties covered in rhinestones. I had to take her photo, fake eyelashes and all, and she gladly complied. We boarded the same minibus and she insisted on paying my fare and then handed me a piece of candy wishing me a new year, I surmised. I could see that Ala-Too Square was overrun with people, mostly families with young children, already celebrating the advent of the new year.

                                               Take a  look at those heels!

Douglas boarded the same minibus in front of the VEFA Center and using his smart phone got us to Willoughby’s building, a decaying structure inside and out, where she occupies a unit on the second floor. She pays $250.00 for a three-room flat full of darkness and as cold as an iceberg with little furniture but the incongruous presence of an old piano. Her stove and fridge are located in what used to be a balcony and lacks any source of lighting, so she uses a flashlight to cook by.

We sat at a banquet and had ginger tea, sans cinnamon sticks, and granola bars while waiting for Joanna, a Peace Corps volunteer of Filipino origin, who had just returned from a trip to Armenia. The food was delicious, especially the gingered carrots, and we even had gravy with it. I had a glass of wine while we discussed the differences between participating in the Peace Corps and being a fellow. Joanna is on her third year here and indicated the city has changed substantially since she got here in 2010.

When asked if we were going to wait around until midnight, Douglas said no as apparently he had other plans. I didn’t relish the idea of hanging around for the silliness of breaking a bottle of champagne and wishing for good things for the artificial construct that a new year is and indicated I’d leave when Douglas was ready.

I decided to take a taxi from Willoughby’s house since I didn’t want to walk in the darkness to my new place and didn’t want to risk riding a new route and probably getting off at the wrong stop. Douglass negotiated with the driver and got dropped off first. I got to read for a little while aware all the time of the fireworks going off every few minutes.

December 30, 2012

Finally, a quiet day in the apartment with only a brief interlude when first the cable guy showed up to connect the service and then the landlady came by bearing a small microwave and the router to get the Internet service connected. Money in hand, she left again and returned to get me set up for good before leaving for Issyk-Kul Lake where she would be greeting the new year with a group of friends.

Although she claimed her brother would be coming along with the electrician to solve the issue of a lack of outlets to plug appliances into in the kitchen and other small nuisances, the guy didn’t show up at all. It was fine with me as I already had the things that really counted at this point: Internet access, a microwave to heat my meals and access to CNN for the news.

The cable guy informed me I’d need to pay about $100.00 dollars to buy a special box that could convert almost any channel into the English language and then about $10.00 a month for the continuous service. He provided a list of the channels offered and I saw nothing of interest except for the BBC and EuroNews. It hardly seems worth it. I really don’t understand why satellite television is not more widely available here as it used to be in Tajikistan where I had access to three channels in Spanish and at least a dozen in English.

When it came time for lunch, I brought out the meal from the Soho Club, slices of beef covered with some kind of white sauce and mushrooms with a side order of white rice, and added part of the sauce Asel brought me for the house warming party. I let the whole thing simmer for a while to soften the meat and then served with some for the Korean salads I had in the fridge. It turned out to be a delicious meal.

Watched CNN recount of the most compelling stories of the year 2012 and thought they had done an extremely lousy job of it. Only superficial coverage, shallow assessment and talking heads for the most part. Bored with it, I switched to reading a book, “The Giver”, which I had borrowed from the Forum offices as I recalled it was a mandatory read at Forest High School the year I was unfortunate enough to have to teach there.

December 29, 2012

The bedroom in the new apartment faces the street and I had contemplated the idea of switching it to the living room, which faces the inner courtyard, but since I didn’t have anyone to help me with move, I had no choice but to sleep there last night. It was surprisingly quiet as apparently traffic dies down completely once it gets dark and although I did a tossing and turning, as I do whenever I get to sleep in a place for the first time, I wasn’t disturbed in the least.

I managed to use the gas stove for my coffee and used the huge skillet to toast the last piece of flat bread I had for breakfast before the landlady and the rental agent showed up to sign the lease. Mika, the owner, was delighted to see how thoroughly I had cleaned the kitchen and how organized everything was. I pointed out to her that she needed to make some significant improvements to the flat if she wanted to continue to rent to foreigners such as electrical and plumbing.

She complained to me she didn’t want to pay the agency the $325.00 finding fee and was scheming to find a way out. I told her I couldn’t how since I was already installed in the flat and the agency was aware of that. When the agent arrived, the two of them argued, in Russian of course, for a long time and I just retreated to my computer room and let them go at it.

For my part, I just handed her $1300.00 to cover two months of rent making sure there was a note in the contract stipulating she’d be installing an AC/heating unit, a microwave and a flat screen TV set before signing. Mika left promising to be on her way to buying the TV set and microwave as well as completing the paperwork to get the Internet and cable service installed.

I needed a few provisions and Mika pointed out that there was convenience store right across the street as well as another Narodni supermarket just one block away. The Vanilla Sky coffee house was also across the street and she highly recommended their pastries and salads made with ingredients they grow themselves. I perused the goods at the convenience store and ventured only as far as the supermarket for the streets and sidewalks were slick with ice and I was afraid of slipping and falling. I bought juice, milk and water and came back to the apartment for a nap.

Mika returned mid-afternoon with a preposterous scheme. She claimed she owns the flat with her brother and that he wasn’t aware she had agreed to pay the agency half of the first month’s rent. So, supposedly, she had called the agency to find out how she could get her money back and they had said she needed to evict me and, of course, I was such a nice person that she hated to do that to me. The solution: could I kick in half of the agency’s fee so her brother wouldn’t be so mad at her and she would pay me back $50.00 at a time?

I was so mad I could barely see straight. I flat out told her I didn’t believe the story about her brother not knowing and even then, it wasn’t my problem and I had no more money to allocate to rent expenses. She had brought some insulating tape to wrap around the door and windows and proceeded to do that after showing me the receipt for Internet payment for three months. She’d brought back no microwave or TV set. I didn’t have a good feeling about this relationship anymore.

Gulnara and Zarina had both called to let me they were arranging for the taxi driver to pick me up for the New Year celebration the school was sponsoring. I had failed to buy a new dress as it had been my intention and just dusted off one my Tajik outfits and packed my dancing shoes in a bag. We picked up Douglas, an American I had met at the Beta Stores when I first got here and whom Gulnara plans to hire to teach at the school even thought he has no background in teaching whatsoever. He was delighted to see me feeling better that I least there was one person he knew somehow.

We arrived at the Soho Club, the first ones there, and had to wait forever so everyone was there and the toast was made before we could dig into the salads already on the table. The servers came by with red wine, champagne and vodka throughout the night. We were served solyanka soup later on and I never got to the main dish for the place quickly filled with smoke and when Zarina said her husband was waiting and she was taking the main course home to share with him, I ordered mine to be take out as well.

In between, we went to the dance floor to listen to what appeared to be one long song with the same beat. Zarina tried to get the DJ to play music from my flashdrive, but he claimed he had to find a track that sounded similar to what he was playing so he could blend the two of them and he never did. I got bored pretty quickly and returned to the table where I talked to Douglas and Johnny, Gulnara’s husband, whom I hadn’t met until today. I also met Larissa’s daughter who currently lives in Istanbul and who invited me to visit her next time I happen to be in that city.

The taxi driver dropped me off in front of the main gate, but I wasn’t able to open it with the combination given to me and had to walk around the building to where there’s no gate. Once in front of my building, the same thing happened and I had to call Mika to be told I had to push all three numbers at the same time and then pull the door open. I could have been there all night pushing numbers to no avail.