Joined the Peace Corps. BRB.

Some volunteers came down to Osh from Issyk-Kol. Here’s what happened.


The conference was at Osh State University.


We climbed That Rock in Osh. You have to pay a 3 som fee to climb That Rock, this is the entrance. The old lady who collects the toll is never here, but right as you climb the stairs, she’ll hop out from behind a bush/tree/boulder/ice cream cooler and demand that you pay.


Speaking of ice coolers…this guy carried this all the way down the mountain. He’s seized The Man title in Osh for sure.


Hey, Osh.


And Team Uzgen, one last time.

Thanks again, Dan.

May 29: Indoors

Cry no longer, fans. I moved out of the yurt and into the house yesterday, sanity and health still intact. My host family told my program manager that I would stay in the yurt for 2 weeks. And…2 months later. Can’t say that it was the worst thing ever, but I’m still not a fan of camping. Or random livestock wandering into my room.

A few volunteers from the north just left after working on a Women’s Leadership Camp in Osh. It was fun to have new folks running around, excited to see all the things that have become ordinary to me. There are times when I get the grass-is-greener syndrome about the south, but I always figure I was placed down here for a reason.

“Show me your way, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5

May 31: Final hurrah

With my upcoming vacation and Dan’s departure date closing in, yesterday was Team Uzgen’s final hurrah. By the time I get back from Korea, I expect Dan to be back in the States, tearing into a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Or at least drinking Slurpees till he’s sick.

People always say goodbyes are tough, but I’ve never felt that way. Thinking about parting ways is hard, but the lead-up is always worse than the event itself. It seems like everyone feels compelled to run through the laundry list of goodbye phrases: “Take care,” “I’ll miss you,” “Keep in touch,” etc. How do you sum up several months in a few brief sentences? After a certain period of time, shallow words are no longer necessary.

I shook his hand and said “Thanks, Thunder Dan,” before turning and walking down the road.

Time doesn’t stop for goodbyes.