Next stop Saha

I got a job! After a few weeks of sending out my resume, filling out applications and speaking to school directors in Korea over the phone I finally found a position that fit. I start teaching January 16th and will be living in Busan (a.k.a. Pusan) South Korea. Details:

• One year contract
• Fulltime schedule teaching kindergarten and elementary age students
• Airfare to and from Korea paid for by school
• Single apartment, fully furnished, entirely rent free
• Monthly salary more than twice what I'm making here in the Czech Republic
• Located in Saha, a suburb of Busan, Korea's third largest city
• Near the beach and the prestigious Dong University (anyone who wants a Dong U. tee-shirt just email me)

Michelle is still looking for a position but she's been shown a job in Saha as well so hopefully we'll be close by each other. Also my friend Todd will be in Busan and I have a friend Katie living in Seoul, three hours north. Should be a blast. I'm really looking forward to it.

And now I'm left with just a week left in Prague. It's been a great six months and I'm really glad I came. I plan on spending a few days here in the city sightseeing and saying goodbye. On Thursday I'm heading to Madrid for three days and then next Monday I'm heading home to San Diego. It'll be good to spend a month at home with friends and family before I start my next journey to Korea.

Cesky Krumlov

Hey. I had a great weekend in Cesky Krumlov, a small village three hours south of Prague. Below are some pictures:

A view of the village church next to the Vlatava river.

A view of the village from the top of the castle

Snowy park just outside the town

Michelle and I both went. We ate lots of great food, drank delicous southern Bohemia beer and wandered around mostly. Highlights: real hot chocolate in the snow, horseback riding in the hills around the town and a bear moat at the castle.

Blah, Blah, Blah...I'm moving to Korea

Hey. First off, let me say that I'm sorry for not updating my blog at all as of late. I've been really busy (read: lazy) and just haven't been able to find the time (read: I've been drinking my time away). I am planning on writing a bunch of articles, each one highlighting a particular quirk or feature of Czech life. Each one will be funny or tragic as the subject dictates but more than likely I'll never get around to it so don't hold your breath.

Honestly, nothing that phenominal has happened lately. I've just been working and hanging out mostly. It's started to snow here and I've aquired a deep, burning hatred for the cold. A few funny stories and happenings but nothing too big. Mostly I've spent the last few weeks planning my escape. Come December my Czech chapter is going to end. I'm heading home to SD on the 19th and by February I hope to be in sunny South Korea (Fun Fact: South Kora is not sunny, it's just as cold as Prague).

That's right. I'm abandoning this former Communist country in favor of the next best thing: a democratic country neighboring a current Communist country. Why, do you ask? Because I hate the teaching system here! A twenty hour workweek, a combined three hour a day commute and teaching old boring businessmen who honestly don't need English anyway. I have a handful of students I actually like working with, but most of my classes are about getting through the hour instead of having fun. I miss teaching kids and having a classroom and wroking a full day. These are all things I can get in Korea. Plus with a salary that is three to four times higher and a free apartment, I'd be a fool not to go there. I have some friends teaching there now and I'm going to go with my girlfriend so adjusting to Korea should be easy. Minimum contract length is 1 year so I should be out there for a while. But first I'm heading home for 4 - 8 weeks. I hope to see as may people as I can and make a few trips. See everyone in a month.

This week is my last week teaching for my agency and I plan on spending my last month in Prague visiting museums, the castle and any pubs I might have missed during my tenure. Plus a few day trips to areas around the Czech Republic and, hopefully, a trip to Spain and a trip to Budapest (City of Cathedrals! I see you right there on the Bridge of the Danube kid...) I'll be applying for Korea jobs as well and I'll let you all know what the specifics are once I know them. Talk to you later.

Dear Prague,

Yeah. Not gonna lie to you: Not really digging the whole sun setting at 4.30 thing. Anything you could do to change that would be great. Thanks,

Sean

P.S. And could you make Hlavni Nadrazi not smell like ass while you're at it?

Culture

There are three things that the Czechs really dig. Ice hockey, football and the opera (beer would certainly take the top spot on this list, but it’s so ubiquitous, it’s not necessary to mention it). Since I’ve done nothing cultural since I’ve been here (except sample the beer) I decided that I should experience these three things. Admittedly, I would have only considered the first two if only one of my students hadn’t given me her ticket to the opera, which, was an experience.

I had never been to an opera before and I kept thinking of that Bugs Bunny cartoon where Elmer Fudd is a Viking singing that he must “Kill the wabbit, Kill the waaaabbit!” Anyway, when I was given the ticket I was excited to be trying something new. I got dressed up and made my way to the opera house for the nights performance of Rigoletto, an Italian opera about a court jester, his master and some servant girl that the master’s boffing. I got all this information from the synopsis in the playbill which is good because I didn’t understand a God damn thing while the play was going on. I knew it would be in Italian but thought I could follow along by just watching the actors. The Czech translation that flashed above the stage certainly didn’t help any and I was bored after 20 minutes. And it’s trouble when I get bored. I started fidgeting and singing the Czech translation under my breath. I considered punching the man next to me in the leg to see how he would react. I counted the globes in the chandelier. Decided which of the cast members I’d most like to have sex with. Needless to say I would have been hard pressed to stay through a whole 3 hour production. I bolted at the intermission. “How was the opera?” my student asked later. “Well the building was beautiful…”

Hockey was another matter. Sparta Praha vs. a team from Znojmo, which is located either in southern Czech Republic or on the planet Mars. We sat in the stands drinking beer and eating fat Czech sausages (which I’ll trade for a Dodger Dog for any day). It was a lot of fun and the crowd was pretty excited despite the arena being only half full. We got there ten minutes late and Znojmo was already up by a goal. Sparta answered back in the second period to tie it 1-1. Then in the third, Znoymo scored on a bullshit shot that barely managed to squeeze past the goalie. We lost 2-1, but while we were there we were singing and cheering as if we actually knew a thing about hockey. I surprised to learn that unlike American hockey, there is no checking allowed in the Czech Republic. Taking away the player’s ability to slam their opponents against a wall of reinforced glass seems wrong. I mean, that’s hockey. A sport that averages 3 to 4 goals a game needs something to keep the spectators entertained, and that something is violence. Get on that Czech Republic.

As far as football (soccer) is concerned, I’m pretty sure the rules are the same. This is the last cultural event that I want to experience while I’m here. I made plans to go to a game earlier in the week but found out just hours before the game that it was being played in Amsterdam. This lead to a stern talking to with my flat mate Kirsten that when I ask “when’s the next Sparta game?” of course I mean the next home game. I’m sure I’ll get to a game soon and when I do I’ll cheer my little hometeam-bandwagon heart out.

Halloween kinda sucked

I was really excited for Halloween this year. Coming from UC Santa Barbara where Halloween is an epic, week-long event I wanted my first (and last) 'ween in Prague to be awesome.

It started off with a great costume idea. You see, in Prague there are no parking meters anywhere, and in the old Communist spirit of giving everyone a job even (or especially) if they are useless, there are parking attendants everywhere. They usually sit on the sidewalk on a folding chair or in a nearby pub waiting for someone to come along and park their car. The attendant then gets up, takes the driver's money and puts a ticket on their windshield, then resumes either his newspaper or beer. Is this the noble working class that was once so well regarded under Communism? Either way these guys wear some snazzy clothes. Big, bright colored overalls not unlike those that the Mario Brothers wear. Passing an attendant on the street one day inspiration struck and a great costume idea was it's fruit.

I first pitched the idea to Michelle who said that "couples costumes are lame". Fair point. I then suggested the idea to my friend Nikki who agreed on the condition that she be Mario. I agreed and the hunt for a store that sold those uniforms began. It took only a few hours but since we had put it off til the last minute, there was a certain degree of suspense. Seeing the genius of our costume others tried to jump on the bandwagon. There was talk of Toby being Toad and Katie being "that Raccoon dude" from Mario 3, who we later learned was named Tanooki (file that gem of information away). These ideas fell apart and the only one to really embrace the idea was Michelle who made a great Princess Toadstool.

We had a surprisingly crowded Halloween party at Nikki And Katie's flat and after everyone was sufficiently trashed, wandered down to Nebe, our favorite hangout. Nebe (heaven in Czech) was having a Halloween party of their own. A half hour into the party we realized that Katie was missing. I went to look for her and found her swaying on the stairway. I helped her down stairs but then decided she was too drunk to stand and I suggested that we head outside to get some air. She protested and the bouncer noticed her and told us both to leave. With some difficulty I got her back upstairs where she kept demanding be be let in again. We sat outside for half and hour or so in the cold where Katie decided to try to make out with me.

Seeing this night spiraling out of control I enlisted the help of a friend and we tried to get Katie into a cab to take her home. This was interupted by Katie breaking away and trying once agin to get into Nebe an once again being kicked out by the bouncer. We got her into a cab and were told by the driver (in gestures and Czech) that if Katie puked the ride would cost 1000 crown. We made it to her flat without incident and somehow got her upstairs and into bed. The whole process was exhausting and by the time I got back to Nebe I was sober and pissed off. Not my ideal Halloween, babysitting a friend and losing my buzz in the meantime, but certainly not an uneventful one.

It's getting cold

Hey. This one will have to be quick since I'm using the computer at the office.

Briefly: Plzen Fest kicked ass. Lots of drinking, fried food and carnival games. Good time all around. We ended up leaving early since it started to rain but it we couldn't drink any longer anyway.

The weekend after I visited a really cool castle in Karlstein an hour outside of Prague. It was beautiful and I bought a sword.

Teaching is fine. I have lots of hours now (a few private students) and I'm being asked by another agency to come work for them as well. Might be switching in January since they pay more. We'll see. It's getting cold here and I'm on an unending quest (read: kinda looking for) materials to complete my Mario Bros. Halloween costume. Since I'm tall I have to be Luigi, the eternal understudy. Probably not get that done before this weekend's party. Again, we'll see.

Ok, gotta run. Keep in touch and check the link to the right -- I'VE POSTED PICTURES, CHECK THEM OUT. (And realize I just resisted the temptation to spell check as Czech. I'm getting better). Later.

Plzen Fest

Tomorrow begins the beer fest in Plzen. I'm taking a hour and a half train to the small Czech village and after an educational tour of the Plzen brewery, I plan on getting shitfaced. We haven't figured out where we're going to sleep (maybe in a park, maybe in the train station) but we know there will be beer and music and if the rumors are true, a magician. I'll post pictures.

Beyond looking forward to Plzen Fest, I've been working. Not the 25 hours that my agency promised they would give me, it's a little closer to 18 which leaves me with way too much time on my hands. I've been wandering around a lot and I begin Czech lessons next week which should be good. And the drinking. Don't forget the drinking. I'll survive.

Not really digging teaching business English to adults either. I'd rather be in a real classroom goofing around in front of a bunch of kids but hardly any agencies specialize in working with children. I found one that has offered me a few hours working with high school students which will be a nice break. and I think I'll look into switching to kids permanantly next quarter.

That's the plan at least. I hope to be here at least till next July (we still doing the World Cup guys? Let's get on that...) and after a cool Summer spent somewhere cool (that's right) I plan on heading back to Asia. Korea is on my list. From everything I've read there is tons of money to be made in Korea which would be very useful in getting set up in Japan. Or Thailand. Or Vietnam. We'll see.

The sinking ship

These were three text messages I either sent or recieved, that, upon rereading them, has brought me joy:

No red light. I hate prague no one is going to sing Karaoke. We are realy drunk. I am going to sleep in a park. I hate this shit.

~~Text I sent to my friend The Todd (aka, The Game) after he asked whether or not we were still on for Karaoke at the Red Light bar last Saturday.

We are reeealy drunk. At some bar. We are going to burn down Praha. We are the middle children of history man. We're not your fucking khakis. You are beautiful.

~~ We had watched Fight Club the night before. I sent this text to my friend Nikki in response to her question of "Where the hell are you guys?" We were at a bar drinking way too much tequilla. 58 shots between five people. I was sick three times and was kindly escorted home by my girlfriend.

Don't know. I've been drinking wine and sucking dick since I saw you last. I do know that Prague is a sinking ship.

~~This is a text I recieved from my friend Katie after I asked her if she knew where her roommmate Jeff was. A clear example of too much information. And we have taken to calling Prague "the sinking ship" ever since.

Karaoke and the French Foreign Legion

So I found a bar not too far from my flat that offers free wireless internet. As long as you order a sandwich and order coffee every once in awhile the incredibly beautiful, but bitchy, waitresses leave you alone. This allows me free reign to check email, baseball standings and download rockin new music. I'm not really sure what's going on right now but some Czech guy is trying to sell T-shirts to the waitresses while I sit here. I'll add it to my list of shit I just don't understand here in the CR.

There are a lot of weird things that go on here. Why are there only 19 cigarettes in a pack that could easily (and usually does) hold 20? Why can I not find a liquor store open past 9 pm but there are four casinos that are open twenty-four hours all located on the same block? Why did that guy try to pick me up (seriously, physically lift me off the ground) when we were waiting on the tram? What's the deal with picking mushrooms? There are probably no answers to these questions and if there were they would undoubtedly lead to more questions. I'm just going to go with it.

Things here are great. I start teaching at one of the largest English language schools in Prague on Monday. I'll be teaching 25 hours a week which is the average work week and this will provide me with a lot of extra time which, more than likely, I will spend drinking. With beer costing a dollar a pint, one can do a lot of drinking. Also, the usually schizophrenic weather has calmed down and it's been hot and beautiful. This also leads to drinking but at the park while playing Frisbee. Good times.

Another side effect has been the rash of Karaoke outings that have been occurring lately. I didn't know of my love for the ancient and beautiful sport that is Karaoke, but now that it has grabbed hold of me, I am a better man. Thirsty Thursdays at Aqua Club 2000 offer beer specials and the "Largest collection of Songs in the Czech Republic!" (though I'm not sure how tough the competition is on that last point). It's an awesome time but I'm not sure how accurate some of the lyrics are. Last week we sang Loser by Beck and were told the chorus was sung "Sooo, just open the door" instead of the correct Spanish lyrics of "Soy un perdidor". Close enough I guess.

And I've met tons of great people here as well. Mostly people from my TEFL course but a few others as well. Sadly, however, I am finding that Prague can be a very transient city. I've already seen a few people leave for home or for the ever popular teaching destination of Asia. And now one of my good friends, Jeff, has decided that he hates to teach and since he is quickly killing his bank account, he is going home. We have tried to come up with some get rich quick schemes but they mostly all boil down to robbery in one way or another. Also, he thought seriously about joining the French Foreign Legion. Interesting fact: You don't have to be French to join the FFL. You just have to enjoy crossing the dessert and be able to properly use a bayonet. They provide the white, floppy sun hat. So, I guess if teaching falls through I can always help the frogs conquer whatever it is there is left to conquer.... Take care.

Unemployed

Ok. So now that I'm done with the TEFL course I have shit to do. Mostly I've been wandering around Prague to kill time, but there is the occasional trip to the park to play frisbee. Sure, I've been applying for jobs, writing resumes and lessons, but mostly I just laze around. I had an interview last week and I fucking nailed it. They asked me to bring with me a prepared, 90 minute lesson which I spent an hour making that morning. During the interview they gave me a topic and asked me to come up with a lesson on the spot. I came up with three. They were like "Whoa. Ok. You know, we don't need to see your prepared lesson. Do you want the job?" They pay lower than I'd like and the benefits aren't great but it's work. I have two interviews next week and hopefully I'll be working part time for at least two schools. Problem is, schools don't start back up till early to mid September so I have all of August to kill.

I've posted some pictures on the link to the right. It's only really a BBQ that we had two weeks ago and a few shots I've taken while wandering around the city. I'll get more up soon I promise. Take care

Bad Grammar

Hey. I haven't posted in a while because I've been insanely busy with the TEFL course. Between that, finding an apartment, looking for jobs, getting drunk on the weekends and hanging out at the park I just haven't found the time.

That will soon change. I just wrote six pages about English grammar and in turing that in, I completed my TEFL course. I'm done. No more mock interviews, no more workshops, and no more classes where I have to force my students to hit each other with inflatable bats or make a forced Titanic refference just to please my instructor. Tomorrow we have a Czech lesson in the morning and then we get our grades and TEFL certificates. On Sunday we are kicked out of our apartments and I'll be moving to my new apartment just six blocks away. It was getting down to the wire and I thought I might end up living in a park for a few days, but I found a guy who was moving back to the states and needed someone to take his lease.

And now that the course is over, and now that the prospect of homelessness no longer looms large, I have to find a job. I guess everyone is on vacation now and it's hard to find work. I'll be subing and teaching private students (note to self: find private students) throughout August but I don't think it will be tough to find work when the quarter starts in September. So August will be spent lesson planning, searching for jobs and exploring Prague. I hope to have pictures up as soon as I get on that tourist kick and actually unpack my camera.

But for today. I am heading up to a pub that was a memberrs only club during the Communist era. They've kept everything the way it was back then, huge oak tables, elk heads on the wall, and party slogans and banners galore. The prices are dirt cheap and the beer is the best I've had in the city. God it's great to be in a country that makes it's own beer instead of vodka...

Yedno, Dva, Tre strikes your out

So I actually wrote this entry last Sunday, but since I’m an idiot I accidentally deleted it while typing. Let’s try this again.
Things here are great. The course is going really well and I’ve learned tons in just a week and a half. The first week went pretty slowly, however. Everyone getting to know each other and our teachers just giving us a basic intro to teaching. Not to say it wasn’t fun. I got my luggage Sunday night around 12 and was pretty pleased to be able to wear clean clothes to meet the other students in the course. Eleven students, three guys, 8 girls, and I’m only one of four who has previous teaching experience… Monday was half a day in class and a tour of Prague in the afternoon. The tour, however, was canceled due to a torrential downpour. The streets (coble stoned, beautiful) were flooded and it hailed before nightfall. Really weird. So our tour was postponed till Friday which turned out to be cloudless and scorching. We wandered around the city with one of the head teachers, Brian, giving a pretty entertaining tour filled with ghost stories, tips on where to pick up girls and drunken ex-pat stories. This was a perfect lead in to the course sponsored pub crawl that evening. But is it really a pub crawl if you only go to two bars? It was more of a pub sit-in but fun nonetheless. I tried absinthe at the first place (and drank it incorrectly, apparently) with no peculiar effects. I did however end up dancing till five with a few people from the program and left feeling much more at home in the Czech Republic. You really don’t feel at home abroad until you are rejected by a local girl on the dance floor.

On Saturday I went to watch the Euro Cup Baseball Championships. Czech Republic vs. Italy. I was pretty excited to see the best Europe had to offer on the baseball diamond and it was easily the most embarrassing baseball game I’ve ever witnessed. I didn’t think that many errors was possible in one game. The Czech pitcher walked in a run in the first inning with no outs! Brian and I spent most the last three innings yelling at the Czech third base coach who we blamed for the Czech loss, 6-1 We were also the only ones who (a) sang ‘Take me Out to the Ballgame’ and (b) knew the answer to the trivia question was ‘Cooperstown’. .It was a fun time, despite the loss and I got a great picture out of the deal. The man in the green hat scowling at the camera is actually the Czech President. He was there to throw out the first pitch and this picture was taken just as he was leaving. He stood not ten feet from me, apparently angry that an annoying American was taking his picture. I wish I had had the balls to overcome my total lack of Czech language and shook his hand. Hopefully I’ll get another chance.

So that was my weekend. This week in class has been much more intense than the first. We have been studying English grammar all week, teaching a lesson a day to actual Czech students, and we just began our Czech language lessons as well. The course is supposed to be intensive and it’s in no way overwhelming, but I’m glad I have the experience teaching in Kstan. Looking back I notice so many mistakes I made when I taught there. After this course I know I’m going to be a much more effective teacher. Two weeks left and I still need to find a flat and a job. That’s what this weekend is for.

McPrague

Hey. I made it to Prague ok though I had to participate in the O'Hare Airport Sprinting Marathon to make it to my flight to Europe. I ran two terminals and made it just as they closed the doors. It was awesome. Unfortunately my luggage is another matter. I have no bags. I'm calling the airline and hopefully I get them today since we start classes on Monday and I've been wearing the same clothes for two days.... It's raining now but I had McDonald's for breakfast so it's ok. Yup. McD's and KFC here. It's great. There is a certain soviet feel here that reminds me of Kstan but at the same time it is really western. I share an apartment with a girl from New Mexico and we have a running shower and a washing machine! Plus a patio and hardwood floors. A palace compared to my Bazar Korgon hole. It should be a good time.

I bought a phone. Country code is 420 and the number is 720-555-276. Yes it's real despite the 555 beginning. I double dog dare you to call me. First person to do so will win a dollar. Ok, I'll keep you posted.

Six Days and Counting (again)

I got back from my family road trip last night and damn is it good to be back. It wasn't a bad trip by any means, just a long one. And the majority of the time was spent driving. The West coast is fucking huge.

To make a long trip really short: Stayed in Santa Barbara, went to my favorite restaurant and I had drinks with some college friends. Next day we drove to Hearst's Castle. Very impressive. Drove to Oakland and saw an A's game. A's destroyed the Giants 16-0 (!) and we all decided that the Oakland coliseum is the ugliest place to see a game that we've ever been to. Drove to Carmel, drove around Pebble Beach golf course which was beautiful. Drove further up the coast. Found giant talking Paul Bunyan statue. Drove more. Got to Seattle. I hung out with Ailey and had a great time getting drunk and reminiscing over Kstan stories. Didn't make it to Canada since my brothers don't have passports. But that left an extra day in Seattle. After that we were back on the road heading to Portland. Then to Merced, a very hot and very small town in central California (I pity the kids that will be attending the new UC Merced; nothing to do in that town...) The next day we went to Yosemite, a first for me and my brothers. It was beautiful but we didn't stay long, all of us were ready to go home.
   We got in last night and now I am getting everything I need for my next trip. I'll be in Prague in a week and I have lots of little things to do before I leave. I'll keep you up to date. Talk to you later.

Road Trip!

Haven't posted in awhile I know. Highlights of the last few weeks:

Saw The Faint play an awesome show at Soma. Batman Begins kicks ass. Formally change my allegiance from the Dodgers to the Padres. Disneyland. Six Flags. Sloshball in Santa Barbara. My brother Ian getting his disc caught in a tree during an outing of disc golf. Getting drunk and dancing my ass off at a wedding reception. My last day of work (no more Super Sonic Sean...).

That's really about it. Today I leave for a classic American road trip up the West coast with my family. We're going to an A's game in Oakland, seeing the redwoods, cruising through Seattle and hopefully will make it all the way to Vancouver. Yosemite on the way back. Should be awesome. Or it could become that family vacation that we must all vow never to speak of again. The fun lies in finding out which.

I get back the 3rd and leave for Prague on the 8th. I'll keep you posted.

cool site

Check out www.icecreamlandia.com for a cool site design and some pretty funny comics. Enjoy.

I love my new job...

    ...And would love it more if it was more than 2 hours a day. Currently in search of something more diverting, though not challenging, to add to my days. Starbucks, Borders, B&N. Hell, I'd go back to stocking shelves at Zany Brainy if they hadn't gone bankrupt...

    Teaching the kids is fun though. I taught "Energy Burst" this week and asked the kids to give me an example of a type of energy. One kid, a jedi in training obviously, answered: "The force". I had to write it on the board. Also cute was the constant mispronouncing of the term 'kinetic Energy'. "No little Timmy, KINETIC, not Connecticut..."

    No stories involving goats or strange things witnessed at the bazaar however. Somehow I'm envious of the people still in Kstan.

"I am not Joyful"

    I just got up from a well deserved nap. I spent the whole weekend in Vegas and was operating on only a few hours of sleep. It was a great trip, mostly because I got to visit Ailey, who I hadn't seen since she left Kyrgyzstan a few weeks before I did.

   I got in Friday night around 7 and had to kill some time (five hours!) until Ailey's plane arrived. She called to say that her flight was delayed and I actually didn't see her until 1:30 Saturday morning. I spent the interim drinking in the sports book and was pretty sloshed when she arrived. She flew in with her friend Denise and we stayed with another friend of hers, Adam, who lived just outside the city.

   Saturday we went and saw a Cirque du Soleil show and it was awesome. I had never really had an interest to see an artsy French circus, but I was blown away by the performance.

   Sunday we went to a free show at the Rio. Some ventriloquist guy who's audience consisted of mainly kids and senior citizens. He became a lot funnier as we downed the drinks we were forced to buy to make the show 'free'. Halfway through, he asked for a volunteer from the audience and Ailey and Denise happily volunteered me. I was brought up on stage and had to be the guy's dummy (shut up). He made me sing a song and afterwards shamelessly promoted the merchandise he gave me for being such a good sport. It was a good time though.

   Later Sunday night, we decided to go to a club in the Bellagio. Admittedly, I am not a club kind of guy and wasn't too pleased to be in a line with about twenty other guys. The bouncer noticed Ailey and Denise, though, and went to let all three of us in, until he noticed I wasn't wearing dress shoes. I had left my dress shoes at home, and as far as I know, they are still covered in dust from Kstan...So I couldn't get in and told the girls to go without me. I stormed off, pissed at the situation, and wandered around for an hour. I finally made my way to O'shea's, a crappy little casino that had cheap blackjack. An hour later I was up $300. Great night. The girls found me a few hours later. They liked the club but left early after some guy accidentally punched Denise and made her bit through her lip. Ouch.

   We took a cab back to Adams' and the cab driver got lost mostly by his deviating from our precise directions to take a proven shortcut that he knew because his nephew lived in that area. We finally told him to go our route and the meter read twice as much as it did the night before. Ailey and I sat in the back and bitched about the driver in Kyrgyz. "We will not pay him", "No problem. He will not get our money", and my favorite from Ailey: "I am not joyful". We paid the guy exactly what we paid the night before and after complaining for a while, he took the money and left.

   So, I had a great weekend and came home with the trip basically paid for by blackjack winnings. Not bad.

Jobs, Speeding Tickets and Praha

    Well my two (nearly three, God...) weeks of sitting on my ass watching movies and playing video games are finally at an end. I got a job. That's right. No more lazing around for me. I will now have two, maybe three, hours of actual work each day.

    I was hired today by Mad Science (insert maniacal laughter), a company that teaches after school programs dealing with fun science experiments. I get to wear a white lab coat play around with acid and stuff. Thing is, I have to come up with a cool science name. Some science word + Sean. While alliteration is probably preferred, I'm leaning towards...wait for it...Combust-sean. Clever huh? I doubt a cooler name could be created, but if you have any other ideas, feel free to leave a post...I also volunteered to teach the after school chess program, which is less cool, but pays better. I have no formal knowledge of chess. In fact I barely know the pieces (guy on horse, castle, little fella, pointy guy) but I'm sure I can wing it.

    In other news, I had a great time last weekend visiting Santa Barbara, my old college town. I learned that revisiting college has a unique ability to make you feel really old, but this feeling fades the more you drink. It was a great weekend despite the speeding ticket I received on the way up. 84 in a 65. And no proof of insurance or valid registration to boot. I'm sure traffic school will be a good time...

    Most importantly though, is my recent acceptance to a TEFL certification course in Prague. It runs from mid July to mid August and promises a teaching job upon completion of the course. I went to Prague last Summer and loved it and am really excited to be going back. The school provides an apartment and a few other amenities and comes pretty highly recommended. I'm not sure where I'll go from there. Japan is still top of the list, but I might stick around in Europe for a while. I can't wait.

Now what?

Ok. You all know that I'm back from Kyrgyzstan after deciding that Peace Corps wasn't for me. Now I am back in California and desperately trying to figure out what to do next. I'm looking at TEFL certification and have applied for jobs in Japan. I really want to go to Japan. I'm not sure why I've chosen Japan but I guess I'll find out when I get there. I'll post whenever something interesting happens, which, unfortunately, is less frequent here than in Kyrgyzstan. Talk to you later.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!

Nothing like a little coup to make your spring break interesting...

_

This is the first real chance I've had to get on the internet and post about what has been going on here. And what has been going on here? I don't really know. You probably know more than I do since I have been locked in my apartment for a week with five other volunteers. We got secondhand news from PC and our families, and heard constantly changing reports from BBC radio. I haven't had a chance to read any news but from what PC is saying, Bishkek is calm and they expect no more problems. They told us yesterday that everyone can return to their sites, no longer needing us consolidated in case of evacuation. Consolidation was tough and very stressful since we didn't know if we would be staying or leaving, none of us really knowing how to feel. We made it through, though, withoutout killing each other (at least not in my warden group). All PCV's are fine as far as I know, and we're just waiting to see how this new government pans out.

_

Now. Again I haven't read any news so these comments might prove moot. Problems that I foresee deal with Russia, other central asian nations, legitimacy, and conflicts within the new government itself. Russia I guess has a Monroe Doctorine kinda thing with regards to Kstan and could step in if things become escalated again. I don't think that will happen. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other CA nations could follow suit and mount their own coups since these nations all share common problems with regard to poverty, lack of jobs, and government corruption. We have to wait and see. As far as the new government is concerned, they are reportedly getting things under control and a representative council from the EU (I think is what I heard) is comming in to evaluate the situation. The next few weeks will show how popular the new government is and if it can stick to the changes that the protestors initially demanded. Also problematic is the Security Minister and the acting President. They are both from different areas of the country and have different outlooks on how to organize the new parliment. Clashes could arise over disputes as to who is the ligitamate governing body: the former parliment or the newly elected and highly contested one. All of these are things that will play out in the next few weeks and I'll be here to see it. I'll keep you posted.

I Live There!

  "Opposition-led protests over the election results spread on March 16. Protesters occupied government buildings in the Kochkor District in eastern Naryn Province and in the Bazarkorgon District of southern Jalal-Abad Province...In the Bazarkorgon incident, a district government official was reportedly being held in the building. Police later broke through a window in the building, freeing the official... "

Eurasianet.com article, 3-16-05

  That's right. Our governor was effectively held hostage by protestors half a mile from my apartment in the government building I walk past everyday on my way to school. The police that rescued the official were actually special forces militia, who have begun patroling the streets wearing their trademark army fatigues and bullet-proof vests. SHIT IS HITTING THE FAN HERE! Not content to only protest in Jalalabat, 50-100 protestors have moved to my village to speak out against Askar Akaev. They are peaceful (but really should stop singing, its annoying) and no serious incidents have occured (aside from the semi-kidnapping thing). I have heard stories of protestors being injured in Osh, a two hour drive from my site. I really have to start questioning Peace Corps policy if they think we are safer spread around the country instead of being consolodated together in the capital...

  So with everything going on, rumors are flying. The possibility of being evacuated from the country has been tossed around. With protests now and presidential and parlimentary elections scheduled for October, the chances of us being yanked out of here isn't too farfetched. We'll see... Now I have to head back to the bazaar to catch a taxi. It's just a ten minute walk but the militia members in full riot gear that I have to stroll past are becoming a bit disconcerting.

Unrest

Well things pretty much suck here in Kyrgyzstan. Because of political unrest all over the country, our in service training (IST) has been postponed for a week and all travel during the next ten days (aka our spring break) has been canceled. We have been ordered to stay in site until the 28th, when, supposedly, things will have quieted down and we will be allowed to travel to Bishkek.
We found out yesterday about the postponement and being grounded for ten days. Everyone is pissed, including K11's who have had their vacation plans canceled as well. A friend of mine in Jalalabat was accepted to a program that allows him to travel to Uzbekistan for a week to work with kids who will soon be visiting America as part of a highly competitive scholarship program. This is exactly the kind of work we are here to do and the Peace Corps has sent volunteers to help since 1994. His trip has been canceled.
Another friend is now not allowed to fly to Bishkek to visit is father, who was flying in from America to spend a few weeks with his son and see where he has been serving for the past 2 years. The trip has been canceled because Pezce Corps has deemed it too unsafe. His father, more than likely, won't be able to see his son.
As far as I'm concerned...I'm furious that I don't get to see Elise. We planned on spending ten days together during training and had been looking forward to it for a month. We've only seen each other 7 days out of the last 100 and being apart is horrible. We were both crushed by the news. I will get to see her in two weeks (if IST isn't canceled all together) but will only have five days and more than likely won't be allowed to leave the hotel in Bishkek.
From what I've seen in Jalalabat and from what I've heard from the north(check right for a link to the latest Kstan news). None of the volunteers are sure the postponement is neccessary. Roads have been closed and many demonstrations have been held, but from what I have heard there has been no violence. Our new country director might just be overly cautious and he is certainly not endearing himself to the volunteers by effectively canceling our spring vacations. I'm left with ten days alone in my site, something I am frankly dreading. Christmas break was almost unbearable. I was going out of my mind with boredom. And I was allowed to travel during that break...We'll see how this vacation pans out.
Ok, hope everyone is well. I'll keep you informed.

Words of Wisdom

“I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

                Henry David Thoreau

“Christ! Seven years of college down the drain…I might has well of joined the fucking Peace Corps.”

                John Belushi, “Animal House”

So You Say You Want A Revolution?

    Hellllllooooo Students. Things are popping down in the south of the country I now call home. I was in Jalalabat last Friday and witnessed what the Peace Corps during training termed “civil unrest”. The name is a little sexier than the actual thing unfortunately but it was interesting to watch nonetheless. About 200 protestors held a rally outside of the governor’s office. Anti-Akaev protestors. Akaev, the current president, is serving his third term despite a constitutional ban on serving more than two terms in office and has been accused of a number of crimes ranging from simply shady to downright dictatorial. Most notably, a recent Newsweek had some Central-Asian-Expert-Guy quoted as saying “Akaev is going apeshit” regarding his restrictions of the public’s role in elections in the wake of the Ukraine turnaround. Despite this colorful quote in the very reputable newsmagazine Newsweek (that’s my tongue in my cheek right there), Akaev isn’t exactly hated in Kstan. Many support the president, but have no democratic alternatives to compare him to. At best they are living the status quo. My friend Ailey and I discussed last week that the public here doesn’t seem to question Akaev and don’t seem to have the anger that is often required to spark a drastic change.

    I guess they found their anger on Friday. After a few hours of peaceful protesting, things escalated and the mob began to force their way into the governor’s compound. Someone climbed the ten foot tall fence and managed to get the electric gate open. Police, being helplessly outnumbered could do nothing to stop them as they began to push their way into the offices. This is what I and few other volunteers witnessed on our way out of the city. PC called us the next day to report that protesters in fact did make their way into the governors office and rumors said that they also stormed his house and that he and his family were forced to flee. How much of that last part is actually true is questionable, but it shows that obviously the people here are starting to really question their leaders and are not afraid to show it. Don’t misunderstand, however. Things aren’t chaotic here and I’m not at all worried about my safety. No one was hurt during the protest and the PC is really on top of things when it comes to volunteer safety. Frankly, I’m kind of excited about the whole thing. These protests are coming on the wake of last Sundays deputy (congressional) elections and they show that come October, when presidential elections are held, we are going to see an interesting show.

    That’s the latest from here. I’m in the city today because it is International Women’s Day and I have no class. I had no class yesterday as well, because, you know, it was the day before International Women’s Day and students shouldn’t be asked to work that day either. Anyway, to the ladies out there, happy IWD…Also! Movie quote help needed: “I can’t promise I’ll try, but I’ll try to try.” What the hell is that from? Let me know. Talk to you all later.

    P.S. Ailey, you smell.

Stupid!

Hey guys. So I'm in Jbad for the afternoon. I fled my classroom minutes after the bell rang as if the place was on fire. It's not that I don't want to hang out at school, its just I wanted to get into the city as fast as possible. I've had a long week and need a few hours eating decent food and sipping good coffee.

To start off with... I came back from Bishkek on Sunday. I had a great weekend with Elise and I got to see lots of friends as well. Three days wasn't enough time. I flew back with no in flight emergencies but started feeling ill when I got to my apartment. Turns out I had the flu and I spent three days lying in bed,watching movies and reading Newsweek. This wouldn't have been so bad, but this was the first week of great weather in Bazar Korgon and I hated to miss it. I taught Thursday and Friday and I've been walking around in a tee shirt and jeans. No more huge coats, long underwear, or wool socks! I have never really known what spring is until now.

Great weather notwithstanding, I managed to ruin my day yesterday by accidentally destroying my cell phone. I was doing my dishes (my normal way, on the kitchen floor using a bucket of water) and my phone was in my front pocket. I leaned over and the phone toppled out and landed in a bucket of soapy water. DOA. I had the same phone for 3 years in America and I can't make one last four months here. I bought a new phone today ($75) and managed to keep my old number, which is something to be happy about.
That's about it. Visiting to Osh this weekend and I'm looking forward to what I'm told in Kyrgyzstan's only brewery that serves dark beer. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Men's Day!

“What’s Men’s Day”? you might ask. I’m not exactly sure myself, but I know it gets me out of my classroom and into Jalalbat for the day. Half class yesterday and no class today, the Kyrgyz don’t screw around when it comes to holidays, even if the holiday is an obscure holdover from the Soviet era. I’m told that this is the first year that school was canceled for MD, but after all, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. So MD is more of a Memorial Day of sorts. A day to remember the thousands of heroes who bravely fought for democracy in the 1940’s, of those thousands probably 12 of whom were actually Kyrgyz. No, that’s not fair. I have no knowledge whatsoever of Kyrgyz involvement in WWII and shouldn’t poke fun. As far as I know they turned the tide of war and are responsible for the freedoms that we all now enjoy.

So I’m in the city for the day and it looks to actually be a nice day. It’s been hot here (I’m wearing three layers instead of four. Whew! When will this heat wave end!). It’s actually been a great week, made greater by the fact that I am barely teaching this week. Monday I allowed some teachers to persuade me to skip my afternoon course in favor of lunch and shots of brandy in a local café. This is how things work here. If a teacher doesn’t want to teach, they skip. Having a few shots of vodka during lunch is not unheard of. This is, however, the first time I have let them talk me into ditching class. But, come on, it’s two days before Men’s Day! It’s justified! My 11th grade students took a cue from the teachers and skipped their class as well and threw their own party in the same café. I asked them why they were celebrating on Monday when MD was on Wednesday, to which they replied: ”But we don’t have class on Wednesday, a party today means we get to miss class…”

So no class today, and after my morning class tomorrow I’m hopping on a mildly well put together airplane and flying to Bishkek, lovingly known as the ‘kek. Good food, expensive drinks in real bars, and tons of stories from northern volunteers. It’s going to be great as long as my airplane’s wings remain attached during the flight...Should be a fun time.

Quickly. I got a haircut this week from my friends, the un-understandable Uzbek kids. During the haircut, the assistant kid, probably 16 or so, donned a Muslim prayer hat (see: Yarmulke) and poured me a cup of water. He told me to drink it and said it was water from Haji, or religious pilgrimage. I drank the water and Ailey, who was with me, also drank some. We wondered later if it was safe to drink, and if the possible parasites it contained were holy. The kids then asked if I studied or had been to the local Mosque. Saying that I didn't understand (which wasn't far from the truth) I kept silent. I really don't like to discuss religion when someone is holding a pair of scisors a few inches from my head.

Ok, that’s the latest. Now, I’m off to sip coffee and read all day at Terry’s. Talk to you later.

Great Story

I wanted to get down one of the best stories I’ve heard yet in country…

My friend Karl lives in a village near the lake. I heard from Elise a few weeks ago that he was in Bishkek on medical. She told me that he thought his back might be broken. Turns out, his back was hurt, but thankfully not as badly as had been earlier thought. The way he hurt is back is the interesting part.

It starts out with Karl coming home from work and his host family telling him that they have sold their home and plan to move to another village. This leaves Karl literally in the street. He tells PC and they recommend some guy who has a spare room in his apartment. He’s told that the owner of the apartment is young and has a girlfriend who occasionally stays in the apartment. Karl moves in and, from what I hear, was really happy with the setup…Until he is woken up in the middle of the night by someone pounding on the front door. From his bedroom, Karl hears the door open, then people yelling, then the sounds of someone being thrown around and furniture breaking. The girlfriend is screaming the entire time. Karl doesn’t know what to do, and can only listen behind his locked door. Suddenly, whoever was in the apartment begins pounding on Karl’s door and yelling hysterically. With only minutes before the door is broken down, Karl is faced with the possibility of getting the shit kicked out of him. In what I admire as a ballsy move, Karl takes the only slightly less dangerous route, and jumps out of his second story window. He lands in a patch of snow, seriously hurting his back. He is able to limp his way to the local militzia who contact Peace Corps. Karl doesn’t learn who the assailant was until a few days later. Turns out it was the girlfriend’s husband.

I don’t really know what happened to Karl afterwards or where he is living now. I can only hope he’s doing better now.

What else is new? Just heard from the PC gossip line that another volunteer is going home. That makes 5 from our group in the last 3 months, and added to that is another 3 volunteers from the K11’s. The first winter is supposed to be the hardest time, and the numbers seem to prove it…Beyond that, I’m going to be in Bishkek next week. I’m flying up on Thursday to visit Elise and see some other friends. I kinda hated Bishkek during training but I’m looking forward to a weekend in the big city. What I’m not looking forward to, however, is the hour long, Kyrgyz Air flight. An hour in the air is much better than the 12 hour taxi ride through icy mountain passes, but I’ve heard bad stories about flying in this country. One friend told me the airplane door opened during the flight, which prompted the stewardess to calmly get up and shut it again. Her control implied that this sort of thing isn’t uncommon. Wish me luck.

Ok, hope everyone is well. Check my link for new pictures…I’ll talk to you later.

How much for Electricity?

You know, it’s just not a trip to the bazaar unless one of the kind old women who work in the stalls out front offer you her daughter’s hand in marriage. Not wanting to offend (especially since the daughter is standing behind her mother) I explain that I’m seeing someone and that in America, 22 year old men don’t take 16 year old girls as wives. Its just one of the many cultural differences you come to appreciate here in Kyrgyzstan…

Let’s see, there’s also the local teenage boys who have started a cute little “steal money from the hapless American club”. My counterpart at school owns the apartment I live in and he told me that someone would be coming by to collect some money to pay for water and trash. He said it would be about 100 som ($2.50). Sure enough, a few days later a kid came by with a housing register and asked for 120 som, payment for the last three months. I gave him this and he gave me a receipt, that had the totals on it and looked very official. The kid then turned and asked money from my neighbor, who also paid and received a receipt. A day later, however, the kid came back, again with the register and asked for an additional 200 som. I asked why and he kept saying it was for something different and showed me my name on the register with 200 next to it. I said ok and paid him and again got a receipt, but it was different this time, it was in Russian and I couldn’t read it. I gave both receipts to my counterpart and asked why the second was different. Turns out the second was fake and that the kid had made off with my five dollars! I was pissed, but impressed by the scam itself. The next day a different kid came by, again with a fraudulent register and when I opened the door he was busy checking my electric meter. This time they asked for 450 som to cover electricity. I saw my friend, the water and trash kid lounging out in front of my apartment. Despite my bad Kyrgyz, I was able to tell them: “I will not give you money. I will never give you money. I am not a fool.” With this the kid took off pretty quick, taking his shady friend with him.

I figured this would be enough, but that night the first kid came back. He was really weird. He asked if I had a guitar, then an accordion. “No. What?” I replied. He then motioned to his shoes and asked if I would give him 50, presumably to buy new shoes. I almost admired the kid’s tenacity when I slammed my door in his face.

Beyond the young extortionists, I’ve just been working. Classes are great, but I’ve decided to start cracking down a little more. Gone are the days that I teach Ultimate Frisbee instead of English vocab. Tardiness and lack of homework are the most common complaints. It’s hard to discipline kids that I actually like to hang out with. Today I chatted about Kyrgyz vs. American politics for an hour with my English Club. Despite outer appearances, there are actually many similarities between the two countries. One country is ruled by a president who wields considerable power over a unquestioning population, offering little explanations as to his rather befuddled and foolish policies. The other is ruled by Askar Akaev. There is an election in October and Akaev has been quoted as being afraid of something like what happened in Ukraine could happen here. I could be a witness to an actual birth of true Democracy baby! I could watch as this country is transformed into an example of freedom and peace for the rest of the Central Asian nations. I could behold a brand new Kyrgyzstan, free from corruption and greed, a country that throws off the oppressive chains of ‘post-soviet-hood” to become prosperous and successful… More than likely however Akaev will run for a fourth term, despite the constitutional ban on being president for more than 2 terms, and win by an overwhelming (read: purchased) majority. Only time will tell.

Nothing huge

Hey everybody. Nothing really big happened this week so this is a short entry. I started teaching the 8th form instead of 10th and I love it. This was by far my favorite week teaching...I was told (thanks dad) that both my phone nunmber and my address were incorrect on the blog so I fixed those. It would be awesome if you guys at home would give me a call. Check out www.uniontelecard.com, where I think rates are $20 for three hours. Hearing from people at home would make my week.

Speaking of people from home. Congrats to Matt on the UN Tribunal job, that's awesome buddy. Also huge thanks to Miss Wendy (Moira Angela Darling) Lee for the Christmas package. It was such a huge surprise. I got it Monday and already I've burned through the box of hot chocalate and the Corn Pops are long gone. Thank you so much.

Ok I hope everyone is well. I'll talk to you later.

Hakuna Mattata

I flipped out today...

This week I gave tests to my two tenth grade classes. Yesterday was 10A, and, as predicted, they did horribly. One could argue that the test was too hard. 10 questions, mostly multiple choice and fill in the blanks. Also a few grammatically incorrect sentences that needed to be fixed: “I am student”, that kind of thing. Maybe the test was too difficult, but after a month of study, one would hope that the students can fill in the blank for “I ______ an English book”. It was amazing how many “I am an English book” responses I received. This is the same test I gave to my 11th graders last week, and they all did well on it, despite one student changing “Mr. Sean have a blue coat” to “Mr. Sean have a blue cat.”

Today, however, I saw a record number of blank stares. We reviewed the material two days before the test, and gave them practice examples taken from the actual test minutes before the exam was handed out. I explained the kinds of questions that the test would have, saying in English and Kyrgyz that these are the same questions that will be on the test. “Do you all understand?” “Yes, Mr. Sean.” “Does anyone have questions?” “No, Mr. Sean.” I handed out the test and spent the first five minutes trying to make them understand that that they have to write their names at the top of the paper (“Yes, please, in English.”). I took one student’s test away from him for cheating, having explained earlier that looking at others papers would not be tolerated. One student kept repeating to me, in Russian, the only language he speaks, that he doesn’t understand. No shit. The test (10 questions) took the better part of half an hour. When I had finally collected all the tests, I was shaking I was so frustrated. I immediately turned on “The Lion King” and had them watch that for the rest of the period. I graded the exams and was amazed at their performance. The average was a two, the Kyrgyz equivalent of a D. This obviously didn’t help my mood, but some of the responses were great.

One of my questions was “Mike ________ engineer” with three possible answers, the correct being “is an”. I explained in English and Kyrgyz, that ‘Mike’ is an American name and ‘engineer’ they knew, since it is a Russian cognate. Later in the fill in the blank section, I had two sentences “A lemon _____ sour” and “Basketball and Baseball ________ sports”. All the students had to do is chose from the list on the right, either is or are, and write them in the blank. One student, in an amazing display of misunderstanding wrote: “A lemon mike sour” and “Basketball and baseball mike sports”. WTF?!?! How he came to these answers I have no idea, but it when I read that I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically and then slump down onto my desk. My students could tell that I was on edge and nervously continued watching “The Lion King”. For twenty minutes I stared out the window at the falling snow and contemplated everything from quitting and going home to saying screw it and teaching my 10th graders Spanish. Obviously they are getting nothing from my teaching and would use Spanish about as much as they will use English anyway. While contemplating switching to una lingua nueva, Timon and Pumbaa started singing ’Hakuna Matata’. “They have a point,“ I thought, “No worries sounds pretty good.”

I decided their and then that I won’t teach 10th grade anymore. Since we are not actually employees of our schools, volunteers can pretty much demand schedule changes at any time. I told my counterpart that I can’t teach those kids anymore. He asked that I give them another chance, since it wouldn’t be fair to deny them the opportunity to work with the American volunteer (this from the teacher who hand picks his students, taking the advanced speakers, and leaving the other teachers with the leftovers). I told him flat out: no. I won’t waste my time any longer teaching students with whom I can barely even communicate and who frankly don’ t care about English anyway. I want to work with the students who have an interest in the language. I do fine with my 8th, 9th, and 11th grades because they speak some English. Those grades have English lessons twice as often as the 10th grade and it shows. I can do fun activities that emphasize conversation and vocabulary. I can communicate to the other classes. I don’t have the Kyrgyz skills necessary to teach 10th grade, most likely never will. My job is to teach conversational English to kids who will actually use it, not grammar rules and parts of speech. I love teaching my other classes, especially the advanced English club, but if I have to keep teaching 10th form I’m going to flip out and eventually end up on an early flight home.

WHEW! Ok, that’s really enough bitching about 10th grade. They are good kids (for the most part) and I really wish I could help them, but I’ll be much happier if I never teach them again…Beyond that, nothing really new to report. Elise visited last weekend and we had a great time. Only seeing her one weekend a month definitely doesn’t help my stress level. Also it has started to get bitterly cold. We are halfway through a “childaire” which I’m told is Kyrgyz for “forty days of ass-cold weather”. It’s freezing here now, and lots of snow has fallen. I can’t wait for spring. This weekend, I’m off to a remote village a few hours north of here to hang out with a some other volunteers. Should be the usual drinking, eating way too much and bitching about why this country sucks. Should be fun… (2-6-05 addition: Party was great, very cold though, and I just ate it on a patch of ice...)
Ok, I hope everyone is well. I’ll keep you up to date on the latest. Later.

Nothing to report

I've just been working the last week. No crazy stories, nothing strange eaten, no brides offered. It's good to be at work again. Starting clubs next week. Today is a religious holiday and everything is closed; Jbad is kinda dead (which is appropriate since the holiday is a remembrance day for the deceased.) Only thing worth posting is the story of a fellow volunteer (at the lake?) who is also an English teacher. Turns out he is alergic to chalk. Sorry Luke, but, come on, it's pretty funny...That's about it. I just wanted to say I'm still alive.

Sean

P.S. I'm cold.

And we're back...

So I started back at school today, and in a rare display of forethought (and effort) I actually wrote a lesson out beforehand. It went a lot smoother than my usual “show up and think of something on the spot” routine. I covered singular and plural nouns and started in on my favorite: pronouns. After teaching the same lesson to three classes, I’ve decided I hate grammar…

With the new school year I hope to break out of the lazy funk that I fell into during break. I have started running at the stadium (dilapidated yes, but safer than the pothole strewn streets surrounding my apartment.) and it’s going well despite the fact that I come from a long line of people that only run if something is chasing them. Also I’m going to start reviewing my past Kyrgyz notes, and should start tutoring next week sometime. AND, I should start teaching an after school English club next week as well. I plan on playing lots of music and showing movies to the club. Also I want to start discussions about current events and maybe start a debate club with other schools in the district. Contrary to the students in my actual classes, there are some students here that speak English very well and would benefit a lot from a advanced class.

Speaking of class. During a break I was walking back from the teachers lounge and I noticed smoke coming from a nearby classroom. I opened the door and found a group of 6th graders huddled around a student who had lit a sparkler in the classroom. He grinned and held the sparkler higher, exclaiming “New Year!” A little late kid. I should be glad it wasn’t a roman candle.

And today I got a package of Christmas cards sent to me by my former 4th grade teachers current 4th grade class. I agreed to start writing to them about my experiences here and this was the first I’ve heard from them since I left. It was so great to get the cards and hear the questions they had about Kyrgyzstan. My favorite card was signed “From Curtis, the coolest person on Earth.” Nothing wrong with that kid’s ego. I’ll try to write back as soon as I can, I promise.

Bizarre bazaar story: I went to the bazaar yesterday to get a few things and as I was leaving I noticed a large group of people gathered around the entrance where all the taxis and busses park and pick up passengers. In the middle of a large circle was a woman yelling hysterically while her friend attempted to restrain her. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, in fact I couldn’t even tell if she was speaking Kyrgyz or Uzbek, she was speaking so fast. The only word I did catch was ‘machina’ which means car. Her friend finally talked her down and she walked away. Thinking it was over, I started to leave until I saw the woman walk back to the entrance, this time carrying a large stone in each hand. She started towards a nearby minibus and threw the first rock, denting the hood, and the second, which shattered the windshield. She screamed and screamed until some guy came over and dragged her to the side of the road. Everyone stood around wondering what the hell was going on when suddenly a man, apparently the owner of the minibus, sprinted out the bazaar. He hopped in and sped off a fast as he could with the woman, who noticed his escape, in hot pursuit. I still don’t know what the whole thing was about but it was fun to watch.

In other news… It seems as though two more volunteers from my group (K12’s) are on their way home. We lost two volunteers during training, one to illness and one to a more gainful graduate program. The two leaving now are a couple and according to the PC gossip line (which despite technological disadvantages, is blazingly fast) they plan on staying together once back in the states. Either way, good luck to both of you.

Beyond that, I’m counting the days till my girlfriend Elise will come down to visit. We started dating during training but we haven’t seen each other in a month since she works at a school in Bishkek, 11 hours away. She should be here next weekend and I can’t wait to see her. I miss you, kid.

Ok, that’s it. I’ll keep everyone up to date on my progress. I hope everyone is doing well at home, and at your sites.

When does school begin again?!?

When I thought about all of the situations and factors that would make living in Kyrgyzstan difficult, boredom never came to mind. Yet, of all the things I did think of (language, climate, food) this is probably the most pressing problem. Take today for example. I have done nothing today but read and play around on my computer. Nothing. I went to school for a half hour, expecting my counterpart to be there and hoping I could get into our resource center so I could plan some lessons (I can’t work in my apartment, see above: reading and computer.) Anyway, Aleysher wasn’t around and neither were any other teachers. I cleaned my classroom a little and I made a poster describing California. That’s it. I walked back home (which took me longer than it took me to make the poster) and I did stop to play soccer with some kids who greeted me with the ubiquitous “hello!”. Everyone knows “hello!” and “I love you”. I’m glad that they yell the former. I got home and spent a good number of hours reading or playing solitaire. Oh, and drying my underwear on the heater. I woke up this morning and found that the laundry I hung on my porch the previous evening had frozen during the night. I’ve been drying them inside since. Exciting day, huh?

I have to start studying Kyrgyz. Or exercising. Or learn how to juggle. Or bend spoons with my mind. Something has to change. Living here gives you such an opportunity for laziness that it’s very hard to get anything done. I have to become more active or I’ll go nuts. I’ll start tomorrow.

Tomorrow, actually, I’ll be busy. I’m going into Jalalabat in the morning (if your reading this post, then I made it safely) to do internet and a little shopping. In the afternoon we’re having a banya party to celebrate the birthdays of two other volunteers. A banya is a Russian steam bath, and there are public banyas you can rent by the hour. We’re going to hang out in the steam room and drink and then head to the attached café (?) for dinner. It should be a good time.

I start back at school on Wednesday, and sometime before then I have to plan my lessons. And my English clubs. I’ll start Monday. I promise.

Ennui

So this is the New Year. I’m lounging around my apartment with a few friends, and none of us can muster the strength to get up and brave the cold, twenty minute walk to the bazaar to buy ingredients to make pizza as we had earlier planned. We are all pretty tired from last night. I went to a party at my counterparts house. I stayed up till 2am, an unheard of hour, drinking wine with my colleague and his family all while trying to remember how to speak Kyrgyz. We went outside at midnight and set off fireworks in the street. Then we went back in a drank and ate more. Good times.

My counterpart, Aleysher, and his family insist that I am in need of a Kyrgyz wife. They believe that I can’t cook (true), I can’t do my own laundry (partly true) and that I can’t take care of my apartment (very much untrue). I countered this by telling them that I am fine living alone and that recently I sewed my own curtains. Yeah, that’s right. I sewed my own curtains. I’m the Central Asian Martha Stewart.

Speaking of curtains, (check out this segue) our Country Director Joseph Curtain will be resigning in a few weeks. He is the one who instituted the Big Brother-esque out of site policies that require all volunteers to submit in writing our overnight plans. They must be approved by our program manager a few days before hand and anyone caught spending the night in an unapproved location could be sent home. The K-11’s who have lived here for a year under the policies of Joseph ‘The Iron’ Curtain have been pretty vocal about how much they dislike this system. It really hasn’t effected me since I’ve been here such a short period of time, but I do hope the policy changes with the new director. Who that person will be, we still don’t know.

Quickly:
1.) I bought an oven for my apartment. Now I can bake cookies and pizza. Its amazing. I think this is how people felt when the wheel was invented.
2.) Last week I asked some students to write two things that they dislike and one student listed “Saddam Hussein and predatory animals”. Best answer ever.
3.) While throwing snowballs at chickens last week on my walk to school, one chicken dashed away and slipped on a patch of ice. Hilarious.
4.) My friend and fellow English teacher, Umut, asked me today what a ’tool’ is in American slang. As in, ‘that guy is a tool’. We spent a good half hour trying to nail down a definition. It’s tough. Try it at home.

Ok, I have to go lay on the floor by my heater and read. The new year looks surprisingly like the last year.