It’s a new year which means of course that it’s time to make resolutions (to be forgotten in a few weeks time as we go back to our old ways). I figured this was a good excuse to dust off this blog and make another attempt at telling you about my adventures here in KR...
The end of the year was packed with holiday fun. I was super excited to share one of my favorite holidays with my host family, I went to the bazaar and picked up lots of stocking stuffers, and some new although probably ill fitting socks (I did see my host brother wearing his the other day, 1 out of 3 isn't too bad). I woke up early and put on my Santa hat (best idea ever, I had strangers coming up to me on the street and wishing me a Merry Christmas) and waited for my host family to wake up. As all holidays here are accompanied by alcohol my apa and I had a few glasses of wine sometime before dawn.
This was followed by a low key Christmas celebration with other volunteers at a cafe in Karakol. We enjoyed delicious American food and played charades. The internet gods were also kind enough to let me Skype in to the festivities in Tennessee.
I got my Christmas tree a few days late. Their New Years is like a mishmash of our Halloween, Christmas and New Years. They have New Years trees and give presents, they have a Santa Claus and from what I could see at the bazaar a bunch of kids wear costumes, and of course there are fireworks too.
Decorating the tree with Kanat, my host brother
My host mother putting the final touches on our New Years tree.
New Years was a fun and tiring adventure. It began with my friend’s birthday which just happens to be on NYE. We celebrated the night before with karaoke and pizza. The next day I caught a taxi (by far the nicest ride I’ve had to Bishkek and for the normal mashrutka price!) to celebrate the holiday with my PST host family in Kant.
The street was shut down in the center of Bishkek where people were gathered to ring in the new year.
My host brother Arlen with a Frozen hat, proof that it doesn’t matter where you are, kids always love playing with the packaging.
Kant is the land of plenty. We had so much food it could barely fit on the table and curiously several choices of meat, but no sheep!
We each wrote down our goals for the year, lit them on fire and then drank the ashes with our champagne at midnight. We rushed outside to see the fireworks and I have to say, it was spectacular. Expensive, coordinated fireworks shows are great and all, but nothing beats walking into the street and being completely surrounded by lights, colors and explosions. You can buy fireworks anywhere and just set them off in the street. It was great!
This was followed by something I like to refer to as the Kant crawl where we go down the street and stop in at each of the neighbor’s houses, have some food, make a few toasts, and drink at least two shots of vodka. Needless to say I was falling asleep at the table by half past 1. My host family on the other hand was apparently up til 7:30AM.
New Years Day brunch with the neighbors
I’m back in Tyup now but the partying hasn’t ended. We’ve had guests at the house ever since I returned. The holiday season is supposed to last until Wednesday.
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