New Years and New Loves

December 31, 2006

8:00 AM

I have been in country for over five months now. I am fully into the swing of life here and more and more every day life here becomes the norm rather than the unique. It’s weird, there are moments when I barely realize that I am living and working in Central Asia. I have never been a big fan of routine, but I have gotten into a fairly good groove here.

The next month or so will be a test; my groove is going to be uprooted and as much as it will throw things off, it is going to be very welcomed. The next month or so I have will not have school or teaching. The first two weeks in January are given off by the school I work for. While I have a good amount of work I need to do still, I plan to use a few of the days off to get out and see a bit more of the country I am living in.

Sometimes I get lost in the work that I am doing. I need to get up and move once in a while; get out of my routine and give myself a little breather. It sounds kind of funny to be in Peace Corps, living in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, and learning a new culture, and then say that I have gotten into a routine.

But it can happen anywhere and with anyone. Routines are good for getting the necessary completed, but sometimes the necessary isn’t that important. In many ways the relative importance of where you are and what you are doing matters just as much as what else can you be doing.

Speaking to my good friend Fiona the other day, we were having a discussion on my life here. It was a very simple conversation, not much depth to it, but we did venture off in the end. She asked me towards of the end of the conversation, “Are you happy?” As I usual, with her questions, I jumped at the answer. I responded, “Of course, I love my life right now.”

And with that statement, I went quickly into thought. I knew her question wasn’t that simple, she doesn’t ask simple questions. What was she really asking me? Was there more to her question? I asked her “what do you mean by happy?”

With a grin, she knew that she had hooked me in. “Happiness is not a simple thought, an emotion that just fades in and out. There is so much more to your thoughts, your actions, and your words that hold residence in the meaning of happiness. I ask you if you are happy, and you respond with a simple ‘of course.’ But you know there is much more to it, you know happiness is much more that than. You know that it is a living being, a breathing existence that struggles and loves life the same way you do.

“Do not be content with believing you are happy, find it and become it. Become the happiness that you wish to possess, seek out and find the world that will brighten your soul. I do not mean to tell you to go find a lotus tree and search for your enlightenment. This may not be what you need. What I am telling you is that if something burns insides of you, fuel that flame. If something within you is anchoring you down, detach it and move ahead.

“When I ask if you are happy, I ask if you are following your heart. If you become too content with your feelings of happiness, you will eventually get lost in a cage of your own naivety. There is always more to what you see and feel; even that which cannot be seen is there for you to explore. In many ways, that which you cannot see becomes just as important as what you can see. The world you create within the boundaries of your own mind can only take you so far. Go find more, there is so much more.”


January 1, 2007

1:30 PM

Happy New Year!

I spent my New Year here very modestly and simple, the way that I have always loved to do. In true Kyrgyz fashion, I ate more food than humanly possible and right about the time that I was full to the point of nausea, we all sat down for dinner.

It was a wonderful New Year overall. A new very close friend came to my village to spend a few days here and celebrate the New Year. She was a wonderful addition to a very relaxing and enjoyable entrance into the New Year.


January 4, 2007

4:30 PM

My last post dealt a little bit with the family within the PC world. This post is now being written with a wave of emotion spawned from this wonderful family.

Many volunteers have come here for different reasons. I could go on for pages describing the purpose behind not just my reasons for joining Peace Corps, let alone the other one hundred plus volunteers living in this country. Whatever the reasons may be, we all seem to find our way to the center of one common thought and feeling: the experience.

We have struggles here, pains, joys, and new loves. We all fight the battles of living in a new country and we all share in the pleasures of learning a new country. Some people live an hour and half away from other volunteers and some live a short fifteen minutes. Whatever the distance, we all eventually find a way to connect with the world that surrounds us.

Friendships are forged out of shared experience. I have no idea how many of my closet friends here I would ever come across let alone befriend in the states. Nonetheless, these are now people that I am growing to love. They vary in age, background, and experience. They vary in interests, passions, and desires. But in the end, they are all people that are now part of my family.

When we meet to do some good for our country of residence (like our group for Christmas) or to just sit back and relax with some music, laughter and spirits, we share in the time that is now our lives. Some people have been here for over a year and some have been here for a shorter six months (like me). Slowly but surely, the humble crowd converges to create a wonderful family.


***Thought process change***

Another short note, since I am sure the word is spreading, and all family and friends back home want to know, I have met a new wonderful girl. I do not want to jinx anything by typing about (or getting too excited, as I may have done with the past short lived relationship). But this new relationship is different. There is something entirely unique and different about this girl and the relationship that I have begun with her.

Her name is Amy; she is from the Chicagoland area and is a K-13 (which means she has been here for a year already). I do not wish to go into to many details (if you want them, ask); I would simply like to tell the world that so patiently reads my blogs about here. I have a need to tell others about her because what we have started is not something I can hold in. She is an incredible girl and someone that has very quickly become a great friend. We have started a relationship and honestly, with all of my heart, I know this is something very unique and special.