Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Will The Chicks Live?

4/22/06
Since coming to Kyrgyzstan, the only affection I’ve seen between men and women is the young couples making out in the parks. This past weekend, I went to a village to visit another volunteer and saw the greatest Kyrgyz couple ever. A new café opened in Betsy’s village and they serve good food in a clean restaurant, so we went twice. The first time we went one waitress chased a drunken guy away from us after I told him repeatedly to just let us eat dinner. Anyhow, we were having lunch in the café and the waitress’ husband and son came in to hang out while she worked. After Betsy handed out Easter candy to all of the staff and customers, we sat and talked until we were the only customers left. The husband and wife were playing and had some chasing game in which she ran outside and he ran to catch her. He carried her back inside and danced with her, meanwhile their son was running after them and watching. It is so refreshing to see two people who are actually in love and aren’t married for the sake of marriage. To be honest, I was forgetting what people in love are like.

4/23/06
I bought 15 chicks this morning. They are one week old, which my friend, Rakia, says makes them less likely to die. We’ve made it through Day 1 with no deaths, so I’m feeling good about this. Rakia went with me to the bazaar this morning and helped me pick the chicks and their food. We then went to the veterinarians ‘office’ for special vitamin food. Next week I must go buy some sort of drops that go in their nose. I’m not sure why, but I’ll just do what I’m told when it comes to caring for chicks.

I have the chicks in a box in our house with a desk lamp hanging over the side of the box to keep them warm. Earlier I put a dish of food in the box for them and watched them eat. Those little birds can sure eat a lot. They all climbed on the dish, but not all of them fit. So every minute or so, one of the chicks on the outside of the ring takes a dive into the center, landing on the heads of the others. He then wiggles his butt down in between his brothers and sisters. A few of the birds sat in the center of the dish and went to sleep, as they were being trampled by the others. They’re nuts. I put water in a jar lid and then put a stone in the center. The purpose is to keep them from jumping in the water too much. If they get wet it’s easy for them to catch cold and die. That’s my main concern in keeping them alive. I always thought of chicks as an Easter novelty, until I had a box of them in my house. They never stop pooping and they stink! My host mother hasn’t seen them yet (she was at work when I went to get them) and I’m worried she’ll pitch a fit. They’re in the same room that we eat in, but I don’t have many options of places to put them. The situation is only for a week or two (I think). When they’re bigger we won’t have to worry about them getting cold outside.

I’ve started doing Kum Nye exercises during the past week. Kum Nye is a three-thousand year old form of Tibetan relaxation, centering, energy, vitality, health and healing. The positions are stationary; but to do them you use many muscles you were unaware of. It consists of eight positions that you hold for 2 minutes each. I’ve only made it through the third one so far. Another volunteer had a book about the practice sent to her, and from that she conducted a workshop during training. I just happened to stumble upon the handout she gave us and decided to give it a try. If nothing else, I’ll be stretching my muscles on a regular basis (I’m awful at remembering to stretch in the morning). I also want to start trying some yoga. I have a lot of stress in my daily life, though I don’t always notice it. Every once in a while I feel as though I am about to lose my mind. The past few weeks, I’ve had a lot of anger built up. I feel like I’m about to explode at the slightest frustration. Poor Jesika has been bearing the brunt of it. Anyhow, I hope some meditation will bring me back to center and help me cope with stress a little better.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

NO MORE FWDS!!!

To all of you who send forwarded mass emails on a regular basis: Please stop. They take up too much room in my inbox and I never open them. Unless you fall off your chair laughing at one, be sure to not add my name to the list of recipients. Same goes for e-cards. Remember I'm using a dial-up connection that goes out regularly, as well as sketchy electricity. Thank you.

Friday, April 07, 2006

UPDATES:

new photos - check
wishlist - check
grant proposal posted - check

You can view the grant proposal at http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors. Click on Volunteer Projects. Please tell your family and friends about it - maybe they'll be interested in funding it.