update...about time =)

WARNING: LONG, very LONG ENTRY.


Well I guess it’s about time for an update-eh? I figure 3 ½ months is long enough. I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I could do a month by month update….


DECEMBER: always a fun month-no matter where you live. I enjoyed spending the holidays with my teammates. We had a big Christmas party with the students---sang songs, played games, decorated sugar cookies. We also had a Christmas party with other workers here in the city---that was fun. We did a white elephant gift exchange…I don’t remember what I got…ooh yeah---a light-lamp-thingy to read with. Excellent when the electricity goes out---usually a couple times a week. It was different being away from my family, but didn’t get home sick too badly. Ooh we also went sledding which was great! And I got to ride a horse---that was fun.



Me and Em.




The Team. (good lookin' people)


JANUARY: I like to call this the month of travel. We left on the 12th of Jan. to go to the capital city for a conference and then on to Turkey/Spain for vacation/another conference. Our adventure started off with a 12 hour waiting period at the local airport because of fog---which led to a 14 hour taxi ride to the capital city (9pm-11am) through snow/ice covered mountain roads (plane never came). Let’s just say I didn’t sleep a wink…given the fact our driver kept nodding off---I felt it was my obligation to keep him awake.  The staff conference was awesome---I really enjoyed meeting other national staff from all over Central Asia and hearing from different speakers was very encouraging.



Me and Guljan




Some great people...


We then started our next adventure to Turkey at 2am in the morning (for a flight that was supposed to leave at 4am, but didn’t actually leave until 11:30am). You have to love traveling throughout Kyrgyzstan in the winter…good quality time in the airport. Turkey was an incredible adventure. We stayed in Istanbul for 2 days, took an overnight bus to Izmir (Ephesus) for about 4 days, then took an overnight bus back to Istanbul for another day and then we were on to Spain. I had already been to Ephesus before, but the 2nd time around was much more appealing….maybe because it wasn’t 130 degrees outside and there were only like 20 other people there. Definitely love traveling in Turkey in the winter---great weather and not many tourist. Istanbul was a wonderful city. One of my favorites…never thought that would be the case. It is so beautiful with the sun setting and rising over the Mediterranean Sea, the beautiful architecture, and the Turkish food---yummy! So then it was on to Spain…



Istanbul.



Band shot. :)




Ahhh---sweet sweet Spain. Talk about BEAUTIFUL! We had a mid-year conference there with other American workers throughout Central Asia and Western Europe. We decided to go to Spain a couple days early to get in some sites, sounds, and tastes of Malaga. (Our conference was held in Nerja). We had a great time walking around the city, seeing the sites, going to the beach, tasting the food, etc. Went to the Picasso Museum, which was very interesting and yeah---interesting  Then it was on to Nerja. Talk about a beautiful, quaint, Spanish town. Most of the buildings are small and painted white, which makes the contrast of the bright blue ocean all the more majestic. The sunsets were AMAZING. The time with old friends was great. The speakers were outstanding, but I have to say the time spent alone with God was most refreshing. He really used this time to teach me a lot about myself and more about His character. I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend in Spain. (plus the weather was awesome…nice and warm, compared to the harsh winter of 2008 in Kyrgyzstan).



Beautiful Spain...



Great friend Mel...





FEBRUARY: (returned from traveling on the 6th) time to get the semester started. After having about a month of traveling/conferences it was nice to come home and sleep in my own bed. Even though the snow was still piled high, the fog had yet to be lifted, and our apartment was pretty darn cold, I was still glad to be home. It was nice to get back to teaching and seeing friends/students. We had a Valentine’s Party with a bunch of girls from our classes. They seemed to have a good time. We talked about “Love” and all that in between. Some pretty good convos I would have to say. Since that day I have met with my good friend “CeeCee” every week, and the conversations we’ve been having have been incredible…both challenging to me and my faith, as well as hers. I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with her… one day I’ll be able to call her “sister”. I believe. 






Enter MARCH…enter SPRING…enter SUNSHINE, PICNICS, SPORTS, & OLD/NEW FRIENDS : Thus far this month has been great~ it’s almost over, incredible how quickly time goes by. (I have been here for almost 7 months…wowzers). This month ushered in a new year for me…I am now 24 years old…oh so much wiser and mature (ha). I had some friends come from the Upstate on a vision trip---one of the best weeks this semester so far. I had been feeling pretty discouraged/homesick/sad since February, but the time I got to spend with these friends was incredible. The Lord sure does know what His children need. It was so fun to get to share my life/job with them and to hear about how things are going back in the Upstate. I’m so thankful for such a wonderful school/group of friends/brothers/sisters who encourage me and lift me up. There are days I know the only reason I make it through is because of their support, encouragement, and prayers.



Easter service...



We celebrated Easter this past Sunday by climbing the mountain in the middle of the city at 6:30am and had a SON-rise “service”. It was so incredible to watch the sunrise over the mountains and the view---oooh man---breathtaking. It was so clear. Then we went outside of town with our “fellowship” and had our service out in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Incredible. The view. The weather. The mood. I couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate Resurrection Day.  After our service, we had a picnic, played some sports, had an Easter egg hunt for the kids, and then packed up and headed home. We continued the festivities with a friendly game of Settlers of Catan…and not to be too proud, but I won. 
Yeah---so now Spring is here. The weather is great! It’s so fun to walk around and not have 20 extra pounds of clothing on. It’s fun to see all the kids out in the streets playing, students walking and eating ice cream, people on the mountain all throughout the day, and the sun shining later into the day! Wonderful!




Me and Jules...

……….


Personal Update: I’m not going to be living with a family. Probably for the best. Maybe sometime in the future, we’ll see. Language learning is going pretty good….tough most days…but there are some good days in there. I can at least carry-on some type of conversation (whether they understand me, I’m not sure, but I understand them )  I found out I will be coming to the states for a visit next Christmas, super excited about that! I guess my American home is now in Texas (parents moved there, for those of you who don’t know). Excited to see family/friends. There are some college students/friends coming soon---REALLY excited about that. Friends here are going home to the states, not excited about that  But, most will return---so that’s good. Baseball season is about to start---super excited about that---sad that I won’t get to watch any games, but I can always watch Fever Pitch/*61/Sandlot over and over again, right?!
Well I guess this is definitely long enough. Sorry it’s been so long since I last updated. I hope to update more often. Until then…