almost one month away from the states.

It has been roughly four weeks and more since I have left the states and things have been going better than I have expected. Lots of happen during this time. I went from primarily learning Kyrgyz to now primarily learning Russian. Even though I worked at a Russian speaking nursing home for 2 years, I was never able to pick up much. And now I understand why.... it is indeed a very difficult language to learn. Pronunciation and enunciation along with grammar rules and a new set of alphabet is completely foreign to me. Thus, my overall progress is going slower than I would like but I hope that will soon change as I interact more with the locals and my host family. I already know one set of challenging language (Chinese) and hope to pick up Russian soon. Wish me luck...

My day starts early nowdays with either language, cultural, or health lessons. If you know me well enough, you should know that I don't function that well in the early mornings. But I am toughing it up am doing quite well. But waking up early does not mean sleeping early. That's me! Each day is filled with back to back activities and I haven't had much time to write to individuals. I apologize on that. I am quite exhausted by the end of the day due to training and lessons and then having Russian conversation with the locals. Believe it or not, it is quite draining to constantly speak a language that you are not familar with. I throw in phrases here and there and then the rest are sign language. I hate to admit it but it seems that my linguistic ability is weak....sigh. My english is also simultaneously getting weird. The other day I was asking my friend "What's this read.....?" rather than What's this say?". Thus please tell me if I am unclear at times.

On another note thou, I wake up to roosters crowing, cows mooing and a beautiful scenary of Tian Shan (the mountains). Traveling in buses that are jammed packed. Personal Space? well, those don't quite exist here. However, the price to ride is about 40cent. Can't find those in the states. Beverages such as coke and sprite are 50cents a bottle (which is about the sale price in the states). The cuisine here is surprisingly to my liking. They DO serve meat if anyone was wondering. And my daily meals depends on what my host family prepare since I don't know how to cook. I have no complaints about the food. I kind of get my daily nutrients... protein, carbs, fruits, veggiess some way or another multi-vitamins. AND let's not forget tea. It's a tradition here to drink tea. When people come to your home, you serve tea along with many other goodies. And I mean other goodies in that there are both sweet and salty dishes on the table. There could be basic things like bread and then sometime there would be rice dishes or salads or candy and many more. On the flip side, when you go to other people's home (we call that guesting), they serve you tea along with other goodies as well. I absolutely love this tradition and would love to see more of it back at home. (except that fact that tea dehydrates the body).

I promise that I will get come pictures up as soon as I get the chance. Email me if you want to know more.

Thanks for the continuing support everyone! And those that want my address...please email me privately. 

Cheers!

I arrived safely!

to all my friends and family:

From JFK to  Frankfrut Germany (7.5 hours) to Istanbul Turkey (2.5hours)  and then to my final destination Bishkek Kyrgyzstan (5.5 hours) . The plane rides were long and tiresome, layover at unfamiliar locations and then passing through security points ample times. Heavy carry on bags and Sleep deprived and losing track of what time or day it is.  (never thought I would be to type to carry such a huge backpack as well as falling asleep at the airport) Whew~ Nonetheless I HAVE MADE IT (and so have my all my luggages as this is very important)! to the destination where I will be for the next 2.5 years. All my fellows companions along with myself were greeted warmly by the current volunteers. The few stories that they told me so far were compelling and I too look forward to experiencing what they spoke of--Perhaps not the throwing rocks at the dogs so much. But definitely to learning a new language. Primarily, I am learning Kyrgyz, the local language spoken here. On the side, I will learn Russian and I can't wait till I become fluent in both. And most importantly, I look forward to working and sharing my knowledge with the locals on the many health projects that are available--ranging from health promotion and conducing health awareness seminars to implementing new health facilities and health models at the clinics and hospitals.

The mountain views here are spectacular and I am so amazed by the fact that I am waking up to a fresh a wonderful sight every morning. Other Peace Corps voluteers coming from all parts of the US each has a story of their own that I am anxious to hear as well. We are all getting along  very well and are very excited to explore further into the country. Our host families are going to be determined lately today and I am a bit nervous and hope that we will bond well. With my current limit Kyrgyz ability I hope that I can convey my messages to them.

On the other hand thou, I was very glad that I got a chance to see many of you before my departure. I hoped that I had more time in the states as I know there are still many of which I didn't get to see and speak to in person. But once again, I want thank you for the farewell messages and for the encouragements you all have provided. All of your wishes and thoughts will keep me strong throughout my journey in this foreign land. I know that there are times when I am going to struggle. But by knowing that I have the support from my friends and family and many others, I feel that I can overcome the awaiting challenges.

I will update soon again and if you sent me private message, I promise that I will get to you all soon. Best to all!

Serving for Peace Corps

To all my friends, colleagues & relatives:

Thank you for being there to support and share my happy and sad moments in life. And thank you for those that have made an impact (big or small, in school or at work) and led me to become the person I am today. I have officially accepted the offer to serve for Peace Corps and will soon be departing to Kyrgyz Republic (a region right above Tian Shan, right above China). For those that know me well enough, you probably figured out that I would be the type to explore the world and do something like this. It was a hard decision to make but I am very excited for this experience and I look forward to this journey.

I will be gone for about 2 ½ years. During this time, I know that many of you will be undergoing many changes. Some may start or still be in med/law/grad/podiatry/dental and some will have graduated. Others whom have started working already may receive a promotion, be relocated, or even start a business. I may be missing out on some weddings and baby showers too! Some of you may take on new roles in life… spouse, parents, grandparents, uncle or auntie. And for all these changes, although I may possibly not find out and say “congratulations” till I return, I want to let you all know that I’ll be thinking about all this. I will be wishing you all health and happiness in the meantime.

For those that are reading this now, I will be keeping this blog active throughout my service in Kyrgyz. If you are ever wondering what Jee is doing at Kyrgyz, feel free to read up a bit on this page. And if you want full coverage details, then I believe e-mail (or snail mail) is the way to go.

Only about a month left before I depart and although I would like to meet up with each and everyone… I don’t think that would be possible with the busy schedules we all have. However, I am glad that I had the chance to meet with many individuals and look forward to continue to catching up with as many as possible before I leave.

Thanks to those that will be praying for me and have provided me words of encouragement. I will miss you all dearly.

G