It’s the end of the month, and as a part of a new blogging and photography goal I’ve set for myself with BloggingAbroad, I’ve been taking photos based on prompts (and just from life in general), and I wanted to share a few with you!  Take a look, read about it, and click to enlarge if you want to see more closely.

#1 Andijon Reservoir in Kurshab

For the May 1st holiday, a local friend took me up to spend the afternoon with the youth of Kurshab village on the side of a cliff above the Andijon Reservoir northeast of Osh.  The views were so stunning that I wasn’t able to choose just one photo of the vista to share!

#2 Hashtag Hands

This is a selfie of me with a bunch of new friends on my way back from the Andijon Reservoir and a wonderful May Day celebration. They all wanted to wave and take selfies, so I joined in on the fun with this out-the-window shot.

Locals in Kurshab love to travel out on the weekend to the reservoir to relax and enjoy the fresh air and the stunning vistas and the occasional dip in the frigid water. When there’s too many people and not enough cars to get home around sunset, all the kids pile into the back of a truck for the 45 minute drive on the dirt track back into the village. I was afforded the honorable (and safer) seat inside the truck’s cab.  You can read more about that day here.

#3 Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

I would be a bad son if I didn’t include my photo celebrating my amazing mother, who herself lived overseas in her 20’s and has encouraged me throughout my life to explore the world, learn new things, and make a difference in others’ lives.  This photo is from Christmas Day 2015, when my mom and dad hiked along a mountain ridge to meet me at a ski lodge at the summit while I repeatedly skied past them at high speed.

#4 The Flag

I’m obsessed with one of my latest purchases: a Kyrgyz flag.  The flag of Kyrgyzstan is red with a yellow stylized sun design in the middle.  There are 40 rays radiating from it, said to represent the 40 tribes of the Kyrgyz (the word “Kyrgyz” is said to derive from “kyrk – ooz” literally meaning something akin to “40 tribes”).  In the center is two sets of three lines intersecting.  This symbol is called a tunduk, and is the shape of the crown piece of a traditional yurt, and an important symbol overall in Kyrgyz culture.  The red is said to represent bravery, the sun peace and wealth, and the tunduk the home and family.  Interestingly, the Kyrgyz flag is the only flag of a former Soviet Republic to use red as its main color (red being the predominant color of the flag of the USSR).

#5 Me With The Flag

What better way to show off Kyrgyzstan’s flag than to have a photoshoot with it in the Kyrgyz countryside?  This photo is from a hike we took to celebrate Constitution Day, and we took a bunch of photos with the flag to show our love for Kyrgyzstan.  I had a little too much fun editing it, and so I wound up with this epic photo.

#6 The Road To Kyzyl-Orda

Another shot from our hike in Kyzyl-Orda on Constitution Day, this road stretched out between the hills and under that stunning sky.  I couldn’t not snap this.

#7 Suleiman Too Painting?

This lucky shot I captured as I flew to Bishkek on Victory Day.  It’s Suleiman Too with the Alai mountains in the background.  Somehow, the photo wound up looking like some sort of a vintage Silk Road painting of some kind, and I’ve been mesmerized by it ever since.  It was even taken and reposted by several Kyrgyz Instagram accounts, including the official one for Osh City!

#8 Balykchy Apartments

This is the stunning view from my colleague’s apartment in Balykchy, where I was for a few days to give a series of health trainings on hygiene, Hepatitis, and HIV.  These types of apartments were built when Balykchy was a thriving factory town, and they are of a style typical across the former USSR.

#9 The Manaschi

The Manas statue is a key marker of the centre of Balykchy.  I haven’t talked much about Manas on this blog before, primarily because his legacy and mystique don’t seem to be as strong in Osh.  But basically, Manas is a historical figure who is said to have united the 40 tribes of the Kyrgyz against the Mongols, essentially unifying the Kyrgyz nation.  His story is remembered through the Epic of Manas, which is the world’s longest piece of epic poetry – twenty times the combined length of The Iliad and The Odyssey.  It continues to be recited orally as it has been for hundreds of years, and those who recite it are highly revered, and called “Manaschi,” (Манасчы) which grammatically broken down literally means “a person whose job is to Manas.”  You’ll also notice the two snow leopard statues – these endangered mammals are also significant here culturally, and are in the official insignias of both Bishkek and Almaty.

#10 The Road To Kochkor

For my health lessons earlier this month, I hitched a ride from Balykchy to Kochkor, which is the northern centre of Naryn oblast.  While I was there, I gave a bunch of health lessons and made some great contacts in the schools there.  I snapped this photo during the car ride.

#11 Marathon Number 6

I am so proud of this picture.  By sheer coincidence, we managed to capture just about everything that it was to run a marathon here in Kyrgyzstan.  It was long and hard, but you can see those mountains in the background and the sheer joy at accomplishing a goal that I set for myself well before coming here.  Sure, I was 90 minutes off my marathon PR, but I still finished what I set out to do.

#12 Team Peace Corps Running The Silk Road

I was so fortunate to share my marathon experience with this amazing group of friends and colleagues.  Special shout out to my dear friend Anna, who just COS’ed after an inspiring service working at a youth centre for developmentally disabled children, helping their families learn how to work with their children.  These ladies are AMAZING.

#13 Guesting

Going “guesting” or hosting guests at your house is an important part of Kyrgyzstani culture.  In a way, it’s very similar to the reciprocal potlatch culture of hospitality that I grew up in in Alaska.  When guests come over, they are treated very kindly (and I’m going to write a larger piece about this soon).  They get the best pieces of meat, they get served tea first, and they always should sit farthest from the door.  A week ago, we welcomed a bunch of guests to our house, and this is a shot of the table from above before we brought out the main courses.  You can see a cornucopia of bread, kattama (fried flaky dough), boorsok (bite-size fried dough), cookies, candies, and cherries, which are just coming into season here in Osh (Osh is famous for its delicious cherries).

#14 Toktogul Library Park in Osh

I took this shot from the balcony of the American Corner at the Osh Oblast Library Named For S. Toktogul.  Osh looks like a lush tropical paradise, which, let’s face it, it kind of is.  This photo also got swiped by a few local Instagram users and reposted!

#15 Meeting Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet

I know that I’ve been going on and on about this on social media, but getting to meet Director Hessler-Radelet and getting to hear her words of support and encouragement truly was one of the best ways to launch my second year of service.  Thank you for your visit!

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