Pickles and Leaving Herrikgala

Pickles, Pickled and more!
I enjoy a good pickle as much as the next person, in fact when I was little I loved pickles so much I screamed for a good 20 minutes until I received said pickle. (The tantrum may have had more to do with the fact that my mom didn’t understand what I wanted rather than unwillingness to provide me with a pickle. I called ‘pickles’ ‘buckles’ which caused much confusion) In Türkmenistan there is an abundance of pickles and for that matter pickled substances. I am sure most of you have had pickled cucumbers and many people may have experienced pickled cabbage (more commonly referred to as sour kraut). But have you had the pleasure of pickled tomatoes? This is a treat in which one doesn’t eat the outside skin and instead bites a small hole at one end and sucks or slurps the pickled inside guts of the tomato out of. What about pickled eggplant stuffed with strange spices? Again you don’t generally eat the skin of the eggplant and I personally avoid the filling as it tastes like eating a strange concoction of spices from the container. But the inside guts of the eggplant do provide a nice treat. Have you had the pleasure of munching on pickled carrots? Here we enjoy it as a side salad for many meals. What about pickled garlic? This one is totally exciting! The pungent garlic taste has disappeared leaving you with a mellow hint of garlic and all the pleasures of toxic breath for the remainder of the day. I have also had the pleasure of eating pickled peppers (both green and hot).
Regardless of how much I enjoy all of the above on occasion there is one pickled treat I cannot seem to get enough of: pickled heat (this name is entirely my own creation made up on the spot and is in no way representative of the actual name of this treat). This side salad/condiment consists of carrots, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and red peppers that are medium spice. This is made into some sort of a mush and then pickled. It is absolutely amazing!
So, the moral of the story is that although I can’t seem to eat a whole lot of most Turkmen foods I am consuming a lot of pickled foods and hopefully I will learn how to pickle and could bring back a sweet hobby when I return to the states!
Last night in Herrikgala…
I don’t have too many thoughts on my last evening in Herrikgala (technically my second to last day of training). I am mostly really excited to get to site and to get through all of the goodbyes that I have ahead of me. I have given my gifts and said a lot of my goodbyes but I will probably be seeing a lot of the people (host family members and training counterparts) I’ve already said goodbye to on Friday for our swearing in. And then I’ll have to say goodbye to my fellow trainees in Herrikgala. It has been a series of ups and downs and the five other people in my village have been instrumental in my survival from day to day.
Once I arrive at site we will have a 3 or 4 day holiday. I’m still trying to figure out what the holiday is and why we have it but I have heard it involves swinging in these super dangerous swings to symbolically shake off the bad…I think. I have a koýnek (Turkmen dress) waiting for me. Which will be exciting, I just hope that it isn’t too ugly…there are many koýneks that are rather unfortunate looking. On the other hand there are a lot of koýneks that are beautiful! We will see which mine is. If I like the seamstress I’ll have her make another one for me out of the fabric I already have. She could also put darts in the other koýnek I got for free from the Peace Corps Office from some other volunteer who was leaving.

Thanksgiving, and Language Mishaps

It is Black Friday in Türkmenistan and I didn’t think about shopping once, unless you consider the food we are going to buy tomorrow for the celebration we will have on Monday to thank all of our counterparts. (Kärdiş Toý) A few stories/experiences to share with you all are listed below. As always thanks for all of your support! Keep sending me letters! I will also hopefully have a cell phone soonish for anyone who might want to call! I will have free incoming calls and texts!
Thanksgiving – Turkmen Style
Thanksgiving in America – Macy’s Day Parade, Lots of food, Football
Thanksgiving in Turkmenistan – A classroom of children all singing Yesterday by the Beatles and Hound dog by Elvis. (If I can figure out how to post video on the blog I will!), Palow (rice, meat, carrots and onions) followed by an entire afternoon making a lot more food, and some more singing!
Thanksgiving menu: Baking powder biscuits (made with baking soda and vinegar), Mashed potatoes and gravy, Sweet potatoes with sugar (not brown sugar), Stuffed Chicken killed the previous night by Jessie’s family, A ton of stuffing (which we realized was actually very similar to Turkmen dograma – a dish I have not found a liking to), Pumpkin pudding (we used a pie recipe but didn’t have a crust and didn’t let it cook nearly long enough because we needed to cook the chicken, but it turned out really really good!).
We invited my host family to eat with us as well as our LCF (Language and Cultural Facilitator) named Soltan and the only thing the Turkmen actually seemed to enjoy was the pumpkin pudding. But we didn’t despair because each time we’ve made ‘American’ food Turkmen don’t really seem to eat much if any of it.
Language Misinterpretations 101
It is strange what a person dreams about while in new and unpredictable situations! This story begins with my good friend Jessie and I’m publishing this with much thanks to her for any embarrassment that may be a result of this publication. Jessie, similar to many of us (myself included) woke up before her alarm this morning. Instead of going back to sleep she began to daydream. The goal was a simple romantic dream in London. Instead she began to daydream about eating eggs for breakfast. Naturally, she shared her dream with each of us this morning as part of the morning ritual: How did you sleep? Are you gastro intestinally healthy? What did you dream about?
Several hours lapsed and we are at lunch. I was in a rather grumpy mood all day and when Sarah suggested we watch some Pride and Prejudice on her computer rather than the normal MTV in Russian I voted yes! We watched the entire second episode of the BBC version. It put me in a better mood and the girls in my group were talking with Soltan about the movie and Amy mentioned “Maña Mr. Darcy gerek” (I want/need Mr. Darcy). Sarah repeated the same statement and I followed suit. Jessie, however, commented, “Maña yurmurtgalar gerek” (I want/need eggs). Soltan began laughing hysterically and asked, “Really?!?!?!?!?” and continued to laugh. We all joined in and Jessie began to think if she said what she really thought she said. She then had a moment of clarity and realized the word yurmurtgalar sounded a lot like yurmurtgalich which means testicals. She clarified to Soltan and we all marked it up to another linguistic misunderstanding.
I can’t say I’ve had any misunderstandings quite that entertaining but I have absolutely messed up leaving and coming verbs. I’ve told my family and a bunch of community women that I have kids and am unmarried (this was because I thought I was asked if I liked kids to which I responded yes). I quickly clarified and their looks of shame changed. I’ve also found some fun verbs. For example :çykmak means: to exit, to climb, to seem, to appear (as in to appear that you are correct), to appear (materialize), to perform (i.e. a play), to take off (i.e. clothes), to come from, to deviate from, and finally it is also used after a gerund to indicate a completed action (like I am done cleaning my room – çykdym would go at the end of that sentence). Just imagine all of the complications this verb alone could cause!
In less than 1 week I will be an official Peace Corps Volunteer! I am very excited and daunted by that fact. During the swearing in ceremony two of my fellow trainees will be giving speeches in Turkmen. The group voted on Joshua and Nancy. Several groups of trainees will be presenting music in various forms. I’m hoping that our training group will be able to pull it off but we’re hoping to perform a traditional Turkman piece of music with dutar (Turkmen guitar with two strings) played by Joel and the lyrics sung by some portion of the rest of us. We shall see. I’ll keep you posted. Becoming a PCV is different from a Peace Corps Trainee in only a few ways. First, and most obviously I will no longer be in training. I will be alone in a village where the nearest American is a 30 minute Taxi ride to the south. I will be getting paid a real wage (although even in Turkmen standards we are paid subpar). We get 2.8 million manat .8 of which goes to our families. The average teacher gets paid 4ish million manat. We will also see how/if that changes when the economy is switched to the new currency system. I am not complaining, however. I will probably have to work fairly hard to spend that much money each month. I’ll probably be cooking for myself several dinners a week, getting a few more new dresses made, and traveling to the regional capital of Lebap several times a month. But other than that I just won’t have anything to spend money on.
I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving! Wishing you all a beautiful and joyful start to the holiday season! Send letters!!!

Guychbirleshek, Lebap

I have been to my permanent site and am extrordinarily excited! I didn't have my computer with so I haven't had a chance to write a thoughtful, thorough post. I'm sure I'll get one up eventually, or if not I sent a very detailed letter to my parents who can fill in the blanks.

We took an overnight train from Ashgabat to Lebap where we paused in the Capitol, Turkmenibat. It was large but I didn't actually get to get out of the train. We then traveled another several hours until we arrived in Halach - the etrap center (kind of like counties in the states). I am 15 - 25 minutes northwest of Halach in a small oba (village) called Guychbirleshek. My family was really nice and they are rather wealthy and have a large house. One of the main reasons I know they are wealthy is because my father has a second wife. There is a six month old baby at home and I have a 17 year old brother and a gelneje (sister-in-law) living at home. The clinic I'm working at is small with four doctors and four nurses. We didn't see any patients the entire time I was there. But everyone was very nice! My bedroom is small but has a bed (that creaks when I breathe) and a wardrobe type thing as well as a tv and a stereo sound system. I don't know if those will still be there when I arrive in December for the rest of my service. Overall I am very excited and can't wait to leave for permanent site in December. I am really in the middle of nowhere with the closest volunteer being 30 minutes away by taxi, but it is very exciting and I am the first volunteer at this site. Therefore I was constantly stared at everywhere I went! My gelneje took me to two toy's (parties for a wedding) and everyone kept staring at me. This was particularily exciting when they told me I had to dance. Turkmen dancing (for women) is basically walking in a circle to a beat waving your hands in a circular motion. I'll teach anyone who is interested when I arrive back home. Men have a much more fun time dancing as they get their entire bodies to do these crazy body moves. The thing I am most excited about is that in Halach people are much more liberal and open. Men and women talk, they are friends and men help in the house and with children. My future family is truly a family unit that openly cares for one another. It is going to be a very good few years!

That's all for now and I can't wait to hear from you all via email and letters!

Some updates about my permanent site:

So, I am going to Lebap vilayette. My village is Guichbirleshik and it is located in Halach Etrap (sort of like a county). I am leaving here in about 15 minutes. I will be meeting my host family that has a mother, father, two brothers (only one is at home often). The older brother is married and his wife and 6 month old child are at home. The younger brother is 17. I am very excited and should have time to update you all on what it is I encountered when I return (Wednesday morning here). I hope you are all looking forward to the update! I know I am!!!!!

Finally we have internet access!

I am officially half done with my training. We have done so many new and exciting things! I have written letters to everyone who provided me with their address before I left. You should probably get a letter before the end of December, but remember there are no guarantees with Turkmen or US mail systems.
The past month has been a time of constant adjustment. It has been stressful, tedious, educational, strenuous, and lots of fun. Overall it has been a growing experience. I have been getting to know my fellow PCT’s in my training village, spending at least four hours/six days a week on formal language practice and learning. Plus countless numbers of hours with my wonderful host family whenever they are patient enough to listen to me slaughter their beautiful language. I can talk extensively about food and family in Turkmen, I am supposed to know how to talk about transportation, Peace Corps and many other subjects that seem to float in and out of my mind hourly.
Training is a lot of fun, but it is also extremely packed with activities, lessons, observations, camps, excursions, semi-realistic language practice a few of the more recent ones I’ve chosen to list below in short stories for your perusal.
Saturday Nov. 1: Trip to the underground lake.
Today we were given the opportunity to go to an underground lake west of Ashgabat. It was about an hour from my training village. We arrived and of course chatted with our fellow PCV’s in different villages. And anytime we all get together there will always be an ‘educational’ session. Today’s session was on development, specifically sustainable development. It was good because the length was relatively brief. We were then given lunch: tomatos (pomidor), cucumbers (hýyar), meat (et), bean salad (salat), eggplant salad (bodomli salat), bread (çorek), and expensive soda (coca-cola, and fanta). Then we managed to find a outdoor dukan that sold beer. I’m fairly certain we greatly increased this particular vendor’s daily income a great deal! I then slowly approach the mountain base that is covered with about three very brightly painted rocks (they looked similar to the flat irons except much smaller and painted white). Behind one of the rocks is a locked gate (much to our disappointment). However, safety Ata (PC staff member in charge of safety and security for PCV’s, there is more than one Ata) came to our rescue and talked with the gate keeper who proceeded to unlock the gate and we glanced over the ledge into the abyss. One by one we carefully stepped down the stairs, beginning with the first two flights that dropped down probably 100 feet. Each step was more like a three foot jump or many times leap of faith. Every time the steps leveled out I glanced around me in hopes of catching a glimpse of this famed lake. Each time being just a little annoyed that I had to keep walking down the steps. Knowing somewhere in the back of my mind that I would soon be walking back up… Finally, after about 6 or 7 minutes walking down into the dark and mysterious abyss we hear voices and some splashing. Meanwhile, it is growing darker and darker and the lighting that has been provided is beginning to be inadequate. Each time I pass a light I have to feel my way down the steps until I begin to approach the next light. On my right I pass an area that is meant to be the changing area, however, I don’t stop to change thinking it is just around the corner and I can check out the lake and then come back and change. The smell that began faint is growing stronger and stronger, the sulfur rising around us. It is also becoming more and more humid, I begin to shed layers of clothing. Continue walking down, and still further down. Suddenly I see a group of people standing at a railing and I hear splashing and yelling! We have made it to the famed underground lake. After surveying the area I head back up to the changing area and back down to the lake. I join everyone already swimming and ease into the very warm, pleasant water (as long as you dismiss the smell). As soon as my eyes adjusted to the dark (unlike any American equivalent this lake is relatively unlit similar to the path heading down) I begin to explore. It was a lake whose water is replaced three times every 24 hours and this particular water table extends into Iran and apparently there is a hold underwater in this cave that leads to another cave behind it. That would be really sweet to check out with scuba gear and some lights. There are several stalagmites sticking out of the water in various locations and I managed to bring back a rock (I originally had two but I think I lost one somewhere along the way). It is pretty cool! The cave was extremely cool, a few volunteers brought head lights and we were able to see more of the cave than we would have otherwise. It is very dark in the back of the cave where the lake goes to.
October 29: My first ‘real’ toý experience.
Turkmen really know how to celebrate and have a good time! They have toýs for births of children, birthdays, and most importantly for weddings! I have officially been at three different toys. The first was for the birth of my host nephew one week after I arrived. I, however, missed the majority of the toý because I was at school learning. The second was at Michael’s (a fellow volunteer) home. This was an exciting toý because it was my first chance to see gellin’s (brides). The first time I was in the toý atmosphere, the first time I got to dance at a toý, and the first and most likely last time I’ll dance with men at a toý (they were Americans so I’m told it was ok). It is truly a unique experience, one I probably won’t do justice to in this brief explanation, but I will do my best.
So my third toý (officially first) was at our gonşe’s (neighbor). It was huge! A two day affair. I went to the second day. This toý had a large stage where the musicians produced live music, and where I saw my first Turkmen comedy act. The stage was surrounded by a 30 foot tall background that had many large flashing neon lights. The stage was situated on the end of the block that my gonşe lives on. On the street there was a large area in front of the stage for dancers and then there were lots and lots of really long tables that were covered in food. I was accompanied to this toý by Guljahan (I think she is the niece of my gelneje – sister in law). We sat at a table for about 20 minutes while I slowly ate and picked at the food. I have been told that food is abundant at toýs and I needed to go slow in order to not seem rude. Guljahan (who is 15 I think) then informed me we were going to go stand up and wait for the gellin to arrive. We stood and she came in. Turkmen brides (dressed in traditional dress) are truly a sight to behold. They are so extremely beautiful! I was able to get rather close to this one as well! Guljahan and I then found a place on the side of the dance floor to be invited to dance. You are not allowed to dance at a Turkmen toý unless you are invited by someone already dancing. Men and women dance in separate circles. Women dance by moving their hands in circular motions and moving their feet to the rhythm of whatever music is playing while walking slowly in a circle. Men get really physical with their dancing and do some pretty entertaining acrobatic moves. Guljahan and I stood on the side of the dance floor for the next three hours. The temperature outside is maybe 45 F and it keeps getting colder. I am luckily thoroughly dressed in all my warm clothes but many of the Turkmen women are wearing koineks and thin jackets and of course their three inch stiletto heels. I finally got a chance to dance when we were invited by one of Guljahan’s friends (or family – I’m not sure). We ended up staying at this toý for about three and a half hours when I finally decided I needed to go home and get some sleep.
A quick note on sleep in T-stan:
I get a lot of sleep! I have been averaging 9 – 10 hours a night. This is fantastic because I’m hardly tired during the day and it is many times necessary because I am more able to function and concentrate during the day. The downside is that when I only get 7 – 8 hours I feel completely disoriented and thrown off entirely! It is very challenging and confusing! Get ready family! When I return in a few years I’m going to need lots and lots of sleep!
Finally, thanks again to everyone who has been keeping me in your thoughts and prayers! They have proven to be immensely helpful! This upcoming week is going to be both challenging and extremely exciting! On Wednesday I find out two very important pieces of information. I find out where I will be spending the next two years of my service, and we find out who the next president of the US will be. Thursday and Friday here I meet my counterpart and we all undergo a counterpart conference in Ashgabat. And Friday evening or Saturday morning I depart to my permanent site to visit and meet my family, get to know a little bit about the town. We stay at our permanent sites for about 3 days and then return to finish training. Please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go through this very exciting and scary new change! I will be sure to update everyone first chance I get!

Fitting In (Different or the Same)

Fitting In (Different or the Same)

I have moved in with a family in Turkmenistan and I wanted to let you know what the home is like.

The floors are wooden covered with tapestries.
The toilet is in the farthest building from the main house. It has a cement slab 6'X6' and 8' tall walls with a hole and a basket of paper (not the best stuff). A friendly goat wandered on the trail side (we will come back to the goat).
The wash room (Banya) is 10' X 8' and heated with free natural gas. A pile of clothes is usually piled in one end next to an old fashion tub. There is a drain in the center of the floor and a sink on the wall with a faucet that doesn't work. A bucket of water is on the stove and buckets of cold water are all around. You mix the hot and cold water to get the temperature you want and dump it over yourself while simultanously scrubing. Clothes are washed by hand and hung out wrong side out. this prevent evil spirits from entering your clothes as they dry.
The sleeping area is large with a 2" mattress on the floor and neatness is of high value so everything is lined up along the wall neat and tighty.
Water comes from an underground well. I was issued a water filter but it is missing a piece so I might get sick.
There is a new baby in the family a boy born Oct. 19. He has a 3-year old sister a 5year old brother. This is a reason for a celebration. After a full day of training, I returned home to a car full of grocieries. On the first trip to the storage area I spoted the head and legs of the family goat on the floor. Goat for dinner! I cooked for four hours. The morning came fast and guests arrived. During dinner I was served a big helping of goat and given the high honor of being served some of the goat liver.
All women wear dresses all the time. There are three types of dresses; those for everyday at home, those for everyday when leaving home and party dresses. I bought material to have a dress made by a mom of one of the other volunteers and maybe embrordied by my host sister inlaw that has the new baby.
Our training with 5 volunteers other in same town requires us to run a camp at the school. Language is still a challenge but I am learning all the time.

Thanks for all the letters, thoughts and prayers.
Kelsey

First update from Turkmenistan

October 5, 2008

Salaam Blog Readers!

I have officially been in the country for two weeks today! It is hard to believe! I have been staying with a family for the past 5 or 6 days now and am learning new things every day. Some days it is frustrating and some days it is very rewarding (usually everyday is some of both). I am staying in a small town just west of Ashgabat and learning Turkmen as fast as I can. When I first arrived at my host family I could say (in Turkmen) Hi, How are you, Where is the toilet, Where is the wash room, How old are you, Are you married, and I could ask about your family and say I don’t understand. Now I have also learned about housing and family and food and tomorrow I’ll begin learning about the post office which means I’ll be able to send you all the letters that have been piling up in my room. As of yesterday I had 15 letters – that means I’ve been writing an average of 2 a day. I’ve lost count for now. This experience has already been nothing I could have imagined. Every single day I face unbelievable challenges but I’ve heard that those kinds of challenges produce the best rewards. I’ll give you one example: I arrived at my host family’s residence and immediately I placed my belongings in my room and we sat down for chai. We drank around three cups while I exhausted my Turkmen and we sat there for about a half an hour – me in near silence and my gilnege (sister-in-law, also a word for woman older than me but not old) and her mother in niece(I think) talking. Prior to this we had been spoiled (we were given chairs anytime we wanted to sit down). The half hour I spent on the floor attempting to find the best way to be comfortable. It wasn’t easy but I finally figured it out. Then we attempted to communicate (this consisted of my host sister in law and her cousin saying the same thing over and over and over again while I sat there dumbfounded repeating I don’t understand!). I was then taken inside the house and shown how to vacuum, sweep many rugs, wipe down with wet rags anything that was not covered by rugs and then repeated the process in each room. For those of you who know me I am someone who cooks, not someone who cleans! The cleaning process was repeated the next day (they show me how to do something, take it away from me when I do it wrong, show me again and then return the task to me). Meanwhile anytime we take a break from cleaning we are either cooking or sipping chai (sitting on the floor of course). So right now my lower back and hips hurt in places I didn’t know existed. The hurt is a constant reminder of just how much I am going to be changed (and hopefully the change that will occur because of me). Finally, I thought you might be interested in some of the current ideas, thoughts, quotes, etc. that are getting me from moment to moment.


From Planet Walker by John Francis (thanks Leeann!)
“I have taken the first step on a journey that will shape my life. I cannot stop now”


From my journal thanks to Steve (although I don’t know who the original author is…ask Steve!)
“If you ever feel stuck, and think you can’t do much, look past the structures of today, because love will flip the world sideways.” I like this one because one of my major complaints or grieves is the extreme division of men and women here. It is noticeable in each and every day in many ways. And once I move past that and remember the intense swell of love that I feel for our world the little things no longer matter.

Thanks everyone for your support! Send letters, send letters, send letters! You have no idea how wonderful it is to receive a small word of support from home! Sunday I was feeling so negative about my situation until I had a chance to talk with the other Americans in my town. The whole world changed in an instant (or more likely my whole world). A little bit of the known makes the unknown much less scary!
Sag bol!


KELSEY

P.S. I’ve been trying to take lots of pictures and will hopefully send/post some of them soon-ish!

Hello from Turkmenistan!

I only have a few moments to update this blog, so I'll make it brief. My parents should be posting a short note I composed last night (assuming there are no technical problems)!

I am currently sitting in the Peace Corps Office listening to odd sentences and conversations in a bizarre conglomerations of Turkmen and English. It is truly amazing at how the human mind picks up language. We are in Ashgabat to get some shots, get a chance to send a quick email and have a super quick training on using the work stations. So exciting!

Important stuff: I am happy (most of the time :)) and I am finally healthy after a week long bout of intestinal issues. Life is good and very busy!!!

Send me letters!!!

One Moment

This is it! One moment to take life and make it what you want.

Staging was a unique experience filled with 43 strangers (all fellow volunteers), skits, discussions, new friends, meals at exotic restaurants, a roommate named Mallory, and a capstone in which we each chose among the following: actor, dancer, storyteller, artist and musician/poet. Now those of you who know me should know that I wear my heart on my sleeve (therefore I cannot pretend to be someone who I am not) - no acting...I only dance on very rare occasions and while I can appreciate interpretive dance I cannot necessarily perform it...I suck at telling stores as EVERYONE who knows me can attest...and while I play the flute I am not necessarily a musician. So I chose (drum roll please!)...musician/poet. Our job was to explain the importance of cross cultural integration and the aspects we had learned in some sort of musical/poetic way to the rest of the group. Well we were fortunate to have several volunteers with musical instruments with (Joel and Russ both had guitars and Kathy had a trombone!) and several people in the group could sing. I cannot. Therefore we created a haiku to explain what cross cultural integration would mean to each of us. The haiku is as follows:
Salaam new family
Firm Peace and Understanding
Now we all see green.

For most of you this poem may not make any sense...let me expand.

Salaam means hello in Turkmen and we will be living in host families for the majority of the time while in Turkmenistan. One of the main goals of Peace Corps is to be able to have a successful term of service all volunteers must integrate into the community and gain a new understanding of their community. Finally Sheila (our Staging Director) told us a story. There are two communities in the world. In community one every person born from today on has and will always be born with two legs, two arms, two ears, one nose, one mouth and a pair of yellow sunglasses. In community two every person born from today on has and will always be born with two legs, two arms, two ears, one nose, one mouth and a pair of blue sunglasses. Now a person from community two decides to join this organization called Peace Corps and visit community one. They are going to stay in community one for two years and three months. This person lives with the community, works in the community, learns the language, and has a profound connection with community one. When the person returns to community two they explain to all of their friends all about the community across the world and they very precisely explain the central cultural trait or difference: In community one everyone has green sunglasses! It is supposedly most important to begin a cross cultural experience by first and foremost understanding your own culture and knowing that that culture forms your expectations/experiences/history and therefore is the basis for you as a person.

We sang this haiku with Joel, Russ, and Kathy playing beautiful music in the background and I was so superbly entirely in touch with Peace, the world and myself that I began to tear up.

I feel so blessed to be starting this experience and I look forward to the 'new me' of 2010! Look out world - here I come!

Thanks everyone for supporting me and for all of the letters you will be writing, I truly appreciate it!

This is the last chance I'll have to update my blog for a while, so thank you to my family for updating it and keeping everyone posted!

All my love.

Salaam new family
Firm Peace and Understanding
Now we all see green.

Peace Letter

So three posts in one day is a bit excessive, I know. I just received a letter from Bud and Sara Hudson who I have known since we moved to WI over 14 years ago. They included a wonderful excerpt from a book called Practicing Peace In Times of War by Pema Chödrön. It reads, "It's also the case that the seeds you sowed yesterday have their result in your own life today. And the seeds that the United States has sown in the lst year, five years, fifty years, hundred years, and so forth are having their impact on the world right now - and not just what the United States has sown but all the countries that are involved in the world situation today, being as painful as it is. We've been sowing these seeds for a long time. I know many of us feel a kind of despair about whether all this can ever unwind itself. The message of this book is that it has to happen at the level of individuals working with their own minds, because even if these tumultous times are the result of seeds that have been sown and reaped by whole nations, these nations of course are made up of millions of people who, just like ourselves, want happiness. So whatever we do today, tomorrow, and every day of our lives until we die sows the seeds for our own future in this lifetime and sows the seeds for the future of this planet. The Buddhist teachings also say that the seeds of our present-day actions will bear fruit hundreds of years from now. This may seem like an impossibly long time to wait, but if you think in terms of sowing seeds for your children's future and for your grandchildren's future and your grandchildren's grandchildren's future, perhaps that's more real and immediate to you. Nevertheless how we work with ourselves today is how a shift away from widespread aggression will come about." (86-88)

Thanks Sara and Bud!!! Your note is already inside my journal!

Staging: Itinerary

Flight #1 Saturday September 27, 2008
Midwest Express 150 to Philadelphia
Leave 7:50 am Arrive 10:50 am

Saturday September 27th
1:30 Registration
3:00 - 7:00 Welcome to Peace Corps and start of Training Program including: Welcome and Introductions, Peace Corps Approach to Development, Personal Definition of Success, Safety and Support, Anxieties and Aspirations, and Nuts and Bolts

Sunday September 28th
8:30 - 12:00 Training Program Continued including: A Slice of Life: Coping with Unwanted Attention, Managing Risk, and Policies in Practice
1:30 - 6:00 Training Program Continued including: Change 5 Things, Crossing Cultures, Staging Capstone, Bridge to Pre-Service Training, Logistics of Departure, and Evaluation and Closing

Monday September 29th
7:30 Check out of Hotel
8:00 Bus arrives for Loading and departure to JFK airport

Tentative Flight Itinerary to Turkmenistan
Flight #2 Monday September 29th
Delta Flight 72 to Istanbul, Turkey
Leave 4:30 pm Arrive 9:55 am on Tuesday September 30th

Layover in Istanbul 11 hours 10 minutes! Hopefully we'll be able to leave the airport!

Flight #3 Monday September 29th
Turkish Airlines Flight 1362 to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Leave 9:05 pm Arrive 2:45 am on Wednesday October 1

94 hours 5 minutes left until take off!

It is a whirlwind last few days!

Writing thank you notes, updating my blog, deciding which grammar book to bring, spending every waking moment with friends and family, finishing all the reading I want to before I leave, and trying not to think about how slowly (or quickly) the time seems to be drifting by. Tonight on my menu of favorite meals: Rama's Delight (Homemade Thai)!

A few more quotes from Rukhnama (see below)
"Sometimes, I wonder whether I feel too proud of my nation, or whether my eyes are dazzled by the light of the word "Turkmen," or whether I am enchanted by the magic of the word "Turkmen." However, so far human beings have never been damaged by affection. Nobody has ever been injured by his or her love of the nation. Be afraid of those who do not love their nation. If everybody likes their own nation, then the nations will like each other. Those who do not like their own nations cannot like other nations. The word "Turkmen," lies in my bosom like a beloved baby warmed by the heat of my heart." (145)

"The Turkmen sees other nations as his own brothers, his own friends. Racism cannot find a place among Turkmens. Turkmens respect the languages, the religions and the traditions of other nations. The rights and responsibilities of all citizens living in Turkmenistan are equal before the law of the Turkmen state" (148).

"Thus, when I was a small child, I learnt who the Turkmen is and what the homeland is. I have consoled myself with the epigram, which is firstly recorded in my heart and then in my diary, 'The one who bears the sufferings of the world earlier can understand the realities of the world earlier.' In the course of time, I have realized that those injuries which were done to my heart have been removed." (150 - 1)

"Our state structure is harmonious with our national characteristics, the traditions of the Turkmen people, and the 'Universal Declaration of human Rights' of the United Nations. In all of our policies we consider the national interests of Turkmenistan on the one hand and the stability of the region and the strengthening of international security on the other. We always see that all of these are indivisible realities" (154)

"We have huge resources. We want to draw maximum benefit and maximum utility from them. Thus, we are ready for relations which rest upon reciprocity, equality and cooperation. Destiny has bestowed on Turkmenistan the opportunity to be at the centre of international relations between Europe and Asia. Our underground and surface resources are evidence of the possibility of a golden life for the Turkmens in the golden century." (154 - 5)

"In the past our ancestors presented themselves to the world by the strength of their swords; now, we should present ourselves with our rationality and with our immense spiritual values. Turkmenistan is known for its unique Akhalteke horses, for its carpets that are examples of the wonders of the world's art, and for its limitless wonders of nature. Today, in its peaceful policies, the Turkmen nation displays endeavours worthy of recognition by the world. As our great thinker Maktumkuli Pyragy once said, 'Look at your future, do not forget your past, utter polite speech, restrain your anger. If you are able to speak, please say pleasant things; the public has suffered much from bad things.' I can see happy days in the future. I believe that nothing is able to damage our happiness today and in the future and I am always proud of our statue of impartiality." (155)

"Our beautiful land will regain the beauty and fertility that was hers in the era of our ancestors through our 'Rainbow' project, by which the natural gas is delivered to the public for no charge." (175) I've never heard of this project before, but it sounds interesting.

More Quotes from Books

I believe I wrote something about the Rukhnama (the book that the former president of Turkmenistan wrote) in a previous blog. In my opinion the book was written to tell the people of Turkmenistan what they should be. Saparmyrat Turkmenbashy, the former President, says his, "Basic aim in writing "Rukhnama" is to open the dwindling spirit of national pride by clearing it of grass and stones and letting it flow again. I hope to enliven the heart with the medication of Philosophy. It is like replanting the arid land of the past, which has become unproductive and useless, with the pine trees of the Turkmen plateaus. In this way I wish to rid us of the disease, trouble and anxiety of insensitility" (63).

A few more quotes from the book follow.

Turkmenbashy is talking about the 'Prophet Noah' and states that Noah established 'rules of good manners at home for TURK IMAN'. They are, "1. respect your elders 2. love your juniors ... 3. respect your father and mother ... 4. Wear clean and decent clothes. ... 5. Keep goods at your home that have been earned by your own labor and efforts. ... 6. The decoration of the home, its order, cleanliness and appearance should be very good. ... 7. Protect the home and its exterior and neighboring areas and the place you live in. ... 8. Spiritual sublimity ... 9. Women's make up 'Do not be mean with emerald stones for your daughters and wives. Find them wherever they are and give them to the woman. If one upsets his wife or daughter, he is not a TURK IMAN since they are very pleasant by nature, and their souls are pleasant too. Please them if you want to treat them well. Give them valuable pieces so that they may wear them on their breast, neck, and back.' " (11 - 13)

Thus far this is my absolute favorite quote from this book. I was very surprised to find that I actually enjoyed a part of it. I am reading this book more for a cultural link to Turkmens rather than as an exercise in reading.
"Everyone's soul is so sweet for him; everyone's destiny is blessed for him." (101). I love this quote because prior to this Turkmenbashy tells a story about a poor man talking to Allah near the end of his life and Allah uses various examples and experiences to show the man that his life was perfect and could not have been better if he had more money, had a different family, etc.

Last one for today talks about covering of women. "The 10th century historian Ibn-i Fadlan wrote about the Turkmen as follows: 'The Turkmen people do not cover the faces of their women and girls like their neighbors. Their women are free. However, they do not know what it is to be unchaste. Turkmen women throughout history have lived without the slightest stain to their honour' " (105).

Post Send-Off Party/Instructions for Letter Writing

I am down to less than six days in Wisconsin and last night my family threw a send-off party for me. It was the absolute best way to go! It was truly a blessing to have the opportunity to talk with all sorts of people who really care about me and have touched my life in various ways throughout my life. There were old friends, new friends, family, extended family, adopted family, previous peace corps volunteers and many words of wisdom and support. I wanted to let everyone know how much I truly appreciate all of your kind words and curiousity. It was very exciting for me to be able to share my passion for this adventure with all of you!

Words are absolutly inadequate to say all that I felt last night. This celebration will stay with me through the next few years, when I'm lonely, sad, or simply feel that my contribution is not enough I will think back to last night and the time I spent with all of you. Because of your presence I know that I am not alone even though I may be isolated. I thank you in advance for your letters, kind thoughts, and prayers. As per my Aunt Sarah's request I've copied the one page "how to keep in contact with me" paper below.

Once again, my words could never convey my appreciation to each and every one of you!

What Can I Do? Aka How Do I Stay In Touch With Kelsey?

A one-page document in ways to keep in touch with KelseyTo mail letters/packages
The following address will be accurate until December 26, 2008. At that point you can find an updated address on my blog (address listed below) or by contacting Mike and Irene Schuder at 262-574-0384 or i_schuder@yahoo.com.

US Peace Corps/Turkmenistan
P.O. Box 258, Krugozor
Central Post Office
Ashgabat, 744000
Kelsey Schuder
TURKMENISTAN

Türkmenistan Aşgabat, 744000
Merkezi poçta
abonent 258, Krugozor
Parahatçylyk Korpusy, Türkmenistan
Kelsey Schuder
TÜRKMENISTAN

Suggestions for mailing
- This address will only be valid up to December 26, 2008, so please plan your deliveries accordingly (no later than the first week of December, considering delivery times).
- Airmail delivery of letters and packages can generally take a few weeks.
- Please be sure to seal all packages with strong, colorful packing tape (and lots of it!). Insuring the package may discourage tampering and pilfering.
-Peace Corps Lore has it that if the address is written in red ink it will also ward off tampering (this has yet to be scientifically proven).
-It is standard procedure to open all packages at the central receiving for the country.
-It is safer to send larger items in padded envelopes rather than in boxes.
-Number your letters so I can tell if I have received all mail or if there are letters missing.
-Be sure to write "Airmail" or "Par Avion" on letters and packages and I've been told that including "via Istanbul" also speeds up the process.

Other ways to stay in touch

Email address: kschuder02@gmail.comEmail is really unpredictable and I have been told I will have very limited access to it so letters are still the best form of communication.

My Blog! www.kelseykae.blogspot.com This is a blog that I've been keeping for the past few years and already I've documented trips to post-Katrina New Orleans, a trip to post-election violent ridden Kenya, and various thoughts on this trip and everyday life. It will be regularly updated (mostly by my family) and if you want o know in a general sense what I'm up to this would be a great way to do it!

16 Days To Go...

The countdown continues. I thought I would share some of the reading I've been doing about Turkmenistan and Peace Corps. Below I've listed some quotes from books that I have been devouring recently and short blurbs about the books they are from. Enjoy!

From Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle by Moritz Thomsen: This is one PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteer's) account of his time in Ecuador with the Peace Corps. He spent a total of four years there. The book was published in 69' so he was one of the first groups of volunteers to participate in Peace Corps.

"Living poor is like being sentenced to exist in a stormy sea in a battered canoe, requiring all your strength simply to keep afloat; there is never any question of reaching a destination. True poverty is a state of perpetual crisis, and one wave just a little bigger or coming from an unexpected direction can and usually does wreck things. Some benevolent ignorance denies a poor man the ability to see the squalid sequence of his life, except very rarely; he views it rather as a disconnected string of unfortunate sadness. Never having paddled on a calm sea, he is unable to imagine one. I think if he could connect the chronic hunger, the sickness, the death of his children, the almost unrelieved physical and emotional tension into the pattern that his life inevitably takes he would kill himself." (p 173)

"Poverty isn't just hunger; it is many interlocking things - ignorance and exhaustion, underproduction, disease, and fear. It is glutted export markets, sharp, unscrupulous middlemen, a lack of knowledge about the fundamental aspects of agriculture. It is the witchcraft of your grandfather spreading its values on your life." (p 260)

"To work harder a man has to eat better; to eat better he has to produce more; to produce more he has to work harder. And all of this is predicated on a growing knowledge of nutrition, basic hygiene, and the causes of the diseases that ravage his body; an understanding of agriculture and a respect for new farming techniques, new seeds, new ways to plant, new fertilizers, new crops." (p 261)

"As Peace Corps Volunteers we come to give of ourselves, but we are almost all a part of the Puritan ethic, and we make rules and set limits as to what we will give and on what terms, and what it is legitimate to ask of us. We want to be loved because we're lovable, not because we're rich gringos. But the people in the town don't know the rules. After six months, when they know that you're not there as a spy or to exploit them or to live apart from them, they claim you; they want to touch you, watch what you eat, own you; they want to be Number One with you; they want you to solve their problems. They start twisting the relationship around trying to make a patron out of you, and it takes another heartless year to convince most of them that you aren't a patron." (p 282)

"I began to be aware that in the town there was scarcely a moment when a baby's crying didn't fill the air, and there was a resemblance between the violence of the babies' furious raging cries and the violence of machetes slashing through flesh. Like a revelation, I suddenly realized that these screams were the screams of human beings learning about poverty. They were learning about sickness and about hunger; they were learning in a hard school what they could expect from life, learning to accept their destiny and the futility of revolting against it. They were being twisted and maimed. They were being turned from normal human beings into The Poor. After the age of six they are ready for life, and as for being poor, they know all about it; there isn't a thing they don't know. There are no more tears. They play quietly, gravely in the dirt before their houses, and there is something terrible in their eyes, a kind of blindness." (p 284-285)

The following quotes from the Bradt Travel Guide: Turkmenistan by Paul Brummel

"The ferry terminal at Turkmenbashy is at the eastern end of the port. The port facilities in Baku were being reconstructed when I visited, and the location of the ticket office for the Turkmenbashy ferry was remarkably obscure. If it has not moved to a move central location by the time of your visit, look for the modern ten-story building at the east end of the Gagarin Bridge, across the railway tracks fro the center of Baku. From here, take the minor road running along the city-center side of this building, marked with a sign for the 'Parom Restaurant'. Some 300 m along this road, you will see a stretch of crumbling wall decorated with a mosaic of Lenin's head. The unmarked white metal door on the opposite side of the road is the Caspian Shipping Company booking office. The unhelpful ladies inside will sell you a ticket for the ferry, and may even be willing to offer a vague opinion as to when it is likely to depart."
(p 33)

I am also reading Night Train to Turkistan by Stuart Stevens published in 88'. This book recounts a trip across the Silk Road which of course went directly through Turkmenistan.

And Rukhnama: Reflections on the Spiritual Values of the Turkmen by Saparmyrat Turkmenbashy (the former President of Turkmenistan). This large pink book is a directive to live your life by (if you are a Turkmen). It is rather interesting and if you get a chance check it out!

In other news I am all packed save a few last minute items (finishing up sewing a skirt and shirt I'm working on, finding a small world map to bring with me, buying an extra battery for my watch, locating my money belt, finding duct tape, adding some pictures from home to my photo album, purchasing/finding/creating gifts for my host families, and deciding if I should purchase a computer to bring with me). I have also created a list of meals that I want to enjoy before I leave and created a menu from now until I leave. In case you are interested the following are meals that I will be enjoying before departing to Turkmenistan:
Lasagna, bar food with cheap beer, homemade pizza, Thai food from a restaurant, Manacotti, Venison Parmesan and amazing spinach salad, burgers (fake for me) and potato salad, spaghetti, eggplant Parmesan, Rama's Delight, Tacos, and Enchiladas!

Other news: I have already learned that the world is a very small place and getting smaller due to the Internet. A few weeks ago I received a facebook message from a friend of mine from HS. She said that one of her former suite mates from Yale was also going to Turkmenistan this fall. We began emailing and now I will know someone when I arrive at staging. Yesterday I was checking this exact blog and found that two people had commented on my most recent post. Both of them are going to Turkmenistan in 16 days as well! Additionally, I've had all kinds of people talk to me about people they know in the region, about when they were personally in the area or about their Peace Corps experience! I love how all of the connections you make in life seem to show themselves when you least expect it!

I'm getting very excited for my send-off party (I like to refer to it as a goodbye party but my family isn't terribly fond of that terminology). There are friends coming from St. Paul and Minneapolis, Madison, Colorado, and of course Waukesha and surrounding towns/cities. I think it will be an excellent chance to spend time with people who really mean a lot to me!

16 days left in the country and counting!!!

I leave in 19 Days!

I've been doing all of the reading that I possibly can about what to expect when I finally arrive in Turkmenistan.

Thoughts on preperations:

My parents and sister have planned a send-off celebration for me that will take place one week before I leave. I am very excited to have many out of town relatives and friends coming to see me! So, feel free to join me on September 20th around 6:30pm in Waukesha - let me know if you need directions!

I am still filled with terror about the packing process and my latest debate is to purchase a cheap computer or not to purchase a cheap computer and will my parent's camera be good enough or should I purchase a new camera?

I switch hourly between "There is so much to do I don't know how I'll get it all done in 19 days" and "I'm so bored I wish I could leave right now!"

Other thoughts:

I would urge you to check out the blogs I've posted on the blog suggestion to the right. One is from a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) in Turkmenistan who has been there for the past year and the other is from someone who will be joining me in our group of volunteers leaving on the 27th of September. Funny story....a friend of mine from High School (Tina) went to Yale for her undergraduate degree and lived with a girl named Jessie her freshman year. Jessie is the volunteer who is also going to Turkmenistan. We've been exchanging emails for the past few weeks and it is really exciting to have the opportunity to talk with someone in my shoes!

That's all for now!

Turkmenistan...update

Here I am, just shy of one month pre-departure. I just received my staging packet of information (the last oversized packet I will receive from Peace Corps - hopefully!). Staging is my training prior to leaving the U.S. and it will take place in Philadelphia a city I'm excited to return to. I am still excited/anxious/perplexed/etc. about leaving. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about Peace Corps and remain eternally optimistic. I've been attempting to gather information to decrease the impact of "country shock" as Peace Corps so aptly puts it. According to the information I've aquired I can look forward to being surrounded by strangers between the time I board the plane in Milwaukee until I "make new friends". I can also expect to encounter at least one gastrointestinal illness which will lower my energy level and make me feel lonely. I believe, as an attempt to pre-empt that lonliness I have been sent various coincidental contacts. For example; a friend from high school has a friend from college who is already in Turkmenistan working as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). And just a few minutes ago another friend from high school found out that a former roomate of hers from college is also going to Turkmenistan at the same time I am! Yay! I can feign a relationship! There will be someone who isn't a total stranger! I supose that is enough lamenting for today.

A few reminders about letters - and I would love to receive your letters! Letters take a long time to reach me so be aware that I may not respond as quickly as you may hope. Number your letters and/or packages - this will allow me to know if I'm missing a letter from you as well as how long the letters take to arrive to Turkmenistan. Finally, (for now) I will have very limited access to the internet (almost none during training) and therefore any updates on here will most likely be typed by my parents. So - thanks in advance mom and dad!

Peace Corps in Turkmenistan

I figured I should add some details about the country I'll be spending the next 2.25 years in to my blog. Turkmenistan is located north of Iran and Afghanistan and east of the Caspian Sea. It gained its independance from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The population is estimated at just over 5,000,000 and the country is about the size of California. Nearly 700,000 of those people live in Ashgabat, the capitol. It is a country where the national language and main cultural group is Turkman. The religion practiced by most residents is Islam. 4/5 ths of the country is a large desert. I'm slowly learning more and more and if you have questions feel free to ask! History of the country can be found on Wikipedia. It is fairly in depth for a country that many have not even heard of.

Updates....

I would like to apologize again for my terrible sporadic nature in updating this blog. So, since I was in NOLA I graduated from Hamline with a double major in German (with honors!) and Biology. And this summer I've been working at an afterschool summer school program in Burlington. It is a position that I accepted through AmeriCorps VISTA. A super awesome program that aims specifically at the very low income families in our country. I am responsible for organizing educational fun activities for a classroom full of kids who have just finished second or third grade. It is a joy to work with all of these students and many times rather frustrating.
I am actually finishing up my last week with the students and will finish my position as a VISTA in a week or so.
After that I will be looking for another job and hoping that one finds me.
And I recently was informed of my location for Peace Corps. I am headed off to Turkmenistan (a country north of Iran and Afghanistan) around September 28th. I will be there for two years and three months working as a Health Extensionist/Educator. I am really excited to begin and to truly following my heart and my passions around the world. I am also very nervous about leaving my family for such a long period of time. I know they are supportive of me (willingly or unwillingly) but it is still a challenge to leave those I love.
I will hope to keep this blog updated while overseas but have been told my internet access will be limited. So I shall see. I will for sure be sending updates home via my family and I'm sure they will dutifully post my updates. And that way everyone keeping a watchful eye on this blog will be able to travel with me emotionally! I wish you all well and I thank you in advance for the letters and positive thinking and emotional support!

It has been a while

I am very sorry that it has been so long since I've posted. I thought I would let you know what has been happening since the return from NOLA.

The trip to NOLA was amazing this year! I had the most wonderful group and I think everyone took something significant from the experience. I learned how much fun it is to be with a group of students that are learning new things and changing every day!

There was something I wanted to add about a trip that was taken the weekend before spring break. The Wesley Scholars (a group of students who focus on what social justice looks like in the average persons' life through study, reflection and action) took a trip to Washington D.C. There we participated in a vigil for peace by participating in the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership's Peace Witness. We had a day of non-violent training and workshops about the war in Iraq and the possibility of Iran, supporting the troops, and many other really great subjects. Then each individual chose a worship service to attend based on their individual faith background. There was a woman in the service I went to whose son died in Iraq, he was in the Pennsylvania National Guard. Her words were truly powerful! We then proceeded to the vigil which was held at Upper Senate Park where we heard leaders from all kinds of religions, broke bread together and held up hundreds of feet of rope with prayer flags attached. Then we walked to the Senate Hart Building where we held a vigil outside the doors and then inside the atrium. 41 people risked arrest including nearly a dozen clergy members from nearly as many different faiths. All of the individuals were arrested. It was truly an amazing experience. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Disinherited people all over the world are bleeding to death from deep social and economic wounds. They need brigades of ambulance drivers who will have to ignore the red lights of the present system until the emergency is solved.” These ambulance drivers are people who are willing to break the law (run a red light) for the higher good. During the weekend we also visited the Vietnam War Memorial, The Museum of the American Indian, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Overall the weekend was truly powerful and absolutely something I wouldn't trade, ever.

The weekend after spring break I was able to take all three of my cousins to go to see Spiderwick Chronicles. It was a lot of fun to spend time with family and finally be able to start to connect with my cousins who I have always felt almost estranged.

The following weekend the Wesley Scholars took a trip to Anathoth Community Farm in Luck, WI. This was an awesome experience. Anathoth works on three pillars 1) environmental sustainability, 2) non-violence and 3) community. The community has been in place for nearly my entire life. We were able to spend a little time learning a lot about many of the simple technologies that they have put in place to reduce their footprint on this earth. Their goal is simple; to be prepared for the shift in culture that is going to come soon enough due to the extravagant use of fossil fuels and the way we use this earth, and to educate others on ways they can be prepared and things they can do to really make a significant difference. Perhaps I'll talk a little more about this experience later. It was a lot of fun and I hope to spend some more time with the wonderful residents at Anathoth.

Through all of this I have been working hard on my honors project. The project will allow me to graduate with honors in German (my second major). The project is on the Armenian Genocide and in it I focus on the influences of three major countries (America, Germany, and Turkey) on the genocide. It has been a lot of work but I'm hoping it will be worth it. I have had many bumps in the road on the way to defending this work however. The committee that I defend my work to must consist of four people. Three of whom must be Hamline professors and one who should be an expert in the field from outside Hamline. The first person who I was set on suddenly passed away which left us searching for another. The second person felt she could not participate in the committee due to a quote I included from an Armenian genocide denier, however this individual didn't inform me at all and only informed my committee two days before I was supposed to defend. Therefore my defense date was pushed back until I could find a third and hopefully final outside person. I have found that person and plan to defend this work tomorrow afternoon. It is very exciting and I look forward to updating you on the progress made. There are several possibilities for how tomorrow will turn out. Each honors defense can either be failed, passed with major revisions, passed with minor revisions, or passed with recommendation. I have never heard of anyone who did not pass with either major or minor revisions and I am hoping for minor ones.

Another really exciting endeavour that I undertook was to throw an art opening for my sister. This happened just this past weekend. There were over thirty people who attended and she made over $400 off of the evening. Overall it was a lot of fun to see all of her art on the walls in my apartment and a lot of fun to see my sister so admired. I think it was an opportunity for a lot of people to see what myself and my parents have seen for a very long time. I really enjoyed doing it and I hope she did as well.

I think that's all for now. I am down to 11 days of classes left and two finals and then it is graduation time for me! I am really excited but nervous about what it is I am going to be doing in the future.

New Orleans, LA Part 1

Hello from sunny NOLA!

Today is Tuesday the 18th and we arrived here Saturday the 15th - it already seems like an eternity! We have done so many things and accomplished so much!

I'll give a brief overview of the what part of what we've done and then I'll spend a little time reflecting.

Saturday - Picnic at Audubon Park with members of First Street United Methodist (we have 10 Hamline students there) then we were dropped off at the site we are staying at. There are 20 students here. We settled in and a few people went out to the French Quarter.

Sunday - Woke up early! Went to the French Quarter for a Historical Cemetery Tour. We saw the grave of the reputed Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau along with learning a lot of history from Ernie - our guide. Then we drove to the upper ninth ward and got out and wandered in the neighborhood, talked to residents, etc. Then we drove to the lower ninth ward and did the same except there were no residents - I'll get into this more in the reflection part of this piece later. We then changed clothes and went on a swamp tour in which we learned a lot about alligators and had a chance to hold an alligator named Fifi - I'm sure I'll post a picture at some point! It was a very long day but we returned and made ourselves an amazing dinner and had some time to talk. In the evening several people went to Cafe du'Monde for Beignets

Monday - We were oriented in the morning by UMCORE (United Methodist Committee On Relief Efforts) this is who my group and Alicia's group are staying and working with for the week. Then we finally got our assignment which was painting an iron fence that went around Ms. Louise's house. We also got to do some gardening but that doesn't happen till later. Monday evening myself and the other leaders staying here went to dinner.

Today (Tuesday) - We went back to Ms. Louise's house and finished the painting and scraping and made several beautiful flower beds for her.

Check back later for my thoughts on all of these exciting endeavors!

More info on Kenya

The following is an excerpt from the paper I am writing as an independent study

Kenya gained its independence from Britain on December 12^th 1963. (Hassan) Since then Kenya has had three presidents. Jomo Kenyatta was president from 1963 until 1978, following Kenyatta’s death Daniel Arap Moi took over the presidency until 2002 when he was barred from running. Mwai Kibaki then won the presidency. And served one term then reran for the 2007 election. (Kenya)
In the 2007 presidential race the forerunners were Mwai Kibaki who is a member of the Party of National Unity (PNU), Raila Odinga a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), and Kalonzo Musyoka who is a member of the Orange Democratic Movement – Kenya (ODM-K). (Kennedy and Hassan) Kenyan political parties are formed not necessarily around a set of beliefs as they are in the US, but around a candidate. (Matunga) New political parties are created every time there is an election. (Matunga)
PNU was formed in September of 2007 as a party for the current president to run under. PNU was created by combining several pre-existing parties, namely the Kenyan African National Union (KANU), National Rainbow Coalition – Kenya (Narc – Kenya), Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Kenya (FORD – Kenya), Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – People (FORD – People), Democratic Party, and Shirikisho Party of Kenya among others. (Party of National Unity) Kibaki’s first term he ran under the NARC (National Rainbow Coalition). Since then NARC didn’t seem to want to support the president. And the newly formed NARC-Kenya was not well supported by various politicians in Kibaki’s cabinet. (Party of National Unity)
ODM and ODM-K were originally one party which was formed in 2005 as a result of the Constitutional Referendum. The party split into ODM and ODM-K in August of 2007. (Orange Democratic Party) Both parties retained the Orange Democratic Movement as a result of the Constitutional Referendum. On the ballot for the referendum a yes vote was represented by a banana which is also supposed to represent the number 1. (Hassan) A no vote was signified by an orange which also represents the number 0. (Hassan) The referendum failed by a mere majority of 58.12%. Thus the Orange Democratic Movement was formed to celebrate the win on the referendum. (Orange Democratic Movement)
Another interesting aspect of the election is that PNU only won 43 seats in Parliament. ODM won 99 seats, but if you count all of the seats won by PNU’s ‘co-parties’ PNU can control 78 seats. (Party of National Unity) Because ODM has the largest number of seats from any single party it is extremely important to develop a good relationship between PNU and ODM. (Matunga)
Another necessary understanding to the situation in Kenya is tribal differences. (Kennedy) Kenya officially has eight different tribes, unofficially the count is closer to eighty. (Odhiambo-Mabona ) The main tribes are Kikuyu – 23%, Luhya – 14%, Luo – 13%, Kalenjin – 11%, Kamba – 10%, Kisii – 8%, Meru – 8%, and Somali – 3%. Kenya is split up into eight provinces which are further divided into districts. (Odhiambo-Mabona ) It should not be surprising that the province lines lie extremely close to tribal lines. Also unsurprising should be the fact that different tribes support different candidates. Kenyatta and Kibaki are both Kikuyu while Moi was Kalenjin. Odinga on the other hand is a Luo. Most presidents then in turn favor their individual tribe providing more supplies, education, advancement, and better treatment. “Mwai Kibaki – whose policies of favoring his own ethnic group have marginalized about half the country” (Jettleman)

Next Instalment of Kenyan Politics

So, after Kibaki was illigally sworn into the presidency Odinga and his supporters were upset due to the suspected vote tampering and the illegal ceremony. Therefore Odinga called for rallies and demonstrations all around the country which were abruptly outlawed by Kibaki. Kibaki also is censoring all press. The Kenyan constitution allows Kenyans the right to peaceful assembly and free press as long as it isn't inciting violence.
There have been several attempts made to intervene and get these two people together to discuss options and it was looking like there was going to be a peace talk between Odinga and Kibaki and the African Union Chairman Ghanian President John Kufuor. These initial talks failed. More talks were scheduled but once again nothing seems to be working. One of the reasons these two men won't come together is that Kibaki appointed nearly all of his cabinet before the peace talks happened. One of the reasons for the talks was to get a government that had representatives from both PNU and ODM parties. Kibaki announced around 10 of the cabinet positions, the most important and powerful 10, and only 2 of those members were ODM party members. The vice president is ODM-Kenya (not at all linked to ODM - they are two completely different parties). Today is supposed to be the last day of the rallies Odinga called for and once again more people died. I read today in the Daily Nation (one of the Kenyan newspapers) six more people died, I believe this brings the death toll up to nearly 400 people since the 27th of December.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQuKg7iDvpo

This is a link to a video that aired on Kenyan tv on Wednesday, which was the first day (I believe) of the rallies and demonstrations called for by ODM and Odinga. I was in this area of Kenya on the 13th - three days before this video was taken. Kibera is partly inside partly a suburb of Nairobi and it is supposedly the second largest slum area in Africa with over 1 million residents in an area around 2.5 square kilometers (around 630 acres). That means the population density is around 300,000 people per square kilometer. If you've ever seen the movie The Constant Gardener Kibera is shown several times during the movie.

I'll post more in a day or two.

Return from Kenya

I just returned from a very exciting and interesting trip to Kenya on Tuesday. I was there a total of 13 days. One of the reasons for the excitement was the violence throughout the country that began following the presidential elections on Dec. 27th. I arrived in Kenya on the 3rd and there were still many areas in western Kenya that were ravaged with violence - burning buildings, using machetes to hack up people, burning vehicles, gunning down police, and many other violent acts. As a visitor to this country I strove to find out why violence was the answer that people chose, why they were angry, and to understand something about the politics of the country. I learned more than I could ever have learned in a classroom. The main reason people were upset was because of the results of the elections. The two main contenders were Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga. Mwai Kibaki was the president in the last term and he was going up for reelection. He is a member of the PNU party (Party of national unity). Raila Odinga is a member of the ODM party (orange democratic movement). As I understand it the ODM party was created as a protest to the current administration. Kibaki won the reelection and Odinga and the ODM party was upset. There is speculation as to vote tampering and many foreign ambassadors aren't willing to congratulate either party in the win. The other rather curious thing was that immediately upon the electoral committee announcing Kibaki's win he was sworn into office during a secret ceremony.
That should be enough to keep your attention until I get a chance to write again and give more detailed information.