The Last Day…For Now

Today is my last day in Kyrgyzstan for this trip.  I’ve got everything packed and the cleaning done.  Now I just have to kill time to go to the airport.  Needless to say I’m not in a jumping for joy mood at the thought of leaving this place again but I know I’ll be back sooner than later this time.  I am, however, looking forward to what might be going on in Ukraine this summer.  By the time most of you read this I’ll have already landed in Kyiv.

My last week here was busier.  On Tuesday it was the warmest day here so far this year - 94 degrees in the shade – which made it a great day to go to Hawaii beach.  Hawaii is a restaurant and park on a lake just outside of Tokmok.  They are also building a small zoo and have public swimming with a nice sandy beach.  I was also able to get to the baby orphanage to check up on Almaz and got to Orlovka Orphanage to spend some time with the kids this week.

Yesterday we took the kids from Orlovka to the beach at Issyk-Kul.  What a fun day that was.  The weather had cooled to around 80 degrees in the shade and, where it’s still the off season for a few more days, we had almost the entire beach to ourselves to spread out.  I’ll let some of the photos speak for themselves. 

So as I start another part of my journey I ask for your continued support and kind thoughts.  Thank you for seeing my heart.  

 Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Hawaii Beach

It was so hot the squirrel just lay on his wheel.

Beach supplies

Winding Down

It’s remained very quiet these last couple of weeks.  The Wright family (minus Emma and Bekah) went home last Sunday and I haven’t strayed far from home.  For those of you who follow me on Facebook yes, I did get bored but those who know me know that I get bored VERY easily and I think not having a TV magnifies that.  But believe me; I am not bored of Kyrgyzstan yet.  I just don’t get tired of the mountain views and I have a huge peace knowing I am where I am supposed to be. 

I only have one week left to enjoy those mountain views (for now) as I’ll be going back to Kyiv next Sunday.  So this week will be tying up any loose ends before I leave.  But going back to the boredom, the question is what to do.  Well…you find a bunch of kids and go to the zoo.

There was a travelling zoo in Tokmok and tonight we took the girls from the Dayspring home as well as Sergey and Anya’s boys to see the animals.  There were some animals there that I have never seen before and it was so much fun watching the kids checking everything out.  They got quite a kick out of feeding the camel.  I knew tigers are big but they are really HUGE.

The zoo was also Dasha’s first outing since she came home from hospital.  If you remember, 8 year old Dasha was born with 2 holes in her heart.  We sponsored her heart surgery through our Operations CAN be Done programme which was performed on May 26^th.  After just 3 weeks I am amazed at how well she is doing.  Comparing before surgery and after I can see a big difference in her colour and her energy level and I notice that she is smiling a lot more.  Once she is totally healed in the next few months she will be able to run and play with the other kids and will finally be allowed to go to school and be a regular kid.  Her life has been dramatically changed. 

Also as part of my activities next week we’re taking the kids from Orlovka Orphanage to Issyk-Kul for the day.  For those of you who haven’t been to Kyrgyzstan, Lake Issyk-Kul is the world’s 2^nd largest salt water lake and has some of the nicest sandy beaches anywhere.  It is so nice there.

So that’s the latest goings on for now.  Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads…and as a friend mentioned…also to the single Moms who’ve taken on both roles.

Thank you for your continued support and for your kind thoughts.  If you wish to help with my ongoing support or any of our programmes (or help me with gas money and treats for Issyk-Kul) just click the donation link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog.  You can donate on line or find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab to send a cheque.  When sending a donation please include a note to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to.  (There’s a drop down box for on line donations.)

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

At the zoo.  Dasha is in the red top standing in front of Anya.

Children’s Day

This past week was a very slow one for me as I was sick with cold and flu for most of it.  I thought I was feeling better on Thursday morning and started getting ready to go to the Children’s Day celebrations at Beikut Orphanage but then my energy just gave out and back to bed I went.  (The next time in Canada I must remember to pack some Neo-Citran.)  However, after another day in bed I was able to take in some celebrations on Friday.  I think I packed in a week’s worth of stuff in one day to make up for the slow week.

June 1^st is Children’s Day which is a HUGE deal here.  The closest Canadian equivalent that I can think of is Mother’s Day except it’s for children.  The first stop was to the Tokmok Baby Orphanage for their official celebrations where I was able to see baby Almaz again.  He is the baby that was abandoned at a bus stop likely because of his two club feet.  We will be helping him get corrective surgeries for his feet through our Operations CAN be Done programme at LinK 127. 

After that I tagged along with the Lamb International folks to the Dayspring home to pick up the girls for an outing.  I got a chance to see how the garden is doing that we helped to plant.  (The peas that I planted didn’t do so well.)  Then we stopped and they got some strawberries which the girls took to the folks at the Kemin Senior’s Home.  While there, Sergey introduced 2 more ladies to a special friend.  Sergey is amazing to watch in action.

Then it was off to Orlovka where a few of us stayed and the Lamb folks went on a picnic and swimming with the girls.  Sergey is hosting a friend, Osin, from Norway this past week whose organization (I forgot the name) donated the container of goods to Lepta Plus that I mentioned a few blog entries ago.  We stopped at the store and Osin bought some ice cream and cookies which we took to the kids at Orlovka Orphanage. 

After spending time with the kids at Orlovka we rushed back to Tokmok for a very quick freshen up and then off to an amazing youth service in Bishkek.  Then after returning to Tokmok we ended the day with a shashleek supper.

So that’s the latest news.  It’s hard to believe that in 3 weeks I’ll be back in Kyiv for another leg of my journey.  Thank you for your continued support and for your kind thoughts.  If you wish to help with my ongoing support or any of our programmes just click the donation link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog.  You can donate on line or find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab to send a cheque.  When sending a donation please include a note (or make a selection in the drop down box for on line donations) to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to. 

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Celebrations at Tokmok Baby Orphanage

Almaz

Some of the Dayspring girls delivering strawberries

Orlovka Orphanage.  Go team Kyrgyzstan 2007 might see a few familiar faces here.

My 10 Favourites Here

Well it has still been mostly quiet around here for the last couple of weeks.  I did get to 2 birthday parties this week.  One was provided by the folks at Lamb International at Beikut Orphanage and the other was for a friend of Sergey and Anya’s.  We surprised him with a flash mob and fireworks.  Well…it was more flash than a mob lol.  It was sooo hilarious and a lot of fun.  Other than that I haven’t gone far except to the bazaar, the grocery store and weekly club meeting. 

So in the spirit of fun I thought I’d do a list of the ten things I like most about Kyrgyzstan and the ten things I miss most from Ukraine.  You may have to refer to my blog entry for January 26, 2012 http://blairs-page.blogspot.com/2012/01/month-already.html to see what I’m talking about for some things.  Again, forgive me if these are mostly food related - I’m a guy.

First the ten things I like most about Kyrgyzstan - in no particular order.

1. The mountains – As gorgeous as the Canadian Rockies are (and yes I’ve seen them) the mountains here are more picturesque.  They are part of the same chain that Mt. Everest is in and are about 10,000 feet higher than the Rockies.  That makes for a more spectacular snow capped peak.   Then there is the green as Ireland foothills at the base of them (and yes Ireland actually is VERY green).  Some of you may remember the desktop photo of green hills from the Windows 98 program – nicer than that photo.
2. Lipioshki – this is Uzbek bread that’s cooked in a tandoor oven.  We foreigners call it Frisbee bread because of the shape – sooo tasty.  The regular bread here is also bigger loaves than in Ukraine.
3. I found cheese here that I like.  If you remember I don’t like the cheese in Ukraine.
4. The beautiful mountain view from my apartment.  So nice to wake up to. 
5. Shashleek – this is shish kebab that’s cooked over an open fire, which adds to the taste.  They also have shashleek flavoured potato chips here – yum.
6. Speaking of chips, I also found the regular flavour here.
7. They also sell a German brand chocolate muesli cereal here.  It has bits of dark chocolate in it as well as chocolate rice crispies and chocolate coated corn flakes.  The label says the cereal is 17% chocolate.  Then they spoil it with 67% oat flakes, but other than that it’s tasty.
8. Everywhere you drive is another postcard view of the mountains.
9. I also found canned tuna that I like.  It’s imported from China and is packed in sunflower oil.
10. Did I mention the beautiful mountains???  I just don’t get tired of looking at them.  For some reason it is just sooo comforting to see them there.

Here are the ten things I miss most from Ukraine - again in no particular order.

1. Milka bars are more readily available in Ukraine.  When I do find some here I usually clean the shelf at the store to the astonishment of the sales lady.  But on the up side Roshen candies are everywhere in Kyrgyzstan.
2. A washing machine.  There isn’t one here at the apartment and I’ve been doing the laundry by hand in the tub – not good for the tennis elbow.  That’ll teach me for growling about the tiny washer in Krivoy Rog.  Better than a rock in the river I guess.  (They do have washers here – I just don’t have one and I haven’t seen a Laundromat.)
3. Cheaper prices - most grocery items in Kyrgyzstan are the same or higher priced than in Canada and 1000 soms (about $21.75) is considered a good daily wage here.
4. Decent water pressure.  It takes a while to get a shower (ahhh…memories of Kabwe) and even if I did have a washer I think it would take all day to fill it.  (Other places in town have good pressure – it’s not everywhere that doesn’t.)
5. Pechena Kartoplya – the baked potato fast food chain.  (Again, see my blog for January 26th).
6. All of my friends and especially my “Mothers” in Ukraine.
7. McDonald’s – but not the North American McDonald’s – Yuk.  There are really no fast food places in Tokmok.  I could STILL murder a Papa burger with cheese, onion rings and a frosty A&W root beer…sorry…I digress…we’re talking about Ukraine.
8. Ashawn store – there’s just nothing like it in Tokmok.  The closest is the Beta store in Bishkek – about 60 KM away.  This would be like a Wal-mart Superstore in North America.
9. ATB grocery stores – the local Norodny (a German chain) just doesn’t match up and I have a hard time navigating the bazaar.
10. No visas are needed for Canadian citizens for a 3 month visit to Ukraine.  Don’t get me started on THAT one…..but a visa free regime has been approved for here hopefully starting at the end of this year.

Thank you for your kind thoughts, your continued support and for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

This is just down the street from my apartment.  The photo doesn't do the mountains any justice.

A view from my apartment with the zoom lens.  Again the photo doesn't do it any justice.

This is actually in the foothills.  There's a snow capped peak hidden by the clouds.

A lipioshki bakery.  The tandoor oven is behind the man in the picture.

Lamb International provided a birthday party at Beikut Orphanage.  There's more pictures at the Act of Kindness blog.  The link is on the right side of this blog.

A birthday surprise for Mischa.

I’m Still Here

As I haven’t had a blog entry for 3 weeks I just wanted you to know that I’m still around.  It’s been very quiet for me these past few weeks.  I didn’t see Sergey for a few days as he was sick, then he was busy with a conference in Bishkek and the folks at Lamb International were busy with a team visiting from Barrie, Ont.  I’ve also been trying to conserve my internet use.  The only internet option that works for me here in the apartment is a pay as you go USB stick that is almost as expensive as Canadian internet – Yuk!  I still haven’t found any of the internet cafes in town. 

Having the down time was good though.  The apartment is REALLY clean and I kept up with the laundry.  (I have to do laundry by hand.)  I was also able to get some more review done with my Russian.  I can actually say a couple more phrases now.  It still hits me funny that when I say the words or phrases that I do know, people often remark that I speak without an accent.  I wonder what Russian sounds like with an accent.  I guess that’s a good testament to my Ukrainian teacher Anya.  And now as more people are finding out that I’m single the conversations tend to go like:  “You’re single?!?!  You live alone?!?!  But who cooks for you?!?!?”  Ah…memories of Ukraine lol…but I digress.

I also managed to keep busy by helping the Lamb folks with a project by painting at Beikut Orphanage here in Tokmok for a few days.  I also tagged along with them on a trip to the mountains when they took some men from the Iskra Disabled Men’s Home for a shashleek (shish kebab) picnic.  You can see more of the picnic and other activities at the Lamb International and the Act of Kindness blogs with the links to the right of this blog.  Then once Sergey was available we went around making some more deliveries of donations and managed to have some fun time with the kids at Orlovka Orphanage. 

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately.  Thank you for your continued support and for your kind thoughts.  If you wish to help with my ongoing support or any of our programmes just click the donation link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog.  You can donate on line or find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab to send a cheque.  When sending a donation please include a note to specify where you may like your gift to be directed to.

Thank you for seeing my heart.  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s in North America!!  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Some of the painting I did at Beikut Orphanage. 

Those of you on Go Team 2007 may recognize our driver Isar (on the right) and of course Sergey.

Some of the kids at Orlovka Orphanage

This is my new favourite photo.  Sergey has caught some great moments with his camera.

The Highs and the Lows

This past week was a little quieter but we were still busy with all of the needs here.
Monday I tagged along with our friends from Lamb International to the Kemin Senior’s
Home where Ruby prepared a great meal for the residents. The residents also sang and
recited poems for us and we in return sang some songs to entertain them. It was a great
time of fellowship. Ruby and Lynn’s daughter Kim and husband Randy also brought
along a donation of new slippers and socks. We also delivered some donated clothing
from Sergey and Anya’s charity Lepta Plus.

The clothing and the other deliveries here as well as mentioned in previous blog entries are all part of a container of goods donated to Lepta Plus by some great people in Norway. They donated
clothing, furniture, toys, food, bath products, wheelchairs, walkers and many other things that will be put to good use here. Later on in the week we delivered and assembled two hospital baby beds and clothes from the container. One bed went to Tokmok Baby Hospital and one to Orlovka Orphanage with some clothes, and more clothes went to Red River Orphanage.

After we assembled the bed for the baby hospital the director brought in a baby boy for
us to meet and laid him in it. This baby was abandoned at a bus stop and was brought to
hospital by police. He was given the name of Almaz and he was likely abandoned
because he has 2 club feet. Right now documents are being prepared for him and
then he will be transferred to Tokmok Baby Orphanage. We are also looking into the
possibility of getting surgery sponsored for his feet through the Operations CAN be Done
programme. Almaz is going have a long road ahead of him.

After we left Almaz we went to Orlovka Orphanage with the other bed, the clothes
and some food that we bought along the way. After we delivered these things we spent
the rest of the afternoon with the kids. Orlovka is special to many of us since we first
visited in 2007 and there have been many great changes there since. This was the best
part of the week I think.

This week shows how this adventure can be heartbreaking and awesome at the same
time. On the Act of Kindness blog they posted someone’s Facebook status: “If
you have never wept over your calling…it’s a career!” To read more go to http://
actofkindness.blogspot.com/2012/04/more-then-career.html That pretty much sums up
our feelings here in Kyrgyzstan. But through the highs and the lows we are not giving up
anytime soon.

If anyone wishes to help with my ongoing support or to help out with our programmes
please check out the donation link for LinK 127 at the right side of this blog. You can
donate on line or find the mailing address under the “Details and Contact info” tab to
send a cheque. When donating please include a note to specify where you may like your
donation to be directed to.

Thank you for seeing my heart. Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

First customer in the new bed

Donations for Orlovka

Sergey sharing the story of April 8th

This is All So Very Humbling

Since I arrived in Kyrgyzstan it has been a whirlwind of activity.  There is sooo much work here to do that it’s hard to fathom.  The other day was one of the most…well humbling is the only word I can think of.  We started off the day by going to the Bazaar to buy bags of flour and apples which we took to the people at the dump.  The dump is where people go to dumpster dive but on a much larger scale, as Lynn and Ruby’s daughter Kim put it.  They scavenge for food or anything they can make money from.   I even saw a kid bring his cow to the dump to graze off of anything that could be found. 

When we pulled up to the dump people started coming around the van.  One lady came up to John with huge tears crying that she hadn’t had food in several days.  We then opened up the back doors to reveal the flour and apples which we handed out to some VERY grateful people.  We also entertained them with a few songs to lift their spirits and the lady who was crying was now dancing to our music.  Her tears were changed to tears of joy for a 20 Lb bag of flour and about 3 Lbs of apples.

After passing out the flour and apples our next stop was to a village where several years ago John and his team brought a water line to as there was no water source at that time for the village.  They were able to run the line from another area and set up a community tap so the people wouldn’t have to haul water very far.  John was telling me that this village is made up of different ethnicities, Russian, Kyrgyz and Dungan, and that the neighbours were always arguing with each other.  All of this changed when they got the villagers together around a table for a meal and then bringing in the water which was the answer to prayers. 

When we pulled into the village we saw a line up of farmers filling their tanks to take to the fields nearby for fertilizing.  It was a tangible example of how this water line has dramatically changed the lives of these villagers.  The better water source not only provides water for their households but also helps to grow better crops, which means more food and more income for villagers.  We could also see where some people had made new additions to their homes.  Speaking of additions, John also mentioned that in the year after the water line was installed there were a lot of babies born in the village that they now refer to as the water babies.

The people in the village are still so grateful to John that every time he visits they put on a celebration meal.  Two little girls also came through the crowd and presented him with a bouquet of flowers.  Tables were set up in the middle of the road and we had an amazing meal of plov, which is the national dish of Kyrgyzstan, and enough food to feed at least one army.  It was amazing seeing the joy and the gratefulness of the villagers and how well they are getting along.  All of this from getting around a table and putting their differences behind them and then running a simple water line into their village.

The dump and this village are but just two drops in a very large bucket of the needs here in Kyrgyzstan.  It all can be very overwhelming but I like how Lynn and Ruby put it with their slogan for Lamb International – “just stop for the one in front of you.” 

Don’t forget to check out the blogs for Act of Kindness and Lamb International to see more of what we’re all up to here.  Both links are at the right side of this blog.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Buying the flour and apples

Passing them out at the dump

Farmers lined up for water

We’re Still Busy

Another week and a half has passed by at the blink of an eye.  We have been enjoying some beautiful spring weather here in Tokmok (almost summer weather by Atlantic Canadian standards) with the temperatures in the 70’s during the day.  The cherry and apricot blossoms are out, the planting is well underway and things are getting green.  Spring is an amazing time to be in Kyrgyzstan.

This past week and a half was another busy one.  We sorted, packed and delivered donations to the senior’s home in Kemin twice, which is about 30 KM away from Tokmok, made 2 trips to Bishkek for appointments and made a trip to the men’s disabled home in Iskra to visit and deliver a donation.  We delivered food to the people at the dump which was a very humbling experience.  We attended a concert to celebrate April 8^th at the school where Sergey and Anya’s kids go.  All of the kids did an amazing job with a presentation about the history of that day.  We also made a 5 hour trip (each way) to the orphanage in the resort town of Karokol in Issyk-Kol’skaya Oblast to visit and deliver donations and we planted the garden at the Dayspring house. 

Just a bit more about where I am living for those of you not familiar with Kyrgyzstan.  An oblast is the same thing as a province and Kyrgyzstan has six oblasts.  Tokmok is in the Chuy (pronounced chewy) Valley in the Chuskaya Oblast in the northern part of Kyrgyzstan.  We are also just a couple of miles from the border of Kazakhstan which I can see from my balcony.  In fact, when we drive to Bishkek on the new highway we go through about a mile of Kazakhstan on the way.

On Wednesday (April 4^th) I finally got to meet John and Julie Wright whose blog I have been following for 5 years now.  It is the Act of Kindness link on the right side of this blog.  I have been in touch with them for almost all of that time and it was great to finally meet them in person.  I met their daughters Emma and Bekah last week as they were already here.  The Wrights have accomplished some amazing things here in Kyrgyzstan over the years and it has been amazing to see in person these things and to meet the people they have written about in their blog and hear their version.

I was also able to finally meet Lynn and Ruby Johnson and David Schooler of Lamb International who also arrived last week.  They too have accomplished many great things here over the years.  I will be tagging along with them and the Wrights as they continue their work and helping out wherever I can.  Keep an eye on the Wright’s blog and the blog for Lamb International to see more of what we’re all up to http://lambinternational.blogspot.com  (There are postings on both blogs now with photos.)  Among the plans is to install a playground next week after a team from Barrie arrives.

Speaking of Dayspring, I mentioned a little girl there waiting for heart surgery in my last blog posting.  Her name is Dasha and she has 2 holes in her heart which has also affected the health in her other organs and she gets sick very easily.  In early March she was admitted to hospital for her operation after being on a waiting list, but she had a cold they could not do the surgery.  She has now been cleared and was to be readmitted to hospital April 9^th but due to a machinery malfunction she will have to wait again.  We hope that she will be readmitted next week.  Once in hospital she will be there about 10 days before the surgery to be prepared for it.  Please remember her in your thoughts.  I’ll keep you posted of her progress and my other adventures here. 

If you wish to help out with our programmes for LinK 127 and Operations CAN be Done just click the donation link on the right side of this blog to donate on line or click the link and then click the Details and Contact info tab for the snail mail address to send a cheque.  Again, thank you for your kind thoughts, your continued support and for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

Getting donations ready for the Kemin Senior's home

Donations delivered to the orphanage at Karokol

A sample of the spring blossoms

Lynn & Ruby Johnston of Lamb International.  Their portrait behind them was painted by a resident of the men's disabled home in Iskra.

The Iskra disabled men's home...a big step up from Burie Ooglie in Ukraine

Planting the garden at the Dayspring House

Food delivery to the people at the dump