I am a native already

April 6, 2009
It has been five days since I last updated you all and it already feels like a lifetime ago. On wednesday we moved in with our AWESOME host family in their small village. There are 8 other volunteers in our village with us. We split up everyday into 2 groups for language classes, then we all have lunch together, alternating host homes everyday. In our host family we have a mom, dad, a 20 year old brother and a five year old sister. Our family is so nice. They have housed 2 Peace Corps volunteers before so they understand concepts like privacy and "alone time". They are very accomodating! They gave us the biggest room in the house. It's bigger than our bedroom in our old apartment.
Our little sister is so cute. She makes everything a little less awkard! She is so talkative (even though we don't understand her!) and she loves to teach me dances!
Sometimes when I walk outside, I feel like I've stepped into an issue of National Geographic. It's so beautiful and natural. There are no big buildings, very little concrete. We live in a small farming village so there are lots of fields and farm animals. In the distance we can see snow capped mountains. It's amazing. The people are beautiful too. They are so graceful and gracious.
Last night Thomas and I got to banya for the first time! A banya is the equivalent of an american steam room. Most of the homes here do not have in door plumbing. We are lucky because our family has a bathtub with running cold water. But it is used for washing your hands, brushing your teeth and maybe rinsing off. In Kyrgyzstan a banya is used to bathe in and get VERY clean. Basically the way it works is there are two seperate rooms. The first room is not heated. You go in to this room and get undressed and leave all of your clean clothes. Then you walk into the second room where there is a hot pipe that flows into a huge vat of water. This creates the steam and the hot water for bathing. There is another bucket with cold water and a third that is empty. You mix hot and cold water in the empty bucket until it is the right temperature and then you pour it over yourself to bathe. After not bathing for five days it felt FANTASTIC!! Our family does not have a banya so we used the neighbors! Everyone uses the banya on the same day because otherwise it would be a waste of water and heat. So last night the neighbors used the banya first, then Thomas and I used the banya and then our family.
The only thing here that is a bit difficult to get used to is the outhouse. Having a flushing toilet is a luxury that most families don't have. I really miss it! I have started to get very strong leg muscles from squatting so often. So far none of the volunteers in our village have had any intestinal problems. Lucky us!
It's hard to explain how much things have changed for us. Today we had the day off and we got together with the other 8 volunteers and were talking about how different things are. It's only been five days but the way of life here already feels very normal. It's very strange. In some ways life is better here in our little village, than in the US. Everyone in the village knows each other. Most homes don't even have locks on the front doors. The kids still play outside all day! Everything is very family oriented. Families do everything together and they really look out for each other. The host families in our village are very protective of us. On Friday we had a half day of school so our host brother invited all of the volunteers in our class over for tea. Well one of the volunteers didn't tell his host family so they all went out looking for him.
Thomas and I have a cellphone now and we will be emailing the number to everyone. If you get it feel free to forward it to anyone that did not. If you call us it will be free for us to talk to you. But it is very expensive for us to call the US so we probably won't unless there is an emergency. But feel free to call us, just remember there is a 12 hour difference!
I will be in the city every wednesday and will be able to use the internet then (I hope) so hopefully next wednesday I can post pictures of my village and host family so you can see just how amazing it all is!

I love and miss you all!