get off my lawn!!
that's right, everyone! i have found a house. not an apartment, but an actual honest to shucks house that i will rent and live in for the remainder of my stay in the stan. i move in the last weekend of february and needless to say, i am super jazzed!! if any of you ever win the lottery and can afford a plane ticket over here, you can so totally stay at my house!! i'll make borsch!!
Needless to say, my address will be changing, so if you have any packages or other mail that you were gonna send, maybe hold out on that until i can get you my new address (which of course, i do not have on me because that would require forethought, which is a characteristic i do not possess). also, my new house will have a new phone number, which i also don't know off the top of my head. but email me if you want this information and i will get it out to you as soon as i have it.
so i know it's been an ass long time since i posted last but that's only because i'm lazy and don't like having to wade through thigh deep snow to get to an internet connection (no joke, we had a butt load of snow). but luckily, i live in the south of kazakhstan and the end of february -- fingers crossed -- means the end of winter. therefore, i should be able to more comfortably walk to the nearest internet connection. so, i'll post more often.
let's see. as far as interesting anecdotes about my life. . . a few weeks back, in the snowy/cold of winter, i actually went to a pool party outside!! even in america, in the summer, i am a rare sight in a bathing suit and in a swimming pool. but in shymkent there is actually a heated outdoor pool that is open to the public year-round for the small fee of 200 tenge per hour. it was boss. the water was so hot that it steamed in the january air. and my hair froze when my head was out of the water for too long. some of the guys even climbed up on the high dives and threw snowballs at us before they dove into the water. it was sweeeeeeet!
right now, i am trying to organize a language camp for some of my fellow 17s so that they can study up some russian and see the awesome spectacle that is nauryz, or kazakh new year. i tell you what, if anyone knows how to celebrate a new year, it's kazakhs. i don't want to give it all away, and because i'm getting good at this whole teaching thing, i'm giving you all an assignment: look up "kok bar" and write a short response to this traditional kazakh game that is played to celebrate the coming of the spring. post it in the comment section. it's due whenever i say it is. i'm the teacher, damn it!!
Needless to say, my address will be changing, so if you have any packages or other mail that you were gonna send, maybe hold out on that until i can get you my new address (which of course, i do not have on me because that would require forethought, which is a characteristic i do not possess). also, my new house will have a new phone number, which i also don't know off the top of my head. but email me if you want this information and i will get it out to you as soon as i have it.
so i know it's been an ass long time since i posted last but that's only because i'm lazy and don't like having to wade through thigh deep snow to get to an internet connection (no joke, we had a butt load of snow). but luckily, i live in the south of kazakhstan and the end of february -- fingers crossed -- means the end of winter. therefore, i should be able to more comfortably walk to the nearest internet connection. so, i'll post more often.
let's see. as far as interesting anecdotes about my life. . . a few weeks back, in the snowy/cold of winter, i actually went to a pool party outside!! even in america, in the summer, i am a rare sight in a bathing suit and in a swimming pool. but in shymkent there is actually a heated outdoor pool that is open to the public year-round for the small fee of 200 tenge per hour. it was boss. the water was so hot that it steamed in the january air. and my hair froze when my head was out of the water for too long. some of the guys even climbed up on the high dives and threw snowballs at us before they dove into the water. it was sweeeeeeet!
right now, i am trying to organize a language camp for some of my fellow 17s so that they can study up some russian and see the awesome spectacle that is nauryz, or kazakh new year. i tell you what, if anyone knows how to celebrate a new year, it's kazakhs. i don't want to give it all away, and because i'm getting good at this whole teaching thing, i'm giving you all an assignment: look up "kok bar" and write a short response to this traditional kazakh game that is played to celebrate the coming of the spring. post it in the comment section. it's due whenever i say it is. i'm the teacher, damn it!!
posted by ashli at 1:11 AM
6 Comments:
Your assignment, dear teacher, was difficult. The google function comes back with many of non-english & non-roman alphabet descriptions of this game you call "kok bar." I did, however, find another blog of a peace corper in the derkeh who referred to such a game. He described it as polo with a sheep's carcas, innards and all. That be nasty, that's all I gotta say.
Congrats on finding a casa! That's so exciting. You're like all grown up or something.
Take care honey! Love, Jas :)
If yo are clever enough to "GOOGLE" different spellings for Kok Bar you can get more information.
Here is a cut and paste -- a bit of a cheat but I'm not all athat interested in garde.
"ULAK TARTYSH" (or "KOK BORU") - wrestling on horseback for a goats carcass:
The words "kok-boru" mean, "gray wolf. The origin of this original game is very ancient. There are good reasons for believing that it originated in those remote times when herds of cattle grazed in the steppes and mountains all year round without a shelter or top dressing exposed to the attacks of wolves. Having no firearms the shepherds could not deal with wolves on the spot. Brave djigits chased after the wolves until the beasts of pray ran off their feet, then began beating them with slicks and lashes, trying to snatch them away from each other. Later "kok-boru" was replaced by "ulak tartysh''. At present time this game is played on green meadows of high mountain pastures as well as on racecourses. To seize a goat's carcass in the center of the field and deliver it into the gates of the contesting team is the objective of the game.
Now if you want to see pictures go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokpar
http://www.thegio.net/kazakhstan/Photos/HorseGames/images.html
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?topic_id=1481&msg_id=00ExFN&photo_id=4047026&photo_sel_index=1
And of course I hit the enter button before I did a proofread and missed some typos. More points off my grade. SIGH!
Ulok Bantir, no, it's Ulan Bator, Mongolia. isn't that where you first wanted post?
For the rest of the comminque' pay no attention to Webster.
If you want to see the mentioned game played in real time, you should rent "Rambo III" or maybe it's "Rambo 2". No, "Rambo III" was when Sly fell in love with the Vietamese girl. Well maybe not, she may have been Cambodian but, that's not important.
There was a "Rambo" flick when he was in Afghanistan, and he did play that game. He almost won, but was defeated by an old pro. Knives and everything, no, it was a stick. "Rambo" simply left his knife in his boot and did not retaliate against the sportsman whom it was what tore him from his steed.
He did though use it later against a Russian in some cave and killed the aforementioned (Soviet) person.
Miss you, love you, so long since i've heard your voice. Happy Valentines Day!
Oh, Your Aunt Lisa is mad at me. -- Just being me. No worry, she still loves me. Bye the bye, e-mail me your phone # when you get it. I shall take time diffs into account.
Well, Luv, happiness & Hope. Blondie mewed. gotta pet.
Again a bye, if you heart me please back to me in the Great KY Commonwealth and the cat. Do you still have your kitty? Well never the ever, with all that snow, what's a cuttlely kitty for?
love,
Daddy
Ash,
I love Blondie. She won't die. Seems as it doesn't neeed me to give it water. Courious thing, mammels.
I miss you Ash, Daughter. I miss Rhye my Son though Rhye is off with hiselse. It would be lovely to all be about there.
I'm to young to B %).
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