Our Kyrgyzstan Trip

[mrsgrubby]

Forgive me, this could get long, but it is hard to combine 3 weeks of stuff into one short post.

it took us 2 1/2 days to get there, with losing a day to time changes, layovers, and several long flights. We finally flew into kyrgyzstan at about 5am thursday morning and headed off to orientation and showers. exchanged money learned about what our projects were going to be.

Left the next morning on a 5 hour bus ride to Barskoon village where we would spend the next few weeks.

Kyrgyzstan is very poor, the average family makes less than $1 a day, and the exchange rate is $40 kyrgyz som to $1 US dollar.

The village we went to is a farming village and they make a bit more than the average, making $800-$1,000 US dollars a year. However, they are still really poor as a lamb still costs $50 a horse a few hundred dollars, a cow a few hundred dollars, a bottle of soda pop $1, a pair of blue jeans $20. so things are very expensive considering how little they make.

none of the homes in the village had running water at all, the families had to walk about a block and get their water from artesian wells (from the water running down the mountains, and coming naturaly up through the ground).

The village did have electricity all summer, but only part of the day in the winter.

The toilets were small outhouses with holes in the floor that you squat over and try to aim into to relieve yourself, and DO THEY SMELL BAD!!!

Most of the families sleep on the floor, but some have twin beds that are really short, too short for americans to sleep on.

Our job was to work on two homes in the village so they would get done before winter, which is really harsh in Kyrgyzstan. However, while we were there it was hot, very hot!!!

both of the homes we had worked on had been started by the families previously but they were never able to finish them. One home had been started 20 years ago, but the family had 7 children and were never able to afford windows, a floor, doors, or straw to finish it, so they were sleeping and living in an area smaller than my bedroom and bathroom with all those kids.

There are no power tools at all in kyrgyzstan, so everything is done by hand, with very old, outdated hand tools.

We installed windows, build a floor system using stones to set floor joists, then laying logs accross them, then nailing on boards and planeing it smooth, (it was just clay when we got there). Then we mixed sand, straw, and clay and made a mud and plastered the walls and smoothed them so they could be white washed.

The other home was accross the road. That family was living in a yurt in the back yard while they had been working on their home for several years.

That home we used horses to mix tons of clay, mud, and staw and then used a pully system to lift it to the roof and dump in on slats of wood to make a ceiling. then we bent metal and put on a roof.

I spend several days mixing clay, straw, and water and pressing it into molds to make bricks and drying them in the sun.

I also helped hand fill a dump truck full of clay to use in mixing the morter, it was very physical work!

The whole experience on the sites was intersting because in Kyrgyzstan women would not do they type of work we were doing, so it was very difficult for the Kyrgyz men to accept us american women working along side of them doing very heavy, very physical work. But after the second day, the men were actually really impressed with the work we were able to do and friendships began to blossom between us.

We also took time to do some fun stuff, like riding horses up into the mountains and sleeping in a yurt, going to the outside market, hiking to a georgous waterfall, and attending a Toy, which is a very ceremonial party where two sheep are slaughtered and cooked.

Animals are treated much differently there than here in the states, and it was hard for several on the team to understand that, and the differences in culture.

Horses are the main mode of transportation in the village, and many are very skinny, forced to fend for themselves. Most of the horses are not named, as they are not pets, they are tools.

Because the villagers can not afford to feed them, and there is no food to buy anyway, they horses roam free in the village to find grass to eat. So horses are walking everywhere, just everywhere in the village, along with cows, and donkeys. Lambs for the most part are in pens, but chickens too just walk aroun d everywhere.

dogs run free and are mostly skin and bones, we kept sneaking them bread. I don't believe any dogs are spayed or neutered, and doubt there is anyone in the village who is even qualified to do it, (especially since baby boys are circumsized by a church member and not even a doctor.) Dogs are more of a nusience than a pet. many are afraid of people because if they come to close to villagers they get kicked, and the children think it is funny to hear them "yipe" so they stay about 10 feet from people.

many dogs hide during the day, but at night the dogs own the streets and you don't want to be out walking after dark, or you risk getting seriously bitten. Even walking out to the toilet after dark is questionable.

The dogs I was able to pet all had fleas as well, so i would guess that no vets exist and probably puppies die often due to blood loss, but even if there were vets, the people can't afford to feed themselves, so hiring a vet would be impossible.

We ate either eggs, home made yougart, or a strange hot cereal (similar to cream of wheat) for breakfast each day. As well as fresh bread, called Nun.

for lunch we had tomatoes, cucumbers (sp?), and some form of soup each day. The soup was always different but it always had onions, cabbage, potatoes, and dill in it. sometimes it had noodles, or rice, meat, in it. We also had more fresh bread (Nun)

For dinner we had a variety of stuff, but always cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh bread. Then maybe noodles with stuff on top, or the kyrgyz national dish called Plov, (which was wonderful), or cabbage rolls, or soup, or meatballs with rice in them.

Most of the families eat horse and lamb, and some beef, no pork...but since we were americans they mostly cooked beef for us. However we did eat lamb every few days, and a few team members ate horse. We had a tiny bit of chicken one day.

We also ate alot of watermelon since that was in season in the village, as well as apricots. We also bought some raspberries one day, they were the best raspberries I've ever had, big and jucy!!

And Hot Tea,....Hot Tea with every meal...hot tea on breaks during the day....hot tea all the time....LOL...I was dying for a cold drink, but no.....only hot tea.....the people believe that if you drink something cold it will make you sick, so water and tea are drank hot, never cold.....We would be so hot and tired from working, and so thursty, and they would bring us a cup of scaulding hot tea....We would laugh.

the people were wonderful, we just fell in love with them. Gossip does not exist in kyrgyzstan. People mind their own business, but anyone will help someone in need if they can.

They are such hard workers,and live hard lives, but are quick to smile, or share a joke, or play a game. They are truly honest hard working people or barely scratch out a living during the summer and suffer through long hard, cold winters.

the children loved us, as we always had candy in our pockets, and many had never seen a digital camera and were amazed they could see the picture we just took. Families would stop us on the streets and ask us for a "photo" of them, then run up to see it on the back of the camera.

Obviously we couldn't communicate really well with them, as few speak english, and we don't speak russian or Kyrgyz, but we had a group of people where were normally with us that could translate for us, and we worked hard to learn basic words so we could communicate with them. We also did alot of pointing.

One really fun thing I got to do, was to go with a couple of boys and herd horses down a mountain. Girls don't typically ride horses much, so it was again, a bit unusual for them to have me ride along, but I have been riding since I was tiny, and am a great rider, even compared to some of them.

so we had to herd 14 horses down the mountain a few hours. it was so funny...first we had to get over our communication issue and get comfortable riding with each other so we didn't accidently scare the horses the wrong way, then we had to keep them together and going the same direction, which is no easy task when they don't want to go.

I did a ton of laughing, but we had a great time. We were running through rivers, over slopes, down paths, and across all types of terrain. I haven't ridden like that in years, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Also on the last day we attended a huge celebration with more than 20 villagers. It was very interesting and we really enjoyed it. Two sheep were slaughtered and cooked up in the mountains, and the people brought tons of fruit, bread, and tea. We ate for hours and then played games, I've never seen people laugh so hard as during the games, they were so thankful for something fun to do besides work. (just for the record, the lamb was horrible, I could barely eat it, but would never offend them by not doing so, especially after they had been so open minded about us, especially me, who had done so many things contrarty to their normal customs.)

We were actually really sad to leave and come home. Despite the hard work, we lived with no stress, no gossip, no material things, no TV, just plain honest living. We felt so healthy, so happy, sore yet fulfilled.

Upon leaving, we promised to return in the summer of 2008 with another team, and I am already looking forward to it, and I know they will be waiting for us, just as they have promised.

We feel so honored to have been able to participate in a culture so different than our own. I admit, I didn't agree with everything, and witnessing the hard life of the animals made my heart hurt, but it was a culture thing, not a "mean, cruel" thing, and the people are just trying to survive.

it also made me realize that we americans have in many cases made our lives very confusing, very stressful, and forgotten in some cases what is really important.

however, I am not going out and selling my TV, and downsizing, but i will remember to stop and smell the flowers and to help those in need, and visit more with our families, and things like that.

i missed you guys though and wish you could have been with me, it is impossible to even begin to tell you about all we did.

[Cassiepeia]

Wow Robin! What a wonderful trip. I'm so glad you had a good time and that the people were as fantastic as they were. I hope you got some pictures of your time there that we can see.
How was sleeping in the Yurt?
Poor dogs though, I know my heart would be breaking to see them like that too (and all the rest of the animals), but like you said...it's cultural differences not intentional cruelty.
So glad you're back though. We missed you.

Cass.

[britishbandit]

Wow, what an interesting trip! I've been really anxious to hear how it all went. I'd absolutely love to do something like that! If ya need any more people for 2008, let me know! I'd be all in for that.
Ok, so you took your camera.....and you are going to be posting pics right??
I'd been wondering what you'd have been eating there...LOL. It doesn't sound so bad!
While the daytime seems pleasant there, night sounds quite scarey!
And I have to admit, it would be very strange to see dogs, horses, cows, donkeys and chickens all wandering the streets.
It's amazing too what the homes are built out of, what an interesting and different way of doing things.
Reading about your trip really makes you think though, and it should make us all realize that we should never take our lives for granted.
That big celebration you had sounds wonderful. I bet there's a lot of us out there that don't laugh and share that degree of happiness even with our higher standard of living.
Well that was an long read, and an enjoyable one. Numerous times throughout it, my arms and neck prickled up with some major goosebumps!

HAHAHAHAHA Cass!!! I knew you couldn't resist the urge to ask about the yurt!! LOL

[mrsgrubby]

Cass, I too knew you would ask about the yurt. It wasn't as nice as what you might think, but it was fun to do once.

Yurts are made out of wool, and when they get wet they smell really bad, and even dry, they have a strange smell to them.

there is no floor, so people spread blankets on the floor across the ground, and there is an opening in the middle of the roof.

Because of the wool, and the blankets laying on the ground, bugs are attracted to the yurts, our had black bugs with pinchers in it. (earwigs we call them). When it rains they flop something across the hole in the roof so the rain stays out.

Because we were in the mountains we got really cold at night.

However the yurts are amazing, they can pack up the whole thing and load it on a horse in about 15 minutes.

They are also very ceremonial, shoes are never allowed in them, and people are seated in order of status, with those of lowest status seated by the door, and the oldest and highest status against the back wall.

Many families eat in them and have tea during the day, then lay out more blankets and night on the floor for sleeping, but the floor aways has as least one layer of blankets on it.

[12weimgirl]

WOW, sounds like you trip was interesting. Well guess how I did at the show!!! I WON!!!!! Can you beileve it!!! I was shocked it is very unusual to win your first show to bad it wasnt an AKC show were you I might of gotten points on Belle. I didnt bring a camera! i forgot it! Well I am entered in a show on september 4 and tomm. i have a handling lesson so i am excited!!!

Lauren

[DoozyDog]

That is amazing, you did a wonderful thing.

[calgal]

What a wonder experience you had. Brings you back to the basic's doesn't it. We all tend to forget the the really great life we have here, and take so much for granted.
I wonder if maybe there couldn't be some Vets. who would go over and at least spay and neuter all those poor dogs. They don't need to live like that.
I think everyone should be able to go to some third war country for a few weeks, especially leaders in all our countries.

[calgal]

third world..................

[mrsgrubby]

Calgal,
I understand what you are saying, but the truth is the vets are the least of their problem, sadly. Really the people could use a few doctors and dentists to go over and volunteer their services. Barskoon has no dentist at all, and due to poor calcium women start losing their teeth after their first pregnancy, and most women have 5 children. so a dentist could be really helpful.

And a doctor, medicine barely exists there, the hospital doesn't even serve food in Barskoon. so the people just wouldn't be able to understand the use of a vet even if one showed up, as they have so many medical needs themselves. A women I met cut her eyeball on a lemon leaf, and it was so swollen, almost swollen shut. She paid all the money she had to go to the doctor, but there was nothing he could do to help her, he gave her some expensive medicine that didn't work.

I know it is really hard to understand unless you actually go there, but they are unable to worry about the dogs because it is hard for them to live each day.

The interesting thing is I never saw a cat the entire time I was there. It is my understanding some people in the capital city have them as pets, but I never saw one.

Due to communication barriers I wasn't able to ask, but many of the horses are gelded, (altered stallions) so someone must be able to do that, but that is much more simple that a spay or neuter on a dog.

And to be honest, I think an open wound on a dog would be very dangerous to their health as well because I never saw one dog allowed in a house, they all live entirely outside, although a few had some sort of dog house.

It is such a different culture. I know many of them would be just sick at how we americans treat our dogs, like children, and at the amount of money we spend on food, toys, and clothes for them when there are children starving and freezing to death.

They had a really hard time understanding why I have a horse here in america, when I have a car and I don't ride my horse to work or anywhere important, and that I only ride a few times a month. That made no sense to them at all. They couldn't grasp a "pleasure horse". and they asked me if it was really true that we had schools in America where we could learn to ride horses. I told them yes, it's true.....imagine their surprise if I had told them we had schools in America where we trained our dogs....LOl....I didn't dare even mention it.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

What an interesting and fun experience! I wish I could have gone, I'd love to do something like that someday and hope you'll post some pictures for us all to see!

I can't even imagine how hard it would be to see the differences in the animals but I can understand where their coming from and their need to survive. What an awesome adventure and bless you guys for helping out!!

[sammy]

Wow! What an eye opener! I would love to have an amazing experience like that but I know I'd be beside myself seeing people and animals suffering and without medical care.
Were you guys able to bring modern tools and supplies or were you basically providing labor and building using their methods?
I hope you'll be posting pictures!

[PawNclaws]

Sounds like you had fun. Kinda gets you think of all the things(little things even) that we take for granted here. I feel sorry for the animals over there and the people, it must be very hard. You did a very good deed, I bet they are all very thankful for you and your team for doing all you did. I can't wait for the pictures, you're going to share them right

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Originally Posted by calgal

What a wonder experience you had. Brings you back to the basic's doesn't it. We all tend to forget the the really great life we have here, and take so much for granted.
I wonder if maybe there couldn't be some Vets. who would go over and at least spay and neuter all those poor dogs. They don't need to live like that.
I think everyone should be able to go to some third war country for a few weeks, especially leaders in all our countries.

I imagine you wouldn't be able to for health reasons with the dogs. If they don't have horse food (which is grown), they certainly didn't have any typical dog food! To even catch the dogs to examine would probably be a task, and I imagine most of them would be in no condition to put under, much less operate on. Like Mrsgrubby said, medical care for the people would be a more realistic propostion.

Your heart is so compassionate to go through all that for those people, Mrsgrubby. That's excellent that you were able to make such a difference in their lives! It's good to have you back.

[Novel]

Oh MrsGrubby,
Thank you so much for sharing all of your experiences. I could picture so much of it my head as you wrote, yet I know that I am still seeing an Americanized (Hollywood) version and that the grim reality is simply unbelievable for me.
Maybe that 2008 team should be a GP group?! I don't think they could understand that we all know each other because of our dogs, but, we wouldn't have to explain that I suppose!
How many people were in your group? Habitat does lots of trips like this, right?
I was somewhat surprised that your group went against custom and the women helped with the laborious task of building. I thought maybe the group would have the women help the other women with something that was their "job" but, I'm glad that everything worked out to an advantage!
Sounds like a wonderful place. It's so sad to not know your neighbors for the most part, spend your time working and rushing about, and not completing all that much that really matters... could you imagine how silly it would seem to them to travel 100's of miles to show your dog off to other people?? However, I bet they could appreciate working cattle dogs or something like that...
Anyways, I'm just thinking out loud. Thanks again for sharing some of your experiences.