Storying Facilitator in Central Asia
My Letter to Future Goers
These last two years have presented me with many ups and downs. Living in another culture insures that there will be many aspects of life that will go against the grain of what you are used to doing, thinking, or feeling. In the midst of all this I have learned that it is extremely important to pick your battles carefully. Sometimes tension arises due to cultural differences that are amoral and of little consequence. Don’t let these sorts of things get under your skin or become a bigger deal then they need to be. Weigh whether or not fighting against those things is going to be worth your... Read more
The Dogs Here Aren't Vegetarian, And Neither Am I.
The dogs here aren’t vegetarian, and neither am I. As silly as that may sound, the above sentence actually alludes to two rather unfortunate aspects of my life. In an effort to help all of you who are far away understand life here a little better, I thought I’d fill you in on a couple things I did not expect coming here. Dogs aren’t vegetarian. I joke about what happened, but in all seriousness I’m thanking God I escaped last week with little more than some bruises and four shallow tooth marks. For the last two weeks I have been visiting a woman that I have befriended about five minutes... Read moreA Few of my Favorite Things
Living in a new city has its highs and lows. Community building comes slowly everywhere, not least of all in a foreign country. Some mornings I wake up feeling the adventure of it all. Other days it is a lack of motivation to put myself out there again that haunts my being. I find that it is a practice in intentional thought control and thankfulness that help lift the clouds, so to speak, on the down days. So in honor of the spot I am in and the coming holiday, here are a few of the things I am thankful for lately: *renting an upper-level living space This may sound strange especially after... Read more
My Life the Sitcom
Today is the coolest and calmest my new apartment has been in the three weeks I‘ve resided here. From my bed I can see out my open door to the cloud cover and light sprinkling rain coming down. When it rains here things slow down; while you can still hear a few yelling fruit vendors and car horns, it’s relatively quiet. Along with that my supervisor and his wife just left this morning, having spent the past two days visiting us to see how our relocating has gone and helping us put some finishing touches to the place (e.g. curtains). Days will be picking up again soon. My teammate and I have... Read more