A Kyrgy farewell.

very tired. It is very hot and humid in Istanbil and it does not see real that for the last 5 months I have been living in Central Asia.

It was very Kyrgyz the last few days, people working all hours, some very good presentations, and everyone so interested and keen on what they are discussing. Several people leave, they just slip away so I do not manage to say farewells. Then despite being very tired, the others put on a concert, including our music teacher who sang several songs in English. Just when I think I am dong something nice and good they do the same thing, 10 times better, so he sings these songs in perfect English,  but people were still very kind about our performance in Kyrgyz.  It felt very intense, and then everyone danced the favourite dance together, and I was given a thank you present, and farewells, and then the concert carries on, and my departure is thankfully swallowed up.

 I cannot sleep but not because I think I am going, but because I am full of plans and full of thoughts about how I might try and stay and yet spend more time in the UK, Then a lovely lovely picnic next day up in the mountains, where I have gone by horse.

Dancing, music, nature, food, and more of all, a little like a Turkish picnic in the UK, but ever more so, proper food call cooked from scratch.  I love the dancing here, it is totally normal for women of my age to get up and dance, everyone in a circle and one or two dancing in the middle, men and women together, though the staff are mainly women.

 Then suddenly people saying good bye,  then I am being told I am on the bus with the people saying goodbye.   I am back at the Ashu rushing to get my car to Bishkek, it is ;pouring with rain, thunder and lightening.  I stuff things into the bag. I run up stairs and give my presents to the staff, they just sit there, I just stand there, I do not know if they have any emotion, I do, I run back down again and bring my other bag to the car.  The sun comes back out and we wait. apparently I am not going in this car, apparently I am going with the art teacher and he is asleep.  He just arrives and at the same time the buses from the mountain come. My head wheels me down the road and into their bus, along with the director and the art teacher,  and here we sit drinking vodka. I am so tired I keep falling asleep. I do not know how long we sit and chat more final farewells including with the mother of the Ashu owner, her son is away, I have not said goodbye to her husband, despite all the emotion I know by now my room is housing someone else already, but we smile to each other and hug and the acknowledgement is genuine. She and a few others depart.  Then suddenly everyone decides to head to the spring, and there we have a few more vodkas, with a few of the other school staff The Director of the Foundation, the head of my school all have more vodkas and cognac. I just close my eyes and sleep, thinking we are here for hours, but no suddenly more farewells and now it really is goodbye.  I just sleep in the car. Only to be woken to have a meal as we are now so late, that everyone wants to eat, except for our director, who is asleep. We finally get to Bishkek at 9.30 6 hours after I left the picnic.  I catch a bit of sleep at the school owner's house, there is more thunder and lightening. At 12 I am off again to the airport. I wanted to be there early as I have no idea if my bags are overweight. And sadly they are so out go my shoes, a jumper, etc. Not quite sure how this has happened as I left several items behind I also unintentionally left my lovely winter coat behind, but it is so hot and so hard managing three bags that I am not sure how I could have brought more.  I do not like going to the airport as sometimes it can be very busy it is also a little weird I went through three different screeners, but no one spots or questions the bottle of water in my bag or several other things that breech regulations but my bag is searched because of a book!.  I am one gram over weight and my handbag now over weight but I am allowed on.  And just sleep. And now I am here and it is as if that time did not exist.  So strange.

Soon my head will be in the states with all the other directors, she will come back to the summer school, they have international staff to work in most of the schools, but mine, while they wait to see if I am coming back or not. It feels so nice and free next to the Mamara sea.   I have no idea what comes next.