The Last Post except I will have to add pictures when I get home.

Some things in life are just intense more than intense and I feel blessed to have quite a number of such experiences often to do with but not exclusively to do with travel and difference such as working in France at 15 or visiting family in Kenya.  Kyrygzstan has turned out to be one of those life affirming overwhelming miracles that happen sometimes in life.

Yet Monday morning I felt a bit bluesy, made just because I knew it could not be sustained. I had walked back into class last week as if I had never been away yet in truth these are not my classes anymore.  Quite rightly the school has moved on, but it has welcomed me back with welcome arms and more thanks than I deserve as my teaching leaves a lot to be desired but I guess what happens when someone like me walks into the school there is a shift. Every day the little ones who do not know me and where not taught by me say hello.  Some of them if they see me start to sing Twinkle Twinkle.   I went into the preschool group and showed them books and half of them turned from the TV and instinctively took themselves off to just enjoy the sensual pleasure of turning the pages.

Of course I have also realised that this treat will end. On Tuesday night I sat and enjoyed the sensation of just sitting at The Ashu and unwinding.  I loved the hurl of the wind that put the lights out for over a couple of hours and the walk under a dripping umbrella to school. Each day I have popped into the shops to get a farewell gift for a class.In their Wednesday practice performing Handa's Surprise for example when the goat hits the tree and delivers tangerines that is exactly what happened I unleashed a bag of tangerines on to my two Handa's heads for everyone.   Or at the end of the practice for Walking Through the Jungle I brought out a plate of jewel like sweets that are really soft tender prunes and yesterday in my final lesson with year three the students I know best at the end of circle time they too received a tangerine each.  Circle time is a new concept here and the team is putting together information on it for the end of term conference, but year three seemed to get the hang very quickly. I allowed them to respond in Russian so that they could say more mainly about what they felt they had learned or enjoyed the last two weeks (What's the time Mrs Wolf seemed to be one of the stand out moments in what has been a very busy time -books, shops, Mrs Wolf, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt) and even I could understand when one lass said that she had also learned that she had a friend in me.  A lot of the kids had made me cards - lots more than last time in fact as they had not really realised before that good-bye really was that, but I think that is why it has been fun for them to see people can return and the relationship can resume and grow.

Today my last day I had no formal lessons again so happily graffitied an alphabet on the long wall, I tried more apple measuring and then landed up having an early dinner despite having had a very late breakfast. It was nice to join in with everyone, the presence of an English speaker at almost every occasion meaning we can all talk now unlike last year. I had noticed many of the children being in dance clothes but I am so used to them performing did not think anything of it till my head said to come over to the canteen as year two and three were putting on a farewell concert for me!  Having sent most of the kids off on their buses with last farewells it was time for us teachers to have a little party - or that was my thought a drop of vodka and an orange but of course this is Shabdan Kyrgyzstan so as well as my aforementioned contributions there was plove, and salad and my favourite little mini doughnutty things that I should know the name of by now and the lovely tradition here of everyone being able to thank and acknowledge each other. To me I am the person who has had the best time and the luxury of spending time here, yet everyone seemed to just want to thank me.  The joys of teaching in the UK will be a mega bring down.

Just one day left a trip to Bishkek and a chance to talk with the American teacher who has been working for the Foundation in their Kant school and then the airport and a long trip home.

A varied picture of life in Kyrgyzstan

On Friday I had no teaching, or at least no formal teaching so headed into the field to try and measure the progress of the apple trees, but it was so hot that after a while I came back in and had a lovely time playing with the pre-school group singing them typical nursery rhymes, which they seemed to enjoy.   So far the staff have not had any alcohol fuelled days, in fact this year apparently they are only celebrating two holidays, but the children were having a day's holiday to celebrate the fact that year one students have learned their Russian alphabet and this explained why my arrival did not disrupt the formal programme.  After lunch parents arrived to join in with the celebration but my focus was on the small group of after school students who came to see me. We did a lesson together on Washington, London, and Bishkek. It was lovely to see them.  Once they left, I headed back into the field, but to paint rather than count. This is my first proper go at spray painting and I can see why people might like it.

Saturday I was up unnaturally early as some of the children were heading to Bishkek for a theatre trip and picnic so I hitched a ride with them. It was lovely to see their enthusiasm as they packed the picnic and sang most of the way.  As soon as they were dropped off I met up with my friend, who took me to a lovely new cafe - which turned out to be her son's venture.  The coffee was brilliant so I wish it well. Lunch later at her flat, looking over the mountains was just as good.  I have only had school and Ashu Kyrgyz food, cabbage and meat, green radish and meat doesn't sound much, but it was truly delicous.

Part of the day surprised me. Last year I got the impression that everyone was worried about what Russia's activities in Kyrgyzstan.  Since then Russia has got closer in business terms to Krgyzstan and someone at the Ashu today told me is trying to have more and more influence e.g. getting Kyrgyzstan to enact anti gay laws. However, on Saturday one conversation suggested a different point, one more in line with this article: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/ukraine-lies-propaganda-west-age-20145384527678726.html.    Kyrgyzstan at present is a very free country in many ways but West, Islam and Russia are trying to have an influence.

Today I went for my usual walks in the mountains, but something my friend was nagging at me - Why had not I explored more of the valley, especially why hadn't I headed up to the lake.  I therefore approached the manager at The Ashu to ask how much a taxi would cost. She suggested something better tag along with a couple staying who were also trying to find it.  In the end we drove as far as the National Park, so much further than I have been before and we managed to drop a woman off whose journey otherwise would have been hard to contemplate but we never did find the lake - so well I will just have to come back again.   However it was still worth it to see how beautiful it is further up the valley and how isolated some farmers are compared with where I am in the village.

The usual highs and lows.

Had a rather horrid flashback today, when the teacher went out of the room and left me with students who I thought had been doing their English alphabet revision and so I handed out my big alphabet but prior to this photo being taken the excited response to it, was utter chaos.

Much more successful was my bag of rubbish. I may have lost my clothes on route, but my bag of rubbish survived in my hand luggae, bits of packaging that I thought the children might like e.g. tea, coffee, oranges. Year three have already been doing some language around buying food so this was for a bit of realia revision. They wrote shopping lists or their products out and bought and sold - a very nice way to end the week.

Not so successful Year 1 have completely forgotten, Two Little Dickie Birds and 5 Little Ducks, but they very quickly picked up the key themes in the book Walking Through the Jungle which I did with Year 1 last year.  Its lovely pictures really captivate them. I did an extra lesson with some of the year two students in preparation of them doing some work around Handa's Surprise - four girls came and helped me paint a nice big version of the title page. It was so peaceful working with them. They really thought about the colours and it is only today I realise how easy it was communicating in English what they had to do.  Today they have started to enact it and I am trying to encourage the local teacher to have the confidence to put it on with them at the end of term. She has not been putting on events each term and while the teaching seems to have been good if not very good, the place of English in the curriculum and in the school seems to have suffered a bit without me making sure it is always visible and audible.

Sadly my attempts to introduce compost or land enrichment have totally failed and no time now to follow up on this or energy.  However, it was a lovely sunny day today. All has settled down well at the school Tomorrow there is a ceremony to celebrate the children in year one having learned their Russian alphabet and in theory at about the same time my head and I are supposed to be meeting up with some of the after school children that we taught.

EE not getting any where.

Any ideas I am trying to buy add on on EE but the page my phone takes me thru does not seem to operate and when I go on their website I also do not seem to come thorugh to anything that actually allows me to buy anything. EE have up to now been a nightmare as a supplier as almost a year on from being forced to switch to it, I cannot access My account.  I cannot find anything like an email to contact them with - just a phone number. I had rung them before coming away but that had not resolved the matter but looking up their website at the time purchasing add seemed feasible and easy.



Feeling very tired, but still very happy to be working at the school. What is nice is that now there are two Kyrgyz English teachers here and as I am taking their classes in effect they are able to help me, and so we are able to team work which is ideal. One of these new teachers seems genuinely finding my ideas interesting and helpful and is picking up ideas.

Back to Kyrgyzstan.

When I turned 60 I had meant to keep up the blog about that, but as you can see I have not.  This  partly because getting into the blog is often very complicated as I have two google accounts and I just get sidetracked into their system and cannot get onto the blog, but tonight I have made it much to my delight as it has been a great day.  

I flew out to Kyrgyzstan on Friday, we left an hour late (something to do with the police checking passports?  We were never told what the problem was just that we were delayed.)  which meant that my connecting flight could be an issue as we were due in just after I was due to leave.  So I tried to notify the hostesses.  One went by, so I tried hailing her, but she flagged her finger in the air in a wait gesture implying she would return, but she did not. So I pressed the call button but the stewardess who came could not speak English, she went away and did not come back with anyone who could, so I had to call again and this time ask her to get someone, who did eventually come and said they would arrange for the onward flight to be delayed or arrange something. So I relaxed till a message went out that was inaudible beyond something re transit. Given that this might be an instruction e.g. go to the front of the queue I again tried hailing someone to help me who just rushed by, when she passed by again I again tried asking her but again the finger (not the usual rude one, but the one that says wait) this time very emphatic without a backward glance or attempt to help.  Air rage surged in me as I yelled could you just answer me.  No she just ignored me and went on by and huddled with the other stewardess at the front of the plane looking at me.  I pressed the button, the huddle hesitated that then sent the woman who could not speak English and again could not help and just went away. I  pressed the button again, again she came and again I had to ask for someone who could speak English. They eventually returned and said someone would meet me at the airport and ensure I get the plane.  Once off the plane I eventually located this person, who proceeded to run me through the airport and get me on the plane. He did not help me with my hand-luggage but seemed to think me a fit and healthy 60 year old so capable of running with it.  I am not sure my body agreed with him. We then proceeded to wait for a few more people and a bit more time, so I trusted that meant this time (I had had the same dash last time I flew with them) my bag would be transited too.  Wrong.  Luckily they have a good missing baggage report system at the airport. A nice German couple planning to spend just one night in Biskek were just ahead of me reporting their lost luggage and had to change their travel plans to pick their luggage up on Sunday, but my plan was and continued to be to come straight to the school two hours away.  My head teacher and her husband kindly meet me at the airport, partly to help with the luggage, but instead took control off my missing luggage form and have rung each day trying to re-unite me with it)  When I left Kysyzstan I had left my coat behind but I had forgotten that I had left some shirts and a skirt here. So while I did not have any toiletries, or the books and work I had for the children, and some other more personal items; as a result of her efficiency, I did have a change of clothes. And tonight the hotel owner has kindly turned up with the bag. I think he might have gone all the way to Bishkek to get it which is ironic as the nice young German couple having been reunited with their luggage yesterday, also came down here today!

I spent Sunday talking to my boss and up at the school getting today's lessons ready with the help of the music teaching, apart from an emotional hug in greeting , it was like had never been away.  I do not know what feels more surreal in fact, my life here or back home, as it just feels wonderful to be here and see the friends I have made here, but I still pinch myself to think I got to do this in the first place.

Anyway today it was class time. My main idea was to revise some of the work I have done with the children and to see what progress they have made. The school now is bigger than it was last year - a pre school, two year zero classes and then the children I taught previously.   I tried tiptoeing in hiding behind some gorgeous flowers my Head had presented me with at the airport and which I thought I could take to the school to share with everyone, but one of the classes spotted me and came out, the children all giving a very nice - happy but polite hello.  It felt very emotional to see their teacher.  Then the other class rushed out with more of a hug and again great hugs with their teacher - they are both wonderful women with so much experience it is a honour to work with them.  I popped over to the new canteen  to say hello to the cook (who had made a cake in my honour)  where the new pre - schoolers greeted me in English and then into my first class. Year 1, previously year 0. They have a new teacher,who speaks English, and she has them taught well.  One of the students pointed to the English poems and story I had put up on their wall the day before obviously pleased with this new addition to the classroom. They were all able to ask each other their name (they are 6), then I tried singing some of the songs we learned and they remembered lots of the words and all the gestures ahead of me doing them.  They then worked together to write the alphabet on the board and sang the alphabet song - so very good. Similar situation with class two, previously one, who remembered all their colours and some of The Balloon Song which we had learned rather quickly at the end of the year and they did even better with Walking Through the Jungle which they had learned in their first term. Considering no one has done any of this with them since last May pretty good.  They are all reading and writing in English. Then year three who loved playing What's the time Mr Wolf,  which was new work for them. I was also asked to do a circle time with them and they managed it -telling me what they have been learning since I saw them last. I also gave them a five sentence dictation - which reminds me I need to mark it before work tomorrow so had better go. I would never think to give 10 year olds dictation but they really like it and seem to be good at it.  When I think how hard it was doing book work with them at the beginning of last year as only one of them could read and only one or two had any idea of how to do it and now they can all read and write in English it seems a miracle to me. So, so far it is definitely worth this return and clearly my colleagues are doing a good job, but I think and hope that it is also useful for the children and my colleagues that I reappear and do this couple of weeks with them.