Happy Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving on the farm - brought lots of Uncle Theo and Auntie Meg time...and Theo's famous turkey - wrapped in bacon (of course!)

Traveling in the US - Rockaway Beach, Oregon

We spent a great weekend on the Oregon Coast for our friend Amy's birthday. Salty air, good food = good times!

Bringing Kyrgyzstan Home to the States!

We were able to share some Kyrgyz treats with friends and family back home. The kalpock hats were a big hit!

Saying good-bye to Kyrgyzstan

We will miss our amazing friends and host family members....we will also miss our fellow volunteers. Thank you for your love, hospitality, and support. You will be in our hearts forever!

Summer Trip to Turkey

We spent two weeks at the end of July - beginning of August touring the coast of Turkey and Istanbul. The water was beautiful - as were the food, people, and buildings. Favorite site: Ceseme - lovely beach city filled with tasty restaurants and relaxing beaches. A great mix of history and modern life.

Watch the"Mural in the Making" video!

Watch this amazing 3 minute video (turn up the sound) that shows the painting of our past mural on HIV/AIDS.

A day at the races...

We spent a day at the local "hippodrome" / race track where we were fortunate enough to see a wide variety to traditional horse races and games - including "oolock". This is a game very much like rugby...but played on horses...with a goat carcass. It was intense! Here are some pictures from that day....
(Great thanks to our lovely Scottish pal Colin Spurway for the awesome photos!)

Happy 4th of July!

We attended a 4th of July bash at the U.S. Embassy - complete with bbq'd hamburgers and a band. It was a little taste of home...here we are with our good friend Cameron...also a Pac NW native.

Nachos! So delicious....

I am trying to fatten Theo up! He has lost 45 pounds...back to his high school weight!

More Scenes From Spring / Early Summer

The ladies bonding at Dilnoza's wedding (co-worker), local 3 on 3 tournament (we got 2nd), some local festivals, and beautiful Baby Alan - our friends Shuhurat and Nina's new baby boy!

Dedication Ceremony

The mural is complete! We finished it after midnight the day before the dedication ceremony. See more photos from the dedication ceremony along with project photos at: http://www.oshmuralartsprogram.blogspot.com

Mural Arts Program - HIV/AIDS Project -Day 2&3

Everyday is very exciting as we cover great expanses of wall with color. Originally the mural was going to be 12 feet wide by 9 feet tall, but the team got excited and we decided to do the entire wall which is 15 feet wide by 30 feet tall. The team works Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. We expect to finish this next week. Already, we've received 3 additional job offers from passerbys.

Mural Arts Program - HIV/AIDS Project

To see that first splash of color go on the wall is an exhillirating moment especially when I've been working for months organizing numerous community meetings, connecting various groups and putting it all together for a small grant and implementation. All of it was worth the effort. The mural team is comprised of 2 local professional master artists, students from the local art university and 3 Non Government Organizations (NGOs) in cooperation with the local city government. The project is funded by the President's Emergency Proposal for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and in kind contributions by the community.

The photos show a meeting with students describing the project. The master artists talking about the final design that is a compilation of the student designs that he and his artist wife finalized. We had 3 days of training about HIV/AIDS, mural making and positive messages. Also, there are two images of stencils the artists made (only getting 3 hours sleep that night) on day 2 of painting.

Playing Baseball with JICA

Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is Japan's version of Peace Corps. We recently competed in a whiffle ball baseball game against them and as they say here... Friendship Won! Most of them knew English, however some we had to use Russian to communicate. It was an interesting experience, especially with their interesting Japanese style baseball chants and mannerism compared to how we know it in America.

And you thought Peter Pipper was difficult

We were fortunate to be invited to a co-workers' traditional Muslim wedding. We ate lots of plov and were entertained for several hours with the bride at her neighbor's house while they awaited the groom's arrival. This is what happened as we waited. It's amazing!!!

The Simple Life, Kyrgyzstan

Do you think Paris Hilton can find Kyrgyzstan on a map???

Scenes from Spring

Here are a few scenes from the budding of Spring! Our first hike up the mountain and picnic in the sun - felt great after a long, cold winter. Also, some preparations for the Nooruz celebration (Muslim New Year) in Lenin Square. Very colorful! (We will miss you Karen!)