When things go well

So I am at PDM right now, and things are... interesting. My counterpart didn't end up coming - she had some family issues to take care of - and I thought I would be here on my own. Instead I received a rather nasty shock this morning. The teacher I have had so many issues with and just recently stopped working with was sitting in the conference room. My program manager decided that since my counterpart wasn't coming I needed to have someone here from my school, and the school's director wasn't free. I confronted my PM and told her about all this -- she said that this teacher's purpose is primarily to just relay information back to my counterpart and director, but that I still had to work on a presentable project with her for this conference. I'm just a bit more than miffed at that, and am currently wondering how any of this will work.
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PDM is finished. The information we learned was very useful -- I feel like I can actually start being a volunteer now, not just a teacher-drone. Things didn't go as poorly as I expected with the counterpart, in part because the majority of our sessions were done separately for language purposes. Suffice it to say, though, she did a complete 180 when it came time to start working on a project proposal. Now I have this woman saying I'm going to be written about in the history of my village and that the village's grandchildren will sing to their grandchildren about said deeds. I need to quell that, I'm not here to attain fame or deification or what have you. I just need to pass along the skills to be able to start projects in the community and help out with what I can. Hopefully things can get started soon.
One thing that was mentioned for a project idea is opening up a kindergarten in my village. Not exactly a small feat, that. But it's good to know that things are thought of among the community members. I'm not supposed to come in and tell people what they need, we certainly do enough of that as a world power in other fields of influence. It's a relief and inspiration. Grassroots work, finally, can start to blossom.
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A week in Bishkek. It's kind of funny, especially in retrospect. I had fun getting together with other volunteers and doing that whole bit, and it was nice having a change of pace. But it also didn't fit. I didn't go to any of the stores or restaurants, feeling I didn't really need to, and I'm sort of proud of myself for it. One day I went to a store called Narodnie, basically a standard supermarket, and had something of a minor panic attack -- the walls lined with wrapped products (particularly fruit -- abberation!), a feeling of claustrophobia, the bright lights shining down at me... I felt like I couldn't breathe and immediately got a headache. My escape to the street was a relief, but it was still an alien world -- paved roads, traffic, lights, car pollution... I was a village bumpkin in a strange and hostile environment. America will be difficult to adjust back to, I imagine.
I would love to delve into a matter concerning volunteers that occurred a day after the week of seminars. That, however, would be folly. Suffice to say, something less than desirable took place that involved multiple parties (thankfully I was not present) and now prices are being paid. It couldn't have come at a worse time either, just after other incidents and the prospect of a healing on the horizon. It's a shame, truly. We, the volunteers, need to grow up and learn that we cannot waste our two years here with such trivial contrivances.
Upon arrival back at site spring continues to be staved off by the last hurrahs of winter. It's disconcertning -- I thought I left this weather back in the NE States... But what can I do. My family procured some fish (was ok, they leave all the bones in it though, making for some tricky eating) and some mushrooms (!!!) when I got back. I'm so pumped about the mushrooms! My family apparantely grows them on a few logs in the yard. Mmmm mushrooms... Haven't gotten sick from eating them yet either. Good news!
Things are starting to look up at site. I have people telling me they missed me and were asking where I went from the past week. My classroom situation is starting to unfold, and prospects for the future here are starting to unveil themselves. This coming week will be spring break, following Nooruz (Muslim New Year) and those celebrations. I think I'm going to head into the city this weekend to view the festivities and games that accompany the holiday -- lots of interesting and truly national ceremonies etc. take place on this holiday.
Recently I've been thinking, reading, and watching (via movies) about Africa. It's odd to explain, but I just feel a connection with the continent. In large part I'm a volunteer today because of Africa -- my quest for social justice has strong roots in it, be it the friends I made during summers at Six Flags or trying to be an activist on my college campus. I put my #1 location preference for Peace Corps as Africa, but the first available slot was Central Asia. It's hard to determine right now, but I think that at some point in my life I want to work somewhere on the vast continent.