Due to increasing unrest in the city centers (Sadie heard gunshots outside of her house and Scott saw people handing out Molotov Cocktails), Jalalabad City has been evacuated to Bazar-Korgon and Kochkor-Ata. Sean put up four extra volunteers in his apartment and life was easing and the living was free for a day or two. We played frisbee at the stadium, watched movies, and walked around. We also ate pizza. Unfortunately, it is easy to go crazy when you can't leave a village for an unknown amount of time. I was ready to bang my head against the wall, if only to knock myself unconscious and sleep for a couple hours. Myself and three other girls in the Jalalabad Oblast needed to travel to Bishkek for medical reasons, but whenever we would begin to prepare our trip something new would happen. For instance, the opposition would block all traffic from the south to Bishkek. Or, the opposition would pour rocks all over the airport runways so that planes couldn't land or take off. Finally, Doctor Yelena decided to chance the odds and drive down in the Peace Corps Vehicle in order to pick us up. We left Bazar-Korgon yesterday at noon and had no problems driving up, except for when we almost got stuck crossing the mountains, but that is another story. Now I'm in Bishkek, waiting for my appointment with the doctor. I am here indefinitely as all Peace Corps volunteers are now on Stand-Fast, which means they can't leave their sites and have to check in regularly with the office. Stand-Fast is the first step of evacuation, if the situation here leads to that. I've run into some other volunteers who are also stuck in the city. They are unhappy about it, but I say great! A hot shower every day and cheeseburgers at my disposal? I'm stoked to be here. I'll let you know how it turns out.
By the way, if you are using my blog to back up the premise that America is funding the opposition party in Kyrgyzstan, you are a fool. America doesn't even know that Kyrgyzstan exists.
2 comments:
Hi, I'm a RPCV K-7 and I lived in B-K for 2 years, working at the Babur School. I extended and moved to Osh, got evac'ed after 9/11 for no good reason. Have you been evacuated from the village? I am very concerned about Uzbek-Kyrgyz tensions. Do you have any information about how that end is holding up? What school do you teach at? I wish you the best of luck, B-K needs you! Also, as a sidenote, I saw your description about your fears of getting hit with concrete. You haven't been relayed the story exactly as it happened. It wasn't one drunk guy - it happened after a huge brawl and none of Jason's (that's his name) skull was in his brain. He had to have lots of reconstructive surgery, but he came back (not as a volunteer) and is still living abroad. Anyway, sorry, just wanted to let you know that it wasn't completely random and that Jason I think would want that episode to be cleared up a bit. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you all!
you say that the US does not know that K-stan exists, however what of the CIA. Those buggers are tricky, fun-loving, stirrers-up of all things and I wonder if they were not somehow involved. They are usually involved everywhere. Did you meet anyone you suspected of being a CIA contact?
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