My Novelty as an American Visitor is Starting to Fade

Day 19: I’m back to work getting ready for the faculty workshops. I’m excited to be promoting research with faculty instead of students this week. I feel a little unsettled that I have seen none of the notifications about the workshop I’ll provide.

Faculty here tend to use WhatsApp (like texting) rather than official university email, even to share information with their students. I have been introduced as professor and an expert in public health, so I am guessing I’m prepared to introduce myself.

I’m noticing some changes now that I’ve been here awhile. The first week, I always had company for lunch. Today I found myself searching for company in the lunchroom. I asked to join two Americans (I think one is now a Kyrgyz citizen). They had been talking sports, but the conversation shifted to culture and politics. It was interesting to hear the male perspective of women’s roles in Kyrgyzstan I have observed.

We also talked about how the novelty of an American visitor decreases over time. That is likely why I need to make more effort to connect with people. The upside of my novelty decreasing, is I’m finding more quiet time to work. I need this time to adequately prepare for the workshop. The first workshop went well, with lots of questions afterward. I’m also getting more requests to review proposals, so it feels good to be contributing to Ala-Too’s research.

Day 20: My office is still FREEZING (colder than outside!), so I’ve been working at my warm apartment until lunch. Today my work is again focused on the workshop. For the first time, I had just a quick lunch alone.

 I was grateful for an invitation for Turkish coffee in the afternoon. I’ve never had it and found the thick, rich coffee a nice energizer. I’m always impressed by the detail invested in a coffee (or tea) break. The cups and saucers were beautiful and the homemade baked goods delicious.

 It was nice to have friendly conversation, and I learned more about the Turkish schools in Kyrgyz Republic and the challenges Turkish educators face. In the afternoon, I reviewed a problem statement for an application for an engineering program in Japan. The application requires faculty and professional collaboration, so the professional joined us. I’m finding there is great interest in studying outside Kyrgyz Republic to gain knowledge and skills that can be brought back to the country.

This application illustrated the problem of flooding as a natural disaster and the need for better water control. The work I review has good organization and strong arguments, but lacks citation and needs editing for grammar and English usage. I also notice I’m reviewing applications/proposals just days before they are due. I think this is partly because people are just meeting me, but also because time management is not emphasized here.

Day 21: I woke up happy to have clean cloths after successfully managing the washing machine twice! I’m working until lunch at the apartment again since the office is so cold. Temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s the rest of this week, so I’m hoping tomorrow will be more comfortable. I prepared some materials for this Fulbright Specialist project before I left Kansas City, but I’m finding I need to revise a lot now that I know the culture and research knowledge here.