research frustration, other things
What should I be for Halloween? Right now I am considering being Bayterek, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayterek) which is a funny monument in Astana (the capital of Kazakhstan). This is mostly an excuse to paint my face gold.
My elbow made a miraculous recovery! When I wrote that last entry, I could move my elbow joint about ten degrees. Now I’m up to about 85. I’m hoping the other 5 will come back soon. I didn’t get the CT scan I was supposed to, because the doctor was so impressed at my improvement.
I’ve hit a rough patch with my research. It’s really time I start writing a lot, but I can’t discipline myself to do it. I’m reading a ton, but I could read for years about my topic and everything it relates to. Reading is turning into a cocoon for me, and I fall back on it because I have trouble trusting that I am a good enough researcher and writer to do my project. There are so many days that I don’t spend even an hour fooling around, but, regardless, at the end of the day I feel as if I have nothing to show for my work. I’m still very focused on building my Russian vocabulary, which on one hand is great and will help my research a lot, but on the other hand takes up a lot of my time. I have a lot of resources now, but I don’t force myself to focus on what matters. I would really appreciate any advice from you all on how to get around these road blocks.
I wish I had somewhere to write about my observations, about this culture, country, my research. Right now they are overflowing my notebooks, and this blog doesnt necessarily seem like the right place to put them. Seeing as how I manage one blog horribly, I have trouble imagining two.
This weekend was enjoyable. Margaret and I returned to the banya, with the two Megs I go to yoga with. This weekend was Margaret’s birthday. Had Chinese food, danced some. On Sunday, I went to a craft fair.
Next week I am going to Kyrgyzstan. It is the closest Stan, and to Bishkek (the capital) it is about 4 hours by car. In the visa queue, I met a nice fellow named Robert, who has just finished his Peace Corps term in Kazakhstan. We decided to be travel buddies in Kyrgyzstan, and he might be able to find us some volunteers to stay with along the way. A friend I met in Almaty (David) lives in Bishkek and another friend (Eitan) from the State Dep summer program I did last year is in Osh, so I’ll have some familiar faces along the way. I am also trying to volunteer with Habitat when I am down there.
I seem to have some weird connection to people waiting at the Kyrgyz consulate. It turned out that Robert and I were about to attend the same lunch, and I ran into two others separately at coffee shops. Mir tyesen! (Small world)
Sorry for no photos. The love-of-my-life camera is officially broken, and I’m waiting for the one my mom sent to arrive.
Oh and if think you are going crazy because it seems like a bunch of posts show up all at once, it’s because I do actually post them all at once, and backdate them.
Was it only a few years ago that we were sitting around a table in Selkirk
and I asked you what you wanted to do with your life?
You told me that you wanted to be a journalist, and that you wanted to
travel. And now I find you doing both!
Please do take care of yourself, though. I shudder to think of how
frustrating it might be keeping your journal up to date by, say, typing
with your nose. “Nose to the grindstone”, yes, that’s traditional, but
“Nose to the keyboard” is just messy.
Uncle Frank
Looking forward to read more!!!!
H.
What about your trip to Kyrgyzstan?