Arianna brought kids from orphanage and we all together got ready for the trip. We had
6 kids: 3 girls and 3 boys, most of them have never been on the mountains. While we packed I understood that all gear we have is old, and need to be changed, but it didn’t stop us to go to the trip. The weather was hot when we arrived to the Yssyk-Ata, Muras he didn’t wanted to go, and hecould not understand why we are carrying heavy backpacks, why we have to sleep at tents, and how we will cook food. It was difficult for me to explain him, but Salavat tried and i think it did not work.  Vasia our guide picked up herb and told us about its property. We didn’t want to spend time for lunch, so we had light lunch: cheese, sausage, chocolate and bread. Alone the road for kids were interesting to meet horses, ship, cows, we had to walk 4 hours. Finally we reached place to set up our camp, while boys were setting tents, girls started cooking. After dinner we made fire, we set around, played games, and just shared about life in orphanage.

 I think first day was the most difficult for me because it was too hot, and backpacks were heavy.

Salavat and Sveta

I want to give a little update about our interns who had final exam couple days ago and went for summer vacation now!  Congratulations!

Abdybek is one of the best students in his group who has perfect grades and hopefully if everything will be fine and he will continue to study hard he will get RED Diploma!  Here in Kyrgyzstan when students have highest grades at all courses they get red diploma. 

Sometimes I wonder of Abdybek’s perfect time management.  He has time for everything, study well, help at the Alpine Fund, attend climbing trainings and go to the mountains with us, as well as learning English at the Alpine Fund.  I hope all his hard work will give him good result very soon.  It is still difficult for him to support his family but at the same time he puts education in a first place, that what I appreciate in Abdybek’s character! 

Ulan, another Alpine Fund intern, is doing fine too.  He works as a guide/interpreter with ITMC travel agency as he did last year.  His English is very good and now he studies Chinese language at the faculty of Eastern culture at Kyrgyz National University.  He supports his family and younger sisters and brother who follow his path and entered to local Universities.  Their mother should be proud of her kids who made a right choice at difficult life situation and now each of her kids does all the best to support the family!

Arianna

 On behalf of the Alpine Fund team who organized this event I would like to thank all runners for their attendance and support!  From my point of view the event went well even if we had less runners comparing to the last year.  Alpine Fund raised 11000 som (including donations!).  This funding is enough for about 5 trips with kids to the mountains!

Day hike to Chon Kurchak will be organized for runners who won the marathon.  This time we had very solidary participants!  First two runners who actually won 5k marathon said do not count them since they are in very good shape comparing to others   And the main runner was Bella, wonderful dog of one of the attendees!  I hope she will come to the day hike as well

Arianna

We arrived under leaden skies, but, unperturbed, we set off through a deserted holiday camp and soon reached the bridge, a relic of Soviet years sorely in need of repair - a single wobbly post supported two rusty metal poles over a river swollen with spring melt-water.  The kids - all between 12 and 15 years old - seemed considerably less concerned by the bridge than I felt, and bounded bravely across; before long we were all safely on the other side and walking briskly up the right bank of the Alamedin River.

As we walked I tried out my very few words of Kyrgyz on the children, much to their amusement, and they helpfully taught me some new words.  I was quite surprised that only a few of them spoke any Russian; but then Arianna explained that they are in school just four hours a day, four days a week - all the rest of the time they are working in the Osh market.  Hearing this made me appreciate all the more just how important this time enjoying themselves in the fresh air of the mountains is to them.

We continued up the valley for about an hour and a half, the view dominated by an imposing, rocky peak, and then we turned right up a steep side gorge, which led us into a rocky ravine at the head of which was a magnificent waterfall, still adorned with a vast lump of blue ice.

The kids posed on a rock for photos, and then we headed quickly down, as a cold wind was blowing from the higher slopes.  We picnicked on a grassy meadow before heading back down the valley as fog swirled up from below, bringing with it a fine rain - but the kids’ spirits remained buoyant, as they gathered branches of juniper - which bring luck, they told me.

Wiliam Wheeler

Alpine Fund Volunteer

Climbing the K2 with children from Voenna- Antonovka-Orphanage / 31.01.2011

When I am telling friends in Bishkek I am heading to the K2, I receive sometimes weird
looks and after adding that I am going climbing there with children the astonishment
on the faces is getting bigger and bigger until I clarify that K2 is the name of a
climbing gym in Bishkek. The Alpine fund is taking  children from the Voenna-Antonovka-Orphanage and from the Centres for Protection of Childrens there for climbing and taking them out of their daily life.

This time Arianna took Asiz, Natasha, Katya, Rustam, Kenshebek, Ruslan, Nazira and Geny to t he K2 Gym, where they were welcomed by the Interns Gulzada and Abdybek and by the volunteers Margreete and Frieder.  Though the climbing walls in the Gym can not compete with the altitude of the K2 mountain, every climb to the top is a challenge for the kids, brings the pleasure, shows them their strengths, possibilities and limits as well. Seeing the kids again after haven’t seeing them for more than one year, I noticed that many of them were getting remarkably older, taller and can achieve and climb more routes in the Gym until the top.

By Frieder

The five Alpine Fund people gathered on Sunday morning in order to clean garage.  We divided jobs, because there were lot things to do. Well we started from packing winter clothes, everything was dusted. After we finished packing clothes we set all tents.

The weather was warm and we left tents outside to dry, because some of them got wet.  The grey garage looked more colorful, because of our colorful tents. People who walk by asked if we were giving rooms for rent. We replied that I really liked the time we spend together; we remembered different trips, funny kids and our favorite volunteers. We realized that garage really needed cleaning and we were happy that we finally cleaned.  In the end of the day our dream was  shower and food.

Gulzada!

When the weather got warm in Bishkek, I and Charlie (Alpine Fund volunteer) decided to practice English outside of office. We went together to the Osh bazaar. I was a translator for Charlie, I explained him how much seller want, about prices. I really liked it. Charlie and I we also have been in K2, I spoke in English, now I know all words used in climbing, hiking. Unfortunately Charlie left to Kazakhstan, but classes are not canceled now Arianna teach us English. Arianna said that I improved my English, and I am glad to heart that, and Gulzada needs to improve her English. I am really happy that I can speak English now, because if I know foreign language I will be able to find a job.

Abdybek  

Time seems to slide by here in Kyrgyzstan and I can barely remember being here without my English classes with Abdibek and Gulzada. I suppose it has been a couple months that we have been working together now yet I am constantly surprised by the energy and optimism they always exhibit. Even after a long day of studies and taking care of their families they always come to class ready to learn and with smiles on their faces. This has been my first time as an English teacher and at times we definitely have been learning together. It has been absolutely great to see the progress Abdibek and Gulzada have made. While I am only going to be here for another month, I sincerely hope more volunteers come to continue working with them on their English. It is a huge advantage here to be proficient in English and if anybody deserves a leg up, it is these two hard working young people. 

Charlie Wood, Alpine Fund volunteer