This post is very special to me not only because this is MY country but because this is also my person. LeAnne is one of my very best friends and incredibly special to me and is also my partner in crime in every sense but also especially when it comes to beauty and fashion. So I knew I wanted to have her do the Kyrgyzstan post but saved it in celebration today of our two year anniversary in Kyrgyzstan!

Hello! My name is LeAnne Zaire and I’m originally from Wisconsin, went to school in Tennessee, and lived in Houston before joining Peace Corps. Now, I live in the country of Kyrgyzstan. In my village I work with a local English teacher as a TEFL volunteer in my village of Kara Suu. I spend most of my days at school teaching, holding English clubs, and trainings for parents, teachers, and students. For my secondary project I held a 3 day seminar called, Every Kid Should Dream Big. This seminar focused on the professional development of the youth in my community. My COS date (Close of Service) is coming up this June and I’m torn between extremely happy and extremely sad. So wish me luck in my last month!

1)What does feeling beautiful in Peace Corps mean to you?

As my service goes on being beautiful boils down to two things.

The first is being clean. In my village, in Kyrgyzstan, banya’s are our means of getting clean. Banya’s are a three roomed structure where the first room is to get undressed or dressed, the second room has hot and cold water to bucket bath yourself, and the third is a very hot sauna. Being clean is a pretty blanket statement so for clarity, in my mind, being clean includes but is not limited to hair washed and a soothing face mask.

The second, and most cliche, is being happy. “Happy girls are the prettiest,” right? I find that my village doesn’t really judge me on if my hair is done (they love whatever I do to it), or if my clothes are in style, or even if I have a giant zit on my face. Therefore, when I’m in my village all of those material and superficial factors about my appearance fall to the wayside.

Now I could sit here and say, “I just want to be clean,” or “I find beauty deep within myself,” which is true, however, the PC country I live in is very small. Which means, I get to go to the capital fairly often. And when one goes to the capital one doesn’t miss an opportunity to be GLAM! When I am in Bishkek my friends and are applying all of our new “trend research” to test. We love incorporating Kyrgyz style (traditional and modern) with American twists in our clothes, accessories and makeup. We love shopping in the capital at the malls and at our bazaars. My Peace Corps experience has been a mix of feeling beautiful naturally “in my own skin” and completely “done-up”glamorous beautiful.

2)What are some of the cultural beauty standards at your site? Do you find yourself trying to meet those standards?

In my site, the beauty standards are a very thin stature, long straight hair, and pale skin. I fit none of those and do not try to meet any of those standards. I realize that my brown skin, kinky hair, and thick thighs are what make me beautiful. With this confidence in myself I think my village sees my happiness with myself and accept me as a beautiful American girl.

3)What are some beauty tricks you’ve learned in Peace Corps?

I haven’t really discovered any beauty tricks, however, I have learned some cool things. For instance, scarfs are gorgeous and a life saver. I often have my hair in little plats for a braid out. My hair takes work and to have it braided in a silk scarf is a super protective style. Also, I live in a muslim country that doesn’t get terribly hot in the summers and has winters. My go to style is turban. Next, I’m finding that basics (clothing) are what keep me going. Having stand out pieces is fun but when you have a low number of clothing the whole mix and match phenomenon is great! (Also a note from me I opened up LeAnne’s eyes to the world of fake eyelashes and she’s never going back. I want you all to imagine me trying to teach LeAnne how to apply them and then ending up putting them on her myself. But now she’s a pro!)

4)Have you found it harder to meet American beauty standards or the standards at you site?

My first inclination is to say, yes, because America has almost unattainable beauty standards for women, and truthfully even back in America it was a struggle. Now, however, I feel like America is starting to notice and appreciate the “real woman.” Women and men all over America have started to embrace things like natural hair, stretch marks, blemishes, body hair, and women over the size of 4. I feel like America is moving towards women accepting their own bodies flaws and all and that is what I’m working towards too.

5)What do you wish you could have told yourself before your service that you know now?

Honestly, I would probably warn myself that it would be difficult staying fit and in shape. I would tell myself to try my hardest to eat right and stay active. To follow up I would also encourage myself to use this time to really love myself inside in out no matter how my hair is done, what make up I have on, or what my weight is.

Again this post is very very special for me. LeAnne is one of the roots of my service. She keeps me sane, keeps me grounded and makes sure I’m not doing the most. There are a few people here who I know will be in my life forever and LeAnne is very much one of them. We always joke that we don’t know how we became friends it just happened (real respect real) so this woman is very very special to me and will continue to be very special to me. Love you lady! (don’t cry reading this)