I <3 Nomadic Living

 Yurt living is one of the best kinds of living, I am convinced!

Friend, this past week has felt like a dream. To be in the mountains, living simply, no WIFI, & immersing into the Nomadic culture-brought so many big smiles to my face and many others.

For about 5 days several gals and I traveled across the country on an overnight bus to a small village on the South East side of Kyrgyzstan. From the village we were picked up by a lovely married couple in their 50’s, to which they welcomed us into their summer living Yurt. 

Though I do love the city & hope to move to a larger city sooner than later, this week something also occurred to me. I love the rural living life too. I love the travel life. I love the Nomadic flow of things. It’s been really special experiencing a little bit of both in Kyrgyzstan this month.

There was something so refreshing, so beautiful and freeing about waking up to the sounds of horses, cows, donkeys, & birds chirping in the distance. Something about walking outside & hearing the water from the stream rushing, gazing at the mountains full of majesty, & seeing the sweet smile & voice of Batma the wife & Alto the husband greeting us with a good morning. Something about seeing people of all ages riding horses, as if it was a natural instinct, as if it was like riding a bike. Something about little kiddos embracing the outdoors and thriving off the simple things, like toys created out of old scraps, riding donkeys, chasing the little lambs. Something about staring into the mountains, sitting in the fields of wild flowers, & truly being still for a change of pace. This was an experience like never before. It shifted something in my heart, in the best way!

There was a purity in the air. There was an innocence so strong. There was safety & security, not a worry. There was nothing but time to sit & embrace the person in front of you.

Everyday looked a little different.

The first day was full of rest, scoping the area around, meeting the neighbors & trying out new foods that were offered. My friends & I were thrilled to try out sleeping in the traditional Yurt made of Sheep skin. I was not so thrilled to try out the horse meat-but yes it did happen & I did sip on the horse milk too. It’s not that the horse meat didn’t taste good, because it did! It’s that feeling of eating an animal that I have such a love for that did not sit well in me. Worth the experience? Yes! 

The second day my friends & I helped cook meals, learned to milk the cows, and were intentional about building a relationship with our hosts. On this day, we also had an opportunity to ride horses around the pastures and up the mountain side! It was surreal, it was glory. I could not contain the joy inside of me. During dinner we helped teach a little neighbor friend, about 8 years old English & also watched him share his singing talents with us. Later that evening several of us stargazed. One of my favorite quality time activities.

The third day several friends & I visited other yurt houses and families down the road. What we thought would be about an hour turned into three hours at least. We chases the lambs with the kids, we ate some yummy bread & Chai that was made right before our eyes, we rode a horse, & did our best to love on the kiddo’s & parents in front of us. Later that day I had an opportunity to ride another horse & from there met yet another family who so generously welcomed me into their home again, for some Chai & (not so tasty) horse milk. One of the little boys fell down & broke his arm, so we most definately prayed over him that God would heal his arm & also brought him a note and candies the following day to encourage his precious heart.

The fourth day I convinced several friends that it was a great idea to hike the mountain up to where we could touch the snow-so that is what we set off to do. What we thought would take about 4 hours, turned into 7-but the laughter & joy did not disappear. From wading through rivers, to stepping over cow pies & mudd puddles, we made our way up the mountain, through the thick fields. There were wild flowers, pokey plants, rocks, & lots of Sunshine. My head was covered for the most part-but still there was a pretty knarely sunburn on my skin upon return. We followed the river down the mountain, lost ourselves in the pine forest-then eventually came out-rejoicing to see the Yurt houses in the distance. Shortly after that hike I had an opportunity to ride a horse solo. For about 2 hours I rode a horse up and down the valley, & it just about took my breath away. Later in that evening my friend & I found ourselves playing volley ball in the dirt with the locals, & then ate with a family in the Yurt-trying out all kinds of local foods.

This evening we also happened to run into a Film production team-who were in the process of creating a trailer for a featured film about the Nomadic traditions & culture (it’s gonna be good!). I had a wonderful conversation with the film producer about passions, faith, & dreams. It was such a gift & honor to meet her that evening. Inspiring to say the least too. Little side note: She invited me to potentially join the team net year on their trip back to Kyrgyzstan to help with the production. Though I do not know what next year holds, this opportunity sounded pretty amazing & we shall see what the future holds. 

The 5th day we showered up with water from the stream, cleaned up around the area, said our goodbyes, and headed out to the closest village to hop on the bus that would take us overnight back to Bishkek. It was one of the hardest goodbyes yet. The family, the lifestyle, the living, was an environment I thrived in & could have stayed for at least 3 more weeks or years for that matter, haha!

The Yurt stay is a place that will be in my heart from now on. My friends & I did our best to offer our hands on service & labor, but this culture is full of hospitality & the married couple rarely let us do “work”. Here & there we would sneak in doing the dishes, helping to cook, fetching water from the stream, cleaning up around the area, but most of the time looked like a lot of intentional conversation, google translate, prayer, and quality time. I love these people so much, & I hope we were able to bless them as much as they blessed me. & for my team, it was a time of refreshment, rest, slowing down, & building unity with each other.

I look forward to staying in touch with this family & truly hope to take my sisters (hey Taylor & Jordan) or friends to this country. It is a place I hope you can experience one day too. I want it to be shared with more people! Also-very affordable too. 

Looking at this time from a biblical context….

In some ways, I think we were all created to be a type of Nomad. To embrace the nature. To appreciate the creation. To share. To work as a community. To go where the Lord calls, even if that means moving around.

To name several historical characters, I think of Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Jesus, Paul. How cool is that.

It’s about 4 months left of the race & I can hardly believe how fast this time is going by. In about one month I will be seeing my mom and dad in the country of Georgia-for which I can hardly wait. & in about 4 months, I will be back in the states, giving you a big hug!

In about 3 days we will be traveling to a new country, Kazakstan & I look forward to sharing with you about my experiences there.

& lastly, I have started to contemplate what the future will hold. This I do not know yet, but surely God is faithful & will lead me. I have been dwelling in these verses lately & hope you will find encouragement in them too. 

Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking & you will receive what you ask for, keep on seeking & you will find. Keep on knocking & the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. & to everyone who knocks the door will be opened.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence & the pleasures of living with you forever

With gratitude for you, 

Kailey

P.S. My first VLOG (Video Blog) will be coming out soon, highlighting my experiences at the Yurt. Stay tuned!