My counterpart decided on a whim one day to have an "English party." For two weeks, our students, who barely knew any English, rehearsed "Sleeping Beauty." They made all their own props and costumes and memorized their lines from a book my aunt had donated to the school. They played games, organized fun competitions in which the girls braided the boys' hair, and performed their rendition of the popular fairy tale in front of an audience of their peers. We also included a few musical interludes throughout the performance. This is me, playing the komuz, Kyrgyzstan's most popular musical instrument, while my students (who can play much better than me) look on. One of my 7th grade students, Perizat Maksatova, took this picture. She would go on to shoot a lot more excellent photos during my time in her village.