Faces of Issyk-Kul

I am currently at Lake Issyk-Kul managing a summer camp. While camp has been an interesting and reasonably pleasant experience, what I have enjoyed most is the lake--Issyk-Kul itself. Whether it is supervising participants swimming in the lake or sitting on the dock at night gazing at the shimmering reflection of the moon off the water, it is my daily process of learning to recognize the various faces of Issyk-Kul that has provided me a pleasant diversion from the work at hand.

One face of Issyk-Kul is its dimensions, how it is classified. This face is much like the face we display on our driver's licenses, accompanied by our height and weight and eye color. This face of Issyk-Kul tells a remarkable story. Issyk-Kul is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume.  It is 180 kilometers long and up to 60 km. wide in places. The lake averages 650 meters in depth and is the second largest saline lake in the world behind the Caspian Sea. Despite being surrounded by mountains, lashed by bitter cold in winter, and situated at 1600 meters above sea level, Issyk-Kul, because of its mild salinity, never freezes. That's why the ancient Kyrgyz named the lake Issyk-Kul, which means "warm lake."

Issyk-Kul has another face, but this face is actually a reflection of humans and their interactions with the lake. It is what we see when we look deeply into Issyk-Kul and this reflection is a mirror of our hopes and desires and dreams--it is a mirror of our lives. This face of Issyk-Kul is like the face of a mother providing sustenance and life to her family or a father bringing home the daily meal. When we see this face it is the reflection of the fisherman pulling his net from the lake, the tourist gathering rest and entertainment along the shore, the shopkeeper making her living from those who visit. I realize this human face of Issyk-Kul is also my own as I stare at the water, catching my reflection. Even the reflection of the darkest side of our humanness is present in this face of Issyk-Kul. This human darkness is contained in the lake's deepest parts where submarines of the Russian Navy practice the firing of torpedoes in order to improve their lethal efficiency.

The face that has captivated me the most is the face of Issyk-Kul as it really is, its physical presence as I encounter it each day. This face has many moods and shapes and seems to transform itself almost with each passing second. Sometimes it is a smooth, light presence, but in a moment the lake becomes dark and rough, and seems to call out in anger or alarm. Sometimes it is silent, and at other times the waves lapping against the shore create a deep, rhythmic chant that I can imagine Issyk-Kul has sung for almost an eternity. On some days the sky is clear and azure, but on certain afternoons Issyk-Kul calls to the heavens and an army of white and gray clouds descend upon the lake; lightning strikes, the rain pours down, and Issyk-Kul is no longer alone. I am gladdened by every subtle glance directed my way--it is almost like those rare days when you can feel an acquaintance gradually becoming a warm friend.

I know that I have only witnessed precious few of the countless faces that Issyk-Kul possesses. It is reassuring to know I have more days to discover other expressions, happy that I have been able to escape, if only for a moment, my regular existence away from Issyk-Kul, where in the ceaseless rush of life, it seems I barely stop to take the time to recognize any faces at all.