All other countries have inferior Potassium

travel in UZ

2011-10-30T16:51:00.003+06:00

I haven't updated in over a year, but now I'm in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

a random update

2010-10-21T18:22:00.003+06:00

I would start off with my typical apology, but I won’t because I’m not sorry. I write when I have the will and the time and that hasn’t happened for a while. There are only a few people who look at this anymore anyhow.

Work has been a rollercoaster and I honestly feel like ever since my arrival at KIMEP, I’ve yet to have a calm, normal week. In fact, the word normal is probably the antonym to what I’ve experienced here the past seven months. Investigations, problems with internal employees, problems with external bodies, restructuring – it’s been one up and down ride for me. At the very least, one could never call my job boring. There is a chance I’ll be moving jobs within KIMEP as well. I’m just trying to be flexible, learn all I can and be open-minded to change.

Olga and I are getting excited about our trip home to the states for Christmas and the New Year. We’re coming in on December 16^th and will be around until January 8 – just over three weeks. We want to do a little travel, but we also want to enjoy our time and not try to get everywhere. New York City, DC, and Raleigh look to be on the list so far. What I’m most excited about is introducing Olga to my past and our culture. She has seen pictures and heard all kinds of stories, but it isn’t the same as being there, tasting this or that food, and of course, meeting and talking with friends and family.

The pictures below will show what I’ve been up to for the past few months.

Our national sales rep hard at work!

Cute kitten we decided to feed once.

At the Jazzystan (i did the english translation) festival, a French DJ spuns tunes while mixing in some jazz flute.

A group from NYC - Tortured Soul.

This is the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange - love the color and architecture.

Went hiking up in the mountains only to run across these horrific bridges over rapids. No railings and links of rebar missing.

Hiking to a small shelter for a break.

Among the pines was this rather sizeable birch patch.

Olga and the pretty birch trees

Scary bridge two - this one was worse for me because the rebar has been welded on the bottom side, meaning if a weld breaks, it's going down. I about had a heart attack trying to focus on the narrow bridge with rapids gushing visibly below...

A trip to Pavlodar

2010-08-04T07:31:00.002+06:00

I finally got a chance to get out of Almaty with a five day weekend and so I headed for Pavlodar, where I spent four days visiting friends, DJing American parties and even a trip to the village for some good times. While it was sometimes stressful both mentally and on my belly, I squeezed in as many visits as my time allowed. To be honest, I’m exhausted my from vacation and am looking forward to getting a full night’s sleep tonight.

Friday included breakfast with some friends and then a small walk around the city. I took a couple hours to visit Samal and to see the kids and have tea with some of the staff as well. In the evening, I played the DJ role for the Annual Pavlodar Awards and had a blast dancing until late. Saturday I met up with Viktor and headed for the village for some R&R at a slower pace. We went to the salt lake, whose salinity is similar to the Dead Sea. It was kind of flow so easily in water. Then a quip trip to the Irtysh river to rinse off. The following day I chopped a cord of wood (ok, only like 7-8) and we got the banya going. I then caught a bus back in time to have dinner with some volunteers and call it a night.

Monday I ran around the city meeting people and organizations. Three lunches later, I caught a ride to the airport, where I currently sit, awaiting my flight. There are mosquitoes in the waiting area… ужас! So that was my short vacation. There is a chance I’ll be here again in September, though it isn’t definite. If I do come, I won’t visit so many people, but for my first return, it was necessary to try to get to as many as I could. I really miss Pavlodar, miss the pace of life and the friends I have there. But I know I’m always welcome there and can’t wait for my next trip.

DJ Swede at the Annual Pavlodar Award Show!

The Salt Lake just outside of Pavlodar - the concentration of salt is similar to the Dead Sea.

Victor making stew over the fire.

Vasilyi, Victor and Aset

Mary Couri, a third year volunteer, spend her last evening in Pavlodar. Here's to you, Mary!

Busy Beavers, Bosch and British Babel

2010-07-11T15:05:00.005+06:00

Lots happening, busy life – that has been the past couple months for Olga and I. First news first – Olga has officially taken a job with the American company Bosch & Lomb as its first national sales representative. Her first three months will be spent just in Almaty, but then she’ll branch out and be traveling more to other cities within Kazakhstan. So, congratulations to her! This is a big step career and salary wise.

I have completed my first Master’s level course with what will hopefully be an A (to be confirmed tomorrow). It was a mix of interesting, boring, studying, and of course writing and researching. After having not formerly studied in a classroom setting for 3 years, it was a bit strange getting back into the swing of academia. But I’m glad I have and even if I don’t finish my Master’s here, just taking classes and expanding my knowledge is useful, healthy, and potentially beneficial if I want to transfer in the future to a program elsewhere.

Several weeks ago, Olga and I traveled with some friends to a small village about an hour and a half outside of the city to go camping and swimming. We drove out to this lake and grilled out, hung out, and lay out in the sun. At night, we slept outdoors, even though it was raining. In an event that played out to our advantage, the wind earlier that evening had blown over one of those sun tents that you see people set up at the beach and it had destroyed the frame. We took the covering off of that and laid it over top of our sleeping bags and gear and stayed dry the whole night.

Work has been a bit slow since the entire Executive Vice President’s office is on vacation except me. On the one hand, it’s been super boring and super quiet with little to do with the exception of the occasional translation of incoming mail, but on the other hand, it has given me time to work on my research paper and study for exams. At the end of July, I have a couple days vacation that I’m going to take and travel to Pavlodar to visit friends and go out to the village with my Russian buddies. I’m looking forward to the break from Almaty and “getting back to my roots.”

With the 2010 World Cup coming to an end, I’ve made a commitment to get in shape and lay off the liquid carbs after it’s over. I’ve been going to many games and drinking beer and it’s showing its effects in my torso, even in spite of the biking I do. I’m going to try to ride more on weekends and get into swimming (if I can find a cheap pool) and rock climbing. Since I hate gyms, I look for activities to do rather than machines to work out on, which is fine with me because I’m not trying to be the next Mr. Universe.

I’ve also taken on some side work to add to my modest salary – I’m editing news updates for Visor Capital, an invest bank headquartered in London. Every evening, I get emails from analysts in the company with their news updates and I edit the English, correcting errors and clarifying. The tricky part is that it has to be in British English, which is taking some getting used to. You wouldn’t think there are that many differences, but there are. Even simply things like formatting dates, capitalizing and personal addresses are different. Another small and insignificant skill I have gained.

In general, life is good and the summer isn’t blazing hot (knock on wood), but time is flying and I’m worried that I won’t be able to break into the development field if it doesn’t happen soon. The more experience I have in education, the less I’ll have in projects and grants and I’m worried that I won’t be able to transfer those skills and knowledge. If you hear or see anything international development related anywhere in the world, let me know! Well guys, a that’s thaaa thaaa thaaa that’s a that’s all folks!

Since one of our assistants quit, I've been moved closer to my boss's office. My desk is on the right.

Olga attempting to ride my bike, but having trouble with the high seat ;-)

Yes, you know you love my handlebar mustache (don't worry, i only had it for about 5 minutes).

The trimmed beard?

"Umka" (Smarty), the cat that Olga allows into our apartment and feeds, even though it has an owner next door.

On Zach's last night in the country, we went out to a bar and showed him off right!

Earlier in the evening, we met with our two former Peace Corps trainers, Dinara and Nina for some drinks.

Just outside of the village of Kurti, we were near this lake and saw a team of horses cooling off.

The group we went with - my friend Alina is the girl int he white shirt, sitting in the middle, olga is sitting at the bottom of the picture. A very interesting group of people - the darker guy sitting across from Olga can throat sing and there was a yoga master there as well.

Just an update

2010-05-23T09:25:00.004+06:00

Since returning from Tajikistan, nothing that big or overly exciting has happened, hence my silence. But life happens, things change, and so I document them here. I suppose I’ve gotten more settled into my job since the completion of my first major project, editing and putting together the new 2010-2011 Academic Catalog for work. Hopefully now that this job is more or less behind me, I’ll be able to start working on more interesting projects and being challenged more.

Been out for walks in the near by mountains with Olga a few times, which has been nice. The week days are usually gorgeous here, but weekends are filled with clouds or rain, which is frustrating as it hampers our ability to do stuff outside. I finally made a bike purchase after long debate and research – and it’s pretty sweet! I ride to work most days, unless rain is expected – I’m not that hard core yet. In the mornings, it’s more or less straight downhill, so I can wear my work clothes and speed downhill, flying past all of the traffic and buses. On the way home, though, I usually change into shorts and a t-shirt, as the uphill battle is a bit more strenuous. But nothing feels better after a mentally-exhausting day than to let some of that stress out via physical activity.

Olga is studying English at KIMEP and I’ve started my first master’s level class. In case you haven’t heard, I’ve been accepted into the Master in International Relations program, something I’m quite excited about. My first class focuses on the US-Central Asia relations and so far, it’s very interesting. Since it’s an upper level class and since most students know Soviet history better than I do, I find myself jotting down notes to references made during class on the side to look up and read about later. Nevertheless, highly interesting.

My original plans of coming home thrice this year have been reduced to one – I’m no longer coming back in July or October, but I am coming for an extended Christmas (at least 2 weeks if not 3) and going to try to bring Olga along with me. I really want her to meet my family and friends, see America and her reaction to our culture, etc.

And lastly, I can finally report with success that I am officially back to being a morning person after years of struggling to get up in the mornings! Getting up at 6am to make tea and read for an hour is the perfect way to start my day.

Ok, bye.

My office - you can't see it, but I also have a coffee pot, a water cooler, a refrigerator, and an AC unit!

Olga along the river up in the Al-marasal region.

Cinco de Mayo - a Mexican holiday that Mexicans don't even celebrate. Our regular group got together to drink beer and eat mexican food.

Veggie burgers and wine = very nice!

A field of Iris in the mountain

The view from one of our hikes.

The kitchen, 1

The kitchen, 2

Living room

My bike!

My bedroom.

Veggie burgers + home fries + beer = very very nice!

Gloomy day lunch - hot indian curry, nan, and fresh veggies

Exploring Dushanbe

2010-04-30T07:49:00.003+06:00

First, apologies for not being good about updating my blog. Because I can’t do it at work and because I’m often so tired when I get home, I just haven’t done it. But there is much to update you on!

Olga has arrived to Almaty and is settled into her new place. It’s great to have her closer and we’re both looking forward to a warm Spring and Summer together, riding bikes and hiking in the mountains. She’s still on a vacation right now and will begin looking for work here fairly soon.

And I just got back from a 3 day trip with Olga from Tajikistan. We didn’t want to give away the details because we didn’t want to get anyone worried about us, but I had to get my visa renewed to work in Kazakhstan and because of the recent governmental overthrowing in Kyrgyzstan, the closest and cheaper option, we opted to go to Tajikistan. Neither of us knew what to expect, but it was a great trip to a beautiful and clean country. The weather was perfect, the city was nice, and we went up into the mountains outside of the city and had a really nice afternoon with my friend from Peace Corps, Susannah, who know works in Dushanbe (the capital).

Work is busy – I’m learning a lot every day and trying to wrap my head around everything. I finally have my own office and it even comes with an airs conditioner! The hot summers here will be bearable. Also found a cafeteria on campus that offers a vegetarian meal for lunch, so I’ve been frequenting that place a bit more often. And soon I’ll begin my Master’s Program in International Relations, a program I’m excited about! My first course this summer will be Central Asia-US Relations.

I’ll try to update more frequently, but no promises. Congratulations to Scott and Erin on their engagement, wish I could be home to celebrate.

Filling out the paperwork for my new Kazakh visa in Tajikistan.

Traditional-styled art, became popular hundreds of years ago when it was forbidden by Islam to paint human faces.

Having a nice breakfast outdoors at Susannah's house.

Olga in front of the State Opera House.

Olga at the ABA Law office in Dushanbe.

A Statue of Rudaki, one of the first great Persian poet's

On our way to the mountains in the Varzob region!

Susannah and I posing in front of a strange house in the mountains.

Olga and I breaking toenjoy the scenery.

Crossing the river (one of the many times we had to do this)

A man leading his donkey, packed with bags of rhubarb to sell at the market.

We all went to the botanical gardens a few hours before Olga and I had to fly back to Kazakhstan. Had a great time, thanks guys!

Shymkent, Spring snow, and smooth, silky and sultry songs

2010-04-18T15:28:00.002+06:00

Several weeks ago – Monday, the 22nd, more specifically – Kazakhstan celebrated its annual spring holiday, the Kazakh New Year, known as Nauryz. If you’ll recall, I went two years ago when I was just a lad (in volunteer years) and had a nice time. This time was a bit different as I knew almost none of the new volunteers there. But, my good buddy Zach still lived in Shymkent, and so I spent a good amount of my time with him. We basically just relaxed and had a nice time enjoying the warmer weather, going to a coffee shop with cute waitresses everyday, hanging out with his friend Losha, and a trip to the banya. I only had a couple days down there, but it was nice to get out of Almaty for a couple days and down to the (slightly) warmer south.

But in spite of the fact that it’s now officially Spring, the weather is playing tricks on us. Two-three days of warmth, then snow and cold – back and forth it’s been now for at least 3 weeks. Just yesterday, we got about 3 inches of snow!

I can finally break the good news on the blog – I found and have started a new job! One that pays more, has benefits and vacation days, will take care of my visa requirements, etc. I’ve taken an administration job at KIMEP, the best and most qualified university in the country. Here’s the job title: Assistant Director of the office of the Executive Vice President (Заместитель директора – офис исполнительного Вице-президента). Basically, I’m the only English native speaker in his office and therefore, I’ll be taking care of a lot of communication between our office and other departments, inside and outside of the school. I’ll also be a general second hand to the vice president, helping with projects and dealing with different issues. The job description was a bit vague and the vice president himself realizes this, but he says that if I have an open mind, learn quickly, and use common sense, then I’ll make sense of everything soon enough.

KIMEP is interesting because most of the professors and higher positions are filled by foreigners. My boss, the vice president is from Bangladesh, has a PhD in physics from Canada, the president of the school is a guy from Korea, and there are many professors from America, England, etc. One of the other requirements for working there is that you have a Master’s degree, which I don’t have, so I have to be enrolled as a student and working on a master’s program. I’m not against it! I’m going to start in the summer semester on my Masters in International Relations, a degree that will put me more on track with what I’d like to be ultimately doing with my life.

I’ve also found a new apartment, I believe. I need to get some of my own space and the place is in a nice region of the city, in the upper part, closer to the mountains. The air is fresher, the courtyard is a quite and clean one, and I see it as a place where I can make a life here for a year or two. Pics when I move in.

And jazz concerts galore! I went to one two weeks ago and now there is a jazz festival going on with groups from all over Central Asia and Europe. Tonight there was a group from Kyrgyzstan (bless their hearts) and a group from Germany. Both groups were phenomenal! The Kyrgyz had a lot of soul and did both some of their own stuff (with a Kyrgyz twist) as well as some classics. The Germans had all of their own stuff and played contemporary, minimalist, and very soothing (though sometimes rockin’, too) music. Two more nights of jazz to come – I love Almaty!

Zach and I posing in front of a yurt.

Zach, Losha, and me at a cafe.

Trying my hand at curry again - this one turned out well, though the burn wasn't as slow or as strong as I had hoped.

A Kyrgyz jazz group called "Salt Peanuts" (which is the name of a very famous Dizzie Gillespie song).

My favorite group of the festival was this German group - "Max.bab"

Pining for People of Pavlodar - Preparing for Pace of a Progressive Place

2010-03-20T15:46:00.004+06:00

Three weeks in Almaty and I’m more or less into the pattern of life again. I ride the bus, go to work, go home, cook dinner, maybe see friends, etc. It’s not a bad gig. I’ve been getting back in hobbies as well – tooting around on the bone, cooking, enjoying the beautiful nature surrounding Almaty. I’m even going to get a bike at some point, maybe getting in with the rafting crew here.

Having been in Almaty for three solid weeks, you start to get a different picture of what Kazakhstan is and what it could be. Pavlodar was such an old-fashioned city: the mentality of people there is still fairly Soviet, the way they act, the way they dress – it’s all very predictable. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pavlodar, I love the people there and the frankness of the people, but Almaty is so modern. People wear anything and everything here, they’re involved in all kinds of sports and activities that, should you engage in such activities in a different city of Kazakhstan, people would think you were either 1) crazy; 2) foreign; 3) both. Usually it’s the third option.

And I’m happy I came back to experience a different side of Kazakhstan. As volunteers, we often got a bit depressed about our situation, our sites, complaining that it got boring, that it was slow-paced. I wanted to see that Kazakhstan could be more than that. I wanted to have an overwhelmingly positive idea of this place. It’s nice to be surrounded by a metropolitan crowd who’s focus on life isn’t just making money, but enjoying all that life has to offer as well. There’s just something romantic about getting lost in a big city, or, like today, just sitting in a coffee shop watching the snow fall outside.

I’m heading to Shymkent today to celebrate Nauryz with my close friend Zach and to see some of the other volunteers. I haven’t seen him in a while and it’ll be good to spend some time down there having fun “southern style.”

The A13 Group - www.a13.kz

Our office - small, modern, and comfy.

"Happiness isn't in money" - Something to keep mind of as I start making more of it.

Can't think of a catchy title - back in K-stan

2010-03-01T16:07:00.002+06:00

Well, it looks like it’s time to open this book again and write another chapter about life in Kazakhstan. This time I suspect it will be a little different…

I’m back in Kazakhstan and getting into the middle of life here – reconnecting with people, starting a new job, new apartment, etc. I hope to get more involved in things I enjoy doing this time. I want to start biking and climbing again, I want to start playing my trombone more, and I want to succeed professionally. Some call my return to Kazakhstan silly, stupid, “the easy way out”, etc. But I’m here because it’s the quickest way to jump start a career while building news skills and improving old ones. My Russian is coming back quickly, I’m getting back into the web-design stuff, and I’ll soon be challenging myself at work.

Speaking of which, today is my first day! I am “manager” of the soon-to-be-online www.expats.kz website, a site that will target travelers and foreign residents with information and services. I started translating some information today that will be put into the next edition of the Lonely Planet series for Kazakhstan. That’s huge, seeing as it is one of, if not the biggest travel guide series out there today.

Pics and such to come. I don’t have an apartment yet, but hoping that something will work out soon. Meeting a potential roommate this evening, so updates on that to come as well.

Frantic final farewells fuel fears of former

2009-11-04T19:32:00.002+06:00

This is the final blog for Kazakhstan… for now, at least.

I did it. 27 months of life in Kazakhstan, most of it in Pavlodar. And though I still haven’t left, I’m already looking back through pictures, savoring each one like a French meal chased with some rare Bordeaux. Each picture tells numerous stories, most of them laughs and smiles, but some of them pain and sadness as well. I dwell on them all.

Arriving here at 22 and leaving at 25, I’ve certainly grown and matured as a person as well. I’ve had to learn to rely more on myself, my skills and knowledge, and my instincts to get by sometimes. And while no person is quite the same they were 3 years ago, I feel like my change has been at an accelerated rate because of the conditions: living abroad, living far away, different language, mentality. Everything I once knew was stripped away and replaced with something new. Now it’s being stripped away once again, but this time it’s like I’ll be returning to a memory of a life once lived. The strange and weird became normal and preferred while the other life was simply a source of stories with which to regale locals.

My plan for return to America will be simple: visit friends and family, work catering part time for the time being, and not share much from my past 2+ years. There is no way we can relate on a day-to-day basis for the past two years and no small talk or quick conversation can make you understand what my life was like. Just know it was very different and coming back is going to be perhaps a bigger challenge than was leaving.

I look forward to seeing all of you and hopefully rekindling the flames of our friendships. Much love and hugs.

Nina and me at a museum, where Samal's youth took a trip.

Olga and I having fun with my hats.

Falafel

Final meal in Pavlodar - Sushi and African wine.

Met and had fun times with the Kaz21 Language teachers - Lena and Zhenya.

Volunteers taking the official Oath of Office.

Shannon Huett is a Kaz21 who will replace me at Samal.

Nina Petrovna and Barack Obama. He travels far just to meet Peace Corps Volunteers.

A yurt that people actually live in.

Me overlooking Almaty, near the TV tower.

Latinos, life-long links, and leaving love

2009-10-08T15:31:00.005+06:00

With less than a month in my volunteer service, I would be lying if I said I haven't been delaying dealing with all the emotions that come when one packs up a life into a suitcase and says goodbye to dear friends. Because I have been and I haven’t done so yet because I don’t know that I want to deal with all of that. Having broken up with Olga was a big deal for me for a lot of reasons, one of which is because she’s such an amazing person and has a good heart and head. I never felt that close to anyone as I did with her and though I hope we'll become life-long friends, it will still be really hard to leave her.

Work has been piling on in the final two months and it’s been a good distraction for me. As Karashash said the other day, volunteers should be here for three years because they really get into things their last 6 months or so, and so far, it seems that she’s right. With the website projects, the translating I’ve been doing, the final reports for other projects, and writing even new projects that Samal will do without me, I haven’t felt more successful as I do now. By the way, we are finally getting internet and a projector, two things I’ve been trying to get for two years. Too bad I won’t see their use, sigh ;-)

Other events – I helped pour a concrete floor in my friends’ banya we’re building out at their village house they bought. It would be nice to use it once before I left, but it all depends on whether they get the money together to finish it.

I celebrated Asiya's 24^th birthday with her and we had a fun time bowling and then walking around the city all night. She and I also went to a Latino Dance Party last weekend and had a fun time!

A couple people from “Samal” hosted a good-bye party for me with the other volunteers at a nice café two weeks ago and I’ve never eaten so much in my life. We had fun talking and dancing and it was the first time most of the volunteers had met my director and a couple other staffers before.

The answer to the million dollar question is: November 18^th, 3:50pm. That’s when I’ll be flying in to Dulles Airport. A herald trumpet fanfare with exotic animals, cobras, Italian grapes, aged wine and cheese, and palm branches cooling me off would be preferred, but I’ll still be glad to see any who show up :-)

My international table - chinese spices, soy paste, black mushrooms, Georgian (the country) wine, and hot peppers from Chechnya.

Redesigning Samal's image is something I've been working on for a while. That's our new logo on the new business cards I had printed for my director. Pretty swift, eh?

To make 1.5 gallons of marinara sauce, I used many many tomatoes. All fresh garden tomatoes from the cute little grandmother's who sit outside and sell their excess produce :-)

Got a couple green tomatoes in the mix and decided to go Southern in my kitchen.

Asiya and I hanging out in the park by the river on a nice autumn day.

Samal and oblast volunteers enjoying themselves - На здоровье!

We opened the 2009-10 school year at Samal with a concert and a classroom presentation.

I call it the "Fresh Start." Thanks to Vika for letting me use her Magic Bullet, I made breakfast smoothies from raspberries, Juneberries (never heard of that in English - ирги), and Kefir. Can you believe that they have no plain yogurt here!?

Normalizing neighbors and the net

2009-08-29T10:40:00.011+06:00

I have a good life.

Yet another chilly summer day, the market is bumbling busily outside. I'll be on my way momentarily to buy eggs, sugar, and bread. To be honest, I don't have much new to say. I had a plan for this blog in my head, but I lost it, so I’ll be haphazardly trying to remember what I wanted to say.

Last Wednesday, we invited some of the local neighborhood teens to come and do some games with our youth outside in the courtyard. Apparently we've had issues with some of them in the past, drinking and smoking on or near our property or just being pesky in general, so our director decided to invite them, which I thought was a really cool and ingenious way to deal with the problem. They came and played with and some even starting chatting with our disabled youth. It was really neat to see that.

I've finally been making progress in my website studies and as a result, am feeling more motivated to work. My translation project is coming along well also. Things are looking up :-)

Nina, my counterpart, was talking to me the other day about how she's kind of tired of Russian fare sometimes and how they use the recipes with the same few ingredients. She likes the idea that I experiment with different local ingredients to make some strange dishes. And I got to thinking. Dangerous, normally, but I'm trying to figure out what kinds of departing gifts I can give to my close friends here and I think I'm gonna make a bi-lingual, nicely designed, color vegetarian cookbook. So I've started taking pictures of the different dishes I make and working on a basic layout.

Neighbor teens together with Samal's teens.

Luisa (wheelchair), Maxhat (red shirt), and neighborhood teens.

The Samal Russian homepage.

The (new) "Challenge" home page.

Chips and three-bean salsa.

Pesto tossed with pasta and tomatoes.

I canned two jars of pickles.

Mushroom meals and motivation

2009-08-18T11:43:00.018+06:00

To be honest, these posts are getting tougher and tougher to write. I’m about out of creative ideas. Things that were once interesting to me to write about aren’t anymore – they’re just secondary things that happen in life these days. Good timing, I suppose – November 2^nd is my last day as a volunteer. I’ve been reading more and more about my friend Zach’s suggestion to travel through Tajikistan for a week or so after we finish our service – and it looks fairly attractive. I have a couple safety concerns, but I’m sure Zach will talk me into it anyhow. The biggest issue for me at this point is logistics. I’m thinking that perhaps we take a train from Kazakhstan to Tajikistan and then back, I’ll be able to fly home with few problems. But if leaving from Dushanbe, then there’s a lot of research to do.

I got a new chair at work… I know, big news. It’s an office chair with wheels and it swivels (swivel chair is вращающийся стул in Russian, by the way. That is a Russian present active participle, which I’ve been studying recently). It goes up and down also. Basically, it’s a nice chair. That’s my chair story for the week.

My motivation to get motivated is dwindling as well, which is also a problem. If I can’t motivate myself to get motivated to finish a couple last things, then I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have a physical therapy manual to finish translating into Russian and two websites to build – well, one to rebuild and another to completely create. If I can finish those things, I will consider my service successful. I’ve been reading and doing a lot of trial-and-error with DreamWeaver™, an Adobe product for creating websites. Publisher turned out to be a bad choice, so starting over again.

I went to a sports camp for disabled kids this past weekend and while I didn’t do much except not get sleep because of circumstances outside of my control, I did get to enjoy the beautiful nature up there and go mushroom picking. Kevin, a fellow volunteer teaching English in a village an hour away from the city, and I went for a walk across the steppe along the edge of the pine forest – really gorgeous. The shear size of the steppe is boggling sometimes and tends to put you in your place, something I need more often.

Enjoying the "fruits" of their labor - making fruit pizza.

Asiya and I went for coffee and our favorite cafe, Krendel.

Drinking a beer from a very cute Winnie the Pooh glass at an outdoor Uzbek cafe.

Sagar and Sally making curry - mm!

You be the judges - which looks more authentic? Sagar, the Indian, made one and I made one.

A wheelchair obstacle race.

Tug of war!

Johnny Mushroomseed

Jackpot! Kevin on the left, Nina on the right.

Cleaning and preparing the mushrooms to be boiled a bit.

My variant of a chinese dish we got at the cafe by my apartment.

Colorfully designed drinks at my favorite coffee shop.

Olga and I at dinner at the "Old Englishman."

Weird weather, walking with wheelchairs, and weddings

2009-08-04T11:25:00.023+06:00

I deal with a lot of pictures and documents – I have 9,115 pictures and 17,460 documents. And that’s only counting Peace Corps stuff. I’m always capturing new moments and reading, writing, editing files, etc. Reports, translations, emails with 5 attachments – I save it all. I download everything or save everything to my desktop until I’ve figured out into which file it should be catalogued. Needless to say, my desktop can get a little crowded if I get behind and this happens often. I usually sit down every couple weeks and sort pictures and files so that it’s clean and clear and under control (your welcome for the pitch, Johnson & Johnson). Why the explanation? Because people wonder why I don’t post more often and it’s usually because it’s too messy to make an update.

That being said, much has happened! We prepared for and held a rockin’ summer camp and I was the best man at my friend Maher’s wedding. Other smaller things happened like I’m finally getting my CV together, I lost my cell phone, and I got a little cold (but it’s going away).

For the camp, six other volunteers joined me to help make this camp a great success! Thanks go out to Emily, Zach, Mary, Sagar, Corinne, and Nick for helping to do crafts, nature walks, games, sports, and assist with wheelchairs, etc. Without your help, it couldn’t have happened. Big shout out to the Almaty International Women’s Club as well for funding most of this camp and thanks to mom and dad and Redeemer Lutheran Church for their donation via the BBQ fundraiser as well! Besides the pictures below, check out more HERE.

The wedding was also nice. It was really great to see Maher and his wife, Victoria, united in marriage. I literally haven’t seen a more photogenic couple than them. She was beautiful, he was handsome, and I liked that the reception wasn’t huge, it felt more intimate for everyone. About 18 volunteers were able to make it to the wedding and see my great city at the same time (in weddings there is always lots of driving around to take pictures around the city). It was just a really nice day and evening, no stress, and no problems.

Tired Americans on the way to camp.

S'mores! The kids loved them, but then again, who doesn't love a healthy dose of sugar just before bed?

This guy works at the camp as a gardener and came to play his accordion for us at our fire - awesome!

The six volunteers who helped me all week (with kids).

Relaxing after a long day, watermelon was a tasty delight.

Playing "Red light, green light."

DJ Swede mixing hits and gettin' his dance on.

Morning exercises.

I love this shot - the colors/textures are awesome.

Katya, our local volunteer, with a tie-dyed shirt.

The lake.

Taking a hike in the mountains.

Igor playing with a child.

Inna and I taking a paddleboat ride.

Dance club.

The map of the lake (the middle one) and the surrounding area.

Zach and Emily making banana boats from bananas and chocolate chips.

Woohoo! I'm flying!

Walking out of the registration to confetti.

What a gorgeous couple!

The groom, maid of honor, and best man (me) had to dance to "The Nutcracker Suite."

That glass is full of vodka - I saw the waiter pour it myself - he drank the whole thing in about 4 seconds. That's what, 8-10 russian (15ish american) shots?

Bereaving buses, bountiful buildings and bouquets

2009-07-23T17:31:00.012+06:00

Remember the heat that I mentioned last time? It’s gone, here only for a couple days. Since that time, autumn-like temperatures have come for whatever strange reason. Today, it’s in the 50’s, chilly, and windy. Not my usual image of the end of July, but the current one. It’s just a bit depressing that our summer camp is next week and the forecast promises temperature not higher than 75.

Not much to say – took a trip to Astana with Olga that involved a lot of travel on buses. As a result, I’ve decided I can’t ride on buses anymore – they’re all too small for me with absolutely no leg room. That, and babies always buy tickets beside me, so that I can enjoy their soothing and melodious screaming for hours on end.

My future is confused and cloudy and I have low motivation to finish my last months here successfully. If you could pray for those two things, maybe answers will appear to me.

Visiting the capital, Astana, with Olga. The building in the background is a French restaurant where she used to work.

The river side - not the typical sight in Kazakhstan.

Olga talking to her friend in front of some cool looking buildings.

Visiting Olga's friend's Dacha (garden plot) and picking raspberries.

My pretty Olga, talking a walk with me in the fields.

A weird "jail" cell out up on the hill.

I collected and arranged this bouquet.

Olga and her friends and her friend's kids.

I grew out a goatee for a couple weeks - but it's gone now!

My basil is ready to use!

Fire trucks outside my apartment.

Hammering heat, happy holidays, and haute hair

2009-07-08T16:23:00.009+06:00

Томительная жара – excruciating heat. It’s finally arrived in the North and it isn’t pleasant. I know that the cool temperatures couldn’t last much longer – after all, it was just July 3^rd that I was wearing a jacket to work. But how it changed so quickly and now that it’s here, I’ve had enough summer I think.

July 4^th was a holiday marked with a nice evening at a fellow volunteer’s apartment. After a couple beers, we loudly sang “Oh Beautiful!” out the 7^th floor balcony with sparklers much to the surprise of the by-passers and those waiting at the tram stop below. Olga simply looked on in bewilderment like we were crazy, but she already knew that long ago. Then we played cards, had dessert, and called it a night. It’ll be nice to celebrate more correctly next year with a grill-out and real, cold beer.

I’m thinking about swimming as an alternative to what I'm currently doing: not exercising, yet saying I will. I like swimming and the water here isn’t as bad as I thought. I was actually a little sore the morning after we returned from our little trip to the river on Monday, which was a holiday here. “City Day” refers to Astana and they celebrate the move of the capital to Astana on July 6^th, which just so conveniently happens to be the birthday of the Kazakhstani president, Nazarbayev. Anyways, we had the day off, so nothing to complain about there.

I believe we have all the funding for our summer camp and even an excess, which means we’ll be able to take more kids with us! Now if we could just get some better customer service from that camp... Speaking of customer service, I got a call today from Kazaktelekom, the phone/internet provider for Kazakhstan. I had some "service issues" (PC language is used here as well...) and they sent a guy to fix it yesterday and I guess they decided to follow up with this courtesy call:

"Do you have internet? Is everything working?"

"Yes."

"Good." click.

I love short phone conversations :-)

Thin-crust pizza and wine for Olga after a long, tiring day.

Lindsey (visiting from Taldykorgan) and I posing in front of the rainbow.

Celebrating Megan's birthday at our local hang-out.

Olga and I agree - Lindsey (dating Brian on the right) needs to move here so we can double date. We have lots of fun together.

Villain from the 20's? Agent Smith from The Matrix? Or just a fool playing around with hair gel?

Catchin' some rays at the river side with my babe - man, we're white.

In preparation for the Iron Chef competition on Friday, I taught a couple basic napkin folds today

Road ruts and rich Russian refreshments

2009-06-23T12:37:00.017+06:00

I’ve started and deleted this blog post several times in an attempt to edit myself a bit more. I’ve come to understand that people don’t want reality, they want perception. It’s much easier to digest.

Updates since I got back from America: have been getting more into fairly recent American films and recently saw Seven Pounds (which I highly recommend), Yes Man, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I’ve also been more serious about my Russian, bumping my tutoring hours up to 3 a week (+ home assignments and self-study). The two big things on my plate at work are the upcoming summer camp at the end of July and a translation project of a bunch of physical therapy exercises from English into Russian (no worries, Asiya is editing).

Socially, I just hosted a group of volunteers who were on their way to, and, a week later, back from a frisbee camp up in a village north of here. Nina Petrovna, my counterpart, and I are talking about trying to exercise in our gym together a couple times a week. She’s trying to get in shape and I’m trying to put on muscle. But I’m really quite lazy when it comes to going to the gym… I’d rather bike and swim to get my exercise, but I don’t do either here. I also had the chance to go to the village with my banya buddies and hang out at the house the bought for the purpose of fishing, partying, and just hanging out on the weekends.

Culinary-wise, I’ve been getting more into Russian cuisine. Only now am I coming out of my I-don’t-want-any-more-Russian-food-after-eating-nothing-but-potatoes-and-noodles-two-winters-ago closet. Recently, I’ve learned how to make blini’s (those very thin pancakes) , Kvass (a tasty and cool summer, slightly-alcoholic bread drink), and pirozhki's (a fried or baked bread with a filling of your choice - mine is hard-boiled eggs and sauteed green onions).

And future-wise, I’m just as confused about I want. I know that I want to go to graduate school in the fall of 2010 and I want to be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the States. But other than that, I don’t know what to do. I could always come home and work, but I’m also keeping my eyes peeled in Almaty for non-English teaching jobs. I’d like some more international experience. I’d also consider graduate school in Germany, but that’s a more unlikely situation, as my German has taken a beating and it costs money.

The fundraiser my parents held for the summer camp we’re hosting here for our young adults was a huge hit! Thanks to mom, dad, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley, and many others, the time-consuming BBQ they held raised just over $1500! Samal is sincerely thankful for your time and donations. Thank you to all who helped and who purchased.

A visiting Polish nun helps the kids during their cooking club.

Olga and I went to this small local artisans craft fair and fell in love with this little guy.

The road to Bayanaul is so bad that we were driving on the side of the road, which wasn't much better.

She didn't appreciate my random photo shots :-p

Victor (closest local male friend) lining up a shot in a french game similar to bocce.

The remains of sitting around and laughing and having a good time.

The house my friends bought - nice place and they're really fixing it up.

The white grass in the background is called ковыль, which my dictionary translates as mat-grass. Anyways, this is the nature surrounding where the village hang-out pad is.

A shot of what the Steppe looks like with big, fluffy clouds above.

Olga helping to clear a tree we trimmed at her house - and looking cute doing it.

Saturday breakfast of champs includes fresh coffee, a killer omlette, and russian blini's.

Квас (Kvas) is fairly easy to make and the rewards are refreshingly delicious. The Kvas (more commonly Kvass) ferments for a day in the big 3 liter jars and then is chilled in a pitcher.

Пирожки (Pirozhki) are a tasty and filling Russian snack. Paired with a glass of Kvas and you're in heaven!

Vacation venues vigoratingly vivacious

2009-05-27T17:29:00.021+06:00

I spent a day and a half in Almaty before my flight and I must say, I could live in Almaty for a while with such cool people as there are there. And it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a job there either, though it might be something not so desirable like teaching English.

Airports are generally an ok place to be for a couple hours – more than that, and I get real fidgety. It’s why I booked my return flight with a 6.5 hour layover in Frankfurt – so I can sneak into the city and see Andrew, a former site-mate in Pavlodar who finished his service last year. But when I can’t get out, I find comfort in the strange fact that time is distorted and twisted into unknown numbers within the glass walls. You can drink a beer at 7:48am, as I am doing right now, and it’s ok because no one knows from where you flew. Maybe to your body, it’s still night time. For me, it’s actually 11:48 (Kazakhstan time), which doesn’t totally justify my beverage selection, I suppose, but hey, I’m on vacation (thanks Cima family for teaching me that excuse/phrase). Just a shame a half liter costs € 4,80. But, it’s tasty and I haven’t had a real German Hefeweizen in like 9 months, so I’ll drop the $7 and change.

I arrived in Key West after a very long day of traveling. I generally like traveling, but that was ridiculous. 30 hours on a train to Almaty, one 7 hour flight to Frankfurt via a stop in Astana, a 9 hour flight to Miami, a 50 minute ride to Key West, and a 5 minute taxi ride to the hotel. Plus all the layovers, delays and such. Then I found out that my family’s flights got cancelled and I was without much money or a phone and I just felt exhausted. My body hurt, my feet were swollen to a size I’d never seen on me before and I had a break down, honestly. Culture shock started to hit me when I was sitting in the Miami Airport and it was a negative feeling. I kept asking myself why people were doing the things they were, why were they dressing like that (usually what I might consider not presentable – especially those going to key west in their shorts, wife-beater t-shirts, and flip flops or worn-out boat shoes), why were they making small talk with people they didn’t know, etc.? Surreal.

But slowly I started warming up. It took a while, especially jumping heartily into American culture via Key West, with drunken and scantily-clad people, fried food galore, and lots of laziness. By the time I processed everything, I was left feeling tired and melancholy, wishing to return to Kazakhstan. Thankfully I was able to call Olga once every day or so and be able to talk to someone that understood my mentality.

Next part will be quicker. In short, hung out with the family a lot, drank lots of wine and beer, ate tons of good food, went on a sunset cruise the night before the wedding, attended the wedding of my cousin to his fiancée on the beach followed by a reception at the Hard Rock Café. Mother’s day was celebrated with the family at a restaurant where I gave mom a hand-crafted necklace made by a local Kazakhstani artist. Monday was a really neat kayak eco-tour with mom, dad, and Scott. More good food and drinks and gift-shopping and finally three more flights home to Richmond. Saw Ashley and Jon, who met me at the airport, went canoeing with dad the next day, went down to VA beach and Suffolk and hung out with Jon, his girlfriend and Ashley and Brian and Brian’s family. Sunday church presentation about my life here and how being a servant isn’t always easy, met lots of friends for drinks, meals, etc. Got to see Ryan twice (even if he did take me to a friggin steakhouse for lunch… grrr, haha)! All of this did remind me of how great life in America can be and often is. So, I suppose thanks!

There were a couple people I didn’t get to see that I wanted to, a couple I wasn’t expecting to see, but was glad I did, and others who kind of forgot about me when I came to Kazakhstan who I heard through the grapevine wanted to see me. To those people (and there are quite a few of them), I say this: send me an email once in a while – I’m not asking for you to send me expensive packages or even a letter/card that costs less than a dollar to send. But if you can’t take the time to attempt friendship, please don’t expect me to do the same. I’m not mad at anyone and being here in Kazakhstan, I’m glad that I only have a couple really close friends. Friendship here is not taken lightly and I’m glad to learn that lesson better than I thought I knew.

Vacation was good, but with the long traveling and short and stressful time, I’m glad to be back in Kazakhstan. It’s just 5 months now before I get to come home!

Scott and I hanging out on the sunset cruise boat.

Me and my grandparents.

Some of the family.

Mom and Dad.

The cousins (those of us who could make it) being silly ;-)

The beach where the wedding took place.

Jessie and Kristen looking lovely together.

Groom's family plus spouses.

The cousins at the cafe (Hard Rock Cafe)

Aunt Carol and me!

Uh, too cute! (grandparents)

Scott and I hanging out on the beach.

Mom and dad in kayaks.

We saw a dolphin on our way out of the harbor - guide said it was very unusual.

Guide showing us a conch snail.

That's where I wanna live!

Dad examining a starfish.

Scott holding a sea urchin.

At grandma's, toasting with a delicious dinner.

Tim, Nathan, and me - three good buddies from Scouts who started together when we were this big *holds hand several feet below my head* at my favorite place, Capitol Ale House

Easter and eggs equals elegant elations

2009-04-28T10:27:00.024+06:00

In less than a week, I’ll be on a train headed for Almaty. Then I’ll fly to Key West, FL!!! I’m quite excited to be coming home, to see my family, first and foremost, and then to see friends and have a taste of American life again. Good food (with spices and not oil!), good wine, good micro-brews, and good times. They have a good word in Russian to explain all of this: Кайф – something like “bliss”

The local Easter was last Sunday and Nina invited myself, Paul, our new PTO, and Aitzhamal, my regional manager, to her apartment for a Easter lunch of borsch, blinis (blee-nee (s) – thin crepe-like pancakes), eggs and Easter cake. Several people I ran into during the day also gave me little gifts of eggs or chocolate as well. I love how they decorate the eggs here, usually either dying them like we do or putting those plastic sleeves around them and them dipping them in hot water. Except the egg wrappers here are really cool, ornate, and historical. Traditionally, there were different villages that became well known for the designs they painted on the eggs at Easter. Now, they’re printed on plastic, but the styles that they’re called by are named after the villages from where the design came. Neat, huh?

I attended a youth healthy living/ sports camp last week that was outside the city in a little town at a small resort and was invited to co-present the section about nutrition, which, as many of you know, is something I love to talk about. Natalya led the first half, talking about food additives, chemicals, and unhealthy foods and I spent the second half presenting the food guide pyramid (both the old and the new ones) and talking about what kinds of things you should be eating and how much you need. Then we had lunch.

My friend Maher, a volunteer here also in Pavlodar, is getting married! He got engaged to his local Russian girlfriend last week and asked me to be his best man, to which I, of course, said yes! The wedding will be in June and I'm looking forward to taking part in this. They're a great couple and they'll have a long, happy future together (with smart kids as his native languge is Arabic and her's is Russian and they speak mostly English with each other).

And finally, to answer all of the requests I’ve been getting, my apartment is now in order and I’ve taken pictures, below. They're resized, like always, but i only resized them a little bit, so if you click on it, you'll see a much bigger view than usual. There are a few things that need fixed up, minor repairs and physical damage and my landlord has assured me she’ll take care of it all when I leave in May. To my American readers – see ya soon, and to the rest of you – see ya when I get back!

This is пасхальный кулич (Pas-khal-nee koo-leech, the easter cake specially baked for this holiday) - it's pretty good, but hot-cross buns are better in my opinion.

My landlord is a really great person. We're neighbors and she gave me a little "Easter basket" of sorts with cake, eggs, and chocolate!

This is "Царь" cereal, which in english translates as "rip off." Look at the size of the box to the size of the bag to the amount inside the bag! They could have made a box 1/4 the size!

City workers, world-wide, are all the same. I decided to take this picture after they'd been standing there for about 30 minutes.

A little last minute preparation before we leave for the camp.

I get a million looks whenever I pull my laptop out outside - who does that?

Arriving at the camp!

You know you're in Kazakhstan when (#423): The tall Swedish-American is hovering about everyone else.

Our projector wasn't displaying either of our laptops for some reason... but this is us presenting.

My name is Настя (Nastya) and I'm singing "На Районе" (In the Outskirts, literally "in the region", which refers to a place outside of the city).

There was a Russian billiards competition and I got second place! Not bad for a guy who isn't used to the pockets, which are much smaller than an American pool table (though the table is about the same size).

This thing looked pretty cool, I wish i could have taken it out for a ride, but a posed picture will do.

Kitchen

Kitchen 2

Bedroom

Bedroom 2

Living room

Living room 2

Living room 3

Small balcony, but I got to keep my flower box - more basil!

HuaShen's health, headphones, and horses

2009-04-15T19:50:00.011+06:00

Next week’s computer lesson at Samal: how to type without pounding each letter on the keyboard. I have been graced with a new presence in my office, the volunteer’s room, because well, it’s been a couple months and it’s time to move everyone around again. I’ve been assured it isn’t permanent, but these days, I’m living with my headphones on and my hair is matted.

I started the German course, though I’m a bit embarrassed because many of the people in that class are very serious about learning whereas I’m there more for the verbal practice so that I don’t forget more than I already have. But the teacher is very qualified and speaks very well and that makes me happy. Language teachers can be hit or miss (sadly, more often miss) in this country, so it’s refreshing to study with someone who knows the language very well.

As I’ve been here, I’ve gotten more heavily into dance, house, and trance music. I’ve always thought it would be really cool to be a DJ, so I started thinking of cool DJ names if I ever became one. DJ Swede! It’s catchy and it encapsulates culture. But guess what, DJ Swede already exists. Bummer…

Victoria, my home owner is returning on April 6th and so I will be moving very shortly. It isn’t the plan I exactly had in mind, but life doesn’t always (in K-stan, rarely) go according to plan. Thankfully, I found a place in the same apartment building, just one entrance down. It’s very convenient for the move. But I’ve had to stay with Maher, a fellow volunteer, for about a week as the apartment was still occupied until last night.

We had a nice visit at Samal today by a company called “Hua Shen.” Feel free to look them up on the website http://www.huashen.net/ to find out about their great health products! Rhubarb tea for $30! What a steal! What kind of teas do they have for healing sepsis or spinal cord damage? Prematurely born child? I imagine they have a tea/ oil/ ointment that will double the size of your baby with 30 applications in 4 months. Wow! A baby that doubles in size in 4 months! Almost seems like what nature intended…

Another thing I get a kick out of is when people who are approximately 70+ pounds overweight start giving me health advice. Obviously, I, the tall, slender boy who hasn’t been seriously sick in many years, need advice about what foods I should eat and why nice, Springtime weather will make me sick because I don’t have enough vitamins in my system. Forget all of the canned and frozen vegetables I prepared last autumn, forget the multi-vitamins I take throughout winters, and forget that I wash my hands at least three times more than locals – if I have the window cracked open, even though the heaters are still going and it’s 55 or 60 outside, I will catch the flu. Did you know that the flu just floats in nice weather? It does in Kazakhstan.

This post is a bit dated, I apologize for that. Next post will include pictures of my new apartment :-)

In Astana

March weather in Astana allows for ice-fishing.

Nina trying onion rings at TGI Fridays in Astana.

Some new volunteers meeting our young adults group.

This isn't my photo, but Brian, a Kaz20 education volunteer in my oblast, went to Nauryz this year and got some nice shots.

Kiz kuz - the game where the guy tries to kiss the girl one way and on the way back the girl gets to whip him.

What's more manly than wrestling bare-chested? Do it on a horse.

Back to Pavlodar, the cameraman at the soccer game had a beer. He was the laughing stock for a while, especially after he accidentally spilled it.

Some other volunteers getting to know our young adults group.

Matches, матерщина, mountains, and mosques

2009-03-24T10:01:00.013+06:00

Per mom’s request and per my realized slacking, here is the end of March blog. There are a couple things that are new, imagine that! First is that I’ve gotten into the local soccer team, especially since I found out my banya buddies go to every home match. When James, a non-Peace Corps volunteer who teaches English in Almaty was visiting me a few weeks ago, we decided to go and hang with Victor, Vadim, Dima, and his kid. It wasn’t that cold, but sitting down in about 20(F) for a couple hours sure makes it feel that way. To warm up, we drank cognac mixed in with hot tea for a smooth, spicy treat to warm us up in multiple ways. And for those in country wishing to learn your матерщина (very obscene Russian cursing, so beware if you click on that link), go to soccer games, as this is where all middle aged men come to let their tongues loose since their wives won’t allow such talk in the house. Mix in some alcohol and you get the idea.

Our project has finally started, many months behind schedule. Peace Corps isn’t so happy with me and things aren’t going as smoothly as expected, but we’re trying our best to keep things together. The cooking section is going very well with a dedicated volunteer and we’re hoping to get the others online in such a fashion as well. Also, I won a small grant to create an HIV/AIDS website at my secondary organization. Summer camp is being planned and I’m looking at two other potential projects as well. So work is going pretty well, though many days I don’t feel so motivated and energetic. I’m hoping a big break from this country in the form of a may vacation to Florida and then Richmond will help straighten me out.

I returned March 20th from a three day conference in the mountains outside of Almaty, which was pretty good. The theme of the seminar was volunteer development in Kazakhstan. There were many sessions about this and a couple really good speakers as well. I met some awesome people and made good contacts, which may or may not help me in the future as well as I had the chance to meet many of the newer volunteers, whom I had not previously met. Then I spent one day in Almaty, waiting for our train, and showing Jane’s (a volunteer in the next village over) parents around the city a little bit.

Returning late on the 20th allowed me the chance to go to a meeting at the “Social Volunteer Center” on Saturday morning. I thought it was going to be a training of sorts, but it turned out to be a finger painting exercise. It was fun indeed and again, met some nice people, but I was hoping for something more educational. Oh well, I’ll keep tagging along because I really want to get involved with this organization.

And lastly, I’m going to be attending a German lesson on Wednesdays – they told me it was for advanced speakers, so I hope they’re right. I really need to keep the use of German, as the Master’s program I’m interested in calls for an international internship and I’m still not sure whether I want to do it in a German speaking country or a Russian one.

I think that’s it. I’ll be in Miami in 45 days and then in Richmond about 5 days later!

The first soccer match of the season - Go Irtysh!

(from left) Victor, Vadim, Dima (his kid in red)

A celebratory shot after the game.

Our cooking club making tasty treats.

Nina and I at the conference in the beautiful mountains.

I got in some translating practice when different organizations were presenting their work.

My friend Dina from Almaty just returned from Germany and brought me this tasty black beer. And yes, it was divine.

The apartment Nina and I rented for one night was just outside the big mosque in Almaty. Really cool with the snow falling.

Near the main square in Almaty.

Panfilov Park was beautiful with the white, fluffy snow.

The finger painting my team was making was a spiral that started from nowhere and ended nowhere - very cool and a bit abstract. My color was the blue-gray, my favorite color.

Weddings, workshops, and other wonders

2009-03-04T21:08:00.022+06:00

I’ve been at my organization for a while now, but there are tons of things that I don’t understand. Why do people change offices every couple months? Why do a minimum of 12 people a day (literally) open my door, look it, and then close it without saying anything? Everyone knows where my office is, knows that I’m usually in here by myself working – who are they looking for? If you need to see someone, try THEIR office, not mine. I finally hung a sign saying “I don’t know where Zinaida Dmitrievna is” (my director), but then my office got moved ;-) And the last thing that bothers me most at this point is being patronized as much as I am. Or perhaps people here really do just explain things over and over, beating a point well into the ground (the center of the earth). I’ve finally learned to cut people off, though, but I’m afraid I’m becoming too short with people with whom I should more friendly.

Things with Olga have been good; we had a rough spot, but we worked through it and we’re better for it, I think. Russian is coming along well, I get many compliments, especially from new people I meet who find it hard to believe I’ve only been speaking it for 1.5 years. I’d like to find a second tutor, but I need someone who won’t waste so much time telling me stories she remembers. A grammar exercise with 5 questions takes 10 minutes because after each one, I get to hear a story about something she remembered. Chances are I’ve heard it two or three times (again, literally) already.

But I do appreciate my tutor. We have fun times together – yesterday we made a box of brownies that an old friend/ former volunteer sent her and had tea and brownies with a student she is tutoring in English. Speaking of English, I’m know private tutoring two people… I broke my rule, the rule that I wouldn’t teach anyone via private lessons, but one is an acquaintance and the other is a niece of someone at work. That shouldn’t matter, but I hate appearing rude and the aunt kept yapping about it. We’ll see, I suppose if I have a little free time, I should be spending it productively and teaching English is one way to do that. I just don’t like planning lessons, but with the acquaintance I don’t have to because he knows exactly what he wants to study, brings materials with him, and does all of his homework.

With such a mild winter, it’s hard to believe that Spring is already on it’s way. The weather has been getting warmer, though still below zero and I’m looking forward to the days when I get a bike and ride around again. Spring also means that in two months, I’ll be on the sunny beaches of Key West, FL at my cousin’s wedding with family! I’ve got all my tickets and I have enough vacation days, so I’m just counting down to the next little vacation :-)

I decided not to post too many wedding pics, but here are some other recent ones and well as a link to a camera in Pavlodar.

For weddings, cars should be decorated and clean to drive around the city. Since it was Valentine's Day, we used hearts.

Greg, the groom, getting ready for a limo ride with champagne.

The famous Выкуп (Veekoop - literally, "the purchase") - the groom has to do a number of activities organized by the bride's friends. Here, he must either guess which baby picture is her or pay some money.

In this challenge, he must draw his bride with a blindfold - with Joe's (the best man) verbal help, Greg a great job!

The toughest and most embarassing (to get incorrect) challenge: guess which lips are hers. But once again, Greg guessed right on his first choice!

Greg finally gets to the apartment and to his future wife. A small celebration ensues at her apartment before everyone leaves for the "ЗАГС," (ZAGS) the marriage registration office.

Wedding cake time! Too bad Jim, another volunteer sitting at my table, ate my cake. I hope you're reading this, stealer of delicious things!

The most beautiful part of the wedding was when the the wife's veil was taken off during a song. Most girls and some others cried because the song is traditionally sung by the mother and the lyrics have to do with letting go of her daughter out of her family and into another family.

So here we all gathered 'round the bride and groom and they held an umbrella on which many had written a story or wish for them and threw thread over and created a type of web. Then the mother cut it away.

Sherali, my first Russian tutor, and I.

This is the lowest class on a train "Плацкарт" (Platzkart) - 54 seats crammed into one compartment.

I made hummus and drew an awesome face in it.

Aside from looking like a doof in this picture, I was able to find a store that sold the amazing ties that conductors on trains wear.

The ice rink beside my work after being filled.

Some ladies at work invited me to a little snack-and-shots thing after work one evening.

The dombra is a national instrument of Kazakhstan and their all made by hand. Here is one master's workshop, who sold one to Brian.

Brian with his new dombra outside the workshop.

Celebrating someone's birthday, we decided to go to a club. Looking cool.

Seminars at Samal and smooth, serenading songs of sentiment

2009-02-18T10:48:00.022+06:00

Woah! It’s been several weeks since I’ve written. I’m getting bad at this, I know, but lots kind of happened all at once and I’ll have to split this into two posts.

Life’s plugging along – while I’m not counting down days, I am starting to look more and more at plans after Peace Corps and what the future holds for me. As of now, my plan is to work for a year, take a couple night college classes in computers, pay down my loans, and apply and get accepted for graduate school. I’m just getting into the thick of my purpose here, which I think is to start and nurture a volunteer club at our center. It was something that has sort of been in the works for a couple months, but only recently have we begun to really kick things up.

Perry Teicher, a good friend of mine here, came out from Aktobe to help me with this task. We planned and held a volunteer seminar at “Samal”, talking to volunteers about how to use them and how to make them feel welcome, etc. The pay off will be known Sunday, when our next volunteer meeting is planned.

We celebrated valentine’s day here on February 11^th because of our buddy Greg Yandl’s wedding down south, which was planned for the 14^th. We had activities at “Samal” and Perry and another city volunteer, Emily, came to take part. Later that evening, Maher and myself, along with Perry and a date we arranged, took our ladies out for a nice evening at a Russian restaurant and had a little dancing as well. We had a really fun time and I’m thinking double dates might be something we’d like to do again!

The wedding and pictures will be in the next post. Until then…

Olga's birthday was the 7th and we celebrated at my apartment with some of her friends.

Perry, myself, and Nina - business dinner to discuss the volunteer seminar.

"The human knot" - one of the greatest ice breakers ever.

Two volunteers participating in the seminar.

A group discussing their question along with our director on the left.

Murat, Alona, and Perry showing off their prizes at the valentine's day celebration.

Vitya with Emily, a PCV.

Luiza and Roma.

Murat dancing with a medical student volunteer.

Myself and Luba (Looba), showing off our prize - a cake!

The last challenge was to show in any form how much you cared for your valentine; we did a still frame called "Танго под дождь" ("Tango in the Rain").

A bad bus accident - two buses collided (not the one on the left).

Showing Perry around the city, photo shoot near the cathedral.

Perry's shot of the tall river grass on the bank of the frozen Irtysh river with the train bridge in the background.

The cemetary at winter - quiet and peaceful.

At dinner for our Valentine's day :-)

A little dance music.

The group at dinner.

The boys ready to brave the cold! And Perry in a women's fur hat...

Baptism, Brrr!, and Banya boys

2009-01-27T10:49:00.019+06:00

I returned Thursday midday from the great northern city of Petropavlovsk. It’s the northern-most city in the country and is situated well within sub-Siberia. That said, it was quite chilly. The mail reason we went there is to take part in Крещение, which means “Baptism” in Russian. I’m still a bit foggy about the true meaning of why they celebrate on January 19^th; is it to remember Jesus’ baptism? To remember our own baptisms? I’m not sure of the meaning, but this is what happens:

- Holes in the shape of crosses are cut into the ice and the water blessed by the preacher – people fill jugs and bottles to later bathe with.

- Other holes are cut and wooden frames are inserted, complete with stairs. People then strip down to either their underwear or a bathing suit and climb in and dunk thrice.

- Run back to the big tent to dry off and change!!!

The following day was a teacher’s conference. Zach and I led a discussion with local English teachers about the use of both internet and humor in their lessons as a way to make them more interesting than the typical grammar and translate method that most teachers here use to “teach” English.

Later that evening, we gathered at one volunteer’s apartment to huddle around his laptop and listen to the inauguration of the new president. For some, it was quite an emotional event, but moreover, I enjoyed everyone’s company. I got to meet some of the new volunteers that just arrived last November.

But now that I’ve returned to Pavlodar, it’s time to get serious about what I’m doing. Work is one priority. But language is another that’s really on my mind. Peace Corps focuses on our speaking and understanding, but reading and writing are also important aspects and will help build style and vocabulary when speaking. I’ve also been trying to get into Russian comedy, which is quite different than ours. And so I’ve started writing little page-long compositions. Maybe if I decide one is good enough, I’ll put it here in both languages one day.

And lastly, Olga and I have decided to give it another go, but take things a bit more slowly this time.

Ringing in the Old New Year with volunteers and staff from ОФ Challenge, an HIV/AIDS organization I work with once a week.

Dancing with the director, Elena Bondereva.

Director's son, Alex - really nice, original, and funny guy.

Snow storm! It was worse before this, but I didn't take a picture until later.

Except for the lady in blue, these are the people I go to banya with every Thursday. After banya routine: food and a bottle of vodka.

Cross-country skiing - I'm not very good.

Olga and I taking a break on the frozen river.

Mike, Phil, and Joe putting on a concert in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan.

Dancing with Suzannah.

Zach Scheid, dipping in the frozen waters.

What a great expression!

We did it!

A cross made from ice bricks with a saint on a board in front of it.

For those who wished not to swim, you can get water that is blessed and wash with it later at home.

Pretty grove of trees.

Aaron, myself, and Zach, warming up at a cafe afterwards.

Peace of the other side

2009-01-14T11:29:00.002+06:00

The mood around here has turned for worse as we remember one of our own staff members who just passed away. Suffering from advanced stages of cancer, she was not very old, perhaps late 50s, which makes it weirder and harder to swallow. She has two daughters and grandchildren.

I personally did not ever have the chance to get to know her well, but her 8 years at “Samal” meant that she had made many close relationships here and as a result, we all mourn. May you find peace on the other side.

Protein, Petropavlovsk, preachers, and Polar Bear swims

2009-01-09T21:32:00.008+06:00

Vegetarianism has provided many opportunities for conversation here in Kazakhstan. Most have heard of it but most don’t know much about it. Typical things I hear are: Is chicken meat? What about fish? You can’t get protein without meat. I can’t live/ imagine not living without meat everyday! And other such comments…

Some people are generally interested. At the banya last night, the topic came up again – there was a newer guy there and he was interested in why I decided to become a vegetarian (and turned out to be the most open person I’ve talked to yet). My buddies take light jabs at me and its fine, its cool, we all have a laugh. But one of the “buddies,” the least educated of them (how surprising), started talking about how I probably read some “little propaganda book or leaflet” and that was the main reason I’m vegetarian. I started to explain why it’s just as healthy as a diet with meat, that I get all the protein I need (especially since I do eat eggs here, though that will cease when I return), but he doesn’t listen, he just keeps flapping his mouth. They are obsessed with the theme of protein, by the way. They say there are types of protein that can’t be gotten in any other product other than meat. It’s so difficult to explain to them that that isn’t true. I suppose I should forget even trying to get to a level where I could convince them that a no meat diet is even healthier than a diet that includes meat… ;-)

I found some information about how vegetarians can get everything they need to be just as healthy (and healthier) and I’ll translate it soon and carry it with me so people will stop saying uneducated things that they can’t back up with anything other than tradition. I’m not trying to convert people to become a vegetarian – that isn’t my goal; I simply get tired of listening to uneducated people act like they know everything.

Off of the soap box and onto other things in life. I broke up with Olga, things were a bit off between us and I didn’t see a future with her. So we split ways.

I attempted to go skiing last Wednesday, the Russian Orthodox Christmas, but we got there and they didn’t have my size. All of my friends skied and I took pictures and drank tea in the cafeteria. Exciting. I’m going to Petropavlovsk next week for Крещение (Kresheniye – which is the Russian for ‘baptism’). On this day, Russian orthodox believers usually go to the river, if reachable, and a hole is cut in the ice. A preacher blesses the water and you can either dip in or take some water home and wash with it. January 19^th marks the end of the 12-day yuletide and this is how they celebrate the baptism of Christ. Think Polar bear swim + religion and that’s what the Kresheniye is all about.

Madina, celebrating her birthday at Samal.

Birthday celebrations always include lots of different things to eat and drink.

Anna, Sandugash, and Megan (a PC volunteer) - we went skiing on Wednesday, but they didn't have my size :-(

Burning incence makes a cool smoke trail.

Snow piling up on the sill and pretty ice crystals on the window.

Tabasco sauce in Kazakhstan!?!? 2000 ($16.67) for a bottle... a bit high.

Bad picture, but this is black bean and corn dip.

German, Glühwein, and Grand Gatherings

2009-01-02T21:29:00.020+06:00

The holidays have come and gone, another season spent in a foreign country without my closest friends and family. But it is behind me and the next round will be spent at home. I really look forward to that.

Christmas was spent in a nice way, though. Thursday, the 25^th, a few of the local volunteers in the city sang in a Christmas concert hosted by one of the local universities, ИнЭУ (Innovative Eurasian University). We sang 3 songs: O Christmas Tree, Winter Wonderland, and O Come all ye Faithful. After the concert, 6 different departments had set up tables for a competition and the Americans were selected to judge based on the categories of best cookies, best cake, best design, etc. The Goethe Institute, a German-language organization, won the best drink because they served up Glühwein, the equivalent of our mulled wine. Delicious!

The following Saturday, all the volunteers came into the city and we had a potluck at my place. I tried my hand at grandma’s Swedish coffee cakes and while they aren’t perfect, they are pretty good! It’s a bit difficult to bake something at 350F when your oven settings are 1, 2, 3, and 4 and you can’t find an over thermometer anywhere. The bottoms got a little blackened, but cut off, it tastes about right.

And New Year’s celebrations were a bit more disappointing. Olga and I wanted to double-date and go ice skating at this outdoor rink that was constructed in front of the capitol building, but decided against it as it was really cold and windy outside. So we cooked dinner, ate, chit-chatted, and watched TV until midnight. I was quite bored. I would have rather gone to a club, but others were against that idea. The one impressive thing, though, were the number of fireworks people were setting off outside! I tried to take pictures, but there is no way to describe it. We turned the lights out and watched out the window as hundreds of people set off fireworks in every direction. As far as the eye could see and far as the city limits, you could see dozens and dozens of explosions in the sky. Open the window and you could hear what I would imagine Iraq in 2005 sounded like. I’ve never seen anything like it.

I’ve been back-logged on work and I have little motivation. I analyzed why I’ve been feeling so out of things and I think it has to do with the amount of result I see for all of the work I do. I design posters and booklets, I translate and re-write projects, I try to pass on skills where I can, but it all seems in vain. The posters and booklets never get printed, the translations only reveal a poorly written project in Russian because grant guidelines weren’t followed; if they had been read, there would have been no need to write the project or the grant, as it would reveal how many requirements we can’t meet. The skills transfer only seems to build more reliance on me. I’m trying to focus my energy, but I’m finding that difficult to do. Now-a-days, the more Russian I understand, the more problems I find at work. Perhaps a New Year will bring me back to where I need to be.

Svenska kaffe brod - Swedish Coffeecake. My grandma passed the recipe to me and I put it to use.

Volunteers and Olga for Christmas at my place. Party hats? Not my idea...

Jeff Whitehill reading his annual Kazakhstani version of "'Twas the Night before Christmas."

Christmas Concert at the University.

Ryan and I singing a verse of O Tannenbaum in German.

Christmas Party at ОФ Challenge with some of their volunteers.

"Samal's" volunteers working to make a banner.

"The Volunteer's Corner" - the first step to having a volunteer club is having a place to call yours.

One of our employees at "Samal" had her birthday on December 31 so we combined it with the New Year's party for a huge bash.

Me, many of the ladies I work with, and Yuri in the back, the other male.

New Year's dinner at my house.

Maher and his friend, Victoria.

Me and Olga.

Nazarbaev giving an enlightening and uplifting speech for New Year. Thank the Lord; he talked about the crisis... (I've had it with the stupid crisis)

Amatuers setting off fireworks in between the apartments. Good thing Soviets didn't make much from materials other than cement and rebar.

Pizza bagels reinvented with Lepyoshka. But fresh basil!

Chinese, cellular, crepes, and christmas

2008-12-19T19:17:00.015+06:00

I’ve been slow to update, so first, my apologies to you, dear gentle readers. What a past couple of weeks it has been! I went to Almaty for a week for MST (Mid-service training) and had a pretty awesome time there. Some of the sessions were a bit silly, like usual, but I also felt there was some usefulness to some of the sessions that we attended. There is a Fulbright Scholar here in Kazakhstan from the States, who is studying post-decollectivization. In a nutshell, during the time of the Soviet Union, there were collective farms on which many people worked. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many of these farms continued to work on their own for several years. Then they began dividing the land. And I guess that’s what he’s studying.

Other cool things that happened in Almaty: Zach and I ran into three Nigerian guys who played on local soccer teams here in Kazakhstan. Our OCAP (Organizational and Community Assistance Program) group met with Nina, one of our former Peace Corps trainers. We had two main trainers who were really great: Nina and Dinara. Then on a different night, Cho, Zach, and I met up with Dinara at a Chinese place. Several of us went to the final performance of a piano competition and I gotta tell you, there was some really great music played there. Afterwards, we went to a really chill and kind of posh place for drinks. They had Montepulciano d’Abrruzo! It’s one of my favorite wines and it was $5 a glass – not bad at all for ole’ K-stan.

That week was really an amazing one not because of the sessions, but because of the chats I had with people over dinner or a bottle of wine late into the night. And what a contrast there was between IST (a training back in April) and MST! Before, it seemed like people were hanging out in very large, very unmanageable groups. This time, we all kind of had our own agendas after the day’s sessions: local friends to visit with, concerts or events to go to, or just certain volunteers we wanted to spend time with. For me, I was really happy to spend a lot of time with Zach, Cho, Perry, Ashley, Casey, and even Sally.

As many of you already know, on my way back, my cell phone was stolen. The most inconvenient thing about all this is that my cell number is printed on all of my business cards. Fine, I can write it on the ones I have left, but what about the 100-150 I’ve already given out? Bah, I don’t like thinking about that. And I had just put 2000 tenge ($16.67) on my phone the day before. Какой Кошмар! (What a nightmare!)

And in more interesting news to you gossipers out there, I’m dating this lady, Ольга (Olga) more seriously now. I say more seriously, but really, we’re taking things fairly slow, as far as Jeffrey-speed usually goes. Yesterday, we made Блины (blini - Slavic pancakes, similar to crepes together) and today we’re gonna make tacos. No salsa, but hey, not everything in life can be perfect.

Here are some more thanksgiving pictures (and others):

Two turkeys, hot and ready!

Two of four pumpkin pies. And NOT from a can.

Brian, Emily, and Jane: 3 of our new volunteers in the oblast.

Shawn telling funny stories to a very attentive Олья (Olya)

Елена Бондерева (Elena Bondereva), Maher, and Дина (Dina) - I work with Elena and Dina at the HIV/AIDS center.

I got my christmas package! Thanks mom!

I'm so pretty :-)

This is called a Баян (Bayan). It's like an accordion, but with buttons instead of keys. I kid you not, this 3rd year student played something so beautiful, I came to tears.

Hanging out at a posh little place after the concert. Here is (from left to right): Zach, Ashley, Blake, Perry, and moi.

Zach, Joe looking like a monkey, and Cho, squatting kazakh style and smoking cigs.

So I told the lady at the counter that they were advertising for prostitutes when I first read this. Then I felt stupid because apparently one of the girls working knew this person... Seriously? So Young?

A bunch of OCAPs having a drink with Nina, our trainer.

I made a stop at a nice grocery store in Almaty called "Interfood" which sells a bunch of western products. I went a little overboard, but I don't get artichoke hearts, german gummy bears, cini minis, or good wine THAT often...

Thanksgiving Traditions, TV

2008-12-02T17:39:00.018+06:00

Thanksgiving celebrations are finished. The leftovers remain, the turkey people didn’t eat much of, the salads people barely touched. I bought and cooked too much food. But the four pumpkin pies were devoured (and they were quite delicious) and much fun was had with the new volunteers. I’ll consider hosting Christmas dinner at my place, but I’m not buying the food again.

I have one good friend left in this city. And today I understood how much that person really means to me. Those who have been reading since I got to Pavlodar know her as Asiya. For those who don’t know or have forgotten, she’s the girl who used to work at Samal with me. She left many months ago to take a job that paid regularly, but within the last month or two, we’ve become closer friends. I’m not sure why I’m including this here, but I guess I just needed an outlet to say how awesome she is. Too bad she also is leaving in February…

The auction was… held. I won’t use this space to talk about how I thought it went because I realize that it was the first auction. I hope that we can learn from our (many) mistakes and perhaps be more prepared for next year. Hopefully the fact that this is called an annual auction will keep the idea fresh in our minds for next year.

Today (December 1) is World AIDS day, a day to remember those who have been infected and have died from the disease. It’s also a day to plan lots of activities in an effort to spread more information about HIV/AIDS. ОФ “Challenge” (Public Foundation “Challenge”) hosted an event at a local school today that involved some information, a quiz game, a couple short videos, and a “Dance 4 Life.” I felt bad because I was exhausted and stressed and I wasn’t as active or upbeat as the local volunteers.

Aitzhamal, my regional manager, is in town for site visits. She came to our auction on Friday and then to my English club and volunteer meeting on Sunday. I’m hoping to invite her to dinner this week so that we can sit and talk about some things. She’s great – I’m lucky to have such a person with whom to work. Have you guys seen the TV show “Entourage?” It’s pretty cool, and I just got 3 seasons of it.

The poster has been printed!

Up for auction: expensive honey and a waffle-cone maker.

Up for auction: a regular laptop and a mini one.

Up for auction: local artist's work.

Up for auction: A football signed by our local team.

People mingling at the auction.

Me looking spiffy and closing the auction after reading off the winners.

About 11am, Saturday. Another 8 hours until Thanksgiving Dinner for 21 is ready.

AHH!!! I tried to save him, but someone already killed him!

Stuffing and sewing the birds.

Yes, friends. This is a South African Pinotage. Don't ask how much I paid, but it was delicious, worth it, and made T-day dinner taste better.

Aitzhamal washing potatoes - such a supportive Regional Manager :-)

Nina playing with knives.

Some of the people and most of the food. Turkey, salad, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and four pumpkin pies - all homemade, all pretty tasty.

Two beautiful people - Asiya and Nina.

"Dance 4 Life."

Bizarre Bazaar

2008-11-26T22:02:00.005+06:00

I haven’t been adamant about these blog posts as of late – I find less and less to write about and I’m taking fewer photos. Nothing is new to me anymore; taking pictures of most things now would be like me returning home and taking average pictures of Richmond or home and posting them. But to update you all on some things…

We’re heavily into this “charity marathon” and have been doing a lot to get ready for the auction. Let me rephrase, Nina and I have been doing a lot to get ready for this auction. I won’t say anything negative here, but Nina and I have been going everyday this week to different stores and restaurants, asking for things to sell at our auction. It’s been really disappointing and I feel like it must be easier to do so in America. Perhaps it is just as difficult, but the difference is that in America, too many people ask different places for such gifts for auctions and here, people don’t like to donate things.

At a concert last week, a lady I shared a common space with on the train recognized me and when she said hello, I remembered her as the woman on the train who basically hated America and was racist. So what a lovely surprise it was to see her at my center, congratulating me on the new president (whom she said wasn’t a real American because he’s black…). Sounds like what Rush Limbaugh says when the microphone is turned off…

As I mentioned, the “First Annual American ‘Bizarre Bazaar!’” kicks off this Friday at a local café. I’m very nervous as I don’t think there will be enough things to sell, nor do I think there will be many people there to buy. I think people will come, donate some money or some material products, but don’t fully understand the concept of an auction. If nothing else, this will be a good learning process for the center, that real fundraising isn’t easy work. Only when we fail can we pick up the pieces and build something better.

A typical concert involves costumes and lip-synching.

Olga, my new 26 year-old who's an ophthalmologist friend :-)

A coupon I designed for "Peking Duck," who generously donated a 4000 tenge ($33) voucher for their restaurant to sell at the auction. Thanks, guys!

Lies and Limitations

2008-11-15T16:30:00.006+06:00

Special oils, amazing grains, secret teas from China – I’ve had it with these people trying to sell their products to us. They come with a bottle of palm oil, PALM OIL!, and try to pass it off as some special healing medicine. If only our kids would have one tablespoon of palm oil in their tea every day, they will be healthy. That’s just great. In the meantime, I have to listen to people tell me what we NEED to buy and waste my time and my tea that I buy for me and my colleagues. I’ve become much better at taunting them and poking fun at them while they pitch their products, telling them how we cook with such oil in America and pay a fraction of the price for Chinese tea – that I’ll just have my mom sent me a case for the same cost as one 25 pack box of tea.

I am ok to good at many things, but an expert at nothing. I speak a couple languages with mediocrity, play trombone alright, can fix small, uncomplicated things, can work with different computer programs with limited ability, and can cook food that’s tasty, but not amazing. I don’t know whether that’s good or not. I’d like to have a specialty in something, like languages, for instance, but I don’t. Is it better to be the best at something or be ok at many things? It’s something I ponder as I realize more and more my limitations in different areas.

But I am making progress in Russian. I had another one of those moments of clarity last night when I was in a cab on my way back to my place and the Taxi driver muttered something, asking where to turn, and I was able to mutter back. A couple shots of vodka will take your accented, incorrect Russian and turn it into muttered, understandable Russian. It’s a great thing, really.

Things at work are ridiculous. We are so busy, running around because we can’t plan as a team, nor do they care to work together. That isn’t the only problem, but I feel like I shouldn’t be too negative on my blog. It’s a huge problem, among others, that’s preventing us from operating like a normal, healthy NGO. I’m not sure how to help nor am I sure that I can help. I’ll do what I can, hopefully the next volunteer has some more ideas.

On Saturdays, trucks back up to the sidewalk in front of the Central Market to sell their goods at a cheaper price.

The first snow of the season! It's nice now, but in four months, i'll have about had it with the snow.

First snow - night time.

Me, Maher, and Бауржан (Baurzhan) having fun in the snow.

A bad picture of me made cool by inverting the colors.

The poster I designed for the HIV/AIDS center. It's their ideas, I simply drew it up. The green man is me :-) In the quote, he is saying "Look where the way is leading!" and in curvy orange text "We choose life, and you?"

Goodbye, friend

2008-11-11T00:04:00.005+06:00

No one ever said this time in Peace Corps would be easy. They use slogans like “Peace Corps is the hardest job you’ll ever love,” but you know, Kazakhstan has a different flavor. You know how many of our volunteers ET (early terminate)? You know how big of an alcohol problem many of our volunteers have? I have no numbers, but I know many in each category, some very well. And I can understand why. Today I learned that one of the young men who came to our center died…

It’s hard to think about such young people dying. They are even younger than me, late teens or early twenties, and it’s crushing to know that some of them are in bad shape and won’t ever get the real help they need. Without funds and technology and education, many will be diagnosed incorrectly, treated improperly, and not understood. I’d like to put a positive message here about keeping on and sticking it out, but today, I don’t have one. A death always merits mourning, especially when it’s someone you’re trying to help. Today, my heart goes out to your family. I hope “Samal” made a difference in your life. You were loved like anyone else, perhaps even more so. Indeed, my friend, you are love.

Campaigns, cold, cabbage, and cuteness

2008-11-06T23:12:00.007+06:00

I was in a melancholy mental rut the past week, but I’m out of it now as I’ve been way to busy to feel sorry for myself. I realized that people here will rarely understand me, why I’m here, my thoughts, etc. I dress differently than the locals here often, in that brown ¾ length coat and carry around a laptop and a travel mug of coffee or tea. When I first arrived to K-stan, I thought it necessary to fit in here in as many ways as possible, dress included. But I’ve decided I like my style, whatever that is, and despite my earlier efforts to fit in, I still had “an aura” about me, as one local man mentioned.

The man who told me that is part of a new group of friends I have started to make. I met several of them playing billiards several weeks ago, but I got invited to banya with them on a weekly basis. Thursday is that night and it’s a long-standing tradition for these people to meet, drink beer, and have guy talk. I don’t contribute much, but it sure is fun to watch and listen. And I can always go for a good banya, can’t everybody?

Tomorrow, Friday, we open up our “Благотворительный Марафон” (Charity Marathon) with a concert at the newly built “Дом Дружба” (House of Friends, cheesy, I know). My part is showing a PowerPoint, some of our promotional video, and running sound and music. How I ever got sucked into the roll of techie, I’ll never know. Scary that I’m the most technological knowledgeable at my organization :-p

It’s Thursday again, which means that I’m working at the HIV/AIDS center “ОФ Challenge.” It isn’t a treatment center or needle-exchange center, but rather an information center that makes advertising and does different info campaigns and hotlines. There are only 2 staff members and they’re very comfortable with each other, by which I mean that they aren’t afraid to say anything to one another. At “Samal,” as I was explaining to the director here, we speak very nice and proper Russian, but at “Challenge” the Russian is on a whole different level of informality and slang. It’s good exposure to hear a more relaxed style of conversation.

I finished my calendar design for “Samal” – it’s a fundraiser that, should we sell all 20,000, will make about $16,667 dollars. Not bad for a couple days of work, eh? I’ve been busy with that, making posters, powerpoints, designing invitations and tickets for different events, and learning a whole lot about different programs needed to do all of this. I never thought I’d be building my computer skills the way I have been, but I’m certainly thankful for the experience I’m getting.

Just got back from the banya and oh! how good it feels to be so clean. Nothing to end a long day like a hot steam bath and cold showers, a beer, and chatting with “the guys.” Sorry I don’t have more photos, hasn’t been to see recently.

Guacamole! From avacados I picked up in Almaty.

That's a lot of cabbage! "Samal" is ready for winter.

A poster (in A3 format) I made to promote ways to help "Samal." In big letters, it says "All kids are loved, all kids are equal!" Then is says "December 3 is International Disabled Person's Day. They need our help and support!" Then with the Red letters: "Send an SMS 'help' to 7107. Call, Write (our numbers and email). Come to "Samal" Center (our address)

Front side of the calendar. In Russian is the full name of our organization around the picture and then in orange: "All kids are loved, all kids are equal!"

The backside of the calendar. The quote at the top says: "Better to do one meaningful act than to speak 1000 words of charitableness."

Fall fashion show on the balcony!

Quiche, mmm.

Awesome picture of Obama and his daughter. Love him or hate him, he does have a cute family.

Spicy Stereotypes and Samitivej Surgery

2008-10-24T17:23:00.026+06:00

I’ve forgotten where I left off last time, so I’ll start by typing some stuff I had in my little notebook. They cover several days, from perhaps October 12^th through the 15^th:

“So yeah, I’m in Bangkok, Thailand. Kind of crazy. I sat beside an American couple who worked in Hong Kong and had great conversation with them. When we landed, I got a cab to my hotel and my driver, Mr. Phornthep (yes, that’s pronounced Porn-tep) was not an adult film actor, but rather a proud father of four and grandfather of two. He helped me clarify some pronunciations of some words and phrases I’d studied and then he gave me his cell and told me to call him if I had any problems, needed advice, or wanted to go somewhere. I don’t know if he was serious, so I probably won’t call him.

I realized I miss Saule when a photo of her and I fell out of my notebook as I was writing this…

As I was eating an amazing dinner of “Tom yang kung” and “Khao phat kung” (Shrimp, lemon grass, and mushroom soup and fried rice with shrimp), I enjoyed my first local beer, “Singha,” and watched someone ride an elephant through downtown Bangkok, a city of I’m guessing 12 million people, though I don’t really know. I also enjoyed seeing the advertisement about the beauty salon at my hotel, which also offers massages at the rate of $10/hr. Can you believe that!? You’d better believe I’m gonna get one before I leave!

Speaking of stereotyping cheap massages in Thailand (because it’s true, depending on what parlor you go to), there are tons of older, creepy, white guys here and I don’t like it. They walk around the city like they’re at the beach in ratty shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. Sometimes they’re with a local girl and sometimes, as I saw today, they’re holding the hand of a thai boy teenager. I don’t like creepy, old, fat, white guys… What do the locals see in them besides potentially money? Didn’t they get fooled…

Surgery went well. I was under for 2.5 hours. The hospital is amazing, both the staff and the facilities. The food is great and the room better than my hotel room. It’s a bit lonely here – there are only a couple on English channels on TV and I’ve been tired often. Thursday I’ll get out and have a couple days before I have to come back to have the stitches taken out.”

I got out Thursday, though I was still feeling a little out of things, so I hung around my hotel room. But Friday, I headed over to the Peace Corps office in Bangkok to meet with the medical staff. The receptionist was the nicest, cutest, and most pleasant lady ever; she really was a highlight of that day :-) I met up with a couple volunteers who were in town for the weekend. We hung out Friday and Saturday and had a really great time together. Friday, after Jenny took a trip to the dentist, we got some dinner at one of the largest malls in Asia and then headed over to Kaosun St., a very popular tourist spot. After a couple drinks, we headed to “42 Below,” a pretty good club and danced for a while.

Saturday, Becky had a meeting at the office, but Jenny was very nice and did touristy things with me. We met for a western lunch of Subway and Starbucks and then took a river taxi up the river to Wat Pho. Then we got a glimpse of the Grand Palace and saw some cool markets. Later, we met up with Becky, had dinner, and just hung around their hotel room for a while, chatting. We called it an early night, hugged, and parted ways. Sunday I went to the weekend market, a huge famous market on the northern side of town that hosts many thousands of vendors. My Kazakhstani bargaining skills came in handy there as I picked up some souvenirs for people.

Closing observations: Thailand, or at least Bangkok, was full of amazement. The skytram, the abundance of taxis and tuk-tuks (3-wheeled taxis), the amazing food, the shorter people, the number of tourists and sex-pats (like that creative term?), the markets, the relative cleanliness, the heat and humidity, the Peace Corps Volunteers, the western-ness, the eastern-ness, the language, the writing system, outward friendliness, smiles, the calmness, the patience, the air conditioning, the facilities. Thailand is a place that I’d love to explore more; hopefully next trip will be on my own time according to my schedule :-)

Nina, fall time.

Mountains of Afghanistan - Where's Osama!?

Tom Yam Kung and Khao Phad Kung.

Samitivej hospital.

Phad Thai, Spring Rolls, and Mango smoothie.

Hospital room.

My bed.

Spicy papaya and shrimp salad, vegetarian rice, and iced ceylon tea.

This is how people greet in Thailand usually; it's called the Wai.

Jenny (left) and Becky, enjoying some western burgers at the mall.

I just lent that to them while I was in the hospital.

Kaosun street.

The Skytram.

From the river ride, one could see many cool sights of Bangkok.

Dried seafoods market.

Me drinking delicious Iced Ceylon Tea in front of the Grand Palace.

Riding in a tuk-tuk!

Siam Center.

Souvenirs for people.

Tales, troublemakers, Thailand

2008-10-13T17:24:00.001+06:00

Part of the PC experience includes meeting a lot of interesting people from many walks of life. Some include violent, uneducated, and ill-bred individuals, but most are simply people, like you and me. It sounds corny, I’ll admit, but lately I’ve taken more to being a friendly person, offering small help when I can. I know I’m a Peace Corps volunteer and it’s my job to help, but my service – even after only one year – has become quite jaded. These small, random encounters help me survive mentally. I will recount a few of thee tales from the past few days.

The first tale is of a couple I passed while walked down the street in Almaty. From the first glance, they had “hopeless American” written on their foreheads. The man was trying to hail a cab and apparently had never been to Kazakhstan or NYC. I passed them and kind of grinned at their naivety, but then I thought… why are they here? So I casually looped around to pass them again and I approached them and said, “Excuse me, you two trying to get a cab?” They were quite shocked, to say the least. I didn’t quite have the heart to tell them how sorely they stood out, but I did demonstrate the proper hand signal. A couple from Texas living in Pittsburgh, they were adopting a child. What a miracle indeed! I got a cab and negotiated a fair price and told them what kind of price limit they should pay when returning. Cab drivers will rip off foreigners who don’t speak the language in a heart beat. My only regret was that I didn’t give the couple my business card.

The second story is about a drunk guy I met named Murat. As I was sitting outside of a shopping mall, waiting to meet a friend, Murat asked me a question about his cell phone from where he was seated, about 3 meters from myself. My accented answer apparently activated an arousing (ok, I admit, I thought about that alliteration a bit…) of interest in me. As he sat down beside me, very inside my personal bubble of a year ago (which has since been reduced to comfortable cuddling with smoky, drunk men), I learned that he’d been to Boston and got to see his favorite basketball player, Larry “птица” (Byrd) and I also learned that he was “the authority” in this part of town and he would not only beat up my assailants, but any “дурак” (dumbass) whom I chose. He himself being a Kazakh, he assured me that not all Kazakhs were violent, and my fears were assuaged.

Dina is the third person, the friend for whom I was waiting at the mall. Though having only spoken maybe 3 times on Skype and once on the phone, I felt I had known her for many years, even as we had only met for the first time. Hanging out until 3:30am proved a good way to confirm that; lost in the early morning hours, deep in conversation. The following night at a coffee shop showed similar results; how strange that I’d find someone so different, yet so like me mentally. A practically genius of a girl, Dina speaks Russian, English, and German fluently, works about 12 hours a day and then attends night school to earn her Master’s, designs her own clothes, plays guitar, and is an amazing photographer. Makes me wonder what things I could accomplish if I were as motivated as she.

And the fourth includes a strange move on my part. As I got a very early call from the Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) telling me I was going to Thailand the next morning, I had to get up and get my passport so he could have my ticket booked. I was groggy, tired, and my clothes were not matching. But I went down there and there was a soccer team checking out. They were Americans who only spoke a few words of Russian and there was some discrepancy about the bill. I just wanted to get my passport and go back to sleep, but I decided to ask if they needed help translating. So I spent the next 30 minutes interpreting for them and then went back to bed.

Regardless of how I feel about this country sometimes, I’ve come to observe that small and seemingly meaningless acts can morph one’s mood in an instant. Playing peek-a-boo on the bus with a 2-year old, helping lost Americans, entertaining a drunken Larry Byrd fan, or dealing with the occasional troublemaker – they all have their lessons and purposes. Part of making a commitment like the Peace Corps is taking the bad with the good. Life’s never been perfect, shit happens everywhere. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like Kazakhstan has become a home away from home; at least for a little while.

Wish me safe travels in Thailand, trekking through the timeless Theravada temples, touching and touring theological treasures and thought that thrived throughout time.

Maps, Maher, and friggin Mosquitos

2008-10-05T21:30:00.014+06:00

This last week hasn’t been optimal, I’ll just come out and say it. I know I usually spill a lot of feelings on this blog, but I don’t feel like making it any more personal than usual, so I’ll just keep this short. Saule and I broke up. I initiated the break-up and it killed me for several days, but in short, it must be. Please, don’t give me advice and don’t repeat the same “there are other girls out there” – that advice never helped anyone. And thank you Zach, for giving the first actual applicable advice ever, I appreciate that :-)

On to other things! Work is getting frustrating again… constant delays of our project, a constant worry about money for salaries and utilities, and a bad start to a German club (though a new Kaz20 is a fellow German speaker, so we’ll reorganize our efforts and start again!). I’m slow to study Russian and to finish anything I start (books, tuning piano, organizing mass amounts of files on my desk, organizing stuff on my computer desktop, etc.). I need a new source of energy.

I did, however, finally finish a map of Pavlodar that I’ve been trying to get together for the new volunteers as well as the many couchsurfers that come through here. I labeled everything with numbers and on the back side are the different sights/ objects in three languages. It’s nothing so fancy, but I’m quite proud of it :-)

And I’ve begun learning some basic Russian sign language. I decided that I’m going to teach Vitya a word or two every day – he’s a very intelligent boy and I think it’ll be a good way to learn some new Russian words as well, as when you have something by which to picture a word, it’s easier to know (rather than simply learning abstract words).

The new volunteers are going to be here in a week or so! I’m excited to meet them. In the city of Pavlodar, I have two new education volunteers who will be teaching at universities and one volunteer who is just outside the city limits, so she’ll also be very close by. Plus Maher has decided to stay in Pavlodar, so that’s basically four new site mates – I’m quite excited.

Oddly enough, we had mosquitos in our apartment, so Maher set up my net (that Peace Corps gives ALL volunteers). Who knew it'd finally find a use other than failed window screen attempts?

Squash and Tomato soup - spicy but wholesome.

Um, 'cause I wanted to?

Beautiful autumn scene outside my window and work.

"Hot boy" Andrew and Adam rocking out at a big concert in Pavlodar! Great job!

Vitalya and me!

The original three pav boys (right and front) plus me and now Maher.

I look like a pro, but missed about 90% of my shots ;-)

Just in case you didn't know. I especially enjoy the bottom two.

The Godfather's russian twin was my team mate. At one point, he turned to me and said very seriously that "Russian billiards is no laughing matter." I believe him.

Brocolli, potato, and cheese soup!

My only real clothing purchase in Kazakhstan to date. $100 for two pairs of jeans, two sweaters, a hat, and a pair of fall gloves. The darker jeans are lined with fleece! Bonus!

It's so cold in my apartment, I wear a hat and jacket (and shorts - no, nothing's changed :-p)

Fests, fields, forests, and fresh food - Fantastic!

2008-09-28T16:06:00.017+06:00

I love Russians. Let me clarify: I love Russians, on occasion. They are a great cause of good, innocent humor in my life almost daily and it puts random smiles on my face when least expected. As I was getting my lunch today, the 70 year old or so cook asked if I’d like some tea. I said sure and she replied that it’d be ready soon. So I ate lunch and went back to work, forgetting about the tea. An hour later, she comes into my office and says “I thought you were going to have tea!” I answered that I simply forgot and she replied with two words «Не хорошо» (that’s not good), turned around, and walked out of my office. Very funny, haha – I guess you had to be there and know her. I love Russians.

Elevator rides always provide to be an almost daily psychology experiment. Isn’t it funny that regardless of what country you’re in, if you don’t know the person, you try to avoid eye contact by trying to stare off in some other direction, as boring and meaningless as that advertisement on the elevator wall is. It gets more interesting and challenging as the number of people increase and there are fewer places that you can look for 10 seconds. When a person has several bags, I like to look down and see what things they’ve bought. And if and when they get off the elevator before me, I like to see how fast I can push the “close door” button without hitting them; I haven’t hit one yet!

I wish I had a camera inside my eye so that I could sneak a picture whenever I felt like it. Can someone please develop that technology? If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said that to myself, I’d have about 15 cents. Which isn’t quite enough to implant a Nikon into my retina, but I’m starting small, thinking big.

Maher Sherif, a volunteer who was working in Uralsk for the past 10 months, has been relocated to Pavlodar as part of a measure of Peace Corps’ efforts to cut our budget by almost 16%. 16%!!! Grant, you might want to get that pen out and write a letter, because this next year is not going to be fun for a lot of people. As local inflation jumps higher and the US dollar falls, Peace Corps headquarters around the world are in for a real tight fit this next year. Anyways, Peace Corps closed Maher’s Oblast (state) because it’s in the “Fly Zone,” meaning they have to fly him in and out of Almaty for different events throughout the year, which is expensive. Pending his decision of whether or not he likes the organization here in Pavlodar, I may have a new site mate for another year, which would be really nice as “The Pav Boys” are leaving within weeks…

I’m starting a German club this Sunday, an idea I’ve been toying with for some time. Oktoberfest began about a week ago and so there is no better time than now to begin :-). Speaking of language, I’ve started back with the tutoring and I’m determined to make this year a year of studious studying and Slavic saturation. Russian language needs to be a big priority for me this year as I plan to use it in the future. Pray for me, remind me, and harass me about “did I do my homework.” Because there is no better opportunity to study a language than to live for two years among the people who speak it.

There are many times when it’s hard to press onwards when it comes to many aspects of my job here. Only those with lots of positive energy and enthusiasm who don’t let themselves get let down easily will have the greatest of times in the Peace Corps. Thankfully, most of the volunteers here are unrelenting people who care greatly and give what they can. But man, it’s too easy to get depressed here in Kazakhstan. For several weeks, attendance at English club has been really low and the new German club I started… well a big fat zero showed up. I spend time preparing, asking people to come, asking people to call others, and it’s obvious that no one did their part. My director seemed fairly excited about the idea as she was once a German teacher, but she didn’t call any of her friends who still teach to tell their students like I had asked and she had agreed. Press onwards, press onwards…

Saule's uncle, aunt, and cousin.

Aikosha is the cutest little girl ever :-)

Celebratory devices, by the WW2 memorial

From left to right: Baruzhan, Nick, Adam, Jeff Whitehill, and Andrew

My first mushroom! Champignons are a tasty addition to any fall diet.

Ludmila, my tutor, and her student's father, Valerya (right)

The forest between the fields and the river.

Pretty background (the foreground on the other hand...)

На золотая осень! (To a golden autumn!)

"Welcome, our dear sponsors!"

Cute kids with leaves singing and dancing.

The older group of kids, for whom my "Planet of Youth" project will benefit.

Me, acting like i'm a badass, even though I'm not. I was running sound and video for our sponsor's event.

My canned food (minus the frozen spaghetti sauce and eggplant in the freezer)! I'm ready for the winter, brrrrr

To the other volunteers: be jealous. Fresh brocolli, mangos, and avacados! Thanks a million to Maher Sherif, who brought them from Almaty.

ABBYY, arguing, Alaska, and autumn

2008-09-17T21:19:00.012+06:00

I love Germans. More specifically, I love German efficiency (and beer). Basically, I needed a serial code for a program I bought called ABBYY Lingvo, which is a computer dictionary which helps me daily with Russian. Well, I misplaced the serial code and I have been fighting with ABBYY to get the number. I call the online store where I bought the program and get the number within a minute. I love Germans.

I sometimes don’t enjoy my work place. I have a nice office with most friendly people, but there is something that annoys me on occasion. And it isn’t just at my office, but in the greater metro area known as Russia and the CIS states. The way people argue here often has little to do with the real issue and more about trying to outwit one another or deliver the best cut down. I witnessed such an argument today and it was ridiculous. How quickly it morphed from the issue to some other issue to how the person never listens or acts responsibly to the condition of things at someone’s home! Don’t worry, it’s very relevant…

This past weekend was a satisfying one. Friday and Saturday, I cooked spaghetti sauce and put into gallon bags for freezing. I also blanched and froze sliced eggplant as well as froze roasted and cleaned eggplant (to make baba ganoush in the winter). Monday morning, I canned whole peppers (to make stuffed peppers) and salted tomatoes (good drinking snack). I also made 6 liters of pickles and I’m going to get mushrooms soon and can at least 3 3 liter jars of marinated mushrooms. It’s a lot of work and time consuming, but the end result – a winter of variety and fresh tasting food – will totally be worth it.

I try not to make this blog political, though perhaps sometimes my tendencies come out. But this person has been a huge source of discussion in my group of local Americans as of late and we’re just absolutely baffled at the republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. I don’t know what the generally right-wing media is slanting state side about her, but on the more balanced side, it’s been quite amazing. For those of you who need evidence, I suggest you watch this interview with Charles Gibson. “Pressed about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska [and what national security qualifications she has should she be called upon to be president, a very real potential as recovering cancer patient John McCain would be the oldest president to be elected in US history], Palin told Gibson, ‘They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.’” Yes, it is her first interview and she’ll get better at dodging the issues and questions, but here it’s quite obvious she has no idea what she’s saying or doing. And people want to call Obama unexperienced!?

Tutoring has finally got me motivated to start studying again. It looks like I’ll be tutoring on Tuesday’s with my regular tutor, Ludmila and Saturday’s with my friend and former co-worker, Asiya. This next year needs to be a huge year of Russian studies for me. I’ve been thinking about returning a bit as of late as 3 other volunteers in the city are getting ready to finish their service and go home. I’ve got a new idea in my head right now: get a master’s in Russian translating. There are many different specialties one can focus in, such as film, literature, interpreting, professional documents, etc., so I need to think more about which one I’d like more. Interpreting takes a special skill of instantaneous listening, translating, and speaking at the same time that I don’t think I have and literature would get boring, but would be a great chance to read and really know a piece. Anyways, more on that later.

Zinaida's Birthday party at Samal.

Saule being silly (actually I put all of that on her head and she'd probably kill me, rightfully so, if she saw that i posted this ;-) ).

I had completely forgotten about the monitor from the computer that the home owner had left here, so I hooked it up.

Tatiana and me, after English club.

A bunch of volunteers and a few locals having a nice dinner outside at an Uzbek cafe.

Ludmila and I trying the Zivania from Cyprus.

Know how it's fall? I'm buying pumpkins, squash, and mushrooms.

Pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds, and vegetable spread on bread. I love autumn!

This is a T-shirt I saw online and the phrase is a play on words: "In the fall, birds fly south." The last word is the backwards form of a bad word that if read properly, would read "In the fall, birds F#*% off!" but backwards, it looks and sounds very similar to the word for south.

Peppers, Prices, and (metaphorical) Pockets

2008-09-08T09:26:00.017+06:00

Hervé left us on a Wednesday evening as I was leaving Thursday to go Черноярка (Chernayarka), which is that “house of rest” or better translated, “resort.” I put the quotes around resort not only because it’s a translation, but also because it isn’t exactly what we’d picture as a resort. At Chernayarka, there are some large cabin type buildings and grills, and 4 wheelers you can rent. It’s quite difficult to describe what is a “house of rest” because, well, because it is. Ask mom and dad, they were at one when they visited.

Quick! What’s the best way to clean 20 pounds of tomatoes, 11 pounds of eggplant, 5 pounds of carrots, and 11 pounds of green peppers? My bathtub, of course. Nina, a gift of God, took me to a store that sold produce for an amazing price. For all of the above listed items, I paid 1200 tenge ($10 dollars). That’s an amazing price here and I know you guys at home are even more jealous. I’m going to be canning and freezing for a while today :-) Good thing Saule is coming back into town tonight – I’ll make her help me cut and boil vegetables. Winter’s a coming (predicted frost tonight), and it’s time to get my stocks of veggies ready to go.

One of my English club goers invited me over to his apartment to help him download a skin for his windows media player and I knew that meant one thing: his mom was going to cook for me. I showed up, helped him out, and what do you know, she cooked a vegetarian casserole for me! That was really nice, it was really tasty, and I really appreciated it. :-) Then she proceeded with the usual trying to stuff my (metaphorical) pockets with food as I left. I turned down several things politely, but couldn’t get away without some fresh basil and hot chili peppers.

Another week, another set of fun and challenges. Saule got a job! She’ll be working as an interpreter at a local factory, which is great news. I’ve also secured a spot for her son, Dilshat (please, stop laughing...), at our Center’s kindergarten group, so that’s another worry taken care of. Smile, life’s good.

Hervé on his way out, heading to Almaty.

The guys (and female Methodologist) with whom I work, grilling meat.

Our kids with their parents eating dinner at Chernayarka.

Playing billiards!

The carrots sunk to the bottom...

Let us Produce (thanks for the correction, jon) - anybody remember that produce company? They operate in Virginia. Clever name. I've got no lettuce, but I do have produce.

Blissful brews and Belgium blokes

2008-09-02T23:21:00.021+06:00

To those who are interested, here is the beer list of beers tried while on vacation. The rating is from 0-4, 4 being the best, 3 being drinkable and good, 2 marginal (“eh”), 1 not very good, 0 bad. Not all of these beers were tried in their respective countries, sadly. The Austrian beers were easy to get, though, being so close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. And the Hungarian beer was in the airport, sadly.

1) KEO (Cyprus) – 2

2) Borsodi (Hungary) – 3

3) Falcon (Sweden) – 1

4) Norrlunds Guld (Sweden) – 1

5) Bishops Finger (Kent, England) – 3

6) Three Hearts, Halländsk Svagdricka (Sweden) – 0

7) Åbro, original (Sweden) – 3

8) Vimmerby, pilsner (Sweden) – 3

9) Åbro, arton 56 (Sweden) – 3

10) Grebbestard, Koster (Sweden) – 4

11) Wisby, pilsner (Sweden) – 3

12) Mariestads (Sweden) – 3

13) D. Carnegie & Co., porter (Sweden) – 2

14) Småland, pilsner (Sweden) – 0

15) MB, porter, Årgäng (Sweden) – 3

16) Jämtlands, postiljon, pale ale (Sweden) – 4

17) Nils Oscar, india ale (Sweden) – 4+

18) Nils Oscar, Kalasöl (Sweden) – 3

19) Oppigårds, golden ale (Sweden) – 3

20) Zeunerts, ale (Sweden) – 3

21) Benediktinerabte, Platkstetten, dinkel (Germany) – 3

22) Riedenburger (Germany) – 3

23) Unertl, Bio-dinkel weisse (Germany) – 3

24) Puntigamer (Austria) – 2

25) Murauer, Märzen (Austria) – 2

26) Gösser (Austria) – 2

27) Dom Bräu, Red Chili Pepper (Austria) – 4

28) Dom Bräu, Styria dunkl (Austria) – 3

29) Gambrinus, schankbier (Austria) – 2

30) Salzburger, stiegl (Austria) – 2

31) Wieselburger, gold (Austria) – 2

32) Mönchsbräu, schankbier (Austria) – 1

33) Ottakringer, helles (Austria) – 2

34) Schwechhater (Austria) – 2

35) Hacker-Pschorr Faßbier hell (Germany) – 3

36) König Ludwig, dunkel (Germany) – 3

37) Oettinger, dunkles hefeweizen (Germany) – 3

38) Wittenwalder, jager dunkel (Germany) – 3

39) Andechser, bergboch hell (Germany) – 3

40) Süffiges Kloster, edel-hell (Germany) – 3

41) Klosterbrauerei Ettaler, edel-hell (Germany) – 3

As you can see (if you were dorky enough to read that entire list ;-) ), number 17 was an exceptional beer and by far my favorite beer on the entire trip, thereby receiving the “4+” mark. I had a great time trying all of these, even though the Austrian beers weren’t so great – perhaps they’d taste better in Austria, who knows. Well, I guess I’ll have to give them another chance on their home territory next time.

Recently, one of my only good local friends left for China for two years. She’ll be back on winter and summer breaks, but I was really sad to see her go… I went to the bus station to send her off and tried to look strong in front of my friend :-) She’ll have a great time studying there, though, and learning a completely different culture and language. We loved to talk about cooking together over a glass of wine and I’ll miss those times, but that simply means that she’ll have to cook Chinese food for me when she returns.

Back to work was about what I expected – the first week was slow because everyone wanted to hear about my trip and see my pictures, so I didn’t get much done. But things are moving along – I need to get my project promoted and funded back home so that we can get things moving along here. Please look at the project and see if you want to help me do good things here :-) We’ve also got a big sponsor’s event coming up soon to thank our sponsors and re-energize them for the coming year. Preparations are under way, but as usual, it still wasn’t early enough and we’ll be scraping at the last minute to get the details taken care of. Welcome back to Kazakhstan, I suppose…

Couchsurfing is going full circle right now as well. I couched surfed in Sweden and Germany and when I returned, a guy from Britain who had been in China for 6 months couchsurfed with me for a few days. He left Saturday and Tuesday arrived another couchsurfer from France/Belgium. As I’ve always said, I could never imagine so many people would come through Pavlodar. Perhaps it’s because there is a chapter about Pavlodar in the Central Asian Lonely Planet guidebook…

Nina had a bunch of people over to her place for dinner the other night, including myself and Saule, to show her pictures and tell stories about her trip. It was a really nice time, even if I did have to deal with the shock of one of Nina’s white lies catching up to me when her very Azerbaijani and Muslim friend, Gulia, saw me drinking a beer. You see, to impress Gulia, Nina told her that I didn’t smoke, have sex, or drink. Well, a couple of those are correct, but drinking is definitely not one of them. So I got this look from Gulia throughout the evening as if I had kicked a puppy or something. I felt bad, but not really for me.

To return the favor, I invited Nina and Saule over for dinner at my place last night. It was a fairly good meal, but I realized that I don’t know how to pair foods too well, haha. I made ratatouille and pasta tossed with pesto sauce. Both were good with the semi-dry red wine I had, but definitely shouldn’t have been eaten together. I should have heeded my friend Cho’s advice about the ratatouille being too heavy (which it was, with pasta), but it was good and everyone seemed to enjoy. Rounded off with some ice cream, a nice treat here, I’d call it an enjoyable evening with two important people to me and a nice start back to life as usual in Kazakhstan.

My english club student, Эльвин (Elvin), presents at the Azerbaijan festival.

Azerbaijan traditional dancing.

Big man on the floor, watch out!

For those of you who get the humor, cool. For others, well, it says "1337." Basically, ask a computer geek.

A conception drawing of the the swimming pool project we're interested in.

Preparing genuine beshparmak with real horse meat is no easy task, especially if the bone is too long for the pot. Trim time!

Saule is the beshparmak master.

Enjoying some meat and noodles.

Full from magical beshparmak, everyone is in a dreamy stage of happiness.

At nina's, her return to Kazakhstan party.

Saule, myself, and Tom, the couchsurfer from Britain who had spent 6 months in China and 4 months in Prague.

Another great lunch: mushroom salad, baba ganoush, pickles, "chechel" cheese, mini leposhka bread, and a beer. Mmm :-)

Herve, myself, and Saule enjoying a beer after some local food at an outdoor cafe.

English, Egyptian, and Ekibastus: Everyone’s eager!

2008-08-28T10:21:00.017+06:00

Germany August 14^th, Almaty August 15^th, Pavlodar August 16^th, and then to Bayanaul August 18^th for an English camp. Busy, busy, busy… Anyways, I was really excited to do this English camp and I’m totally glad I signed on for it. The way the camp was arranged was that there were 5 teams, each representing a country. Each day was a different country’s theme (i.e. Monday was India day, Tuesday was Egypt day, etc.) There were five different lessons they went to each day: Art, Culture, Biography, History, and Language. For whatever reason, I got picked to teach language each day, meaning I had to teach phrases in Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, and French. Nothing complicated – we only had 25 minutes for each lesson, so I was able to learn the phrases I needed and teach them.

Afternoons were filled with different activities and beach time. And like all summer camps, the kids were a bit shy at the beginning of the week as most people don’t know each other. But by the end of the camp, you have seen these kids! They were in love with the American counselors, that’s for sure. Most of them wouldn’t stop asking for pictures and/ or our signatures… I’m no rock star, but I got a little taste of what that’s like… we were rock stars to these kids and you could really see they had a great time and that’s what made me the most happy :-)

After camp was finished and all had said their goodbyes, several of the volunteers needed to catch a bus back to the city. But after many hours of standing in the ticket line, we found out that the last two buses of the day had no more spots on them… So we bummed around a bit, trying to negotiate taxi prices with people and finally got a guy to drive us to a different town where he assured us we could catch a bus back to Pavlodar. We took him up on the offer and set off for Ekibastus. We got there at just the right time to buy the last 7 tickets on the last bus to Pavlodar. A miracle, for certain.

Four weeks of being away from home meant only one thing: time to open the nice wine and take a hot bath and answer 78 emails. For now, life is back to normal. And while I like to be on the go, traveling as much as possible, sometimes quiet and normal is nice, too :-)

my team, team India, preparing their flag and poster.

"The Big Game" monsters: Andrew, Scott, and Jeff

Team India posing after their team skit - nice elephant!

Every day was ended with a review game - I did a mix of jeopardy and a race.

Annnnnnnd.... Go!

Tie dye time

Relay race

Review game number 2 - tie their legs together than make them walk around answering questions.

Review game #3 - hide under a blanket and answer questions?

Saule helping me build a sweet fire.

Anyone wants s'mores?

Mary, me, Akmaral, and Jeff

Sumo wrestling on the beach on Japan day.

Sumo wrestling fun :-)

I finally gave in to chants and beat Danil, a local teacher, in Sumo wrestling.

Spain's skit started with some very convincing spanish musicians.

Dodgeball!

I taught my language lessons in the yurt - pretty cool.

Posing on a break on the hike.

Dance party!

Hullo

Germany, Garmisch-Partenkichen, and gute Getränke

2008-08-26T19:19:00.011+06:00

On my way to Germany, I met a travel buddy on the bus to the airport in Sweden. She was speaking Russian on the phone behind me and when she hung up, I couldn’t resist starting a conversation because I found it strange to hear Russian in Sweden. Turned out that we were taking the same flight, so we chatted the whole way and then even sat together on the plane, as there were extra seats. It’s nice to have someone to talk with when traveling sometimes.

Got to Germany without any hitches – as I was buying my train ticket, some older gentleman approached me and wanted to help me and showed me some special ticket that I could buy that saved me a couple euros. I didn’t understand why someone would simply help someone else – he didn’t want to preach to me or anything like that… guess I’ve been living in K-stan too long…

Jessi picked me up at the train station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine when we got back. The week was spent fairly quietly walking around town and doing a fair amount of hiking in the nearby mountains. I’d actually really like to go back and spend another week or two hiking around that beautiful region of Germany.

Tuesday evening was spent at the Partenkirchen festival, a great event filled with everything that is traditionally Bavarian. Live music, dancing, large Maß’s, and lively conversation with people dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndl’s. In fact, if you weren’t wearing those clothes, you were in the minority and I felt slightly disappointed that I didn’t purchase a set at the second hand store earlier that day.

Wednesday we went out to dinner with an older gentleman that works at the military resort there. His nickname is Pineapple and he’s a guy in his 70’s from Hawaii that served in the military and apparently has hard core experience, but you’d never know by looking at this cute little man. He ordered a Chateau Brignon (sp?) for 8 and it was so much food!

Thursday morning I left to go back home to Kazakhstan… I was quite sad, though satisfied with my journeys. When I connected in Riga, I could tell I was getting close to Kazakhstan by the lingering vodka smell in the waiting area and the very marginal, yet loud music playing from cell phones with 4-5 men huddled around. The next morning, as I was kicking trash on the dirt path to the Peace Corps office in Almaty, I thought about the vast differences between the two lands and how lucky we really are as Americans.

I’ve tried to not take anything in my life for granted, but it’s impossible to not do that until you’ve lived or at least spent a lot of time overseas. In the States, if the AC stops working, we get irritated and angry. Should I be so lucky to have an AC even if only for a week! Or how about trash collection that is barely functional? Feeling safe going for a walk in the neighborhood at night? A variety of fresh foods year-round? Knowing more than 5 recipes? So many things I’m grateful for these days, especially after a 3 week reminder in Western Europe.

Enjoying a beer in the garden.

A hike up the mountain reveals a gorgeous scene.

WW1 and WW2 memorials at a monastery.

The highest mountains in Germany - the highest is off to the right (looks small because of depth perception) and is called Zugspitze

A cute little cottage by a lake up in the mountains.

Partenkirchen Festival - woohoo!

Bavarian dancing.

You'll notice in the very bottom left corner that beverages are necessary to play good festival music.

Maß number...?

If it isn't in the movie Beerfest, it should be: The liter chug on a bench that is hoisted in the air.

Swedish supremacy of several sorts

2008-08-26T00:02:00.018+06:00

I arrived in Sweden in the early afternoon to meet the most wonderful host ever! Tove met me at the bus station and we walked back to her place. First, Tove (pronounced Tu-veh) spoke perfect English and I mean perfect English. Göteborg (Gothenburg) is a really nice city and I could see myself living there, especially after having a really close look at the city. Thanks to Tove, I’ve finally been able to experience how awesome Couchsurfing can be.

Göteborg (well, Sweden in general) is an expensive city (country), but you can see where the money goes – into public services. It’s so clean and everything is just so. Sweden had the best public transportation that I’ve ever experienced – trams, buses, tram-buses, bus-trams (ok, no bus-trams), etc. But as a result of the cost of everything, I decided to do most of my own Swedish cuisine cooking since to eat out costs at least $12 a meal (the cheapest lunch I found). Salmon is relatively inexpensive, so I enjoyed several meals of salmon, which tastes great in Sweden! Because I had little selection in Cyprus and at the Budapest airport, I had to expand my beer tasting big time in Sweden in my quest to try as many as I could. Seventeen was all that I time for, sadly, as I only found the state-run alcohol store on Monday (closed on Sunday, but arrived Thursday). More on that later.

Göteborg is historically a huge port city and continues to be one today. There are many boats and little side harbors for personal crafts. And in fact, they have ferries that move quite quickly around the harbor as part of their public transportation. Tove and I hit it off really well and got along so well that she even took me out to see her mom’s place on her day off. Her mom lives on an old Swedish fishing island and let’s just say I had Swedish overload on that day. From the ferry to the colored cottages; the all bikes and no cars to the quaintly and perfectly disorderly gardens and kitchen, I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Visiting Brännö was definitely the highlight of my trip to Sweden. We poked around her mom’s house for a couple hours, went swimming in the harbor, and then made open-faced sandwiches and drank coffee and talked to her mom, who had just returned from a year in Iceland.

So like a real Swede, and, really, like a good American, I made the holy pilgrimage to IKEA. It was everything I had expected. To be honest, I had never been in an IKEA before, so I had no idea what to expect. I bought a couple things for the kitchen (a knife sharpener and a magnetic knife strip that can hang above the stove or something) and enjoyed a tasty meal at the café. To be honest, that was the only traditional Swedish meal that I could find for less than $15-20. It was really tasty and you’ll be proud to know, Grandma, that I ordered it and paid for it all in Swedish :-) I also went to several fish markets and took in the sights of all the fresh catches of the day.

And perhaps the funniest part of the trip to Sweden was the stories I heard about the park that was just outside my host’s apartment. There are some high hills there and I heard many stories from locals about how during Viking times, families used to take the elderly who only sat at home and ate and who didn’t contribute anything anymore to the top of this hill and push them off. They called it Ättestupan and I know my family will get a morbid kick out of this story as I surely did (I told my Swedish acquaintance that my Grandma would probably laugh if she heard about that and that my mom and aunt surely would, haha) :-).

Sweden: check.

Me on the second bridge on my first night in the city.

I love to visit churches wherever I go and it just so happened that a choir was practicing when I went - awesome!

The Göteborg Botanical Gardens.

Some typical swedish-styled homes (on the richer end, of course).

A bit cliche, ok, but still cool.

At the top of Ättestupan, getting some sun.

The pilgrimage has been completed.

Salmon, rice, and vegetables with a salad, cake, and get this, lingonberry juice!

Overlooking the city.

Hanging out in front of one of the harbors.

The ferries that shuttle people back and forth from the islands to the mainland.

Picnic table in the garden.

Garden tools and potting stuff.

Reading room - so cozy and warm-looking!

Almost everyone on the island had a boat.

Staying warm after a chilling swim!

Cute shot of a sail boat and the little sheds that litter the waterside

Classic Cyprus civilization

2008-08-25T22:17:00.005+06:00

July 25^th – the family left for Cyprus with a one day layover in Dubai and I left on the 26^th on a stuffy bus with a stomach bug from eating apples the other day. But I had good flights and connections to Cyprus and was feeling great by the time I got there. I arrived 4 hours before my family did, so I peaced out and went straight to the beach, where I proceeded to burn myself for two hours before meeting the family at the airport.

The weather in Cyprus was perfect if you like lots of sun and hot weather. It really was nice there, though. A very clean country, there were lots of quaint little places on the outskirts of Larnaca. The food and wine culture there is heavily Greek and that meant one thing: drink as many local wines and eat as much hummus and pita bread as possible. Well, there was Bailey’s also, which the ‘rents picked up in Duty free. I hadn’t had Bailey’s for some time, so that was a real treat.

The hotel was too fancy for me, but it was nice. The breakfast bar they had was amazing! Omelets every morning, muesli, fresh fruit, tea – haven’t eaten that well in sometime. The hotel was located right on the beach, so it was easy to go out for a swim in the bath-temperature water. The porter was a cheerful guy who taught me a few Greek phrases and had a lot of interesting things to say (aka: I attracted another religious nut, this time a Jehovah’s witness who insisted on giving me a book about creationism).

Cyprus: check.

The big salt lake.

Greek salad, hummus, pita bread, and house wine = great lunch.

Mom and dad, from a distance, in the Mediterranean.

Old lady hand making the famous lace that is found in Cyprus.

Me above the city.

This is the church where St. Lazarus was buried the second time.

The last dinner in Cyprus! Delicious

Family freaks at formidable frights

2008-08-25T21:36:00.017+06:00

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated here, aside from a quick note I wrote while in Germany. Короче, I was with my family here in Pavlodar for a week, then on vacation for three weeks, then at an English camp for a week. Instead of writing one huge blog post covering everything in either way too much detail or way too little detail, I’ve decided to break up the blogs by location, hopefully making it a bit more digestable. Let’s delve!

Mom, Dad, Aunt Sue, and Grant came for a visit for a little less than a week in mid-July. What a culture shock that was for them :-) I tried to show them as much as I could about the culture here, but am afraid I failed in this task. At the least, they got to meet the important people in my life here, see how I live, where I work, and get a better appreciation for my life as a volunteer.

They arrived on a Saturday, beat and worn from long flights and airplane food. Naturally, they needed some local cuisine to brighten their moods, so we went to a local outdoor café and I ordered a table of traditional foods (sadly, no beshparmak or baursaki). I had beer and salad and watched with great joy as they tried the different foods. Some were hits, some weren’t… eh, that’s life in a nutshell.

Nina’s birthday was on Sunday, the day after they arrived, so we went to their family dacha and celebrated out there. The weather was hot, but there was a little breeze, lots of good food, and wine and vodka for all.

Other things the family saw and experienced: they got to know my beer lady at the store really well and met my fruits and vegetable lady as well, they apparently fell in love with karagandinskaya beer and the vegetable spreads, understand what 100+, no air-conditioning, and no breeze feels like, see soviet-styled buildings, and see lots of trash and littering. Cool!

The highest point of the visit was, for me, when we went to Bayanaul and the ‘rents met the lady. Saule was particularly nervous, especially after I shared news of pre-mature drama that has already been solved, but it went really well and I think we all had a nice time, despite the crappy bus ride and rain. The rain died off and we went for a walk and had a nice time. Then we snacked on some food and beer and I taught my parents how to play “Durak,” and then proceeded to whoop everyone. Score.

Arriving at the airport, tears and all :-)

Showing Kazakhstanis what veggie shish-ka-bobs are.

Having a picnic in the garden.

Family shot!

Mom and Nina

The birthday-celebrating group.

The family trying out lunch at Samal Centre.

Mom and Dad in Bayanaul.

I like this picture.

Family time at the embankment.

Pizza and wine with the family and Andrew and Adam. A very American dinner, as you can see.

Saule

Moi

Grant cooking the last dinner: Ratatouille, apple sauce, etc.

Germany's great and gorgeous

2008-08-10T22:12:00.002+06:00

Hey all, this is just a quick update to tell everyone that I'm on vacation, that's why I haven't updated recently. I'm in southern Germany right now and will return to Pavlodar on the 16th- I had a fun time in Cyprus, a great time in Sweden, and am having a relaxing and enjoyable time in Germany. Until then :-)

Planet of Youth, pizza, and pita bread - прекрасно!

2008-07-12T08:29:00.013+06:00

Disappointments are a tough thing to work through alone, I’ve decided. I’d talk to someone, but being limited by language, a lack of local close friends, and many people who simply don’t understand the situation in a cultural context makes it difficult to communicate my frustrations. The result is a melancholy feeling, a feeling of isolation, and being around people I don’t know well puts me in a worse mood, like I’m becoming a misanthrope or something.

I’ve really gotten into old Soviet cinematography as of late. I never used to really be big into films, but part of my homework these days is to watch Russian films. I’ve become quite the coinsurer of old Russian films, especially the 50s/ 60s era. And it’s really cheap to get into because you can buy DVDs at the market for about $5 that have 8, 10, or even 14 movies on one disk. I told myself that I want to really learn this language and every language is influenced by its culture. It’s been interesting to learn little phrases from movies that are quipped in daily speech.

The previous four days have been spent back at the lake “Jesabai,” where we had session two of summer camp. My sole job was supposed to be photo taking and shooting video, but, as always with my organization, things didn’t quite go as planned… oh well, no worries I suppose. I got quite a bit of work done as far as a report and a form I needed to fill out for Peace Corps and wrote a bit more on the project. The goal is to have the “Planet of Youth” project written and submitted before I leave for vacation, so I’m really trying to crank it out.

I got to watch the first thunderstorm I’ve seen in Kazakhstan last evening and it was awesome! Just what I needed to help boost my mood a bit and it was complete with thunder and lightening. I was leaning out my balcony, talking with my neighbor on his balcony, and we watched it roll in. Then I closed the windows, pulled up a chair, had a beer and ate pita bread with baba ghanoush. A nice close to the work week :-)

Wine, pizza, and our typical evening sunsets. Jealous yet?

The basil is really coming up!

Me and my counterpart's sister, Olga, working at the dacha (Cherry trees in background).

Nina eating more cherries than collecting ;-)

Slava, Olga's husband, watering the strawberry plants. He's one of the chillest guys I've met in a while - not much get's him excited.

This is what the Dacha region looks like - perhaps a half acre of land each with a little cottage like house.

An underground newspaper! At the top is stamped "not for sale."

This guy is the first local I've seen in Kazakhstan to be sporting a full grown beard. Had to have a photo.

Me and one of the cutest kids ever. He has cerebral palsy, as does his twin brother. They have the softest looking faces (personality I mean) and easily steal one's heart :-)

Slava and his mom playing in the lake.

Some relatives of friends of cousins twice removed (i don't know exactly who they were or why they were at the camp) - we hung out on the beach one night and had a beer together. Nice people.

Baba ghanoush and fresh pita bread - mmm!

A late saturday morning breakfast.

Surreal scenery and sparkling spectacles

2008-07-03T20:52:00.021+06:00

Our first summer camp at lake “Jesabai” was a… success, I suppose. We weren’t really measuring by anything other than perhaps the kids having some fun, so I guess that’s all that matters. Good thing too – I started the camp by daily recording what happened, but reread and realized how negative it all sounded. Perhaps memories of the last summer camp I worked at in Germany and the poor planning, déjà vu feeling rejuvenated that same disdain for poorly planned summer camp stuff… I decided to delete my notes on the third day, not wanting to remember every small detail, choosing instead the overall feel of the camp. Like that summer camp in Germany, I want to forget the small and daily problems.

I planned a bunch of activities for the kids and explained them as best as I could to the instructor. The disabled children sometimes have trouble understanding me, which is no fault of their own; I just simply can’t explain things in a way they’d understand. I think they enjoyed them, I tried to think of games that would require use of their bodies and I focused on tactile and motor skills specifically as most of our kids have some form of cerebral palsy and fine muscle movements can be more difficult.

The nature here is simply awesome. When the entourage comes in July, Bayanaul and more specifically, lake “Jesabai” are a must. If I can round up some tents and sleeping bags, maybe we’ll even sleep up in the mountains. But don’t get your hopes up: three weeks definitely isn’t enough time to accomplish much here in Kazakhstan.

Saule was able to come out on the last evening of camp. We hiked up to a spot I had visited earlier in the week and though it was cloudy, it was still so beautiful to be up there. We headed back and took part in the closing ceremony and the next day we went back to Bayanaul while the rest returned to Pavlodar. Tuesday evening, we met with Saule’s friends, Rauan and Aliya, and had a nice time together chatting over a couple beers. Rauan is a clever man and he is one of the few (Saule the other) locals who understand my jokes.

Andrew and Nick at the train station.

John Sasser, our new country director, and me

Lunch time

Me with Roma and Samat with Vitya.

Nina Gregorina, one of our teacher/specialists, with "Madiya," the cutest boy ever.

Anja and me in the mountains above the lake.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

me and Max.

Sonja and Murat playing one of the games.

Dance time!

:-)

Me having tea inside a "yurt."

The very decorative interior of a yurt.

What to say? cool background

A guest medical specialist doing a presentation on anti-smoking.

Playing another game.

Crazy looking rock, eh?

I taught a lesson on knot tying. Clove hitch in russian is "выбленочный узел." I think I'll take the shorter and infinitely easier English.

:-)

Saule and I at the café.