Looking back on what I have (sporadically) written in my journal, I am
amazed at how much the fear of the unknown can consume me. At least
three times during the month of October I wrote about how scared I was
to leave the familiar and leap once again out of my comfort zone. I
remember thinking on the morning I left my host family in Almaty, why
is it that I am always leaving one family or another, always moving
somewhere else, always causing myself this stress!? It’s irrational,
really. And I hate being irrational.
Yet, I often find myself in irrational situations with irrational
fears. My fears of the unknown and jumping into what I once called “a
frozen, foreign openness with no outside contact and no reprieve from
loneliness,” really hasn’t been that bad! I have adjusted to every
new experience surprisingly well and found Turkestan to be no
different. I felt immediately at home here and knew I could spend the
next two years comfortably here. Though I can’t say everything feels
familiar, it is certainly comfortable. My trip to the outhouse every
morning, layering on the clothes and putting on my (new, furry, and
heeled) boots for school, my ride with the neighbors, lunch with the
teachers, and dinner with the family still seem new and different. I
still have to plan most of my moves and certainly have to practice all
of my conversations in my head before actually speaking! I am okay
with all of this still feeling new- I don’t want my time here to go
too fast!
It seems so fast already, faster even then high school and college. I
find myself awake in the middle of the night wondering when in the
world I will get everything done if time goes this fast. I worry
about my students and if they are actually improving and I worry about
my teachers and if they will actually change their attitudes and
methods. It’s harder and harder to find my zen when I know that every
move is my own and this experience will be no more and no less than
what I make it. If I wait patiently for things to happen at school or
in my lessons, they just won’t happen. Though I lose my zen now and
then, I manage to keep my happiness. If I suspect a difficult day, I
put on my comfortable clothes, put on some perfume to feel clean, play
my happy music, and pack some extra coffee for school!
Some experiences have helped abate my worries and feel integrated into
the community. There are a lot of young teachers at my school that
really want to be friends with me and for this I am equally surprised
and grateful! They invite me places and teach me Kazakh words that my
tutor won’t teach me! They bring me snickers bars and help me set up
Skype at school so I can talk with my friends and family (Dima). I am
so so lucky for these guys. My most loyal new friend, Maral, invited
me to her brother’s wedding, then over to her house for dinner, then
to banya. I am getting to know her family they rejuvenate my mood
immensely!
The banya experience was certainly one to remember. Banya in many
countries in this part of the world is a public sauna/bath. Men and
women are separated and everyone bathes together completely naked.
There are various types of these banyas, some with big open rooms
where everyone is together and some with private rooms where just one
party bathes together. Maral, her mother, little sister, my
counterpart, and I went to a banya in the middle of the steppe about
30 minutes from Turkestan. The banya is a dome-like structure (called
the egg) built over a natural, underground hot spring. We all went
into this huge egg and then into our own room which consisted of 2
shower heads and an old bathtub. Basically, you seal up your room and
the hot water runs constantly, steaming everything up. You shower
like usual and sit in the bathtub of really hot water. The most
surprising thing about banya to me is the exfoliating process. You
take a course scrubber-thing and rub the same spot on your skin until
it starts to peel off. We have a surprising amount of dead and dirty
skin just hanging out! You can try this at home if you want- after
showering, when you are still a little damp, just rub your fingers
pretty hard on one spot for a while, until you feel your dead skin
peel right off! Good places usually include under the collar bones,
ankle bones, behind your knees, right by your armpit, etc. It hurts a
little, but just think of all that gross skin you don’t need any more!
My counterpart and Maral also thought we needed to drink some beer
while bathing, so we bought a few bottles to bring to the community
event! Imagine going to a public bath in America and bringing your
glass beer bottle in with you! Welcome to Kazakhstan. After our bath
and beer, we went to the middle of the egg to eat fish. Yep- fish in
the middle of the steppe in a country with very few sources of clean
water to be fished. It was surprisingly delicious, though. We picked
at this filleted, fried fish with our fingers until there was nothing
left, and climbed back into the car to make our way to Turkestan.
So- as it turns out, integrating and finding friends is as easy as
being willing to drive into the steppe, scrub off your skin completely
naked with strangers while drinking a beer in an egg and sharing a
fish afterwards. What was I worried about?!
Peace and Happy Holidays from the Beyond,
Jennie
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Clarification
Салем!!! Hello!!!
I hear there is some confusion about what I am doing in Kazakhstan, so I want to clear that up!
I flew into Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, in August with 70 other Peace Corps trainees. We were split into about five different groups and sent to smaller villages (like suburbs) around Almaty for training. My group was located in a village called Taldybulak. There were 10 of us (in the beginning, 8 of us in the end) who were trained in teaching techniques, lesson planning, and cultural experiences. The 10 of us were split into two smaller groups for language training and our teaching practicum. I was with three other girls named Sarah, Clara, and Carrie. We studied Kazakh 3-5 hours per day in a teeny tiny classroom and also taught and observed lessons in School 34. We frequently saw the other “language group” of 4 students that studied across the street at School 35. The pictures you might have seen on Facebook are of training and my friends there.
In the beginning of November, we packed our bags and were sworn in as real Peace Corps Volunteers. We attended a conference and met the teachers and organizations that we would work with as volunteers. This is where I met my counterpart teacher Gulshat. From Almaty, Gulshat and I boarded a train to Turkestan where I have been since. I have been here a month now! Gulshat and Ardak are two local teachers in the school I work at. The school is called Daryn School. It is a school for gifted students who must pass a test to get into the school and subsequently pass monthly tests to make sure they are studying well enough. I teach 21 hours of lessons every week with Gulshat and Ardak (there is another teacher, but due to family problems, I haven’t taught with her yet). We lesson plan and give lessons together every day, soon we will hold topical clubs for the students I hope!
I will be in Turkestan for the entire 2 years and will stay at the same school. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the students at the school. When I am stressed and frustrated with the constant tests and interruptions and cultural differences and and and…. I go out to a common space for students and sit on the sofas. They are set back in this little cove that is surrounded on three sides by hanging fake flowers and vines. I sit there until my students come by and say, “Hi Miss Jennie! How are you?!” They make me so so happy. They are so open, so diverse, and so honest. These are the only students I have ever met that speak such truth. When they do poorly on their tests and I ask them why, they say, “Because I’m lazy and I don’t study enough.” They are taught from a very young age that they fail because of not working hard enough. I tell them that I don’t know a single student in the States that would blame their own laziness for failing. We often blame teachers, schedules, the test, etc. I have the utmost respect for these students and know they are anything but lazy.
The students study from 8:30 or 9am until 5pm from Monday to Saturday. I also work at the school during these hours and am known for carrying a huge bag of work home with me every day! I spend any free time I have during the day speaking to students. I am slowly learning their names, but am ashamed for not knowing more already. There are so many of them and their names are so difficult for me! Anyway- I could carry on forever about them. They make my day every single day. They light up life here!
I hope that the situation is a little clearer for everyone. If you have any questions or just any news- please email me! If any of you out there are interested in Peace Corps, definitely email me! Jennie.vader@gmail.com
And while we’re at it, here is my address. I have already received letters (from my mom and Peace Corps…..hint) at this address, so it is a-okay!
Jennie Vader
Abishev Aupkhan
Edige Batyr Street 36
South Kazakhstan Oblast, Turkestan 161200
Republic of KAZAKHSTAN
I hear there is some confusion about what I am doing in Kazakhstan, so I want to clear that up!
I flew into Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, in August with 70 other Peace Corps trainees. We were split into about five different groups and sent to smaller villages (like suburbs) around Almaty for training. My group was located in a village called Taldybulak. There were 10 of us (in the beginning, 8 of us in the end) who were trained in teaching techniques, lesson planning, and cultural experiences. The 10 of us were split into two smaller groups for language training and our teaching practicum. I was with three other girls named Sarah, Clara, and Carrie. We studied Kazakh 3-5 hours per day in a teeny tiny classroom and also taught and observed lessons in School 34. We frequently saw the other “language group” of 4 students that studied across the street at School 35. The pictures you might have seen on Facebook are of training and my friends there.
In the beginning of November, we packed our bags and were sworn in as real Peace Corps Volunteers. We attended a conference and met the teachers and organizations that we would work with as volunteers. This is where I met my counterpart teacher Gulshat. From Almaty, Gulshat and I boarded a train to Turkestan where I have been since. I have been here a month now! Gulshat and Ardak are two local teachers in the school I work at. The school is called Daryn School. It is a school for gifted students who must pass a test to get into the school and subsequently pass monthly tests to make sure they are studying well enough. I teach 21 hours of lessons every week with Gulshat and Ardak (there is another teacher, but due to family problems, I haven’t taught with her yet). We lesson plan and give lessons together every day, soon we will hold topical clubs for the students I hope!
I will be in Turkestan for the entire 2 years and will stay at the same school. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the students at the school. When I am stressed and frustrated with the constant tests and interruptions and cultural differences and and and…. I go out to a common space for students and sit on the sofas. They are set back in this little cove that is surrounded on three sides by hanging fake flowers and vines. I sit there until my students come by and say, “Hi Miss Jennie! How are you?!” They make me so so happy. They are so open, so diverse, and so honest. These are the only students I have ever met that speak such truth. When they do poorly on their tests and I ask them why, they say, “Because I’m lazy and I don’t study enough.” They are taught from a very young age that they fail because of not working hard enough. I tell them that I don’t know a single student in the States that would blame their own laziness for failing. We often blame teachers, schedules, the test, etc. I have the utmost respect for these students and know they are anything but lazy.
The students study from 8:30 or 9am until 5pm from Monday to Saturday. I also work at the school during these hours and am known for carrying a huge bag of work home with me every day! I spend any free time I have during the day speaking to students. I am slowly learning their names, but am ashamed for not knowing more already. There are so many of them and their names are so difficult for me! Anyway- I could carry on forever about them. They make my day every single day. They light up life here!
I hope that the situation is a little clearer for everyone. If you have any questions or just any news- please email me! If any of you out there are interested in Peace Corps, definitely email me! Jennie.vader@gmail.com
And while we’re at it, here is my address. I have already received letters (from my mom and Peace Corps…..hint) at this address, so it is a-okay!
Jennie Vader
Abishev Aupkhan
Edige Batyr Street 36
South Kazakhstan Oblast, Turkestan 161200
Republic of KAZAKHSTAN
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Working Hard to Make a Difference
Just as I thought the initial frustrations of being in Turkestan would
consume me, I had the best day at school. I have been met with many
of the frustrations that PCVs always encounter. I knew I would
encounter different teaching styles, different perceptions of being
prepared, different lesson plans, etc, but I couldn’t do anything to
prepare myself for these differences- who knows what you will find
once at site?
The three teachers I am working with all speak English very well, but
we are all concerned with how little the students can speak.
Everyone, even the students, is aware of this problem. However, a
young, single, energetic, new PC volunteer doesn’t always fit in with
the status quo of teachers in Kazakhstan. The teachers and I were
taught by drastically different techniques in completely different
worlds. I was also trained very differently than they were, in a
crash course of lesson plans, practicum, and basically learning a lot
of ways to make class fun! They were mostly taught grammar and give
lectures. Two of the three also have families and currently one’s
mother is very ill. You might be able to see where frustrations can
come from all sides!
I started actually teaching lessons on Friday the 19th of November.
As a prerequisite to teaching lessons, I must plan the lesson with the
teacher. This is very important to Peace Corps, and of course (for
all of you who even remotely know me!) planning is very important to
me! Finding time to plan is difficult, especially when the teachers
are used to mostly winging it using the textbook. I had to convince
them to meet at least two days before the lesson because it is very
hard to find fun activities and prepare them the night before the
lesson. I had to keep nagging the poor teachers to meet with me. We
had to plan at least 4 or 5 lessons in one or two sittings, which is
grueling. Usually we are planning after already giving 3 or 4 lessons
that day. Yesterday, I was pretty sure the two teachers I was working
with were about to call Peace Corps and ask them to take me back.
I was starting to get nervous about the situation. I didn’t want to
have to ask to meet every five minutes and was afraid that they would
start to hate me for it. Then…today my counterpart got to school a
solid 20 minutes before she usually does, told a friend she couldn’t
talk because she had to lesson plan, and we stayed at school to plan
until 6pm. She took on an additional lesson to tutor struggling
students and our lessons went really well today! The students actually
thanked us at the end for a “really interesting lesson.” I was the
second person at school today and Gulshat and I were the last ones
out. I left the house in the dark this morning and returned in the
dark, but it was definitely the pick-me-up I needed.
Of course, I am not naïve enough to imagine that everyday will feel
this good or be as successful. However, I think we will make progress
if all of us persist, remain motivated, and force each other to be
disciplined! (I sound like a damn inspirational tape people listen to
in their cars during traffic jams.) I can’t even imagine how tiring
this process will be, though. I hope we see results in the students so
that the teachers (and I!) are convinced that the extra work is worth
it! I am going to need to bring back some of that youthful energy
from years past and find a way to manage without my standard 8
(extremely large) cups of coffee.
Wish us luck! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Jennie
consume me, I had the best day at school. I have been met with many
of the frustrations that PCVs always encounter. I knew I would
encounter different teaching styles, different perceptions of being
prepared, different lesson plans, etc, but I couldn’t do anything to
prepare myself for these differences- who knows what you will find
once at site?
The three teachers I am working with all speak English very well, but
we are all concerned with how little the students can speak.
Everyone, even the students, is aware of this problem. However, a
young, single, energetic, new PC volunteer doesn’t always fit in with
the status quo of teachers in Kazakhstan. The teachers and I were
taught by drastically different techniques in completely different
worlds. I was also trained very differently than they were, in a
crash course of lesson plans, practicum, and basically learning a lot
of ways to make class fun! They were mostly taught grammar and give
lectures. Two of the three also have families and currently one’s
mother is very ill. You might be able to see where frustrations can
come from all sides!
I started actually teaching lessons on Friday the 19th of November.
As a prerequisite to teaching lessons, I must plan the lesson with the
teacher. This is very important to Peace Corps, and of course (for
all of you who even remotely know me!) planning is very important to
me! Finding time to plan is difficult, especially when the teachers
are used to mostly winging it using the textbook. I had to convince
them to meet at least two days before the lesson because it is very
hard to find fun activities and prepare them the night before the
lesson. I had to keep nagging the poor teachers to meet with me. We
had to plan at least 4 or 5 lessons in one or two sittings, which is
grueling. Usually we are planning after already giving 3 or 4 lessons
that day. Yesterday, I was pretty sure the two teachers I was working
with were about to call Peace Corps and ask them to take me back.
I was starting to get nervous about the situation. I didn’t want to
have to ask to meet every five minutes and was afraid that they would
start to hate me for it. Then…today my counterpart got to school a
solid 20 minutes before she usually does, told a friend she couldn’t
talk because she had to lesson plan, and we stayed at school to plan
until 6pm. She took on an additional lesson to tutor struggling
students and our lessons went really well today! The students actually
thanked us at the end for a “really interesting lesson.” I was the
second person at school today and Gulshat and I were the last ones
out. I left the house in the dark this morning and returned in the
dark, but it was definitely the pick-me-up I needed.
Of course, I am not naïve enough to imagine that everyday will feel
this good or be as successful. However, I think we will make progress
if all of us persist, remain motivated, and force each other to be
disciplined! (I sound like a damn inspirational tape people listen to
in their cars during traffic jams.) I can’t even imagine how tiring
this process will be, though. I hope we see results in the students so
that the teachers (and I!) are convinced that the extra work is worth
it! I am going to need to bring back some of that youthful energy
from years past and find a way to manage without my standard 8
(extremely large) cups of coffee.
Wish us luck! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Jennie
Sunday, November 14, 2010
New Location!
I got to Turkestan on the morning of Sunday the 7th. My counterpart (CP), the teacher that is in charge of me for the next two years, and I met in Almaty at the Counterpart Conference that Peace Corps holds. We went to training sessions together to get to know each other and then got on the train to Turkestan together. My CP’s name is Gulshat and she is 29 years old. She has been teaching English at the gifted (Daryn) school for 8 years, since it opened.
Getting on the train was a really interesting experience. There were about 8 PCVs on the same train and each of us had an average of 4 REALLY heavy bags. The CPs also had their own bags and couldn’t help much, so some of us gave them to a porter right in front of the train station. Being Americans, we were all pretty leery of giving our bags to anyone; some PCVs kept their luggage, but some of us were strongly recommended by our CPs to put the bags on the cart. As soon as we gave our luggage to the porters they disappeared and we couldn’t find them! We wandered all over the train station, still with the heavy baggage of other PCVs, trying to find our train platform and our luggage. People were getting pretty frustrated at this point. We were relying on the CPs to help us find the way, but they were as lost as we were. We got across one set of tracks to our platform then spotted our bags with the porters on the other side of the tracks.
I think PCVs have the tendency to hope and act like our CPs know everything in this country and can carry out any action without flaws. We wanted them to snap their fingers and find our way because of course they knew what they were doing--they’re from Kazakhstan (but not Almaty…) It is funny, though, some of the things my CP asks me. She took me with her to buy an electric heater and kept saying, “Advise me…do you think it’s warm enough? Can I buy a heater with a stove on top so I can heat my room and tea at the same time?” I have no idea! Being an American doesn’t mean I know everything about electronic appliances! She also asked me one day if her dress was too short to speak with the director--whom I had met for about 2 minutes. I think some of these things are reciprocal questions, but they still leave me laughing.
My new host family is really nice and really wants to learn English. The father owns a van that people can rent to drive to a nearby city (I think) and my mom is a nurse. There are two daughters, one in 9th and one in 10th grade, that go to the Daryn school and there is another daughter in the 7th grade that goes to another school. I teach them basic words in English every night, but we have a long way to go!
Actually, the students in my school have a long way to go in general. They seem to be wicked smart at math and science and most of their school hours are spent in those classes. These types of schools all take tests at the end of the year and compete to be the best school in Kazakhstan. Supposedly, last year they were the TOP school in the country! There are, as we have in the States, consequences to being so test-oriented. Their gymnasium is filled with desks for taking tests and gym classes are non-existent. The students were amazed at the fact that we study art, music, leadership, and other subjects that don’t involve math or science. Their English scores are also high, and I looked through some written work they were doing. Their grammar is impressive, but they couldn’t speak any of the sentences I read for a million dollars. Their speaking level is about the same as mine in Kazakh (though I don’t think they would admit it!). They love telling me how much I don’t know in Kazakh. I really enjoy the students and have spent 2-3 hours everyday for the past few days just speaking with them. It is exhausting!
Turkestan isn’t the thriving metropolis that I pictured (even though I promised I wouldn’t picture anything). It is a pretty desolate place plopped in the dusty steppe. There is the large mausoleum, but it takes about 20 minutes to look at. The streets and the air are dirty. I feel quite at home here and think I can find some really good projects at this site! I have about 19 hours of teaching per week and we are hoping to open a yoga club, sports clubs, and maybe a drama club and debate club. We have also discussed some teacher trainings and gatherings for more English teachers to have an opportunity to speak English regularly. I will keep you all posted.
Jennie
N
Getting on the train was a really interesting experience. There were about 8 PCVs on the same train and each of us had an average of 4 REALLY heavy bags. The CPs also had their own bags and couldn’t help much, so some of us gave them to a porter right in front of the train station. Being Americans, we were all pretty leery of giving our bags to anyone; some PCVs kept their luggage, but some of us were strongly recommended by our CPs to put the bags on the cart. As soon as we gave our luggage to the porters they disappeared and we couldn’t find them! We wandered all over the train station, still with the heavy baggage of other PCVs, trying to find our train platform and our luggage. People were getting pretty frustrated at this point. We were relying on the CPs to help us find the way, but they were as lost as we were. We got across one set of tracks to our platform then spotted our bags with the porters on the other side of the tracks.
I think PCVs have the tendency to hope and act like our CPs know everything in this country and can carry out any action without flaws. We wanted them to snap their fingers and find our way because of course they knew what they were doing--they’re from Kazakhstan (but not Almaty…) It is funny, though, some of the things my CP asks me. She took me with her to buy an electric heater and kept saying, “Advise me…do you think it’s warm enough? Can I buy a heater with a stove on top so I can heat my room and tea at the same time?” I have no idea! Being an American doesn’t mean I know everything about electronic appliances! She also asked me one day if her dress was too short to speak with the director--whom I had met for about 2 minutes. I think some of these things are reciprocal questions, but they still leave me laughing.
My new host family is really nice and really wants to learn English. The father owns a van that people can rent to drive to a nearby city (I think) and my mom is a nurse. There are two daughters, one in 9th and one in 10th grade, that go to the Daryn school and there is another daughter in the 7th grade that goes to another school. I teach them basic words in English every night, but we have a long way to go!
Actually, the students in my school have a long way to go in general. They seem to be wicked smart at math and science and most of their school hours are spent in those classes. These types of schools all take tests at the end of the year and compete to be the best school in Kazakhstan. Supposedly, last year they were the TOP school in the country! There are, as we have in the States, consequences to being so test-oriented. Their gymnasium is filled with desks for taking tests and gym classes are non-existent. The students were amazed at the fact that we study art, music, leadership, and other subjects that don’t involve math or science. Their English scores are also high, and I looked through some written work they were doing. Their grammar is impressive, but they couldn’t speak any of the sentences I read for a million dollars. Their speaking level is about the same as mine in Kazakh (though I don’t think they would admit it!). They love telling me how much I don’t know in Kazakh. I really enjoy the students and have spent 2-3 hours everyday for the past few days just speaking with them. It is exhausting!
Turkestan isn’t the thriving metropolis that I pictured (even though I promised I wouldn’t picture anything). It is a pretty desolate place plopped in the dusty steppe. There is the large mausoleum, but it takes about 20 minutes to look at. The streets and the air are dirty. I feel quite at home here and think I can find some really good projects at this site! I have about 19 hours of teaching per week and we are hoping to open a yoga club, sports clubs, and maybe a drama club and debate club. We have also discussed some teacher trainings and gatherings for more English teachers to have an opportunity to speak English regularly. I will keep you all posted.
Jennie
N
Sunday, October 31, 2010
What’s happening in my life now…
This last Saturday we found out our site placement and, as I told you, I am in Turkestan. Turkestan is pretty big (definitely not a village) and is very religious. It might be the most religious place in Kazakhstan; there is a famously huge mausoleum and supposedly if you make the pilgrimage there 3 times, it is like making the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is called the Second Mecca. I will be working at what is called a “Daryn” school which is for gifted students. I am not sure how the students are selected yet, but hope it isn’t based solely on finances or familial connections.
I tried my best not to have expectations or preconceived notions about my site, but was totally shocked by this placement. My training village is truly the size of a village, though it has many amenities not usually associated with the word “village.” It is pretty much a suburb of Almaty. However, in my training, I felt comfortable with my image of what my role as a volunteer would be. The community is small and one could integrate and assimilate into it by visiting neighbors, and introducing oneself to students and families. The level of English is pretty low, so it was clear why a volunteer might work in a place like this. Needless to say, a city with 120,000 people and a school for already gifted students through a hitch in my logic and careful ordering of my life!
I am working to reconfigure my vision as a volunteer, though I obviously understand the need to see exactly what I will be working with at the school before setting strong expectations. My biggest concern is integrating into my “community” and really figuring out what that community will be. I am trying to wrap my head around how to make friends and how to find organizations and projects. I am hoping these opportunities make themselves apparent as they have in the past, because I am committed to my goals of getting as many experiences as I can, learning as much as possible, and teaching as much as is needed. I want to be active and busy (big surprise there!) The trap with such a large site is being able to get your own apartment and remaining isolated. I am worried about, but know I will work hard at, making friends and creating connections. I will also be living with a host family for the next 4 months and hope to find one that I can stay with for longer. PC has found some awesome candidates for me already! I will let you all know my address as soon as possible…though I have only received mail from my family so far…friends, you gotta keep up J
Love and miss you all! - Jennie
I tried my best not to have expectations or preconceived notions about my site, but was totally shocked by this placement. My training village is truly the size of a village, though it has many amenities not usually associated with the word “village.” It is pretty much a suburb of Almaty. However, in my training, I felt comfortable with my image of what my role as a volunteer would be. The community is small and one could integrate and assimilate into it by visiting neighbors, and introducing oneself to students and families. The level of English is pretty low, so it was clear why a volunteer might work in a place like this. Needless to say, a city with 120,000 people and a school for already gifted students through a hitch in my logic and careful ordering of my life!
I am working to reconfigure my vision as a volunteer, though I obviously understand the need to see exactly what I will be working with at the school before setting strong expectations. My biggest concern is integrating into my “community” and really figuring out what that community will be. I am trying to wrap my head around how to make friends and how to find organizations and projects. I am hoping these opportunities make themselves apparent as they have in the past, because I am committed to my goals of getting as many experiences as I can, learning as much as possible, and teaching as much as is needed. I want to be active and busy (big surprise there!) The trap with such a large site is being able to get your own apartment and remaining isolated. I am worried about, but know I will work hard at, making friends and creating connections. I will also be living with a host family for the next 4 months and hope to find one that I can stay with for longer. PC has found some awesome candidates for me already! I will let you all know my address as soon as possible…though I have only received mail from my family so far…friends, you gotta keep up J
Love and miss you all! - Jennie
Sunday, October 17, 2010
“I love Kazakhstan!”
The last two weeks have been a blur- I realized that I have barely communicated with my family and haven’t checked my email once. Since our site visit I have taught 8 classes, one more trainee from our village went back to the States, and we just finished our culminating community project. Our group chose to put on a talent show because we 1) wanted to showcase community talent, especially among our students, and 2) we wanted to bring everyone together in a fun event to spice up another quiet Friday night in good ole’ Taldybulak! We quickly discovered a strong rivalry between the two schools in our village and also wanted to bring them both together through the event. We definitely achieved the first two objectives, but I am not sure we united the schools, as students and teachers started cheers in between acts for their school and two girls got in a little tiff in the middle of the event. I am not sure what we could have done differently, though.
There are moments here when I have nothing to say but, “I love Kazakhstan!” These are often funny and usually unimaginable situations, but in my quest for zen, I take a deep breath, smile, and say out loud…I love Kazakhstan! When several small children follow you into “bathroom” (a set of squat toilets outside) to see if the American can pull off the necessary maneuvering to make it into a very small hole in the company of other people…what else is there but: I love Kazakhstan!
In preparing for the talent show, I had many of these moments. With the enormous help of school staff members and one of our Peace Corps facilitators, we gathered students and teachers to participate in the show. We, however, had about 30 participants at one point, which was completely unmanageable. We also needed sound equipment and arranged to use Peace Corps equipment, but found out about 4 days ago that we couldn’t use it. Renting equipment would be about 3000 tenge per HOUR and with dozens of acts that was out of the question. We had two solid judges, one that said he should be available (and did end up coming) and one judge that backed out the day of. One judge was a local shop owner that we named Duken Man. A duken (dooken) is basically a shop so we call him Shop Man. We walk by him everyday and buy snacks at his shop so we invited him to be a judge. I love our group for its personality and sense of humor in situations like this!
So we showed up to decorate the auditorium with a considerable amount of stress about pulling this off…and we find that the auditorium is flooded with water from a busted pipe! One poor woman attempted to sop up the water with a few dirty rags. She worked for 5 minutes and left for 10 minutes…in and out. We couldn’t do much work with all of that water, so we tucked our business casual pants into our black socks and jumped in! We scooped water with cut-up water bottles and a trash can lid until we had hauled about 12 three gallon buckets of water out of the auditorium. Yes, you did your math right- that is about 40 gallons of water that was standing in front of our stage! Life never ceases to amaze. Kazakhstan never ceases to amaze.
Ultimately we had about 20 contestants, 200 people in the audience, 10 Peace Corps volunteers that came to our event (thanks guys!) and 6 winners. There were hip hop dancers, belly dancers, dombra (traditional instrument) players, singers, and lip-syncers. Our group even opened by dancing to Thriller! The hip hop group was so good, I got goose bumps and the whole crowd went crazy!
This project was one of our final tasks towards the end of training, so we are winding down and getting ready to become real volunteers! We still have to do a teacher training, teach an entire unit, and take our language test, but then we are sent to the far reaches of Kazakhstan to spread the peace. Some days I find that I am terrified, but hope I find many more “I love Kazakhstan” moments!
There are moments here when I have nothing to say but, “I love Kazakhstan!” These are often funny and usually unimaginable situations, but in my quest for zen, I take a deep breath, smile, and say out loud…I love Kazakhstan! When several small children follow you into “bathroom” (a set of squat toilets outside) to see if the American can pull off the necessary maneuvering to make it into a very small hole in the company of other people…what else is there but: I love Kazakhstan!
In preparing for the talent show, I had many of these moments. With the enormous help of school staff members and one of our Peace Corps facilitators, we gathered students and teachers to participate in the show. We, however, had about 30 participants at one point, which was completely unmanageable. We also needed sound equipment and arranged to use Peace Corps equipment, but found out about 4 days ago that we couldn’t use it. Renting equipment would be about 3000 tenge per HOUR and with dozens of acts that was out of the question. We had two solid judges, one that said he should be available (and did end up coming) and one judge that backed out the day of. One judge was a local shop owner that we named Duken Man. A duken (dooken) is basically a shop so we call him Shop Man. We walk by him everyday and buy snacks at his shop so we invited him to be a judge. I love our group for its personality and sense of humor in situations like this!
So we showed up to decorate the auditorium with a considerable amount of stress about pulling this off…and we find that the auditorium is flooded with water from a busted pipe! One poor woman attempted to sop up the water with a few dirty rags. She worked for 5 minutes and left for 10 minutes…in and out. We couldn’t do much work with all of that water, so we tucked our business casual pants into our black socks and jumped in! We scooped water with cut-up water bottles and a trash can lid until we had hauled about 12 three gallon buckets of water out of the auditorium. Yes, you did your math right- that is about 40 gallons of water that was standing in front of our stage! Life never ceases to amaze. Kazakhstan never ceases to amaze.
Ultimately we had about 20 contestants, 200 people in the audience, 10 Peace Corps volunteers that came to our event (thanks guys!) and 6 winners. There were hip hop dancers, belly dancers, dombra (traditional instrument) players, singers, and lip-syncers. Our group even opened by dancing to Thriller! The hip hop group was so good, I got goose bumps and the whole crowd went crazy!
This project was one of our final tasks towards the end of training, so we are winding down and getting ready to become real volunteers! We still have to do a teacher training, teach an entire unit, and take our language test, but then we are sent to the far reaches of Kazakhstan to spread the peace. Some days I find that I am terrified, but hope I find many more “I love Kazakhstan” moments!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A new Jennie
This week, the Peace Corps sent us on a "site visit" to see some real volunteers in action. I was sent with a few other volunteers to Taraz, which was about 10 hours away on train (apparently the trains are very slow and it is about 6 hours by bus). The trains were very similar to those in India, with beds stacked to the roof and tons of people with little space, but they were pretty cean (didn't brave the bathrooms though- thank you camel power). 4 of us "trainees" stayed with a PCV (volunteer) in a swank apartment, complete with a hot shower, indoor toilet, and internet! It's like they are trying to see how many times they can make us go through culture shock in a 3 month period! But it was nice; we got to watch a lesson at a pedagogical college (like our vocational schools), a village school, and an English club at a local NGO. We also went to the public banya (like a spa/sauna full of naked people) and to a night club to dance! I definitely understood the idea that some PCV's live like expats. They could surroun themselves only by English speakers if they wanted and were living a pretty easy life!
We are pretty much constantly followed by "best friends" that want to speak English with us. These friends will boldly approach us on trains, buses, in restaurants, on the street- everywhere! It bothers some people a lot- those who want to blend in and are uncomfortable with people always surrounding and bothering us. I, however, have found my zen with my new best friends. Finding my zen is my new coping mechanism; this involves turning off the "high-strung Jennie" button that has been deeply engraned into my character since childhood. Jennie's schedule, detailed plans, and complete control over life have all but disappeared when zen is reached. This is necessary to avoid a heart attach and medical evacuation. You all won't recognize this tea drinking, skirt wearing, zen master when I come back!
Things I did learn in Taraz: 1) There are innate pitfalls and hardships that will occur and 2) for me there are simply 2 ways to handle them: bitterness or what I call "Loving Life or Zen." We are rapidly realizing that there probaby will be unsupportive school directors, unsupportive staff members, English teachers that don't know English, limited resources, loneliness, culture shock, on and on and on. I am also rapidly learning that there are two types of people(obviously this is a simplified theory): those who keep smiling and find ways to be almost unbelievably happy and those that become jaded. I learned that I need to keep perspective and know that even in hard times, my situation is not the end of the world and won't last for eternity. For myself and for my success and effectiveness in my community, I need to remain happy at ALL costs. This is my ultimate goal. I will not let small setbacks make be bitter because that resentment truly harms your job and relationships that must be cultivated (and that I desperately WANT to cultivate)!
Help me stay positive, people! I think of you all at CC and at home to remember why I am here and what I want to accomplish. Everyday I am reminded of how all of you and my previous experiences are helping me adjust and be successful here. Peace Corps is definitely the best fit for me right now and I want to thank everyone who helped me get here! Miss you all!
We are pretty much constantly followed by "best friends" that want to speak English with us. These friends will boldly approach us on trains, buses, in restaurants, on the street- everywhere! It bothers some people a lot- those who want to blend in and are uncomfortable with people always surrounding and bothering us. I, however, have found my zen with my new best friends. Finding my zen is my new coping mechanism; this involves turning off the "high-strung Jennie" button that has been deeply engraned into my character since childhood. Jennie's schedule, detailed plans, and complete control over life have all but disappeared when zen is reached. This is necessary to avoid a heart attach and medical evacuation. You all won't recognize this tea drinking, skirt wearing, zen master when I come back!
Things I did learn in Taraz: 1) There are innate pitfalls and hardships that will occur and 2) for me there are simply 2 ways to handle them: bitterness or what I call "Loving Life or Zen." We are rapidly realizing that there probaby will be unsupportive school directors, unsupportive staff members, English teachers that don't know English, limited resources, loneliness, culture shock, on and on and on. I am also rapidly learning that there are two types of people(obviously this is a simplified theory): those who keep smiling and find ways to be almost unbelievably happy and those that become jaded. I learned that I need to keep perspective and know that even in hard times, my situation is not the end of the world and won't last for eternity. For myself and for my success and effectiveness in my community, I need to remain happy at ALL costs. This is my ultimate goal. I will not let small setbacks make be bitter because that resentment truly harms your job and relationships that must be cultivated (and that I desperately WANT to cultivate)!
Help me stay positive, people! I think of you all at CC and at home to remember why I am here and what I want to accomplish. Everyday I am reminded of how all of you and my previous experiences are helping me adjust and be successful here. Peace Corps is definitely the best fit for me right now and I want to thank everyone who helped me get here! Miss you all!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Peace Corps Karma
A day after I wrote telling you of my Peace Corps woes (losing my watch and my wallet being stolen)...both were returned to me!! Someone found my watch on the bus the first day and gave it back to me and the little boys returned my wallet with both debit cards. That's a little Peace Corps Karma for ya!
Update!
Everything is going famously here in KStan! I love my host family and continue to experience days in what we call the "honeymoon" phase. There have been some casualties in my travels: I lost my watch that Elizabeth gave me on the first day and yesterday my wallet was stolen by small children. Ego took a big hit there. But life goes on and I am lucky enough to have a supportive family that will mostly clean up that mess for me!! Thanks mom and Kait!
Other than that, I am teaching 3-5 classes a week and running an English club with one other American. Teaching comes easily to me and I really enjoy it, though lesson planning is not so fun. Learning Kazakh is also going better and I am getting more comfortable speaking with people.
I want to hear what is going on there. I find myself thinking often of the Center, the Partnership, the gang (Phil, Ben, Holly, Kyle, and others-that's you), and the family!
More later,
Jennie
Other than that, I am teaching 3-5 classes a week and running an English club with one other American. Teaching comes easily to me and I really enjoy it, though lesson planning is not so fun. Learning Kazakh is also going better and I am getting more comfortable speaking with people.
I want to hear what is going on there. I find myself thinking often of the Center, the Partnership, the gang (Phil, Ben, Holly, Kyle, and others-that's you), and the family!
More later,
Jennie
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sorry I haven't updated my status! I have been so busy and having so much fun that I neglected to write anything on this blog. Here are some higlights and one favor to ask!!!
My host family is AWESOME! I have a mom, a dad, a 21 year old sister and a 25 year old brother in the house and then a brother in the city (Almaty). The daughter speaks perfect English and my mom is an English teacher at the school I am working in! It is awesome because I get to ask a million questions and understand things well. It is a little hard to speak Kazakh because English is so easy, but since I can't speak Kazakh anyway, it isn't a problem. I talk with a lot of people, especially kids on the street, like in India, but can't get much farther than basic introductions which is frustrating. I am working on it though...and I think they like me because I just smile at them a lot...?!
We start teaching one class next week. So far we have been learning how to teach and how to speak. Language lessons have been a struggle, but we are working to improve. I am studying out of class and trying to read a childrens book, so hopefully that will help! The kids love us and mock us a lot too. We played volleyball with them for an hour and a half today and help them with English as they help us with Kazakh. It was great!
Now for the favor...Part of our training is conducting English Clubs. We are in a group of 3 volunteers and have about 20 kids at our club which is held twice a week for one hour. So far we have taught them the hokie pokie, head shoulders knees and toes, how to make paper airplanes, and how to make friendship bracelets. These are going really well and I am having a ton of fun with the kids!!! We could use some help with ideas though, so if you have any activities, please let me know! We will add in the English vocab, etc...any ideas will help! If you have any- email me at jennie.vader@gmail.com
Sending lots of love,
Jennie
PS: My address is: (Don't send anything after Sept. 30th...my address will change)
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 257
Almaty 050022
Kazakhstan
Attn: Jennie Vader
My host family is AWESOME! I have a mom, a dad, a 21 year old sister and a 25 year old brother in the house and then a brother in the city (Almaty). The daughter speaks perfect English and my mom is an English teacher at the school I am working in! It is awesome because I get to ask a million questions and understand things well. It is a little hard to speak Kazakh because English is so easy, but since I can't speak Kazakh anyway, it isn't a problem. I talk with a lot of people, especially kids on the street, like in India, but can't get much farther than basic introductions which is frustrating. I am working on it though...and I think they like me because I just smile at them a lot...?!
We start teaching one class next week. So far we have been learning how to teach and how to speak. Language lessons have been a struggle, but we are working to improve. I am studying out of class and trying to read a childrens book, so hopefully that will help! The kids love us and mock us a lot too. We played volleyball with them for an hour and a half today and help them with English as they help us with Kazakh. It was great!
Now for the favor...Part of our training is conducting English Clubs. We are in a group of 3 volunteers and have about 20 kids at our club which is held twice a week for one hour. So far we have taught them the hokie pokie, head shoulders knees and toes, how to make paper airplanes, and how to make friendship bracelets. These are going really well and I am having a ton of fun with the kids!!! We could use some help with ideas though, so if you have any activities, please let me know! We will add in the English vocab, etc...any ideas will help! If you have any- email me at jennie.vader@gmail.com
Sending lots of love,
Jennie
PS: My address is: (Don't send anything after Sept. 30th...my address will change)
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 257
Almaty 050022
Kazakhstan
Attn: Jennie Vader
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Leaving for Kazakhstan
We have been training for one day in Washington DC and are about to head off for Kazakhstan! This will be the last (and almost the first) post from the United States!! Of course, I had prepared a list full of detailed goals before even getting here, but we talked about aspirations and anxieties today and I realized that I am more sure about this experience than I ever have been! I am so excited!!!
I hope that I can learn both Kazakh and Russian and am hoping to be in a small, rural village living with the goats! I really want to get in there and get dirty!!
Well- I will let you all know how things are going as soon as I can and you can email me at jennie.vader@gmail.com if you want a more personal note (but I don't know when I will read it or respond!)
I wish you all well and will miss you guys! Thanks for the support!
I hope that I can learn both Kazakh and Russian and am hoping to be in a small, rural village living with the goats! I really want to get in there and get dirty!!
Well- I will let you all know how things are going as soon as I can and you can email me at jennie.vader@gmail.com if you want a more personal note (but I don't know when I will read it or respond!)
I wish you all well and will miss you guys! Thanks for the support!
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