So now I’ve been in Kazakhstan for six months. I’ve met lots of people and learned lots about a different culture and lifestyle. I’ve uploaded new photos to the Ust gallery here.
The past month of February I’ve been very busy at work, which was the complete opposite of January. Often I leave my house at 9am and return at 7 in the evening. For example, small discussion club from 10-11am, then my Russian tutor from 11-12, then 1-2pm teacher club, 2-3pm students chat with me informally, 3-430 my club with students, then 430-530 I team-teach a MBA class and then go home which is a 45 minute trip by bus. This example is my Mondays when I am so busy that I usually don’t eat lunch and I’m constantly speaking to someone. When I get home I eat with my host family and then usually retreat into my room and either plan for the next day, talk on the phone, or read. In Kazakhstan I’ve read about 4 books. For some PCVs, they read tons of books but others don’t read at all, I imagine I am somewhere in the middle. I read the NYTimes every day, I’ve got a digital subscription which I can download every evening don’t have to browse their website. I’ve also created a gallery that is supposed to show my average day in Kazakhstan. This gallery is still a work in progress. Another PCV Matt visited my work last week and he took some photos of me during a normal day.
When I moved to Ust and started working I had a coworker but she quickly left because she was pregnant and since then it has been up to me to make my own work with students and teachers. My regional manger came and said she was pleased with everything I had been doing in spite of having little support from my work site. I’ve been able to attract students to my clubs, create my own work schedule and in general be proactive and productive.
Everyday I get the same questions from new people about why I am here in Ust, if I like Kazakhstan, questions about America, etc. This is something that all Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide experience on a daily basis. This is the part where we are grassroots ambassadors for America. I had explain that Americans don’t eat pizza everyday to someone recently. People often think or expect me to be able to summarize all of America into a simple to understand single sentence. But America is a country of 300 million people that has immigrants from many other countries and the differences between north and south are difficult to explain. I talk on a regular basis to two students who attend my clubs frequently who have never been more than 50 miles outside of this city.
Last night my girlfriend was on national television in Kazakhstan! The episode has a short segment about her work at the youth center and her family back in America. Then she speaks about different languages, cultures, and how she teaches children English through games and fun activities. I recorded in and posted it on youtube so her family and friends in America could she her national television debut…in Kazakhstan. The TV channel here is similar in size and scope as NBC or ABC in America.
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