28th August

28^th August

For a little while there, Mother Nature was pretending Autumn had arrived. Last night it even felt like I should wear a light sweater at night - something to cover the t-shirt anyway. But all is back to normal today, and its 25degrees of glorious sunshine and this is great. The sooner summer ends, the earlier winter starts, and that isn’t a positive!

The country director has just been to visit, and it was nice to talk with him and his wife in an informal setting. Talking a lot about life, as well as current Peace Corps concerns, it was great, and he paid for dinner in a restaurant last night, which was only the second time ive not even dinner in a house while I have been in my village. Such a luxury!

26th August

26^th August

I am still studying Kazakh, I promise. See what I learnt today!

Namely, why the Kazakh months of the year and not nice and easy to remember like the Russian ones (which sounds like the English ones for the most part).

December – “Jeltokhcan”

The 90 cold windy days of winter

January – “Khantar”

Short days

February – “Akhpan”

White snowstorm

March – “Naurus”

Persian for ‘New day’

April – “Kokyek”

Cuckoo

May – “Mamur”

Baby animals (hatchlings)

June – “Mausum”

New season

July – “Shildye”

Persian for 40 – 40days of heat

August – “Tamuz”

Persian for ‘yellow’

September – “Khurkeiyek”

Animal breeding

October – “Khazan”

Full pots after harvest

November – “Karasha”

Tax collectors

So there you go, not only does that explain the Kazakh months to you, but you can also see how strange Kazakh words are to pronounce!

24th August

24^th August

Something dad mentioned yesterday stuck with me. Granted, this was a (drunken, well, one of us at least) translation from 3 different languages (none of which I speak very well), but here goes,

“Kazakhstan was conquered by the Russians because they had Vodka. Now that Kazakhstan has Vodka, all the Russians are leaving and Kazakhstan is strong again”

I admit, I was aided in this translation, charades style, lots of puffing up of his chest and muscle flexing, but I think I got the point. Which is of course, completely incorrect, but it is funny. Kazakhstan was conquered due to a lack of unity within the tribes, as well as a concerted effort by Tsarist Russia to extend its borders. And the Russians are leaving due to the economic climate and the shift in focus from Russia (and Russian) towards Kazakh and the West.

Never the less, it was a fun moment.

Oh, I discovered today that Beskol, my tiny village of around 3000 people, has a library ( кітапхана “Kitap hana” in Kazakh, which means “Book Hall”) Gosh it is difficult to write in Russian or Kazakh on an English keyboard. Unlike Japanese, where I just had to type in the English phonetic combination to get the Japanese equivalent, in Russian, each key has been assigned a letter, and I have no idea of knowing what it is! Its one feature on a Mac that makes sense (when you change language, it brings up a keyboard with the letter changes so you can see it).

Tonight’s plan is to go “guest” (I cant find the energy to write it in Kazakh for you, sorry) at a neighbours house, once the sun goes down, so in 41 minutes as my sister has informed me.

23rd August

23^rd August

So, I chose “The Last King of Scotland” as my light reading option. After reading 1 or 2 non-fiction, I like to try and read something fictional, even, in this case, if its based on true events (and is hardly light reading).

For those of you who havnt seen the film, its about Idi Amin, “His Excelleny President for Life Field Marshal Al Hadj Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of all the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.”

A number of you reading this probably remember him, but for those of us who don’t, he was an African dictator in Uganda in the 70s. The book so far, just like the film, is very good, and I am pleased with my choice.

Today I mixed concrete by hand for 2 hours, which is certainly the first time ive done that, all in the name of helping my host brother finish his sauna. This isn’t as bourgeois as it sounds, as this is how most people in the villages wash, especially in the winter months. When there is no indoor plumbing and winter temperatures down to around -30degrees, an outdoor water boiler that also doubles as a sauna sounds very appealing.

Something else I experienced for the first time today was the neighbourhood melon delivery service. Watermelons, as well as a cantaloupe esque melon are grown all over Kazakhstan, and are really rather cheap, which is great. They are also eaten in great quantities and this means a door-to-door service is certainly a great idea :D

Dad and his bi-toothed (?) friend are drunk again. Mum and sister have gone back-to-school shopping in Almaty, so anything goes tonight. I am off to brothers house for dinner, and possibly to sleep the night, as dad is not exactly easy to understand at the moment. The German he throws into things, alongside the Russian and Kazakh isn’t exactly helping, although his jokes about his friend being Dracula, and the only vampire in Kazakhstan are pretty funny.

22nd August

22^nd August

“Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart” Muhammad (according to The Hadith, the book of his quotes)

Another Islamic quote for you today, as I just read it, and liked the sentiment, and I have just finished the book, so thought I would squeeze one more in before it was too late. I have only managed to read two books so far this month, which is rather poor form really, so I hope to add another to the list by the end of the month, but so far, this book about Islam, plus Hemingway’s “For whom the bell tolls”. I picked up a few interesting books from the Peace Corps Library while in Almaty, include a book on the politics of Central Asia, a biography of Mercator and the history of Nuclear War, so one of them might be next.

Speaking of Almaty, I guess I should talk more about what I was doing there. It was ostensibly the final two weeks of our initial training, which for the first time had been split in two (giving the summer to get more comfortable in our sites). However, seeing as this had had the desired effect, and we ARE more comfortable, much of the training was irrelevant, as it hadn’t been updated to take into account our changes. Saying that, I did get to teach my session on British English, which was a success, and it seems that the geography of the UK is a mystery to Americans.

It was also nice to see my fellow volunteers, who have been scattered all over the country- some have a 44hour train ride to get to Almaty, which puts my 10hours to shame. A rather big divide between us has emerged though, which, while not affecting our professional mission has certainly changed how we socialise. Namely that the younger volunteers, those straight out of university (we have at least 2, 22 year olds) like to party often, and hard. Those of us who are slightly older (over 25) have formed a more serious subgroup, who are much more content in sitting around and talking, and going to bed before midnight.

Almaty is for the most part, a very nice city, with tree lined streets and parks. While the stain of Soviet architecture is still visible, there are still some very beautiful buildings. And indeed, the rundown Soviet look is often nicer than the glass monstrosities popping up now. Its noticeably hotter in the south, with summer temperatures rarely dropping below 35degrees, although for some of my Shymkent and Taraz friends (Southern Kazakhstan), it was a welcome break from the 40-45degrees they have been having. The city is also far more cosmopolitan than my part of the country, with a rather nice Indian restaurant serving affordable vegetarian curries, which I went to 3 times in 2 weeks! I was also able to buy curry powder and taco spices at the German supermarket, which I hope to get to use soon enough.

Jason, Yunmi and I tried visiting the Baraholka, the behemoth market north of the city, famous for its size, prices and chaos. And it lived up to its name, as it was hot, packed and exhausting.

All in all, it was a fun two weeks, although somewhat expensive, as I managed to spend around 10,000tenge (£50 or so) – although that did include 4 meals out, a night in a rented apartment, snacks and drinks. Some of my younger compatriots spent over 40,000tenge (£190). Seeing as we get ‘paid’ about 20,000tenge a month, it will take them a while to recoup that, and we will be back in Almaty in November for 3 or 4 days of more training. It will be nice to return, and by then, the State Art Museum will have reopened, which I am excited about, although the 50p entrance fee seems a bit steep!

21st August

21^st August

Judging by the leftovers in the fridge, I managed to miss the eating of the sheep head last night. Thank goodness! Being late has its advantages.

Although, the reason WHY I was late wasn’t as much fun. The bus got a puncture and we had to wait 30 minutes for it to be fixed, and then another 30 minutes in the nearest town, getting the tire fixed again. This is because it would be foolhardy not to have a spare tire here, given the state of the roads.

It is nice to be home though, and I have certainly missed Beskol. The garden is fully ripe (does that make sense?) and we had cabbage, aubergine, tomato and carrot salad light night, all provided by the garden. Not bad a bad carbon footprint.

Now that I am back though, planning for the school year has to begin in earnest. Not simply because there is a lot to do, but also the fact that my two Kazakh co-workers have never really planned properly before. Lesson plans consisting of more than just ‘open the book and continue’ will all be new and scary for them. Wish me luck

The book I am reading at the moment is called ‘Understanding Islam’ and it an interesting book, describing many of the fascinating and misunderstood areas of the religion. I probably know more about Islam than I do about early Christianity now, and indeed, I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t quite believe everything we are told in the media about the evil intentions of Muslims. The author goes out of his way to highlight the sometimes great void between what is written in the Koran, and what some people do in its name (drawing similar attention to Christians who do the same).

Something I read in here that is directly relevant to my life in Kazakhstan, covers a rather trivial act, but something observed every day. Just like in many countries, it is customary for people to say something, when someone sneezes near them.

In Kazakhstan, people are very quick to say ‘Sau bolingiz (“your health”, but used everyday to mean ‘goodbye’), and, as it turns out, “wishing someone well after sneezing” is one of the 6 obligations a Muslim has to his fellow Muslims. The others are greeting, answering, visiting when ill, going to his funeral, and positive wishes.

I have just been told that dinner will be at 7.43pm tonight. My sister is the only person fasting in the house, and she is hungry! Not a minute of potential eating time will be wasted.

20th August

20^th August

After a 10 hour, multi-vehicle trip, I am home, and stuffed full of Beshbarmak (unfortunately). I think I have mentioned it, but if not, it’s the national dish of Kazakhstan, consisting of boiled lasagne-esque pasta covered in boiled meat and usually a few internal organs as well. It is bland, soggy, and almost guaranteed to make an appearance when its least wanted, as was the case today, when I would have gladly eaten almost anything else. Oh well, beggars cant be choosers, as the situation in which it was eaten was great.

If you weren’t aware, it is currently the Islamic holy month of Ramadan (or Ramazan here), which means no eating during the daylight hours for those who are observant. This is a rather small number of the population, but most take part in the night time feasting, which was taking place at my house when I got back today. It seems a different neighbour does this every night for the final week, and it was our turn today, which meant I was confronted by a large number of old Kazakh people when I stumbled through the door.

Anyway, to cut a long story shot, I got plenty of food, and conversation, and I am off to bed now.

2nd August

2^nd August

Wow, the last month of summer is here…I will actually have to start working properly in September. Where is the fun in that!?

In light of that, and a few other concerns, ive decided against doing an Online Masters class while here.

While it would have made very good use of my free time, I felt it would detract from why I am here and what I am supposed to do, which is engage local community members in both English learning, and anything I think is important. If I am spending all my free-time writing papers, that wouldn’t have been possible. Also half of the reason of going to University is to talk with people and professors and make use of the library, all of which cant be done nearly as well online. And the internet connection here is rather spotty.

Soooooo, I have signed up to a 10 week class from Oxford University to do an online class in Islamic Art. It seemed to be a great compromise, as it is worth academic credit, and is relevant to my time here in Kazakhstan, while being far less intensive, and less of a long-term commitment. And if it turns out to be a success, then Oxford runs different classes each semester.

It will also help me understand the art and design featured in the local cemetery and mosque, which will be very interesting. And mean I can say ive studied at Oxford, which is of course my main motivation.

I will be in Almaty (the ex capital city, and the biggest city in Kazakhstan) for the next 10 days for the end of my initial training. It is going to be painfully dull, if the first training is anything to go by, but I will be taking part as an instructor this time, so I hope that helps some of the others. Ill be given a session on improving Speaking in the classroom, and another session on British English. I was given the Speaking one to do, so I am less excited about it, but the British English was my idea, not only because I have a vested interest in improving the speaking of the Americans here, but also as the main text book is hugely British biased, and it will really benefit the teachers and students.

So yes, another 2 weeks with no updates, sorry.