Robert's Kazakh Adventures

Blog Troubles. Блог мәселері.

2009-04-10T00:38:00.001+06:00

Blog Troubles-
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been busy of late and a couple weeks ago my computer broke, preventing me from writing. I've also lost my camera. So, for about a month there won't be many pictures on the blog.

Блог мәселері-
Кешіріңіз, ұзақ уақыт бойы блогым жазған жоқпын. Қолым бос емес болған, және екі апта бұрын менің компютерім сынып қалды. Сондықтан блог жаза алмадым. Сонымен қатар мен фотоаппаратымды жоғалттым. Бұл себебтен, бір ай шамасында (көп) суреттерді блогқа қоя алмаймын.

Kazakh Language Camp-
I invited some of the Kazakh learning volunteers from my group for a language camp in Zhezkazgan from March 23 – 27th to study Kazakh for the week. We studied everyday, from Monday to Friday, for five hours a day. Two teachers taught us – one for three hours, the other for two. It was terrific. We all benefited from the lessons. I especially liked the camp because it was the first time in about 16 months that I had studied Kazakh in a group. (We last had the opportunity at our PST (first 3 month training.)) In the lessons we got a lot of speaking practice and participated in a variety of activities. This was especially cool, because, finally, after over a year of being here I finally got to be on the receiving end of the activities and teaching methods I teach in my English classes. Up until the camp each time I would give an interesting lesson in class or have a new activity prepared, as my students became excited by it and learned from it, part of me would feel empty, as I longingly wished that I could benefit from the same activities as I learned Kazakh.

Қазақ тілі лагерь-
Наурыз айының 23 - 27 аралығында мен еріктілерді қазақ тілін үйренуге Жезқазғанға лагерьге шақырдым. Бір апта біз қазақ тілін оқыдық. Күнде дүйсенбіден жұмаға дейін бес сағат қазақ тілін оқылдық. Бізге екі мұғалім сабақ берді. Өте керемет болды. Бәріміз біраз нәрсе үйрендік. Маған әсіресе лагерь қатты ұнады, ол бірінші рет өйткені мен16 ай бойы қазақ тілі тобында оқыдым. Сабақтарда біз көп топ қарекеттері мен сөйлесу тәжірибелерін орындадық. Ең жақсысы, менің ағылшынша беретін сабақ қарекеттерім маған қазақ тілінде оқытылды!.

Speaking Kazakh. Қазақ тілі сөйлейтін

2009-03-16T00:40:00.001+06:00

Speaking Kazakh-
In Kazakhstan, many people can speak both Russian and Kazakh. Almost every Kazakh person speaks both languages, and lately, many Russian people are learning Kazakh as well (Two weeks ago I spoke Kazakh with a Russian for the first time.) Because of this, everywhere I go I hear these two languages. Also, of course, as an English teacher I also speak a lot of English. So really, I hear 3 languages every day. (Unfortunately, I only speak about 1.5 them. I can only speak about 90% of English because since I came to Kazakhstan over a year and a half ago I’ve forgotten a number of words. I can speak Kazakh at 50%, but with Russian, much like a 1 year old baby , I speak only about 10% of the language.)

Hearing three languages separately isn’t terribly difficult. But, I often hear two or all three of these languages spoken simultaneously. For example, in the English teachers’ room one person may be speaking to me in Kazakh, another in English, and yet another in Russian. At this point, my head is about ready to explode from language overload, but ultimately I’m able to hold it together. However, there’s another problem. Often times Kazakh speakers insert a number of Russian words into their speech. So, instead of hearing one person speak a single language at a given time, I frequently hear multiple people each speaking a mixture of Kazakh and Russian, and sometimes English too. The net result being, that by the time the quasi-tri-lingual conversation is directed to me my brain is already frazzled.

Қазақ тілі сөйлейтін-
Қазақстанда көп адамдар қазақ тілі мен орыс тілін сөйлей алады. Әрбір қазақ кісі дерлік екі тілде сөйлейді, және әзірше кейбір орыс кісілер қазақ тілін үйреніп жатыр. (Екі апта бұдан бұрын мен бірінші рет қазақ тілінде орыс адаммен сөйлестім.) Сондықтан, көшеде, жұмыста да, барлық жерде мен екі тіл естимін. Сондай-ақ, әрине, мен көп ағылшын тілінде сөйлеймін. Осы себебтен мен үш тілді күнде естимін. (Өкінішке орай мен бір жарым ғана сөйлеймін. Ағылшын тілін 90% тек ғана сөйлеймін, өйткені мен Қазақстанға бір жарым жыл бұдан бұрын келгелі, көп сөздер ұмытып қалдым.  Қазақ тілін 50% сөйлеймін, және орыс тілін бір жаста бала сияқты (10%) сөйлеймін).

Үш тілді есту жеке қатты қиындық емес. Бірақ мен бір уақытта болатын екі немесе үш тілдер жиі естимін. Мысалға ағылшын мұғалімнің бөлмесінде бір адам маған қазақша сөйлейді, бір адам ағылшынша сөйлейді, және бір адам орысша сөйледі. Сосын менің миым ашуға дайндалады. Бірақ әлі ашпайды. Өкінішке орай менде тағыда мәселе бар. Қазақ тілін сөйлейтін кісілер деген сөйлемде көп орыс тілін сөздер жиі айтады. Сол үшін, адамдар маған сөйлегенде, екі (немесе үш) тілдер маған айтады. Онда менің миым ашиды.

My Kids in Kazakhstan? Балалрым Қазақстанда.

2009-03-13T23:04:00.002+06:00

My Kids in Kazakhstan?
Today in class my students asked “when will you return to America?” I told them I’d go back in eight months. Next they wanted to know when I would return to Zhezkazgan to visit them. Of course, I didn’t know, so I told them that I definitely wanted to come to visit in the future. However, they had an idea of their own…

They said that when I return to Kazakhstan I need to marry a Kazakh girl. Then, after some time, I’ll be like a real Kazakh person. I’ll speak Kazakh, know the culture very well, and (best of all) have kids of my own! As that happens, I’ll won’t be speaking much English, so I’ll forget the language. But, fortunately, this won’t be a major problem because my English students will teach my kids English since I will have forgotten it. Quite the novel idea!

CORRECTED VERSION. CORRECTIONS BY Urimtal
Қазақстандағы балаларым?
Бүгін сабақта студенттерім менен «Америкаға қашан қайтасыз?» деп сұрады. «Сегіз айдан кейін» деп жауап бердім. Бұдан соң олар менің қашан Жезқазғанға қонаққа келетінімді білгісі келді. Әрине мен нақты жауапты білмегендіктен «Болашақта қонаққа қайтып келгім келеді» деп жауап бердім. Бірақ оларда басқа ойда болды...

"Қазақстанға қайтып келгенде, қазақ қызына үйленуің керек. Біраз уақыт өткен соң нағыз қазаққа айналасың. Қазақ тілін таза сөйлеп, мәдинетті жақсы біліп, балалы боласың» дейді олар. Ағылшын тілінде көп сөйлемейтін болғандықтан, ағылшын тілін ұмытуға тура келеді екен. Бірақ бұл маған үлкен кедергі болмайды. Себебі менің ағылшын тіліндегі студенттерім балаларыма ағылшын тілін оқытады. Керемет ой!

ORIGINAL VERSION
Балаларым Қазақстанда.
Бүгін сабақта менің студенттерім менен «қашан Америкаға қайтып барасыз» деп, -сұрады. «Сегіз айтан кейін» деп мен жауап бердім. Сонда олар менің қашан Жезқазғанға қонаққа қайтып келетінімді білгісі келді. Әрине мен білмейдім, сондықтан жай жауап бердім «Болашақта қонаққа қайтып келгім келеді» деп. Бірақ оларда басқа ой болды...

«Мен қазақстанға қайтып келгенде, қазақ қызына үйленуім керек. Одан соң мен қазақ адамдардай боламын. Қазақ тілін таза сөйлеп, мәдинетті қатты біліп, балалы боламын» деді олар. Сосын, көп ағылшын тілін сөйлегендітен, ағылшын тілін ұмытуға тура келеді. Бірақ, ол маған үлкен кедергі болмайды ,себебі менің ағылшын тілі студенттерім менің балаларыма ағылшын тілін оқытады. Қандай жақсы ой!

Spring! Көктем!

2009-03-11T16:51:00.002+06:00

Spring’s Here!-
I’ve survived my last winter in Kazakhstan, as Spring has finally come. Last week the snow started to melt, the weather started getting warmer, and the sun was shining all day long as they days became longer and the nights shorter. It was absolutely wonderful, and I loved it!

But, disaster has struck. A few days ago it started snowing again! I cursed the day, as in just a 24 hour period about 8 inches of snow fell. So it looks like it won’t be melting anytime soon. Perhaps in April we’ll have better luck and plenty of warm sunny days.

Below are some pics of “Spring” in Zhezkazgan

Көктем – келді!
Бұл менің Қазақстандағы соңғы қысым. Ақыр соңында көктем келді! Өткен аптада қар ери бастбады, дала жылы бола бастады да, күннің жарығы таңертеңнен түнге ауысты! Күн ұзарып, түн қысқарды. Өте керемет, мен қатты қуандым.

Бірақ, қар тағы да жауды! «Жоқ!» деп бақырдым. Бір тәулік жауды және далада жатқан қар 15 сентиметр шамасында болды. Өткінішке орай осы жетіде қар еріген жоқ. Мүмкін сәуірде менің жолым болып, күн бұдан да жақсырақ болатын шығар.

Астында - суреттер Жезқағанның Көктеміден.

Құлап жатыр-
Осы қыста мен теқ ғана екі рет қарда құлап қалдым! Бір рет қатты құладым, бір рет жай құладым. Қалай құлағанымды ұмытып қалдым, бірақ мен қатты құладым, себебі мен көшеден өткенде, бір машина жолда маған тоқтамады.

About Russian. Орыс тілі туралы.

2009-03-09T00:02:00.002+06:00

The following is an excerpt from "Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue - The Untold History of English" by John McWhorter. A very interesting book, especially if you're interested in linguistics. I find it to be quite humorous given my endeavor to learn Russian.

English, as languages go, and especially Germanic ones, is kind of easy.
Not child’s play, but it has fewer bells and whistles than German and Swedish and the rest. Foreigners are even given to saying English is “easy,” and they are on to something, to the extent that they mean that English has no lists of conjugational endings and doesn’t make some nouns masculine and others feminine.
There is a canny objection one sometimes hears out there, that English is easy at first but hard to master the details of, while other languages are hard at first but easy to master the details of. Purportedly, then, Russian means starting out cracking your teeth on its tables of conjugations and case markers and gender marking, but after that it’s smooth sailing.
Nonsense. English really is easy(-ish) at first and hard later, while other languages like Russian are hard at first and then just as hard later! Show me one person who has said that learning Russian was no problem after they mastered the basics – after the basics, you just keep wondering how anybody could speak the language without blacking out.

Жазған сөздер қітаптан.
Мен көп қателер жаздым деп ойдаймын. Кешіріңыз.

Аголшын тілі өте қиын емес.
Өте оңай емес, бірақ немес, швед, да басқа тілінелер қарағанда ағылшын тілін үйренуге оңайрақ. Шетелдіктер айтады «Ағылынша сөйлесуге оңай» жиі деп, және оларды шамалы дұрыс өйткені ағылшын тілін септіктер және тек жоқ.
Бірақ кейбір адамдарға, деген сөздер дұрыс емес. Егер олар дұрыс болса, онда сіз орыс тілінде септіктер және тек оқытқандан кейін еркін сөйлесуге оңай.
Мағынасыз деген сөз! Ең алдымен ағылшын тілі оқуға қиын емес, бірақ еркін сөйлесуге өте қиын. Бірақ тілдер орысша сиақты ең алдымен қиын, онда еркін сөйлесуге әлі қиын! Ешкім деп аитпайды «мен орысша көр уақытға үйрендім онда-сонда еркін сөйлесу проблема жоқ болды.» Орыс тілінде негізгі үйренгенден кейін, қалай кісілер орысша сөйлеседі бірақ естен танбайды сіз білмейсіз.

Kazakh Telecom. Қазтелеком.

2009-03-03T23:32:00.002+06:00

Kazakh Telecom-
Yesterday I went with another volunteer to pay our telephone bills. We went together because he’s a new volunteer and he needed some help paying for the 1st time. After waiting in line I paid my bill without any problems, but when we paid his bill we made a mistake. For one of the digits in his phone number, the clerk entered a 7 instead of an 8. On its own this wouldn’t have been a problem, except that unfortunately the person with the entered phone number happened to have a similar last name of the volunteer’s host family, and they lived at the same number address as the other volunteer. Therefore, he ended up paying off someone else’s bill.

“Ok, this won’t be a problem” I thought. “I just need to tell the clerk about the mistake and then she’ll return the money.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. I explained that it was just a mistake. I told them we were sorry several times. I asked her to just change the number and credit the correct account. But apparently, Kazakh Telecom is unable to correct any mistakes with their computer system. From my point of view, I found this to be completely absurd. How can they not figure out how to make a simple refund?

Despite this, the volunteer and I refused to leave. Ultimately the clerk suggested we go to the house and ask for the residents to pay us (crazy, right, but this is Kazakhstan…), so I asked them to call the house and tell them we would be coming. When we got there, just 10 minutes later, no one opened the door, though presumably we knew someone was at home. We left, but I came back later and knocked again. This time I heard someone come to the door, but they turned back and didn’t open it. (Presumably they saw me through the peephole.) I’ve tried a few more times, but I’m of the feeling they have no intention of paying us back…

Қазтелеком-
Кеше мен волентермен қазтелекомға телефонның шотын төлеуге бардым. Біз бірге бардық себебі ол жаңа волентер оған төлеуге көмек керек болды. Мен телефоннның шотын қиындықсыз төледім, бірақ біз оның шотын төлегенде қате істедік. Телефон операторы «7» орнына «8» компьютерге басты. Өткінішке орай анау адамның да телефон нөмері бірдей фамилияда болды. Сондықтан жолдасым басқа кісінің шотын төледі.

«Жарайды, осы улкен мәселе емес» деп ойладым. «Мен телефон операторына теқ ғана қате туралы айтуым керек енді ол ақшаны қайтып береді» деп ойладым. Мен дұрыс істемедім. Қате түсндірдім. Кешіріңіз деп көп рет айтым. Санды ауыстыра аласыз ба деп, -сұрадым. Өкінішке орай Қазтелекомда кеткен қателер жөндей алмайтындарын айтты. Менің ойымша осы жағдай ерсі маған ерсі көрінді. Қалай осы мәселені шешпеді?

Осыған қарамастан, жолдасым екеуміз кассадан кетуді жөн көрдік. Телефон операторы сол үйге барып акшаларынды сұраңдар деді. Сол үйге телефон шалған соң біз жанағы үйге бет бардық . Бірақ бізге ешкім есік ашпады, біз білдік ол уйде адам бар екенін олар акшаны қайтармауды жөн көрді. Содан кейін біз уйге кеттік. Кешкісін мен тағыда келдым, есігін қақтым. Өкінішке орай ешкім жауап бермеді. Бірақ үйінде адамдар бар екенін білдім. Ол қайтарылмайтын акша екенін түсіндім. Бұл қолайсыз жағдай болды.

Bake Sale. Жәрмеңке.

2009-02-26T21:11:00.007+06:00

Bake Sale-
Last week the students of my new club had a Bake Sale. We worked on it for one month, before having the Sale on February 14th – Valentine’s Day. The proceeds went to an organization called Children Without Borders. This is an organization that helps disabled kids. Our goal was to raise $40 dollars, but luckily the Sale was quite successful and we raised $80.

At 8:30 in the morning on Valentine’s Day we met at the college and setup everything up. About twenty people brought a variety of sweets, local style bread, and even some hot foods called “Monti” that resemble dumplings. It took about two hours to set up, then at 10:15 the Bake Sale started. A lot of people came, and my students were excellent sellers. (I was quite proud.) Things wound down around 3:00PM. Before the Sale hard started, I was quite worried, because a lot of people here do not know what fundraising is – even when explained to them in the local languages. I thought that maybe no one would come or that any other number of problems might ensue. But, it turned out I didn’t need to worry at all, because it went off without a hitch.

Жәрмеңке-
Өткен аптада менің жаңа клубым студенттері жәрмеңке істеді. Бір ай жәрмеңкеге дайндалдық, содан Ақпанның 14-інде тамақ саттық. Біз алған пайда «Дети без Границ» ұйымына бердік. Осы ұйым мүгедек балаларына көмектеседі. Біздін мақсатымыз 5000 теңге алу болды, бірақ жәрмеңке өте табысты болды, да біз 10000 теңге алдық.

Сенбіде 14-інде таңертең сағат 8:30-да колледжде кесдесіп, жәрмеңкеге дайндалдық. Жиырма кісі шамасында тортты, нанды, монтыны және басқа тәттілерді алып келді. Біз екі сағат дерлік дайндалдық, сосын сағат 10:15-те жәрмеңке басталалды. Көп адамдар келді, студенттерім өте жақсы сатушылар болды. Түскі 3-ке дейін болды. Жәрмеңке басталғанша, мен қорықтым. Өйткені көп адамдар «фундрейзинг» туралы білген жоқ. Мүмкін сатып алушылар келмейтін шығар деп ойладым. Бірақ маған қорықпауым керек еді, себебі жәрмеңке қиындықсыз өтті.

Preparing. дайндалып түр.

Balloons!!! Әуе шарылар!!!

Our 1st customer is hungry. Біздің бірінші алушысы қарын ашты.

The Table. Дастарқан.

The Crew. Мен студенттермен.

Selling like hotcakes!!! Тез сатып түр!

In Kazakhstan, things I bake are actually in high demand! (Also, don't worry, I haven't become feminine. In Russian grammar, to show possession, masculine names add the letter A.)
Қазақстанда адамдар менің тамағым көп сатып алғы келеді!

Haircut. Шаш қысқарту.

2009-02-13T22:08:00.002+06:00

Haircut-
The day before yesterday I went to get my haircut. In Kazakhstan, the barbers usually do not listen my instructions. I tell them what kind of style I want, but they just cut it their own way, as they please. At first, I thought that maybe they just didn’t understand me, but I’ve come to realize that conjecture is not correct. I know this because once last year when I went to the barber, I asked her to cut my hair shorter. The first time the barber did as asked, but when I asked for it to be even shorter, she yelled at me because she didn’t want to cut it shorter. (Never mind my opinion.) So, I left the place with a Russian-ish style haircut – short on the sides, long up top. Because of this, and other mishaps, now when I go to the barber, I take a picture of myself with the cut I want. This way, I can visually show the stylist what I want, and thereby guarantee a similar cut. However, not even this worked. When I got my haircut two days ago, I took the picture, the lady looked at it, then she chuckled to herself, and put the picture on the table face down. I couldn’t believe it. Wait… that’s not right, I absolutely could believe it. What I meant to say, was that in any other country, I would’ve been surprised but in Kazakshtan I found it to be completely normal.

KAZAKH CORRECTIONS UPDATE: Edits by Urimtal
Шаш қысқарту-
Алдыңгүні мен шаштаразға бардым. Қазақстан шаштаразшыларыәдетте менің нұсқауымды тыңдамайды. Маған қандай шаш үлгісі керектігін айтсам да, өздерінше қысқартады. Әу баста мені түсінбеген болар деп ойладым. Кейін бұным қате кенін ұқтым. Себебі былтыр шаштаразға барғанда: «Қысқарақ ал» деп айттым.
Алғашында ол мені тыңдап қысқарақ кесті. Мен оған одан да қысқа кес деп едім, маған айғайлай жөнелді. Қысқарақ кескісі келмеді. Шаштараздан орыс шашы үлгісінде шықтым. Сондықтан қазір мен шаштаразға барғанда әдемі шаш үлгісінің суретін алып келемін.Бар болғаны: «суреттегідей қысқартып берші» деймін. Бірақ оны істемеді. Алдыңкүні мен суретті шаштаразға бергенде ол оған қарады. Жымиды да, суретті үстелдің үстіне қоя салды. Мен оны сенген жоқпен!... Өз көзіме сенбедім. Тұра тұр! Бұның дұрыс емес қой. Басқа елде болсам, мен бұған тақалар едім. Қазақстан үшін бұл қалыпты жағдай.

ORIGINAL VERSION
Шаш Кесу-
Алдыңгүні мен шаштаразға бардым. Әдетте қазақстанда шаштаразтар менің нұсқауыма тындаған жоқ. Қандай стиль маған керек айтамын бірақ олар теқ қана өзінше жол кеседі. Ең алдымен, мүмкін шаштараз мені түсінген жоқ деп ойладым, бірақ бұл дырыс емес болды. Осы мен білеймін себебі былтыр шаштаразға айттым «қысқырақ... қысқырақ...» деп. Бірінші рет ол аз қысқарақ кесті, енді мен тағы да рет айттым, бірақ ол маған теқ ғана айғайлады өйткені ол қысқырақ кесуге керек емес болды. Мен шаштараздан орыс стиль шашы кеттім. Сондықтан қазір мен шаштаразға барғанда, әдемі суретын шашпен әкелемін. Енді маған теқ қана «солай кесші» айтуым керек. Бірақ осы істеген жоқ гой! Алдыңгуні мен суретті шаштаразға бергенде, ол оған қарады. Онда ол ақырын күлды, да суретті бетпен төменде үстелде қойды. Мен оны сенген жоқпен!... Күт. Осы дұрыс емес, шындық айтқан жоқ. Осы дұрыс... Егер мен қазақстанда емес болсам болды, онда мен сенген жоқпен едім. Бірақ қазақстанда, осы сюрприз емес болды.

Birthday Party! Туған кун той!

2009-02-09T22:12:00.005+06:00

Saturday was my landlord’s son’s birthday so she invited me to his party. If she had known how babies do not like me, then maybe she would not have invited me. I came to the party, and when the baby first looked at me, he began crying. The next four times he saw me, he cried. In spite of this, the party was quite fun.

In Kazakhstan, for a baby’s first birthday, they have a walking ceremony. They tie the baby’s legs together with a rope. Then the baby walks and his parents cut the rope. This ceremony seemed to be really important.

Сенбі куні менің қожайынымның ұлының туған кунінде болды да ол мені тойға шақырды. Егер ол мені сәбилер қалай ұнатпайтын білгенде, ол мені шақырмады еді. Мен тойға келді, да бірінші рет сәби маған қарағанда, ол жылады. Онда келесі төрт рет ол маған көрды, ол жылады. Осы ған қарамастан, той өте жақсы болды.

Қазақстанда сәбилердің бірінші туған кунінде қыдыратың салт бар. Олар сәбинің аяқтарың жіппен байлайды. Сосын сәби қыдырып және ата-ана жіпті кеседі. Бұл салт өте маңызды екен.

The parents and their son.
Ата-ана және оның ұлы.

The baby walking with his grandfather. This is not the walking ceremony.
Сәби оның әкесімен кыдырып тұр. Осы қыдыру салт емес.

Look! I’m holding the baby and he’s not crying!
Қара! Мен сәби ұстап отырмын да ол жылаған жоқ!

Ғана сегундтарнан кейін...
Just seconds later…

2 Pics. Екі сурет.

2009-02-06T19:47:00.000+06:00

If you’re an American and after your lesson your students don’t want a picture with you, then you’re not doing your job right.

Егер Сіз американдық болсаңыз және сабақтан кейін шәкірттеріңіз сізбен бірге суретке түскісі келмесе, нашар мұғалімсіз деген сөз!

Arai’s Birthday.

Арайнің тұған куні

Ерікті. Volunteer.

2009-02-04T19:22:00.002+06:00

Ерікті-
Қаңтарда колледжымде мен жаңа клуб басталдым. Жезқазғанда көп адамдар ерікті туралы білген жоқ. Мысалға аголшынша сабағында менің оқушыларым кітапта еріктіні туралы оқып басталған. Осы тақырып олар түсінген жоқ, солай олар мағынаны мұғалімге сұраған. Ол де ерікті туралы білген жоқ. Ол маған “ерікті, бұл не” сұрағанда, “Не?! мен еріктімін!” деп айттым. Менің түсіндірметен кейін, ол “неге халық ақшасізге жұмыс істейді еді?” сұрады.

Осы негізге және басқа негізлерге мен ерікті клуб бастап шештым. Біздің бірінші жоба тәттілерні сатуға қайрымдылыққа. Барлық ақша организатсияға «Дети Без Границ»-ға жібереміз. Мұнау жоба өте қиын емес бірақ ойны өте жаңа халықтарға.

*Қазақ оқушыларға: кешірыңыз менің жазғанға. Мен көп қате жаздым деп ойлаймын.*

Volunteer-
This January at my college I started a new club. In Zhezkazgan most people do know not about volunteers. For example, in one of my English lessons my students started reading about “Volunteering” in their books. They did not understand what the new theme was about, so they asked their teacher what it meant. She also didn’t know what “volunteering” meant. She asked me “what’s volunteering” and I replied “What? I’m a volunteer!” After my explanation she asked “Why would people work for no money?”

For this reasons, and others, I decided to start a volunteer club. Our first project is to have a Bake Sale for charity. All the proceeds will go to “Children Without Borders.” This first project isn’t terribly difficult, but the idea behind it is very new.

Ауа-райы мен Суреттер. Weather and Pictures

2009-02-02T17:23:00.006+06:00

Ауа-райы-
Бұл өте қызықты. Менің штатым Америкада Жезқазған қаласына қарағанда суығырақ. Осы уақытта өткен жылы, ауа-райы өте суық болды. Температура 20 немесе 30 градус суық шамасында болды, бірақ биыл Жезқазғанда ауа-райы өте жылы. Көшелерде қар еріп жатыр және су көп болып жатыр. Мен көңілдімін себебі тоңған жоқпын, бірақ жаңадан келген волонтерлер нағыз суық қысты көрген жоқ. Мынау мәселе өйткені мен оларға суық ауа-райы және боран туралы көп әңгіме айттым. Қазір қандай ауа-райыңа қалаймын? Білмеймін. Егер жылы болса мен өтірікші боламын бірақ көнілдірек боламын. Егер суық болса, менің айтқаным келеді, бірақ мен көнілсіз боламын және тоңып қаламын.

Weather-
It’s very interesting. Right now my state in America is colder than Zhezkazgan is This time last year the weather was extremely cold. The temperature was about 20 or 30 degrees below zero Celsius, but this year the weather is quite warm in Zhezkazgan. The snow in the streets is melting and there is a lot of water and puddles on the ground. I’m happy because I’m not freezing, but the new volunteers haven’t seen a real winter here. This is a probably because I’ve told them many stories about the cold weather and blizzards here. Now I don’t know what kind of weather I will wish for. If it stays warm I am a liar but I’ll be happier. If the weather is cold then I’m correct, but I’ll be unhappy and freezing.

*English only note: It sure is a lot harder to pull off a joke or humorous story in a foreign language… in time, perhaps.*

Жаңа жыл Қазақ отбасыммен-
Жаңа жылға 12:00-ға дейін уақытым қазақ отбасыммен өткіздым. Суретте оның барлық отбасы тұрады. Осы бірінші рет екі жылда олар бәрі бірге.

New Year with my Kazakh Family-
I spent New Year’s Eve with my Kazakh Host Family. In the picture the whole family is together. This is the first time in (at least) two years they have been together.

Қазақ отбасым, Эмико, және мен жаңа жылны тост істеміз.

Host family, Emiko, and I toast the New Year.

Біз сондай-ақ Андрейнің отбасымен уақыт өткіздік. Бұл сурет және келесі сурет оның үйден.

We also spent some time with Andrew’s host family. This photo and the next are from their house.

Не? Мен алмалар тортқа күлкілі дайндаламын ба?

What? Is there something funny about the way I cut apples for apple pie?

Сұлумын.
Hotness. (Literal translation: I'm beautiful/handsome.)

5 сурет. 5 Photos

2009-02-01T19:41:00.004+06:00

Андрейнің директорының тойында-
Андрейнің мектебі Директоры бізді оның үйне тойга шақырды. Оң жаққа менен Джами бен Андрей отыр және сол жаққа менен Андрейнің кураторы мен директоры отыр. Екі жігіт оң жаққа суреттен Америкад төрт айға дейін жұмыс истеді.

Andrew’s Director’s Visit-
Andrew’s School Director invited us to his house for a visit. To my Right is Jamie and Drew and to the left is Drew’s counterpart and his director. The two guys on the right of the picture worked in America for four months.

Кәмпит үйы-
Кәмпит үйы жасауға қиын жұмыс. Осы суретте Арай менімен үйні жасап отырмыз. Келесі Рождество соң мен Америкаға кайтып келгенде ол мені кәмпит үйы Казақстанға жіберғі келеді.

Gingerbread House-
Making a Gingerbread house is hard work. In this picture Arai and I are building the house. Next Christmas after I return to America she wants me to send a Gingerbread house to Kazakhstan.

Жаңа жыл жақында көп той болды. Мынау суретте Эмико, мен, және мұғалымдар Педагогикалық Колледждан тұрамыз.

Around the New Year there were many parties. In this picture are Emiko, teachers from the Pedagogical College, and me.

Тойда жігіттер қарсы қыздар ойын ойндык. Ережелер - Команда ең ұзын киім жибымен жеңеді. Менің жейдем және сосын белбеум көмектесемен ер адамдар жеңді.

At the party we played a men versus women game. The rules: the team with the longest string of clothes wins. With the help of my shirt, and then my belt, the gents won.

Не айта алаймын? Егер сіз мен сияқты билесесіз, кыздар ғана сізге келеді. ... Басқа түсіндірме жоқ. :-)

What can I say? If you dance like me, the girls just come to you. ... There is no other explanation. Ha.

Жаңа Ой. A New Idea

2009-01-31T19:07:00.003+06:00

Жаңа Ой-
Бүгіннен бастап менің блогымда практикаға қазақ тілінде жазамын. Мен көп қателер жазамын, бірақ мүмкін менің қазақшам жақсырақ болады. Көрерміз. Егер жоқ болса енді мүмкін теқ қана аз қазақ адамдар менің блогымды оқиды және маған күледі.

Мен ұзак уақытта блогымда жазған жоқпен өйткені менде көп бос уақыт жоқ болды. Сондықтан мен бос уақыт болғанда, агылшынша жазғым келмеді. Орнына мен қазақ пен орыс тілдерңін оқыдым. Қазір менің жаңа ойым үйренуге және оқуға шығармамен. Егер сіз қазақша еркін жазсасыз енді маған көмектесе бере аласыз. Дұрыс сөздер менің e-mail-ыма жіберыңыз (rtbrewer@gmail.com) немесе “Comment” жазыңыз. Сіздердің көмектеріңізбен, мүмкін болашақта мен қатесіз жазамын. Осы менің арманым және мақсатым.

A New Idea-
Starting from today I will write my blog in Kazakh for language practice. I will make many mistakes, but with luck my Kazakh will improve. We’ll see. If not, then at least only a few Kazakh people will read my blog and laugh at my writing.

I haven’t blogged in a long time because I haven’t had much free time. When I had free time I didn’t want to spend it writing in English. Instead I studied Kazakh and Russian. Now, my new idea is to learn and study by writing. If you write Kazakh fluently, please send corrections to my e-mail (rtbrewer@gmail.com) or leave a comment. With your help, perhaps in the future I will write Kazakh without mistakes. This is my hope and goal.

**Note: The English that appears on the blog will, from here on out, be a translation of the Kazakh. Naturally this means some of the stories may be a bit more bland due to my limited Kazakh skills. But, I hope it’s better to have stories translated from Kazakh than none at all. At the very least, updates to the blog should be more frequent assuming this experiment of mine goes well.**

At a New Year Party

2009-01-09T19:48:00.003+06:00

On December 29th, we (the volunteers) were invited to the Akimat for a New Year Party with some colleagues' English students. As expected, there were a number of interesting games...

Me carrying Bota to safety. She was the 8th girl I carried across the room, while running, to safety from an imaginary burning house. I learned a valuable lesson: in a real world situation, I'd be lucky to save 1 person before collapsing. Time to head to the gym...

In this game, Jamie thinks he is eating apple slices off of Emiko. I switched with her while Jamie was blindfolded. Aizhan covered my mouth since my attempts to stifle my frightened laughter were failing.

In a game similar to Hot Potato, it 'just happened' that Jamie, Emiko, and I ended up with the bottom parts to Santa's costume. At least I avoided the diapers.

More people with Santa's costume. Where's his coat?!

Rockin' it out!

Want an A+? It's gunna cost you...

2008-12-17T20:10:00.001+06:00

Bribes… er, Fees-
Bribes, bribes, bribes. In Russian language there is even a noun to describe a person who takes bribes. A few days ago on the train, I spent a solid 30 minutes explaining why I, and teachers in America, don’t take bribes. I was having this conversation with, wouldn’t you know it, a student from my college. He is a knockout student. He gets only 4’s and 5’s (B’s and A’s) in his classes, and mostly just 5’s. We began talking about grades and bribes when he asked me how much I charge my students for 5’s. Unfazed by what should be an alarming question, I replied that “I don’t take money for grades. It’s not right.” He began trying to assure me that of course it’s right, and that it’s no problem – after all, how else can you guarantee you pass your classes? I say he “began trying to assure me” not because he failed, but because I long ago learned it was no big deal. After a number of futile attempts at explaining why it is a bad idea and is wrong to take bribes, I tried a new approach – I asked him what he got in his English classes. As I expected, he got all 5’s. I pointed out to him that he didn’t know any English. He couldn’t even say “My name is…” So I asked him if it was a problem that his diploma will say he knows English even when he doesn’t know any. He laughed it off and focused on how he got a 5, and that’s what was important. I knew better than to get frustrated by this, even though it is really frustrating that bribes here are considered so acceptable, if not appropriate. We continued with this conversation as he became even more surprised that I don’t take bribes. He asked me how much I paid my teachers when I was in college, and didn’t really believe that I didn’t. When he finally accepted that I, in fact, did not pay my teachers and that they didn’t ask to be paid, he wanted to know “why not?” Unfortunately, my main point “because it’s not right” held no traction in the argument. He finally gave in when I said, well, “and because you’d probably get caught and the penalty would be severe.” He allowed this, but suggested that you just have to be careful. Ugh. It was not a very successful conversation. I did take at least one thing from it, however – I learned how much it costs to get a 5 in English classes at my college.

Snow-
It got off to a late start, but it’s officially winter in Zhezkazgan. A few days ago it snowed, and unlike the last couple of times where it melted off, this time it’s here to stay. Locals are extremely happy about this for a number of reasons. For one, snow apparently kills all germs and viruses. So we are guaranteed to be disease free at least through March. More importantly, however, is that it is “not correct” for there not to be snow by this time. In early December, before it snowed, I asked people if they were glad it hadn’t snowed yet. I definitely was. Not because I don’t like snow, but because I knew that we would soon have our fill of it. The most common response I received, however, wasn’t one of like or dislike, but the simple statement that “it’s not right” that it hasn’t snowed yet. At first I thought this might be a mistranslation, but the same sentiment came out even in Kazakh and Russian. The most interesting part, was that it wasn’t coupled with a worry about global warming or another climate concern. It was simply a problem, in its own right, that it hadn’t snowed.

MST-
Last week we had our Mid-Service Training. It took place about halfway through our 16th month in Kazakhstan. Now there are only 10 or 11 months left, depending on the specific date our service ends. (There is a month long window when you can “COS” (Close of Service)). It’s wild to think so much time has passed. This time next year I'll be back in the good ol' US of A.

10 Photos...

2008-12-11T17:36:00.002+06:00

Peace Corps Poor

2008-12-07T09:50:00.005+06:00

It's Not Just Me...
As far as Peace Corps Volunteers go, most of us are broke. A popular phrase is that we are "Peace Corps broke," but that is an understatement. With roaring inflation and a tighter budget, we Kazakhstani volunteers give new meaning to "Peace Corps broke" - which explains why I happened to meet 4 volunteers at 6AM at a bus stop a mile away from the train station...

Having completed my 30 hour train ride, I had arrived to the train station at 4:50AM. Faced with the choice of either taking one of the dozens of waiting taxis, or hiking to a bus stop a mile away and waiting 2 hours in the -11C degree weather, I made the obvious decision. The PC-Kazakhstan obvious one, that is. Even as all the train friends I had made - who were riding along with me in the cheap section - hopped into taxis, I walked, luggage in hand, to a stop where I could catch a bus to the office. All I needed to do was wait until after 6:30 for when a bus would come. After sitting in the freezing cold for about an hour, I began to regret my decision. Fortunately, I had with me a book, "Apples are from Kazakhstan," and happened to be reading a section about a British Officer who, during the Great Game, traveled across the Kazakh Steppe in the winter. As the cold numbed my feet, fingers, and butt, I read how the entire length of his arms had succumbed to full-blown frostibe during a particularly frigid day when he accidentally fell asleep in -40 degree weather. Reading about this gave me the conviction to suck up my pithy bus stop bench hardship and wait it out a little longer. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if I was just being cheap, or if Peace Corps was, in fact, paying us peanuts.

My answer appeared out of the blue, as 4 volunteers showed up at the bus stop. Explanations weren't needed. There were no surprised looks of "what are you doing here?!" We all knew this is how volunteers here get around.

Rockets and Such...

2008-12-05T21:26:00.001+06:00

Ears, A‘ight-
By happenstance I got invited to tea with the director and a sampling of the teachers and students at my college yesterday. I didn’t expect to be invited, in fact I wouldn’t have even known about it if I hadn’t happened to make my first official visit to the director just yesterday. (I announced we were running an Olympiad and also seized the moment to slip in a leave request.) It was then that she casually invited me to tea the following day. The college was having tea in the morning to celebrate the religious holiday “A’ight.” (Of course, the more appropriate rendition would be “Ite.” I can’t pass up the chance to Americanize the expression… fine, Southernize the expression. Besides, I’m coming to Ite, A’ight!) Moving on…
I thought this would be a pretty simple tea and that all the teachers would be there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. No English teachers came and while I was walking around wondering who the hell I was going to talk to, the director ushered me towards the head table. Turns out this “tea” is something far more akin to a religious feast/celebration. They even prepared a goat’s head in addition to the amazing amount of food laid on the table. Upon seeing the goat’s head I heathenly gave a Christian prayer among my Muslim brethren asking that I would not be a guest of honor so that I could avoid eating from the head. As the entire left ear of the goat came towards me I wondered if I should have metaphorically cc’d my message to a wider range of deities. Unable to avoid fate, I did the only thing there was to do, I took a big bite of ear.
Usually over eagerness in cultural enterprises such as this result in favorable reactions. I mean, after all, it’s better to lunge in and participate than to stand back, look in fright, and say no thanks – that’s no way to win friends. Unfortunately for me, however, the only reaction this time was stifled laughter. You see, I analyzed the ear to find what I thought would be the least nauseating part. I deemed this to be skin type part – ie. the part of the ear furthest away from the head. I made a point of avoiding the more substantial hunk where the ear once connected with the head. Turns out, however, I ate the part you’re not supposed to eat. Oh well. This just meant that now I had to eat it properly. So I turned the remaining part of the ear and scraped out the ear meat (yeah, there’s ear meat) and ate that. If you want a mental picture, and I’m oh so sure you do, think of itching your ear, but instead of doing it from the outside like you do, imagine you’re doing it from inside your head. A hahahahha… enjoy your next meal!

Rocket!-
As luck would have it last week, I saw a rocket launch with the volunteers in my town. It was evening and we were heading towards a local’s house to go “guesting.” When, wouldn’t you know it, the sky all of a sudden lit up. I looked skywards and saw a huge white-burning fireball with a wide tear-drop shaped contrail. It was beautiful. For the first few seconds, it was more freaky, however. My first thought upon looking up, (after “Holy crap!”) was “Ok, UFO’s aren’t real…” but I couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be. Next, I briefly wondered whether some of K-stan’s oil money had gone towards funding for some uber-secret aircraft, but I dismissed that notion too. Next, I wondered if World War III had broken out and if I was making the mistake of admiring the fast-approaching harbinger of my death. Finally, I put 2 and 2 together and realized that it was in fact, a rocket from the Cosmodrome a few hundred miles to the south. (In my defense, all the previous thoughts took place in about a 1-2 second time period.) As I admired the beauty of it, I silently cheered it on, as just over a year ago a rocket failed to launch properly and exploded just 20 miles from Zhezkazgan. No one got hurt, but apparently the enormously toxic fuel got into the water supply. Nowadays people worry about radiation in the water – as I do as well, because my water distiller makes absolutely no claim about filtering out any radiation. But what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right!

Cultural Reflections

2008-11-25T18:27:00.000+06:00

It Takes Imagination…-
I considered labeling this entry “Win, Lose, or Draw” until I found out that, thus far, I’m the only volunteer who has ever heard of the show. I don’t care to explain it again, so if you were not watching TV between 1987 and 1990, you can catch up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win,_Lose_or_Draw .

So, I decided to play a version of this game at English Club. I started with basic things, such as a “slow turtle,” and “fast rocket” so that the students got a handle of the game. Then I moved on to more difficult, or at least entertaining concepts. To kick them off, I drew a picture of a “texting horse.” Once the students figured out what it was, they cried out “but that’s wrong, horse can’t text.” To which I responded “Of course they can’t, but the idea is just for you to guess the picture. It’s supposed to be creative. You want to draw interesting pictures, not boring ones.” Next I had a student draw a flying cow. This drew larger complaints. “But cows can’t fly, that’s not right.” Again, I explained that it doesn’t matter if it’s true, it’s just supposed to be fun. Unfortunately this did not soothe their concerns, as I had to call the game a few pictures later after I had student draw a “dancing computer.” Apparently computers cannot dance, or at least, so I was told by my disturbed students. Though most of the students understand English rather well, I could not convince them that it was about imagination and that it didn’t matter if the picture you drew could actually occur or not. It was telling for how rarely teachers here challenge and cultivate their students’ imaginations.

“We’re Kazakh, We Can’t Save!”-
Oh man. I almost died when I heard my teacher say that. The cause of death would’ve been a deathly dose of “I can’t believe she said that” laughter, a “you’ve got to be kidding me” moan, and a “I’ve been trying not to say or think that because I didn’t want to sound racist” shake of the head and roll of the eyes. The statement came momentarily after I asked my students what they’d do with $1,000. After having the students tell me what things they’d get, I ventured “and who would save any of it?” They didn’t understand, so I explained what saving was. After my explanation came a collective “oh no, we wouldn’t save it.” That’s where my teacher chimed in with her enlightening cultural remark.

It was all the more humorous – or depressing – because just 2 days before, another one of my teachers walked into a birthday party wearing more money in clothes than she makes in almost a year. (Fur coats, fur hats, designer boots and clothes – get them while they’re hot my friends!) When she walked in, all the other teachers ran over to her with oooh’s and ah’s like I couldn’t believe. Perhaps I would have joined in the conversation, but I was depressed by a conversation I had with another teacher earlier that very day. This teacher (not the one who just came in with a new wardrobe) was excited about a new fur coat she wanted to get. Knowing that the cheapest is $1,000 (and also knowing the exact price of the one she wanted because people here love to tell you how much their things cost) I suggested she instead travel to the United States or take some other vacation. Though she tells me often this is her dream, she said “no, I must get this coat. Here everyone cares about how you look, so you must have new and nice clothes.” The funny thing was that after talking to her about it for a bit, she didn’t even really want it that much. I mean, she did on the surface. But when I actually questioned which she’d rather spend the money on, she’d rather take the trip. Unfortunately, she won’t, or as she explained to me, “she can’t,” because she must get the new coat to impress others. Oh well, I guess.

Return from a Hiatus

2008-11-16T15:56:00.013+06:00

Those who can’t do, teach-
Well, there’s no way I can deny I just disappeared from the blog for over a month, so instead I offer a worn-out cliche. A few weeks ago, Peace Corps invited me to give a session on the “Communicative Approach” to the new trainees in Almaty. It appears that as I became a teacher of communication I lost the art of communication. Go figure. Either way, lame cliche excuse aside, I’m back.

I thought about writing a long narrative detailing all the many riveting moments of my service since I last blogged, but have instead decided to offer 6 pictures depicting separate, isolated events, that provide virtually no comprehensive information on what I’ve been up to, but that are hopefully mildly amusing nonetheless.

This statue is in a village about an hour from Zhezkazgan. It use to be an industrial center with 30,000 people. Today it has only around 5,000 and is like a ghost town. Everything has fallen apart and is in total disrepair... everything except Lenin and his Square here. Ironic given that it was economic policies such as his that led people to think it was a good idea to make an isolated village an industrial hub. I give an E for effort. An F for efficiency. And an FU to comrade Lenin...

...who am I kidding, it's LENIN for crying out loud! He's too loveable for me to hold a grudge. Let's get to work for the motherland!

Three English teachers who started a private teaching business. They're A rate.

Making use of PowerPoint.

It's my college! I mean, University! I mean, it's my college but it used to be a satellite building of the university, so even though it's a college we keep the university sign up because why take down what makes you look better!?

What's going on?

Got to Shake Hands-
There’s a guy who lives in the apartment across from mine who is almost always sitting outside the building smoking a cigarette. He appears to have no particular job or anything to do at all other than sit outside all day every day. I greet him when I head out each morning and from time to time we have brief chats, but one thing that always happens, is we shake hands. This is a requirement in Kazakhstan. If you’re male and you see another male friend, colleague, acquaintance, neighbor, guy you met once, friend of your friend, stranger you don’t really know, etc. then you must shake hands. The other day I left my apartment in a hurry to visit a volunteer who was leaving the city. As I ran out I didn’t see my neighbor, but he called after me. I turned back to shake his hand as is customary, but, unusually, he had 2 other people with him. One I recognized from my college – possible a gym teacher. And another man whom I didn’t know, but whose hand was gashed and bleeding profusely. I shook my neighbor’s hand and the hand of the teacher. Next I turned to Bleeding Hand. Typically when someone’s hands are dirty they simply extend their arm and you’re expected to kind of touch your wrists instead of actually shaking their hands. I did this, but Bleeding Hand wanted to shake hands nonetheless. I withdrew my arm and he became offended. Fortunately the gym teacher called him out on it and pointed out to the guy that his hand was extremely bloody. But, Bleeding Hand, really wanted to shake my hand, so while I chatted with the teacher and my neighbor for about a minute, he spent his time wiping his hand off on his jacket – an act that was futile given that the bleeding hadn’t stopped and much of his hand was caked in dried blood anyway. As I said I had to go, Bleeding Hand again tries to shake my hand. I tell him he has blood all over, but he still wants to shake. At this point I just walk off. He tries to follow me for a step or two, but was too drunk to stumble even that far.

My Class-
At my college I finally set up my own Advanced Class. I had to do this by pulling the top students from the different groups they study in. Typically this would cause chaos and would not fit into the schedule, but fortunately all the advanced students were “afternoon” students, so I was able to schedule them in for a zero period timeslot. The primary goal I had, on top of improving their English, was implementing a system whereby the students were responsible for their grades and success. That may sound obviously intuitive, but it’s not a system you often see around here. The most important parts were regulating attendance and tardies, and setting up a proper grading structure. (Remember that students just get a daily grade here – a 3, 4, or 5. There are rarely tests, no quizzes, no homework grade, etc. Attendance is regulated by yelling and condemning.) So, what I setup was a structure that put the responsibility on the students. Essentially it’s what most of you are used to. For example, if you come late or are absent, you get marked absent or tardy. X number of tardies = absence, and X number of absences impacts your grade X amount. When you’re in class, you may get say, 3 different grades in one day – 1 for homework, 1 for the quiz I give, and 1 for participation. Voila! Amazing! I’m not going to spell it out any further, but what’s important to know is that such basic concepts are lacking here, and that’s what I’ve worked to address in my class.

What is Your Profession?-
This is a frustrating question we often get. It’s frustrating because many people don’t understand a liberal arts education. I’m a Poli Sci and History Major. When people ask me this question they essentially want to hear that my profession is a historian, or a politician. Of course I’m neither, and am highly unlikely to be either. Many people do not understand this, though, and want you to tell them your exact profession. You try to explain that there are many things you could do and that you’ll specialize, but that your degree doesn’t just lock you into one thing. Some people do understand, but others, frustratingly, do not. For instance, when one of my English teacher colleagues who knows only beginner English informed me (in Kazakh) that she was better than I because she can teach English – it’s her profession – whereas I had no profession and therefore could not teach English.

Long Time no See...

2008-10-06T14:20:00.003+06:00

It's been a while since I last blogged. I'll get a few entries up in the next couple of days. For now, here's a video of my sitemate playing guitar at an English Club.

Concert and Cookout

2008-09-17T17:43:00.006+06:00

Big 35-
Zhezkazgan’s sister city turned 35 a few days ago, and to celebrate the city held an outdoor concert on the main street. I was invited to check out the excitement with a local counterpart and her brother-in-law’s family. Satpaev is about 30-35 minutes away by bus, but we shredded that time by going 160kph (100mph.) Now, depending on your particular need for speed, this may not be a harrowing pace, but let me assure you, when you’re in an old Russian built car on an unevenly paved road, 160kph/100mph is quite the thrill. No worries though… I held on tight in lieu of the conspicuously absent seatbelt.
Having arrived safely, we enjoyed the concert. I’d say at least 7 or 8 thousand people came out, which was by far the largest crowd I’ve seen in my area. I also took the time to get some night photos of Satpaev’s church and mosque, which face each other on opposite sides of the street, seemingly in a showdown for converts.
Satpaev's Mosque

Satpaev's Church

Part of the crowd at the concert.

Electric Safety-
Check out this photo. If your plug breaks, just jam the two wires into the wall! The wires powered a welding machine that workers used to install bars on my windows (a security measure because I’m on the 1st floor.)

American Cookout-
My sitemate, Dusty, and I decided to grill up some hamburgers. This is a difficult feat as there are no grills, hamburger buns, or grade-A meat. No worries, however. We “made” a grill, baked our own hamburger buns, and added ketchup and onions to the ground-beef to give it some flavoring. Our grill consisted of 2 cinder blocks and my oven tray. (Classy, I know.) Our respective counterparts were going to join us, but neither one made it, so it was just us, 15 hamburger buns, and a lot of meat. This over-abundance turned to our advantage, however, as we grilled the burgers outside of my apartment. By the time we had lit the fire we had a crowd of about a dozen. When we put on the 1st burger it had doubled. The neighbor kids were absolutely enthralled! (More on this in the next entry.) We ended up giving out about a dozen burgers, which they split among themselves. It was our cultural moment of the week, filled with sharing and good-will. With any luck, the locals will now like the new American on the block… that is if my dashing looks and natural charm hadn’t won them over in the 1st place. Ha!

Burgers? No Way!-
A cultural barrier Dusty and I tried to break through on burger night was trying to explain there are other foods than the ones the locals know of. (Shashlyk is similar to a kebab)

Group of kids: “You’re cooking Shashlyk?!”
Us: “No, not shashlyk, we’re cooking hamburgers.”
Kids: “Oh! You’re making cutlets!”
Us: “No, not cutlets, hamburgers. We’re making American hamburgers.”
Kids: *pondering* … “So it’s shashlyk!”
Us: *groan*

Variations of this conversation went on the entire time we were out there. Even though we had very tangible evidence of a non-national dish and a non-local dish, we couldn’t convince them it was something other than what they were accustomed to. It’s a reflection of how few new dishes or foods come into or are adopted here. This difference extends into many other realms as well. On Kazakhstani passports, for example, both your nationality and your ethnicity are listed. This obviously differs from the US, where your ethnicity is not listed, and it would be illegal to force you to do so. Trying to explain this difference is maddening, however, and I’m white! It couldn’t be any easier for me… if a foreigner who knows very little about America is about to see an American, they expect to see me – a white man! Even so, I still get asked what my “nationality” is here. (I luck out, though. Other volunteers who don’t fit a local’s stereotypical image of an American are often told they aren’t American or that they’re Kazakh. Attempts to explain otherwise are shotdown.) “I’m American.” “No… I mean, what’s your nationality.” … “Still American… do you mean what is my ethnicity?” “No, I want to know what your nationality is.” The conversation goes on. Most people are something just short of appalled when I finally inform them that I don’t know what my ethnicity is… “uh, I don’t know, I’m different parts European, I don’t know which.” (This reminds me, though: mom and dad… can you tell me what the hell I am? I need countries and percentages!) At any rate, what’s more important here is your ethnicity. Unfortunately, this opens up a huge bag of questions and problems which I don’t dare get into, other than to say that thinking along ethnic lines as opposed to national lines tends to lead towards trouble. For the most recent proof of this (out of the hundreds to choose from,) just look at Georgia.

Oh… I digressed and lost the point I was trying to make. Often times here it seems that if you’re trying to open up a new frame of reference and talk about something different than the local experience (be it about food or nationality) your efforts are in vain, as there is such a relentless persistence in continuing to use the one known perspective instead of taking a look through a new lens.

Language Humor

2008-09-13T11:36:00.005+06:00

How is Your Lonely Living?-
I’m living in an apartment of my own now, so I am living alone. This is a very unusual occurrence in Kazakhstan. An unmarried 20-something likely lives with his family or relatives, or if he’s in a larger city, perhaps with a group of friends. Since it is very unusual to live alone here, and since a man certainly can’t survive on his own (who’s going to cook and clean while I watch TV?!) I get asked about it frequently. My female colleagues check up on me. They ask how the apartment is, if I’m keeping it clean, how I’m eating, and so forth. My counterpart even taught me to cook Plov (a rice and meat dish.) I tell them I’m eating well and that everything’s ok and looking good. (At present, however, judging by a brief glance around the room, that would be a lie… but I’m going to clean… tomorrow… probably.) Anyway, Friday, after I finished my last class at 6:10PM and was preparing to head home alone, a teacher asked me “Robert, how is your lonely living.” Oh what one word can do! With my cup instantaneously drained from half full to half empty, I headed home to retire alone… and lonely.

How Much Do Your Sisters Cost?-
Fortunately, I don’t just get to hear language mistakes; I get to make them too. I’ve started Russian lessons again and after a few weeks I’m at least a beginner! I was talking with another teacher. She was telling me about her family in Russian and she said she had two sisters. I was interested in knowing how many children they have. Unfortunately, I can’t keep new words straight and constantly mangle the ones I do know. It reminds me of an old French teacher I had in 3rd grade who said, with a thick accent, our brains were like “big fat sponges” (because we were kids and could absorb language easily.) Well, I never learned how to say much more than “Bonjour,” so even then I questioned if I had a “big fat sponge” for a brain in the 1st place. Now, however, I know that my brain more closely resembles a small, dense rock than any sort of sponge, and it is precisely that deficiency that helps explain the following mistake. There is the word “dyeti” for children, and “dengi” for money. Naturally, I substituted the latter for the former when attempting to ask how many children her sisters have. The teacher’s shocked look made me realize my mistake.

Another random shot of Zhezkazgan.

No energy to write, so some photos instead...

2008-09-10T23:38:00.007+06:00

The Akimat! (Townhall.) Nothing says 'I am the authority' like a fresh coat of pink. I go to the 3rd floor to the room on the far right for my Russian lessons.

The square in front of the Akimat. Not too much more to say about that.

These pictures are so random I don't even know what this is.

An apartment building with steampipe on the right. I dare say these photos are insipidly dull.

I think I found the bus that took me to Kyzlorda last winter.

Party headquarters...political party headquarters, that is. Nur Otan, or "the fatherland's ray of light" is the President's choice, and coincidentally the people's only choice. This is the nicest building in town.