It has been one week now and there are several things that have to change in my daily routine in order to integrate. I thought I would go ahead and tqalk about some differences in daily home life here in Kazakhstan and not just in my family...but a good general cultural dynamic in my village. My village is pronounced Bell-boo-lock. It is a short distance from the major city All-ma-tea.
First thing that I have to do is make my bed every morning. Having a clean house and a clean room is very very important. Decoration wise, there are not any 'hoarders' here. Only the furniture and items that are needed are here. Lots of floor space etc. Wallpaper is in every room. Nothing is painted really except in schools. The wallpaper is ornate in design and very beautiful. Sometimes the wallpaper has glitter in it. :) Also, large floor rugs seem to be very common because you have to take your shoes off when you enter the house. You either wear socks or have slippers when you are inside. Another thing is that culturally everyone here LOVES sweet things. We have candy at every meal. Cookies, cakes, candy are all a part of each meal - all day every day. "Chai" is the Russian word for "tea." It is usually an English black tea or something like that. You pour a glass of boling water into your cup and dip the tea bag into the hot cup of water about 3 - 5 times until the water is a clear amber color. So the tea never really steeps for more than a few seconds. It is because a lot of people don't like to drink straight water and so they drink tea like water. And I have about 10 cups of "chai" per day. :) Laundry in my house is done once a week on Saturday mornings. Actually Saturday seems to be a big cleaning day. I have to go to school all day on Saturdays but I think my family mops, sweeps, vacuums, cleans bathrooms, and does laundry. So if I want to have an item washed during the week I haтв wash it in a bowl of hot water and soap. All things are air dried around the house. One more important thing is that all of my clothes have to be ironed. I have to iron all things that I wear because it is an insult to have wrinkled clothes here. I hardly ever wear jeans and never anything as casual as sweats and a tshirt (except maybe to play a sport). That is all for now. In general I made a very smooth transition here and I can't complain. The native people here are wonderful, the Peace Corps staff is very good, my cohorts from the US are hilarious and fun, and I am excited to continue learning the language / culture Kazakhstani Fun Fact: No one drinks chilled water here. All water is served at room temperature - never from the fridge.
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Well, there is so much to absorb here in Kazakhstan. I am currently using the internet for the first time sincу my departure and my English grammar is poor. It is a strange situation to explain. I am surrounded by Russian and learn it for hours each day. When I talk to my host family I essentialize exactly what I am trying to say so that they might understand what I am saying. We communicate with a dictionary between us. Constantly looking up words, correcting pronunciations, etc. It is a really cool experience.
My host family is very wonderful and my transition from my home to my site was very smooth. This culture is extremely hospitable and always wants to show me love by feeding me food! Eat! Eat! They say this constantly. Food and tea are a huge part of every day. There is a wonderful exchange between us. Many stories to come of my adventures and experiences. Hopefully I can post more frequently but my schedule is intense. Kazakhstani Fun Fact: NO one here sits on the ground / floor. They think it makes you infertile. Apparently the Peace Corps likes to wait until you are about to leave for the trip to give you more paperwork to fill out, items to pick up, and information to remember. So much to do!
Now that my departure date is approaching I find myself in a zombie trance. I reassure myself that I am capable of problem solving once I get there despite not knowing the circumstances of my arrival. Communication will be uncertain at first. I am told that I will probably not have internet access the first week or so and there is no way of knowing how I will get it until I reach my host family site. The point is....blogging might be random for the first bit. The Peace Corps will send my mother an email when we have arrived safely on site. I told her to post that information on my facebook so that others can rest assured that I made it to the other side of the world. The agenda for now is as follows: Tuesday 4:00am (airport) Wednesday (DC orientation) Thursday noon (leave for Germany) Friday 12:30am (arrive in Kazakhstan) Saturday 9:00am (orientation at Kok Tobe) Sunday (move in with host family / visit) Tuesday 8:00am - 6:00pm (training begins) These first few months will be a rigid 6 day a week training fiasco! The majority of the time will be spent covering health topics, safety and security, administrative policy, Russian and Kazakh language, cross-cultural issues, and teacher training. I am excited...for the moment until I get nervous / possibly overwhelmed. But I thank everyone for their gifts, support, and encouragement as I make my way towards Central Asia. Megan |
Peace Corps Blog.click above to play a traditional Kazakh song that I really like called the Karajorga. It is very popular and there is a traditional dance that is performed with it as well.
KazakhstanMarch 8, 2011 - click here to look at photos of tripArchives
October 2011
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