last night we had a bon fire on top of a sand hill by the river. we shared ghost stories and sang russian songs. my feet are swollen with mosquito bites but it was worth it. after today we will only have hot water once a week in the house. if we want a shower with hot water we have to walk a short ways into the forest and use a water tank that is heated by the sun. no big deal. and toilet paper seems to be optional here. the toilet paper is kind of like thick rolls of brown party streamers, once we run out nobody really cares. we will go to the city tomorrow and visit a museum, eat russian ice cream, and hopefully shop a little. i need more toiletries since i only had room for travel size items in my suitcase.
as for cultural differences between americans and kazakhs there are not very many. the kazakhs and russians that i am hanging with are young so they are less traditional and conservative than older generations so they dress like us, watch american movies, dance, and just hang with there friends. they are all muslim but there is no influence from pakistan, iran, or iraq. and even thought they are muslim they have their own personal beliefs just like many christians. one difference between our cultures is their reaction to cold. for example i was sitting on a tile staircase and they kept telling me to move and sit somewhere else. they think that sitting on something cold will make them sick. that is why they don’t have ice in their drinks and don’t have air conditioning. another difference is their personal space bubbles. we were sitting on the beds in one of the rooms playing mafia and a girl was sitting behind a boy with here arms around his shoulders and her head resting on his upper back. they had only known each other for two days and they were not flirting. they use each other’s bodies to make themselves comfortable. the standard of living is of course different, our public bathrooms are more than wholes in the ground and they know that they have poor medical here, but they are happy and satisfied.
we have internet but it is dial up. i would like to upload photos but it would be quicker to a paint a picture and mail it. all the students have cell phones with lady gaga ringtones. but i do not have access to a phone that will call the states from the house.
most of the questions i am asked about america pertain to gangs, guns, marriage, the education system. and they seem to think that wherever we go there are celebrities and that our parties are thrown by van wilder. how america is portrayed in movies really sticks here. so i say that if people have a misconception of amercians it is our own damn fault. luckily the two guys i am here with, lucian and luke, seem to be on the same page about a lot of things. luke and i want lucian to get a tattoo while here. what’s the worst that could happen? hepatitis a? anyway til next time my friends, meaning when i am not talking about packing heat or eating borsht. oh and we played wish or truth (truth or dare) and i am sorry to say that truth and dare in russian is just as lame as truth or dare in english.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
katy perry, you are welcome
after over thirty hours of travel, a quick stop in amsterdamm, and only throwing up twice I am in semey, Kazakhstan! we flew into almaty and had a long layover so we went to the home of a native family where we slept a little, ate a little, and saw the southern country side of Kazakhstan. it is geographically diverse with mountians and fields. the family we stayed with is of Turkish origin so in their home lived three generations. the food they served was strawberries picked from their own fields, a kind of Turkish fried rice, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and black tea. they were so hospitable but did not speak much English. the youngest son spoke a little English however he is fluent in Russian, Kazakh, Turkish, and two or three other languages. he showed us some videos of his brother’s wedding. the wedding was traditional Turkish style and consisted of cutting a goat’s throat, the bride rubbing honey above a doorway, and the groom dancing with knives. it was an arranged marriage and the bride now lives with the groom’s family; they had a baby about two months ago.
upon arriving in semey we were greeted by some of the our students. we were taken to the university which is one building and shown the English resource center. we then drove about thirty minutes to a large house out in the woods. the students call the house “base”. the base is extremely comfortable by Kazakh standards. there are flushing toilets and two showers. we live here with sixteen students; three boys and 13 girls. their ages range from 21 to 15. they are here for two weeks for English camp. in the morning we eat breakfast at 8 a.m. which is usually some kind of pourage made of rice or corn, then at 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Luke and I teach English. the students want to know how to speak in American English so we concentrate on idioms, slang, bigger vocab words, and we have the students in groups of four. we are trying to improve their critical thinking and conversational skills. we have only had two days of lessons. after these two weeks are up new students will come and stay in the house with us. at noon we eat lunch which so far has been beef soup or cabbage with tomatoes and beef. after lunch we all hang out and sometimes walk down to the river. the river here is very large and we might swim in the future. for dinner we have rice with carrots and bread. bread is served with every meal. it is white and hard and eaten plain. and there is always black tea at every meal.
after dinner we watch mtv in Russian. the show “next” is popular and the the music videos are hilarious. we play mafia a lot, too. the most popular singer here is Norwegian but sings in Russian. everyone in Kazakhstan speak Russian and Kazakh. they use them interchangeably. later at night we meet in the dining hall and dance in the dark to techno. the best song so far is a techno mix that starts out with the “last of the Mohicans” theme song. mostly the students want to know English but when I hang out with the girls they want to know about girl stuff. they ask me if I have a boyfriend and things like that. a lot of the girls want to be English teachers or doctors. and they know quite a few American movies. they really like will smith and Angelina jolie. really they are just like us. being here is kind of like being at a regular summer camp in America except everyone finds you interesting and they want to know what you like to do and what you think about everything. the southern part of Kazakhstan seems to be more traditional than the northern area. I ask the girls here when they want to get married and they all say they want an education and job first so they are very similar to American girls. the biggest cultural influences in Kazakhstan are Russia and turkey, even though semey is very close to china there is hardly any Chinese influence.
they want to know the music I listen to so I have made a mix and have given it to a few girls. it’s mostly katy perry, fiest, rilo kiley, and the killers. and we talk about books like my Antonia, Tolstoy, and Shakespeare. all the people at this camp are so beautiful. I love them all already. right now some of the girls are laying out by the river and a girl in the room next to me is playing the guitar and singing. it already feels like home.
upon arriving in semey we were greeted by some of the our students. we were taken to the university which is one building and shown the English resource center. we then drove about thirty minutes to a large house out in the woods. the students call the house “base”. the base is extremely comfortable by Kazakh standards. there are flushing toilets and two showers. we live here with sixteen students; three boys and 13 girls. their ages range from 21 to 15. they are here for two weeks for English camp. in the morning we eat breakfast at 8 a.m. which is usually some kind of pourage made of rice or corn, then at 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Luke and I teach English. the students want to know how to speak in American English so we concentrate on idioms, slang, bigger vocab words, and we have the students in groups of four. we are trying to improve their critical thinking and conversational skills. we have only had two days of lessons. after these two weeks are up new students will come and stay in the house with us. at noon we eat lunch which so far has been beef soup or cabbage with tomatoes and beef. after lunch we all hang out and sometimes walk down to the river. the river here is very large and we might swim in the future. for dinner we have rice with carrots and bread. bread is served with every meal. it is white and hard and eaten plain. and there is always black tea at every meal.
after dinner we watch mtv in Russian. the show “next” is popular and the the music videos are hilarious. we play mafia a lot, too. the most popular singer here is Norwegian but sings in Russian. everyone in Kazakhstan speak Russian and Kazakh. they use them interchangeably. later at night we meet in the dining hall and dance in the dark to techno. the best song so far is a techno mix that starts out with the “last of the Mohicans” theme song. mostly the students want to know English but when I hang out with the girls they want to know about girl stuff. they ask me if I have a boyfriend and things like that. a lot of the girls want to be English teachers or doctors. and they know quite a few American movies. they really like will smith and Angelina jolie. really they are just like us. being here is kind of like being at a regular summer camp in America except everyone finds you interesting and they want to know what you like to do and what you think about everything. the southern part of Kazakhstan seems to be more traditional than the northern area. I ask the girls here when they want to get married and they all say they want an education and job first so they are very similar to American girls. the biggest cultural influences in Kazakhstan are Russia and turkey, even though semey is very close to china there is hardly any Chinese influence.
they want to know the music I listen to so I have made a mix and have given it to a few girls. it’s mostly katy perry, fiest, rilo kiley, and the killers. and we talk about books like my Antonia, Tolstoy, and Shakespeare. all the people at this camp are so beautiful. I love them all already. right now some of the girls are laying out by the river and a girl in the room next to me is playing the guitar and singing. it already feels like home.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
follow me.
if you are bored and have nothing better to do check in with me. i will try to update you on the interesting adventures i have while in kazakhstan. hi, mom. hi, dad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)