Friday when I got home from class, via an ecotourism agency where we scoped out the possibilities for a mountain adventure next weekend, I was put straight to work. To be fair, I did walk into the kitchen bearing a bag of strawberries and asking if I could help. In short order I was slicing pickles and carrots and potatoes for soup. Host mother, host sister, sister’s friend, host brother: we all jostled for counter space and the stove. It was an amiable mess, with some moments of concern, such as when the oven door opened inches from my leg…
Hot oil, boiling soup, steaming oven. Good thing it was such a cool and beautiful day in Almaty. We’ve had a couple days of rain and cold (I’ve been vindicated for bringing along a few articles of warm clothing), so it was a joy just to walk home from class in the sun. Almaty is oriented with the mountains as compass rose. The whole city is on a slant. Class is “up” from where I live, so I take the bus. Coming home is all “down,” which makes for a pleasant walk through the heart of the city.
Of course, living on a mountain slope has its disadvantages. On Tuesday I was caught out on a walk when it started to pour. There have been a couple of thunderstorms so far, but this was a riot of rain that quickly turned into a flash flood. Rain in the city means it’s been raining for a while up above, and all that water has to go somewhere. Most of it seemed to end up in my socks.
Fortunately enough, the place I was going for an interview was not deterred when I showed up soaking at their door. From here on in, I’ll be spending a few hours a week with the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia. There are quite a few interns on board this summer and currently we are all housed on the fourth floor of the building around a conference table. We are basically a secretary corps; my current task involves translating cross-tabulated data sets (don’t tell my Kazakh teacher that most of it is translation from Russian to English…). I am enjoying the chance to see how the organization works, and also the chance to shake up my schedule a bit!
Kazakh is difficult, but it is rewarding to be starting to recognize new words. Watching television is no longer quite such a mystery; I’ve even glimpsed a Turkish soap opera dubbed into Kazakh, which was my favorite way to learn Russian, so maybe I should re-develop my addiction. Speaking Kazakh in Kazakhstan is still a magical key. Yeah, people will stare at you like you are even more crazy than usual, but it’s fun to watch the reactions when they match your face to your words. I like to think I brighten the day of the two young people working in the samsa stand near the university when I make it to the front of the line and order my hot pastry puff filled with salty cheese. Russian is still far and away the lingua franca, but there is more Kazakh on the streets than I remember from two years ago.
Did you know that just last week in Ankara, Turkey they unveiled a new statue of none other than Our President? Whose birthday is on July 6, which just happens to be a national holiday (ok, so technically it‘s a holiday for Astana…)? Who was referred to in a poem in the state newspaper as “Ata-Kazakh”?
Really, I have no comment, just wanted to frame some rhetorical questions.
Also, for those who are concerned, we are keeping our eyes on Kyrgyzstan, though there hasn’t been too much in the local press about the on-going situation in the south. Osh and Jalalabad are both very far from here. I met an fellow ex-pat last weekend who drove through the region sort of accidentally (he had been out of contact for a few days before driving from Tajikistan north to Almaty). His report involved being shot at while driving around a road block; I’m sad to say this is probably the least harrowing of the stories coming out of the area. Let’s all just keep hoping for peace, and maybe for some answers.
My homework this weekend involved writing a 5-page paper in Kazakh. The theme was Human Relations. Somehow the length was both too short and far, far too long, especially after I spent two evenings in a row at Kazakh theaters.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Week 1
This past week, after three days of the Kazakh language reminding me that every word is a tongue twister, I met up with some current Peace Corps volunteers. They are a part of the group that I worked with during training, way back in the fall of 2008. I remember them in their worst possible moments (just getting off the plane, during their first round of vaccines from doctors with Russian accents, struggling with their experiences in front of Kazakhstani classrooms); so it is wonderful to see them accomplished and feeling comfortable in this country. Their experiences have been very different from mine, yet I understand how they feel right now with just a few months left of service. Ready to go home!
They had plenty of gossip to pass along and also plenty of recommendations: a new Mexican-American restaurant, couches to surf around the country, and the marine-hosted Fourth of July party in Astana. It made me smile -- I remember well how it felt to have Almaty (and the Peace Corps office lounge) as a haven. How astonishing and wonderful it was to find carrot cake or a real pizza.
I tried to explain that, really, I have just come from America. That I’d lived another couple lives between my last time in Kazakhstan and now. That two weeks ago I was at the Ultimate Frisbee nationals tournament and spent an hour eating bratwursts and riding carnival rides. That I’m only in Kazakhstan for a few precious weeks. And that all I really want to do is stuff my face with laghman, manty, and cups of hot milky tea.
I am living with a great family near the center of Almaty. Our neighbor is the Esperanza café and discoteka. The family is helping me with my above food requests and has in general been very welcoming. Adizhan, the four-year-old youngest child, provides me with constant entertainment. I like to think we find each other equally fascinating. I’ve recently, at his mother’s urging, taught him to ask “May I?” with a good American accent before barging into my room. My first night here, blurry with jet lag and already falling asleep in bed, he came in to give me an impromptu goodnight hug. On the less fun side of things, I made him cry yesterday by telling him that he could not continue to play ping-pong against the wall (he lost the ball multiple times under the bed/couch). We do appear to be friends again today, though.
It is more than a bit strange to live in Almaty. For a recent Kazakh assignment, I produced the following sentence: “I think that the foreign students studying at KIMEP are not seeing the real Kazakhstan.” This is a bit harsh -- Almaty is certainly a part of Kazakhstan (though KIMEP, a regional powerhouse university, raises serious doubts), and city life in general is found throughout the country. But there is just something so unreal about being here. The traffic is crazy, but people still stop for pedestrians at marked crosswalks. Strangers on busses offer up their laps for the bags of standing passengers. The Mc Burger restaurant is near the bubble tea cart which is near restaurant with free wi-fi. Almaty is not an intimidating city, I don’t think. There is a sense of law and order, there are those looming mountains with their dramatic weather, there are fountains and many parks with rows and rows of blooming roses. I am enjoying having the time and motivation to wander.
One of my favorite things about Almaty is that no one ever seems to know where anything is located. I have already been asked for directions more times that I can count, and I was even able to help once. People ask what the next street is, where the bus stop is, how to get to the nearest pharmacy. Asking strangers is standard operating procedure, even for people who have lived in Almaty all their lives.
Then there are the wonderfully bizarre moments that I love. The bar, for example, with numerous prominently displayed signs reading “Smoking is strictly forbidden” that brings its patrons ash trays and makes no comment when cigarettes appear. The conductor who collects bus fare and passes out tickets while wearing a t-shirt that reads in large, friendly, pink letters: “I’m student. No money.”
I’m working on my collection of great t-shirts, by the way. Let me know if you have any to add. Personal favorites so far are: “I make boy cry” (so close!) and “party ou of bound” (and also out of space). There is a fabulous fake-newsprint plastic bag that I’ve seen a few people carrying on the street. I think it might be the Holy Grail of fake English, even better than the cartoon print shirts Jeff and I bought. Wish me luck finding one of my own the next time I go to the bazaar!
I’m spending plenty of time studying (3 hours of one-on-one Kazakh 5 days a week is motivation enough to do my homework), and I’m also catching up with friends. Saturday was my former co-teacher’s wedding, which came as a huge surprise when I called to tell her I was back in country. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get away or the tickets to make the trip to Zhelezinka this weekend. Last Friday was the circumcision ceremony for the Hooligan, who is now an astonishing 5 years old. Still not sure if I would have gone if I had found out in advance -- we had tickets to a concert at the grand Abai Ballet and Opera Theater, and the ceremony seems a bit, well, personal somehow. Might get a second chance if I’m still here in August, as Adizhan is approaching 5. At any rate, I’m hoping to get out to see my first host family soon.
That’s the news for now! Hugs to you all.
They had plenty of gossip to pass along and also plenty of recommendations: a new Mexican-American restaurant, couches to surf around the country, and the marine-hosted Fourth of July party in Astana. It made me smile -- I remember well how it felt to have Almaty (and the Peace Corps office lounge) as a haven. How astonishing and wonderful it was to find carrot cake or a real pizza.
I tried to explain that, really, I have just come from America. That I’d lived another couple lives between my last time in Kazakhstan and now. That two weeks ago I was at the Ultimate Frisbee nationals tournament and spent an hour eating bratwursts and riding carnival rides. That I’m only in Kazakhstan for a few precious weeks. And that all I really want to do is stuff my face with laghman, manty, and cups of hot milky tea.
I am living with a great family near the center of Almaty. Our neighbor is the Esperanza café and discoteka. The family is helping me with my above food requests and has in general been very welcoming. Adizhan, the four-year-old youngest child, provides me with constant entertainment. I like to think we find each other equally fascinating. I’ve recently, at his mother’s urging, taught him to ask “May I?” with a good American accent before barging into my room. My first night here, blurry with jet lag and already falling asleep in bed, he came in to give me an impromptu goodnight hug. On the less fun side of things, I made him cry yesterday by telling him that he could not continue to play ping-pong against the wall (he lost the ball multiple times under the bed/couch). We do appear to be friends again today, though.
It is more than a bit strange to live in Almaty. For a recent Kazakh assignment, I produced the following sentence: “I think that the foreign students studying at KIMEP are not seeing the real Kazakhstan.” This is a bit harsh -- Almaty is certainly a part of Kazakhstan (though KIMEP, a regional powerhouse university, raises serious doubts), and city life in general is found throughout the country. But there is just something so unreal about being here. The traffic is crazy, but people still stop for pedestrians at marked crosswalks. Strangers on busses offer up their laps for the bags of standing passengers. The Mc Burger restaurant is near the bubble tea cart which is near restaurant with free wi-fi. Almaty is not an intimidating city, I don’t think. There is a sense of law and order, there are those looming mountains with their dramatic weather, there are fountains and many parks with rows and rows of blooming roses. I am enjoying having the time and motivation to wander.
One of my favorite things about Almaty is that no one ever seems to know where anything is located. I have already been asked for directions more times that I can count, and I was even able to help once. People ask what the next street is, where the bus stop is, how to get to the nearest pharmacy. Asking strangers is standard operating procedure, even for people who have lived in Almaty all their lives.
Then there are the wonderfully bizarre moments that I love. The bar, for example, with numerous prominently displayed signs reading “Smoking is strictly forbidden” that brings its patrons ash trays and makes no comment when cigarettes appear. The conductor who collects bus fare and passes out tickets while wearing a t-shirt that reads in large, friendly, pink letters: “I’m student. No money.”
I’m working on my collection of great t-shirts, by the way. Let me know if you have any to add. Personal favorites so far are: “I make boy cry” (so close!) and “party ou of bound” (and also out of space). There is a fabulous fake-newsprint plastic bag that I’ve seen a few people carrying on the street. I think it might be the Holy Grail of fake English, even better than the cartoon print shirts Jeff and I bought. Wish me luck finding one of my own the next time I go to the bazaar!
I’m spending plenty of time studying (3 hours of one-on-one Kazakh 5 days a week is motivation enough to do my homework), and I’m also catching up with friends. Saturday was my former co-teacher’s wedding, which came as a huge surprise when I called to tell her I was back in country. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get away or the tickets to make the trip to Zhelezinka this weekend. Last Friday was the circumcision ceremony for the Hooligan, who is now an astonishing 5 years old. Still not sure if I would have gone if I had found out in advance -- we had tickets to a concert at the grand Abai Ballet and Opera Theater, and the ceremony seems a bit, well, personal somehow. Might get a second chance if I’m still here in August, as Adizhan is approaching 5. At any rate, I’m hoping to get out to see my first host family soon.
That’s the news for now! Hugs to you all.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Almaty!
Made it.
After two long, but not too terrible, flights we are here! Got in around midnight, made it through passport control, and then had that wonderful sinking sensation of,"Uh, where is my bag?"
Luckily, the rest of our small group (just five students, all graduate) got their luggage without any trouble. When I went up to make my complaint, the Lufthansa people had already been notified that my bag was left in Frankfurt. So it should be in either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Not really a problem, not really unexpected, but here's hoping that everything arrives intact!
I'm staying with a family in a downtown apartment. It's pretty luxurious to be able to walk to a cafe with wi-fi. Our next door neighbor is a large diskoteka. Should make for some entertaining evenings. The family hosted a student last summer, which makes my job easier. They have some expectations already of what this experience will be like; so far their ideas line up with mine. I'm getting in some good Kazakh practice with their four-year-old boy. No huge communication mishaps yet, but I'm sure they are on the way.
Classes start Monday. I'll have three hours a day of one-on-one Kazakh language class. That sounds a bit intimidating to me, but I am looking forward to some serious language improvement.
No phone yet, but I am happy to report that the accordion player with the music stand and the pleasant voice is still sitting on the same door stoop that he was two years ago. And there are still doner kebabs and hot samasa on every corner.
Now the real test: can I wander back to my new home?
Hugs,
Nora
After two long, but not too terrible, flights we are here! Got in around midnight, made it through passport control, and then had that wonderful sinking sensation of,"Uh, where is my bag?"
Luckily, the rest of our small group (just five students, all graduate) got their luggage without any trouble. When I went up to make my complaint, the Lufthansa people had already been notified that my bag was left in Frankfurt. So it should be in either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Not really a problem, not really unexpected, but here's hoping that everything arrives intact!
I'm staying with a family in a downtown apartment. It's pretty luxurious to be able to walk to a cafe with wi-fi. Our next door neighbor is a large diskoteka. Should make for some entertaining evenings. The family hosted a student last summer, which makes my job easier. They have some expectations already of what this experience will be like; so far their ideas line up with mine. I'm getting in some good Kazakh practice with their four-year-old boy. No huge communication mishaps yet, but I'm sure they are on the way.
Classes start Monday. I'll have three hours a day of one-on-one Kazakh language class. That sounds a bit intimidating to me, but I am looking forward to some serious language improvement.
No phone yet, but I am happy to report that the accordion player with the music stand and the pleasant voice is still sitting on the same door stoop that he was two years ago. And there are still doner kebabs and hot samasa on every corner.
Now the real test: can I wander back to my new home?
Hugs,
Nora
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