Shymkent!

Alright, get ready for a proper update about my site for the next two years. Most of the info here is copied directly from the information provided by my Peace Corps regional manager. I've included personal commentary in square brackets. Also, consider how long two years is. It's very long, I feel. Anyways, here goes...

Site: Shymkent

Type of Site: City

History: Shymkent is 2200 years and was once part of the Silk Road.

Distance from large cities: 150 km from Taraz 7

700 km from Almaty

150 km from Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

Landscape and Climate: Close to the mountains, the Koshkar Ata river runs through the city. Flowering and hot summers, winters are mild with almost no snow [first time in my life I'll experience mild winters...], spring and fall are warm and long.

Economy: Industrial and cultural city. There are 69 enterprises of heavy, light and food industries [NOTE: I have no idea what this means, but it sounded important, so I typed it anyways]. Economy is generally developed and the standard of living is good. Prices for food and other goods are cheaper than in many other Kazakhstani cities.

Population: 750,000 people

Demographics: Population is 60% Kazakh , 30% Uzbek, 10% Other (Russian, Korean, Turkish, Uighur, Azerbaidzhani, Tadzhik, German)

Most Common Languages Spoken: Kazakh [I'm definitely going to find a Kazakh tutor], Russian and Uzbek [and I'd love to pick up as much Uzbek as possible]

Entertainment/Sports/Culture: 8 parks, 5 theatres, palace of culture, a lot of movie theatres, 28 city libraries [love!!!], cafes, restaurants, discos, bowling, swimming pools, sport centers, etc.

Transportation info: Taxis, marshrutkas [taxi vans that travel along a fixed route, they're faster than buses], prices are cheaper than in Almaty

Safety and security: Safe city, people are open and friendly

There are 3 Peace Corps Volunteers already living in Shymkent, 2 are Youth Development Volunteers, and one is a Education Volunteer. Three other volunteers will be moving there with me in November, which will make for nice company. Two of them are education volunteers, and one is a Youth Development Volunteer.

Brief Info on Work Assignment:

Name of Work Site: Youth Information Center of Kazakhstan (MISK)

Job Description: Social projects for youth, information programs for youth, youth events, education programs for youth, employment opportunities and professional orientation, leadership building, volunteerism development (through trainings, roundtables, forums, seminars)

Number of staff members: 4 people

Other comments: Successfully functioning NGO, famous among Shymkent Youth. Great, motivated staff looking forward to working with a Peace Corps Volunteer.