I moved!! Which means new city, new family, new job, new group of volunteers. Lots of crazy newness. I arrived in Shymkent about 3 weeks ago, and started work at MISK (the Youth Information Center of Kazakhstan) right away. MISK is a large NGO in Kazakhstan with branches in most of the major cities, including Shymkent. Our branch is 8 years old and currently has 3 staff members: Lena (the Director), Angela (the Accountant), and Nastya (short for Anastassiya). Nastya is the head of the "PR Department" and is my counterpart. She was selected by the organization to work with Peace Corps and be my partner.
The Youth Information Center of Kazakhstan. You're probably thinking "That sounds very broad and general," that's because it is. Our mission statement is essentially to "disseminate information to youth" which is no more clear. Right now they have projects all over the place; a business school for young entrepreneurs, a clothing drive for a local orphanage, brochures and pamphlets, etc. Based on my first few weeks at work, it looks like they try so hard to work on as many projects as possible, that they never really finish any one project satisfactorily. So I think it will make the most sense for me to do organizational development and run trainings on time management, strategic planning, grant writing, etc.
A new city also means a new host family. Peace Corps Kazakhstan requires that Volunteers live with a host family for at least the first 4 months of their service at site, so they can get integrated into the community, the culture, and practice their language. I'm currently living with a Korean family in their apartment in the neighborhood of the 11th Micro-region. I can see you scratching your head and thinking to yourself, "Koreans? In Kazakhstan?" It's a bit confusing, I know. There are actually about 100,000 Koreans in the country, so the fact that I'm living with a Korean family is not as strange as it seems. They are almost completely Russified - they speak Russian, not Korean; they cook traditional Russian dishes; watch Russian TV channels, etc.
I live with Louisa who is 65 and Ira, her daughter, who is 25. They are originally from Uzbekistan (their family has been in Tashkent since the 1940s), but they moved to Kazakhstan about 15 years ago. They are wonderful and chill and have hosted a Peace Corps Volunteer in the past, so they know what to expect. Ira speaks pretty good English, but at home we stick to Russian. They have accepted my vegetarianism, though they are confused by it, and they let me do my own thing. Ira and I go to the movies, go shopping, and gossip and do all sorts of sister-like things.
There are 6 other Volunteers in Shymkent, which means there are many opportunities for American time. Three Volunteers are Kaz-21s (the 21st group of Volunteers in Kazakhstan), and three are Kaz-22s like me. The 21s have already been here for a year and will be finishing their service next fall. They're all really great and have lots of good advice about dealing with local coworkers and know all of the tasty places to eat in the city. They collectively run 4 community clubs every week (2 English clubs, American Film Club, Women's Club) and are really active.
Besides the Volunteers here there are 2 Fulbright scholars, a handful of missionaries, and a smattering of ex-pats, most of whom deal in oil.
On a completely different note, Happy Belated Thanksgiving! It was strange not to be at home for one of my favorite holidays, but never fear. With the large number of Americans in the city, we managed to put on a pretty good Thanksgiving feast. The 7 of us volunteers living in Shymkent spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving cooking enough food to feed 20, and that night all of the Peace Corps Volunteers from our region came in to the city for dinner. There was not turkey, but there was pumpkin pie, vegetarian chili, chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread and many other tasty things. We invited a few local friends along to experience their first Thanksgiving, and a good time was had by all.
Generally, life is good at the moment. I'm trying to stay busy at work, which is a bit difficult because my coworkers don't quite know what to do with me. I started a volunteer club for local youth to take part in the projects my organization puts together, and I'm hoping to start a partnership to have our volunteers do skills trainings at a local orphanage. One step at a time, of course. Until then, I'll be drinking lots of tea, and making chit chat.
Besides the Volunteers here there are 2 Fulbright scholars, a handful of missionaries, and a smattering of ex-pats, most of whom deal in oil.
On a completely different note, Happy Belated Thanksgiving! It was strange not to be at home for one of my favorite holidays, but never fear. With the large number of Americans in the city, we managed to put on a pretty good Thanksgiving feast. The 7 of us volunteers living in Shymkent spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving cooking enough food to feed 20, and that night all of the Peace Corps Volunteers from our region came in to the city for dinner. There was not turkey, but there was pumpkin pie, vegetarian chili, chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread and many other tasty things. We invited a few local friends along to experience their first Thanksgiving, and a good time was had by all.
Generally, life is good at the moment. I'm trying to stay busy at work, which is a bit difficult because my coworkers don't quite know what to do with me. I started a volunteer club for local youth to take part in the projects my organization puts together, and I'm hoping to start a partnership to have our volunteers do skills trainings at a local orphanage. One step at a time, of course. Until then, I'll be drinking lots of tea, and making chit chat.
haha
ReplyDeletecan't ever get away from them koreans can you?!