I will survive... I think

With the wonders of flash drives, I’m writing this while sitting in my dining room… a little typing, a little conversation, a little help to my host sister. She’s writing out lyrics to “I’m a little tea pot.” This week, there’s been some good trading going on. She teaches me Russian, I teach her English. She seems to catch on much more quickly than I. I’ll blame it on my old brain. : ) (Side note: don't think I have the internet at home. I type, type, type, then use my flash drive to give you all a wonderfully long post for your reading pleasure!)

Site Announcement!
The long awaited announcement came on Friday! They dragged out the ceremony as long as they dared, but finally, we know where we’ll be living for the next two years! …Two years without packing up and moving?? I haven’t done that since before college. So, once I weather the 19+ hour train ride (and then bus? I’m not sure) to SHAKHTINSK(!!), I can settle in.

On Friday, the Regional Managers took turns announcing volunteers who will be in their respective oblasts. Afterward, we gathered in different rooms with our Regional Manager. We found ourselves on a map, looked through some information on our specific sites, and chatted a bit.

I don’t know much about the place… it’s considered a “town” with 56,714 people. Founded in 1961. Coal mining is huge. Situated on the Tentek River. Extreme continental climate. Entertainment: “cafes, gyms, local friends”. Communication: “phone/cell phone access, post office, Internet”. Infrastructure: “water, electricity are available for the most time”. Yep, grammatically less-than-perfect. But the idea that I’ll have running water and maybe even the opportunity to bathe more than once a week is fabulous. I’m also really hoping for the chance to get Internet hooked up at my home. But I digress. There is not currently a PCV at this site, but they have had PCVs. A grand total of two, to be exact. I’m not sure what to make of that, so I intend to roll with the punches. I’ll be at “Secondary School # 1”. Job description: “Team teaching and individual teaching at 5-11 grades 2 times a week. English Club for students and teachers, organization of theater, Countries study, Ecology”. And apparently you can see pictures of Shakhtinsk on http://aboutkazakhstan.com/shakhtinsk-kazakhstan-city.sthml Let me know if you learn fascinating tidbits regarding my future home.

I’m excited about getting to my site, settling in, and getting to work. I’m amazed at how quickly my focus has changed away from the village where I currently live. Get me to my site, dang it! But alas, I must teach through the end of the week and complete a community project, among other things.

The Last of PST Teaching
Speaking of which, I’m in the middle of five straight days with one lesson each day. So far, so good. Yet, Tuesday’s lesson was, well… in a Kazakhstani school. And the fact that we’re still in the first quarter doesn’t help matters; that’s apparently the time scheduling gets ironed out. Until then, chaos is all too typical. So, Tuesday. I’d been told I would teach during fifth period in Room 6. The bell rings to end fourth period. I make my way to Room 6, which I half expect to be empty. (It’s the size of a closet, not a classroom.) I’m right; it’s empty. I check nearby rooms for my counterpart. She’s nowhere to be found. I do, however, find my Regional Manager and PCVTA, who have come to observe my lesson. Wonderful, we can all be lost together. The bell rings to begin fifth period. I descend from the second floor to the main level and spot one of my students among several roaming the halls. “Where’s our class?” I ask. He gives a clueless look and points to another student of mine, who is equally as clueless. Then, down the hall, I see the frantic waving of my counterpart. Alrighty, let’s get this lesson going. With precious minutes lost, I recalculate my lesson plan, taking out activities as need be. (You’ve gotta love unnecessary preparation.) I dive head first into my lesson, caring more about the time I’ve lost than the fact that my counterpart is now MIA, along with three of my eleven students. I guess the students are at some cultural function; I give no thought to the absence of the teacher. Then I reach a point in my lesson where her role is critical: explaining gerunds. Heck, I’d be lucky to adequately explain gerunds to myself, let alone native Kazakh speakers. But I’m proud to say, we fought through and prevailed! I use “prevail” a bit loosely – they were able to form sentences through very guided activities. Who knows if they understand the grammar. So what’s my plan? Hit ‘em with infinitives tomorrow.

In Other News…
I’ve finally eaten pizza in Kazakhstan! Two friends and I got together and made two masterpieces. Here, there is a bread (лепёшка) that’s perfect for the crust. I ate and ate and ate some more. Man was it tasty. I must say, though, I have been enjoying Kazakh food. Самса is becoming a favorite – fried bread with your choice of filling, which for me is cheese. You can’t go wrong with cheese. My host family cooks great food, too. Bishbarmak has been tasty, as have other dishes. There was a carrot dish I really enjoyed – and apparently it’s just shredded carrots mixed with a mayo/garlic sauce. I’ll have to see if I can replicate said dish in the future.

Next week, Tuesday through Saturday, is Counterpart Conference. So, I’ll meet my counterpart and attend trainings. We’ll all be at the resort-type place where we stayed right after arriving in the country. The following week, we’re back in our villages, and we’ll be doing teacher trainings, I believe. I’ll do what I can to keep you posted. Let’s hope these aren’t my final days of feeling somewhat connected through my weekly hour on the world wide web…