My first week

Hello everyone,

     Today, well yesterday marked the end of my first week here in Kazakhstan! I am still having a great time and I am gradually settling into my home and work here in Taraz (which is the city I am living in). Everyday has been filled with some new experience and interacting with different groups of people has been fun. My Kazakh mom (Gulnazm) and my Kazakh sister (Guldonna) have been so inviting and they have taken me into their family as one of their own so quickly! Guldonna told me that before I came here she was an only child and now she has an older sister which she has always wanted and things aren’t so boring now. After my heart returned to its rightful place I told her I never had a sister either and now I do which has been fun! Gulnazm has been seriously like a mother to me. She takes care of everything; I have to hold on to my plate for dear life so I can wash it myself. She even packs my lunch for me. But don’t worry mom I’m not expecting that when I return home! J I have enjoyed sitting down at the table for meals and conversation over tea which we have with every meal and sometimes in between. I love tea so I’m good with it. Occasionally we watch tv while we eat which has been interesting. They usually watch programs in Kazakh like Kazakhstan’s got Talent, X Factor in Russian and this show called friends which is also in Kazakh but it’s so predictable I can understand what is going on. I have also enjoyed cooking with Gulnazm. She has been teaching me how to cook some of the traditional dishes of Kazakhstan and also Russia. I am glad I’m learning these things so I can make them back in America as well! These are the perks of being here on an internship rather than a delegation. I can spend time learning these things and trading cultures. Right now I’m learning how to cook Borsht and I made a salad which is veggies and mayo, another Russian/Kazakh must have in every meal.

     So some of the things I got to do this week were so fun! As I mentioned in the first post, I got to go to Savva! I have also gotten to go to Saramoldyva another orphanage which I go to most days in the week. That has been fun because I am getting to know different kids as well as seeing ones from the last time I was here in 2011. Also just being in the office and getting to know my coworkers has been fun they are all great and are good sports with my slow and limited speech patterns. Some of them speak English though so that helps a little because sometimes I just don’t understand. I have started to make this dumbfounded face whenever someone says something I didn’t understand at all. It’s my, “can you repeat that” signal. I have also begun my Russian lessons. It will be nice to brush up on the things I forgot as well as add to the foundation already have. I have also successful ridden the Marshutka all by myself which I was a little nervous about. It was way easier then I made it out to be and I actually had a bit of fun in my 15min of independence in a foreign country. You have to appreciate those little things!

     Today I got a little taste of back home because it rained most of the day today, which I loved. I had fun explaining to people that I didn’t have an umbrella because in Portland we don’t use them. However, I also forgot a jacket so Ulan had to give me a ride home because I only know one Marshutka route. I proudly told Marina that I was cold today. This is significant because the first day I came to the office I had sandals on and freaked all of Taraz out because I wasn’t in on the fact that April is not a sandal wearing month. Even if it’s 80 degrees out and you are from Oregon where 70 degrees is a border line scorcher. So far I have been really enjoying my time here and I hope all of you back home are doing fine!