sunday the 11th

I am terribly sorry. I have had either no motivation to sit down and type an update or the internet has not been cooperating. So here we go.

The 8th of March, International Women's Day, is a big deal in Kazakhstan. It's the equivalent of Mother's Day in the states except every woman and girl is celebrated. I love that. Everyone gets the day off for the holiday and women and girls receive flowers and presents. NICE. Mike and I borrowed the Pajero to drive into the city for lunch at a restaurant called The Noodles that we heard was pretty good and not too expensive. While we were on that side of the city, we walked around Panfilov Park and the Green Market. We have been learning how to find our way around the city more and more which is incredibly nice because we don't feel so foreign as we did at first. There really isn't much to do in Almaty, but we both really like the Asian culture with its Soviet influences-- there's something so compelling about it, we haven't figured it out.

This is the Orthodox Church in Panfilov Park built without a single nail:

And here is the massive WWII memorial:

It's a beautiful park and on any given weekend, you'll typically see 2 or 3 gaudy wedding parties taking pictures around the monuments.

We are able to do quite a bit with the other teachers Mike works with. They are all mostly from the states or Canada and form a really fun and unique community of people. We're often asked to come over for dinner or to a birthday party. Last weekend we joined some of the ladies to a Central Asian craft fair at the National Museum. We may have splurged a bit, but rest assured, they're mostly gifts. Most of the teachers from the states are from down south, so of course we always have a good time with them. Last week, we went to a birthday party just next door. Everyone was invited and I can't count how many hick jokes there were, but gosh they were FUNNY.

On Friday, Mike and I went to the ski resort, Shimbulak. Michigan's ski resorts are a joke compared to this place. It takes more than just 2 minutes to get down the slopes here. I haven't skied since 7th grade so I'm sure you can imagine the many face plants that may have occurred. One fall happened because I was a little too confident in my stopping abilities. I decided that it would be fun to go really fast and straight down a not-so-steep slope. Well I got going a little too fast for comfort and panicked and fell. I fell hard. By the end of the day I got the hang of it though. Just gotta move those hips! We had so much fun! And we actually got some color because we actually saw the sun through clear, blue skies and not a smoggy, gray one! The simple joys. My body is screaming though, even today I'm just so sore. We hope to go again if there's another good snow, which there probably will be because spring doesn't exist here, I'm sure of it.

Mike's spring break is from the 21st of March through the 1st of April. Almost 2 whole weeks! We're chaperoning a trip of 6 students to Astana, KZ's capitol, from the 21st to the 24th of March. Should be a fun trip although Astana is considerably colder than Almaty. That's not so much of a surprise anymore, you can always expect being cold. Later in March I'll be house-sitting for the neighbors next door while they're in Turkey. They teach at Tien Shan and their kids attend as well. Should be a grand time-- March seems to be flying by already. Crazy!

Does anyone have a good recipe that includes potatoes, carrots or cabbage? And please, please, please don't give me a soup recipe-- I've had enough vegetable soup to last me until next winter.

Monday the 20th

Lately, the weather has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It's been WARM. I mean, I'm talkin 30's and 40's the past couple of days!! I've had to turn down the radiators in my room! Spring has never been more welcome.

There is this family of dogs that live just down the street. The owner of the mother dog lets her roam free in the neighborhood and therefore, she has many umm... friends. With many friends come many puppies. Mean puppies. I don't know why they're mean. They're vicious, really. I'll turn the corner on my way to Michael's house praying that one isn't in the street. If one is there, it'll start barking and then they all appear. I'm not just talking about three or four dogs, I'm talking about seven or eight. They come sprinting straight at you and follow you for a while, barking at your heels. The last time it happened to me, I almost maced em. I've never been more terrified of dogs! I hate those dogs, I hate them.

Yesterday, M took Mike and I to this famous park in Almaty called Panfilov Park. There's a huge statue in memory of the soldiers in WWII as well as this huge Orthodox Church. It's yellow! I guess it was made without a single nail, only wooden pegs. When a huge earthquake hit Almaty, it was one of the only structures to remain unharmed because the pegs gave enough flex so that the church absorbed the shock. Amazing, no? We were able to go inside as well and it was absolutely stunning, I've never been inside a church so beautiful. M also took us to the Green Market. The Green Market is one of the largest markets in Almaty and you can find ANYTHING there. I wish it weren't so far away from our neighborhood, I would go there all the time. (Mike and I live in a neighborhood called Kamenka, fyi).

I started teaching at the Youth Home tonight and will be teaching Monday-Thursday from here on out. Mike is also starting to teach more and we're finding that we are exhausted by the end of the week! It's crazy to think it's almost March!

Is it too soon to say that I really want some strawberry shortcake?

Tuesday the 14th

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

In honor of the day, my English class will be having a celebration later this evening! I'm making Michael tag along :)

We chaperoned the school dance on Saturday! It was a barn theme and so they brought in 40 bales of hay. 40. My respiratory system wasn't doing so great by the end of the night, the dust was incredible.
The kids at Tien Shan wouldn't know what to do if they saw a typical high school dance in the States! The night was filled with square dancing, Scottish dancing and games. It was actually quite sweet, all of the kids are friends and so everyone danced with everyone.

Mike and I went out for lunch on Saturday all by ourselves! I am so proud of us. We weren't quite sure what we ordered because we just pointed at a few things and said, "Adin, spasiba (One, thank you)." The food was delicious!

We have both been keeping busy. I'll start teaching English at the Youth Home next week I think so I'll be teaching four nights out of the week. Hopefully that will go well, we'll see! Mike has started to teach the 10th and 11th grade English/History classes, so he has a lot of work ahead of him too. We love the weekends!

Enjoy your Valentine's day!

Thursday the 9th

I washed my coat yesterday because it was starting to look like I work in a coal mine and it came out of the dryer a shade lighter, I'm quite sure of it. I feel like a brand new woman wearing that coat! It's just so clean now.

During the week I typically wake up at 7 or 7:30. If the sky is overcast I tend to fall back asleep. If when I wake up the sky is clear, there is so much more incentive to get out of bed, shower and get ready. Only because you can watch the sun rise over the mountains. It's absolutely beautiful. As of late, the sun comes over the tip of the mountains around 9am. I like to grab breakfast and coffee and sit in front of the window in my bedroom, where you'll have the best view of the mountains, and take the early morning slow. It is such a good start to the day.

Bread is an important food for Kazakh people. Bread is served at every meal and like tea, a meal isn't a meal without bread. It's also looked down upon if you waste or throw bread away so many people feed their stale bread to their dogs. Or if you're walking along a street and are finished with your bread, rather than throwing it away you must put it on a ledge or a branch of a tree so that birds or animals can eat it. I saw a window ledge and a dumpster in the city that were both just piled with bits of bread. It's a strange sight.... but I guess it makes a little more sense after you learn the importance of bread in this culture.

Sunday the 5th

All week I have been trying to post a new blog and the Internet wouldn't let me. Gads.

If you can't see out your car window due to frost, always remember the possibility that the ice may be on the inside of your window rather than the outside. The things you learn here, I tell ya!

Update: I began teaching English this week and Mike began teaching his 7th grade history class. On Friday, Mike and I joined some teachers and their families for shashlik (kebabs) which are DELICIOUS. Best meat I've had and no, it wasn't dog or horse.... they said it was chicken, beef, pork, and lamb. Then today we went out for breakfast at the 'American Bar & Grill' where the walls were decked out with old western decorations. There were however things like fake fish wall mounts where it sings when you push the red button or a little shelf that held bottles of Tabasco and Soy sauce... it's the little things that remind you of American, right?
Afterwards, we went to a bazaar called Tsum to browse the souvenirs. Mike got this whistle thing shaped like an owl and it sounds like one too. I got these little painted babushka ornaments and I love them.

We'll definitely be going back to purchase gifts and what not.
We have been here for 4, count 'em, FOUR weeks! Time has just flown.

One thing that Mike and I both love about Kazakhstan is that there is always time for tea. A meal isn't a meal without tea afterwards. It's just great. In Russian, the word for tea is 'chai' and M held up a bag of chai spice tea and asked me what kind it was because she hadn't tried it and I replied, 'Oh, it's chai.' She didn't understand.

oh no no no.

You can't flush toilet paper here. Instead, you throw it away in a trash can next to the toilet. We keep that door closed.

I think my toes may have frozen together yesterday. Mike and I accompanied M to 'the largest market in Central Asia' to find some fabric for the sewing projects. What we thought would be an adventuresome time where we could wander about ended up being what seemed like hours of standing in front of literally every stall in the fabric section. One would think that thick wool socks and big winter boots would protect ones toes from the cold, even repel the cold away with it's wondrous materials and fibers. On the contrary, my friends, they trap the cold in! My feet were sweaty when we were in the car because they were so toasty and then the sweat froze in that icebox of a market. I pulled my feet out of my boots on the way home and I really do think that I pulled at least four toes apart. Becoming queasy at the sight of a child's loose tooth, I didn't dare pull off my sock and look. It must be the worst thing that has happened to me since being here.

I'm legit.

Zdrastvuytye! Kak dyela?
We are doing great here, but I just thought the other night how I would really love to sit back with a Founders Centennial.... things are a bit dry here. 

In other news, I now have my own business card!

It says "Madelyn Van Eck- English Teacher"
HOW COOL.
The green color of the wall? It's in every single room of the house and at night with florescent lights on, my eyes want to fall out of my head. It's nice when natural light is shining in, no?

We now have a girl staying with us, a bunch of prisoners were recently released on Tuesday and for a night we had 14 women and 3 children staying with us before their train left the next day. There are babies in the prison as well because the women's husbands are able to come and stay with their wives in the prison for a few days every year. The women want to get pregnant because it means more food, better care, etc. The train station is cold and it's an easy place for women to be trafficked, so it was awesome that they were able to stay here.
It went well. A knife was stolen from the kitchen..
But anyways, one of the ex-prisoners decided that she wanted to stay and change her lifestyle. So we'll see how it goes! I think I'll start teaching her English next week.

In a couple weeks Mike and I will be CHAPERONING a Sadie Hawkins dance at the school. LOOK AT US!

The days just seem to pass us by and I hope to be teaching English for Reach soon, but everything is a process here. You have to take life slow and plan enough time for problems throughout the day because there will always be something that pops up. It was like that in Ghana as well and I forget how much I enjoy taking life a little slower than usual. You have time to appreciate the small things.

Paka, see you!

bitter cold

Lately, it has been below zero in the morning and evening. For us, this means frozen snot, numb faces, and frosted eyelashes.

For those who have no idea why we are in Kazakhstan, well I will tell you.

Michael is student teaching at an international school called Tien Shan. There are only about 200 students, K-12, however the students are bright and the teachers very talented. The school just moved into a new building further outside of the city. He will be teaching Language Arts and History to 7th, 10th, and 11th graders. I think it will be an awesome experience for him to work under such gifted teachers!
As for myself, I'm a little all over the place. M, the woman I am living with, is from Germany and has started an organization to help women just released from prison. Often, these women return to their former lifestyles just to end up in prison again or to a life of prostitution. So in order to prevent that happening, M has a half-way house (where we live now) where women or girls can come to rest, recuperate, find counseling, and learn a skill to later support themselves financially. In our front yard, there is a small building where M has set up a sewing workshop where these women can learn to sew and later become a seamstress. Later, she hopes to build on the skills training to fit to the interests of the women that come here, so maybe computer skills or mechanics etc. M has begun to sew products so that she can teach the women or girls later on, things like aprons and baby slings. She has sold some to friends and family back in Germany and to some foreigners here in Almaty, she doesn't think that local people would like to buy these things. So one of the things I will be doing is to help her broaden her business by getting in touch with places like The Bridge or Global Infusions to see if her stuff can be sold there... the money would go to these women and the organization (Seven Trees is the name btw). So, I will be working on grants now that M's organization is now becoming an NGO. Exciting stuff! I will also be teaching English to those who stay in the house. I'm really glad to be working with M and using my studies to help empower and better the lives of women and girls in need. It's an awesome feeling!

Since M didn't have the letter of invitation papers you need to get a visa, I will also be working with an organization called REACH who gave me a letter of invitation and since they did so, I have to work with them. REACH works with kids and young adults that come from troubled backgrounds so that they may learn life skills in order to live in the working world. They also work and support a blind school for children so that instead of finding jobs later in life that are limited to blind people, they can really try to achieve their dreams despite their disability. For a while now, they have been in need of an English teacher for their youth home (young adults, 18-29) and I just happened to come at the right time. So every Monday and Wednesday night I will be teaching English for an hour and a half. Kind of nervous about it, but we'll see how it goes!

Stay warm everyone!

about Kazakhstan...

1. Everything is in Russian or Kazakh. If you are English speaking only.. there is no hope for you unless you learn one of the two.
2. At night, the temperature can get below zero.
3. Driving is a free for all. Well, there is a dividing line on the pavement, but since there is snow you can't see it so one must follow the car ahead of you... Mike might have to drive in the next couple of weeks (!!)
4. It's really dirty here. Luckily I have a coat that is the color of dirt anyways. I brought a white one that I might use when we go skiing, but I don't dare wear it any other time. It would be brown by the  end of the day.  
5. The architecture and style of the city is very soviet-like- concrete, metal, harsh. but when it snows it is absolutely beautiful! I guess there was an initiative to increase the amount of greenery in the city, so there was a law that when a couple got married, they had to go plant a tree in the city and now there are tons of trees along the streets and in between buildings. When it snows, it gathers on all of the branches making the city seem less harsh.
6. There are wild dogs around the city, but especially in the neighborhood Mike and I live in. At night I will often wake up to a bunch of them barking. It gets old, fast. Just the other day we were walking around some streets, trying to get our bearing of where we were and we heard a commotion behind us  and looked back to see a pack of 6-8 dogs sprinting towards us! We had been warned before coming to Kazakhstan that many of these dogs might have rabies and will bite people. So we kind of freaked out, Mike headed toward a pile of rocks to pick one up as a defense, but thankfully they just passed us by. Maybe I'll carry that bottle of mace with me next time... stupid dogs.

I can't really think right now... I'm distracted by youtube ha! But I'll add more to this list later yes?
I hope you are enjoying the Michigan snow!
Much love from Kazakhstan!

eleven hour time difference

Yup. It's just past midnight in Grand Rapids however it's just past eleven in the morning in Almaty. The past few nights Michael and I both have had a lot of trouble sleeping. For me it's waking up every hour starting at midnight. Needless to say, we've both been tired lately and since our luggage was lost in our travels we're both quite grubby. I was talking to a teacher at Mike's school though and she said that it's common for Kazakh people to wear the same clothing every day. Cool.

So I am pretty much going to paste an email that I sent to my mom because I don't feel like writing the same thing twice! Sorry, I promise to be more thoughtful in the future. Blogging really isn't my thing....

Things are good! A lot of adjustments, which can be kind of tiring but it is SO nice to be here with Mike- I don't feel so lonely. Michael and I only live about 5 minutes apart by walking so we've seen each other every day so far. He lives in a house that looks like it could be found in a city back home except that its surrounded by a huge gate, every house is. I live in a house that literally looks like a cake. A turquoise one. And it's huge inside... I think my room is a bit larger than my one at home. The house is quite new too. The mountains are just outside my window, they are BEAUTIFUL and I can usually see them quite well in the morning and the evening. In the afternoon, the smog sets in and you can't see a dang thing which is strange because they are HUGE and so close!

M, the woman I am living and working with is wonderful. She is from Germany and she is just great to be around. Anyways, she and I won't get down to work until this next week because she had a seminar all of this week. I'll tell you more about her work soon. So Mr. F, the dad that Mike is living with said that the school would probably need some help here and there so the past three days I have been able to see where Mike will be working and to meet the people there. I helped out with a few different classrooms and even got to teach a 5th grade math lesson haha. It was great!

I have yet to get a phone, but I might be getting one today. They only cost around $20 I think.

What else... oh yes, at the end of the day, my hair usually smells like a bonfire because of the diesel fumes from the cars. Wonderful. And since our luggage hasn't arrived yet (hopefully today!) I can't really feel clean. Yes, I've worn the same clothes for 5 days in a row. I think I just generally stink, there is not just one area of central stinkage. It just all stinks.

Here is a picture of one of three views from my bedroom!

thats all for now... my battery is dying!

and we're off.... almost

We leave tomorrow! The day of all days.

Today has been one of packing, unpacking and repacking. Packing for me usually includes a lot of staring at all of the stuff I need to fit in my luggage, then I'll pack a little here and there, get distracted with the internet and pull out the stuff I just packed. Repeat that about 10 more times. I tried to make it more enjoyable by eating Ghirardelli chocolate while packing, but even so, my eagerness to travel did not quell my utmost disdain for packing. But alas! Bags are packed and I'm ready to go!

This is the end result of some delicately designed packing: 

So what if I bring my slippers and a bottle of mace? A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do.

Well I will leave THIS with you for the time being! Here we come Kazakhstan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12tGtMA4tqk

Wish us save travels and we'll try to let you know when we arrive!