The Jack-O-Lantern. My students did it themselves, with a little direction from me :) Pumpkin is a regular part of the diet around here, many people (including my family) grow them in their gardens. A milk based pumpkin soup they make is probably one of the foods I'll miss when I'm gone.
Huraniza, the teacher who always gets stuck doing all the paperwork and documents for our faculty, and students blowing up balloons. I believe she is saying something like, "Eric don't you take that pict..." Also, the purple balloon the girl in the background is blowing up reads "I love Yuba City" ...World famous.
I don't actually have any artistic skills, so it's a good thing my students do. And they're all pretty familiar with Halloween, too.
The play had four girls sitting in a graveyard on a dare, when ghosts came up and surrounded them. Everyone did a great job; they memorized every line.
It’s been a while since I posted an update because I’ve been busy with work, which is a good thing. Among other things, I now have a site mate so I’ve been helping her when I’m not busy with my own work. She teaches at a Russian school which is very close to my college. I am not at all an expert at things around here, but I can help with things like mailing a letter, taking the bus to the city, or buying something from the bazaar. Those are the kind of things I had to figure out for myself last year because there was no previous volunteer at my site.
I’m including pictures from the Halloween play my students did. We decorated the room, carved a Jack-o-Lantern, had the 4th course perform the play and sing “This Land is Your Land”, and the 2nd course sang “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Also, together with one of my best students, I read Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” while another student acted it out.
The American election was also big news here. I had my Dad call me during class (my time) on election night to tell me the results. I’ve tried to teach as much as I can about our elections to anyone who will listen. There are quite a few teachers around (and some students) who are very interested. Competitive elections aren’t a familiar thing around here. So Obama’s election is a good chance to talk about diversity in America. Many people have told me, “I didn’t think they’d let the black guy win”, or something like that. Conspiracy theories are popular around here. So now, in typical local fashion, people have commenced memorizing useless dates (Local: “Was Obama born on August 4, 1961?” Eric: “I’ll get back to you on that”) Also, those locals who follow politics and the news are usually very close in thinking to the Russians. John McCain has a reputation as a hard-liner against the Russians, so most people around here seem happy he didn’t win. And this seems obvious, but it’s a real novelty in many parts of the world to not know who will win an election.
Future plans: On Saturday (the 29th), all 12 of the volunteers in our oblast (state) plus a few local friends will get together in Shymkent for Thanksgiving. Then, for the second week in December I get to go to Almaty for another training, so I’ll get to see all my friends again. I’m not sure what I’ll do for New Year’s, but I’ll probably try to visit someone somewhere around here. That’s about as far ahead as I’m thinking right now.
One more thing: Two local teachers from my rayon (county) just got back from a trip to America. Both of them are very good teachers with very good English who have been counterparts to Peace Corps Volunteers in the past. There is an international exchange program paid for by the State Department and run by an organization called IREX that is called TEA. I don’t even know what the acronyms stand for, but the point is that teachers from across the former Soviet Union and a few other places (India, Bangladesh, Kenya) get to study and practice teaching in America for two months or so. In total, 60 teachers went this year, seven from Kazakhstan. Twenty each went to George Mason University in Virginia near DC, University of Alabama-Huntsville, and University of Nebraska. They stay in dorms, learn at the universities, practice teaching at local schools, and take various cultural trips. One of the teachers from our rayon was in Alabama and one was in Virginia. Both said they had a great time. Among other things, they said the people were really friendly and they liked American high school students. And everyone stays in their lanes on the highways. (I saw pictures: someone was very smart and had these teachers practice at brand new high schools with really nice facilities) The teacher in Alabama visited Montgomery, Chattanooga, and monuments associated with Martin Luther King Jr and Helen Keller. The teacher in Virginia visited the Smithsonian museums and other things around Washington DC. Both of their volunteers (who have returned to the States) came to visit them also. So in sum, support cultural exchange programs like this, because long after the Peace Corps packs up and leaves Kazakhstan, teachers like these ones will be the local experts on America; and they have a pretty good impression of our country right now.
One of my better students (in trick-or-treater costume for the play) explains how to make a Jack-O-Lantern
Singing "This Land Is Your Land"
4th course students (who will graduate in June) and teachers
Flags, Jack-O-Lantern, and Students
