I went "ghosti"-ing tonight. I went directly from the college to my host sister-in-law's apartment. Their place is really nice and spacious for the size. They prepared an amazing table with all this fruit and I had cauliflower for the first time in Kazakhstan! They prepared chicken for me, the word has gotten around that I'm not that into eating all the red meat they love. They are the most hospitable family ever! I am very very lucky.
I think right now, I'll go more into the culture and what i've discovered from just being around so far. The Kazakhstani family itself is one of high tradition. In which the women are in charge of the household, the children and making "a home". The men are the bread winners and they have the final say when it comes to decisions in the house. They rarely help out with any labor in the home, and the men I've met love to watch TV when they come home from work. This is, of course, the very very traditional homes. The women are also in charge of pouring chai (tea), at every meal. The Kazakhstani's looooove their tea. black tea, that is actually not loose leaf. It looks like instant coffee almost. They take a teaspoon or so of this chai, boil it in a tea kettle and with each cup they mix a small portion of the concentrated tea with a boiled water from a bigger kettle. They then add milk and loads of sugar. Its pretty crazy the obsession that this country has with sugar. There is always candy on the table, taunting you. Anyway, there are some families, like the first one I lived with, that are somewhat progressive. My host father helped prepare food and take care of the kids on occasion. He still worked all day and watched a lot of TV and did most of his labor outside but he made some exceptions to the rules.
The cultural motivations behind marriage are also vastly different from our own. Most women here get married before they are 22. When you reach the age of 23 you are considered an "old maid", ready to be put out to pasture. As for me, I'm already in the warning stages, and the minute I reveal my age to someone they ask "Are you married?", "When will you get married?" "I will find you a husband, don't worry." and To this I can only nod politely and say "yes, thank you". If any woman makes it to 25, like my fellow teacher at the college, then they are basically given up on. Not in a total "disownment" but pretty close. They are not exactly celebrated in the same way anymore.
Especially if they work, which most likely they do if they have no husband. Most of the married women will leave them to take care of responsibilities that should be shared, simply by using the argument that they have nothing to do because they have no children or home to take care of. Luckily,I have been comforted by my two fellow teachers, with whom I became closer to recently. One is married but she has broken all the molds that "tradition" has created. They share responsibilities and she is not suppressed in any way. Its great to see. The other teacher is over 25 and unmarried but she has chosen to be so and enjoys living that way. I see these two women and I am amazed by the mystery that is human nature. What made these two women the way they are? If they grew up in the same environment as all of the other women in Kazakhstan, shouldn't they follow in the same footsteps? These women want more, they want to see more and they know they deserve more than what their society says they can get, and the best part is they make it happen for themselves. Truly inspirational. It's sappy but from what I have experienced and seen as far as family dynamics, it's extremely hard to live they way they do. Kudos to them.
The city itself has mostly Kazakh people (60%), Russian (30%) and others like Korean,Mongolian,Turkish(10%). The public bus system is basic and simple. There are a few private lycem's, which are private colleges that are much better than the other ones in Zhez. Competition is definitely a huge motivator here, especially in the schools. The only thing that really matters, it seems, is what everything looks like on paper and in open lessons. Also, "cheating" as we know it, doesn't exist here. It seems to be a remnant from the "soviet hangover" that seems to keep itself present here. Teachers "help" students by prompting, giving answers, and even going so far as to do tasks for them. Especially for country/oblast wide competency tests, etc. Every school wants to look to best, so there will be more funding their way. I'm sure you all can see that kind of motivation. Nonetheless, the students that want to drift through school do and the ones that really want to learn do. In this respect the "cheating" really has its place.
I taught two classes today and I am really enjoying working with the 4th course English students. There are a good number of 5 or 6 of them that are really promising and very active in class. They make me feel like I might actually be making a difference for them. I finally took a Kazakh tutor this week. I hope to get much much better with my grammar and vocabulary. My goal is to learn at least 100 more verbs and 200 more vocabulary words in the next 6 months. As well as work on more complex grammar. We'll see how it all goes!
What else are you all wondering about? I am so ready to answer any questions you all have. Since I have been here for a few months the things you might have questions about may not be apparent to me. So, please leave me comments with your questions!
No comments:
Post a Comment