As The Crow Flies

Call me completely out of the loop, but I finally heard this idiom employed for the first time a few weeks ago at one of our weekly english clubs. I felt a little silly since there were a few idioms that I didn't recognize and had never heard. Maybe out in CA we're so amazing, we don't need to rely on such words or phrases to express ourselves? I'd like to think so, but I figure it's simply a slight of chance situation.

Anyway, In keeping with the theme of this post, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and that is EXACTLY what I'm on at the moment. Things are more clear for me than they have ever been. I call it a blessing but at the same time, the days and days spent waiting and looking towards the next transitions I will take seem to be taking forever. At the same time, however, time seems to be slipping. It's a strange place of consciousness to be in. One day seems to last 48 hours while the whole month is gone in a flash at the same time.

A bout of snow has finally come to Zhezkazgan and has packed down into some very slippery ice, mixed with mud. Not the most pleasant to try and not fall on whilst going to work everyday. BUT, I only have 5-7 weeks left of my second and final winter in my tiny blip within this massive steppe. And for that, I cannot complain about the inconsequential weeks ahead. Things are moving right along that line, as I mentioned before. I am looking towards March, when we'll celebrate the Kazakh holiday of Nauryz in Shymkent. Jenny and I have already begun preparations for camp GLOW which will be happening in June/July this summer. GRANT SITE LINK COMING!

I'm also coming home 90 days earlier than expected. I have an "accelerated" Closing of Service [COS]. I found this information out on Thanksgiving day while I was hosting the volunteers in our area and I almost had a conniption. Violent elation. Should I be admitting this so blatantly? That I can't wait to leave this place? I think I'm more excited about coming home during summer and possibly starting grad school in the Fall [of which I made a mad dash and applied to one program, i'm not holding out too much home for this year, but we'll see]. I guess it's the idea that I won't be sitting twiddling my thumbs for the last three months [Sept-Nov] that makes me the happiest. I will be able to let the next volunteer start well into his/her first semester without me there, crowding their space.So, there's that.

I've had a great few lessons lately. I think I've finally [after all this time] figured out how to make teaching enjoyable for me too. and let's face it, my students don't study, but they're fun to practice Kazakh with.

Enough about me, I was struck by something that I should have understood a long time ago at English club the other day. We were playing a circle game called categories. Everyone shares a series of hand movements and at a certain point everyone must name on item in the category I name, or they are out of the circle. I picked the category "film titles". Some of the films these kids knew were surprising [i.e. inglorious bastards, american pie]. Some extremely mainstream and somewhat offensive, films that I only assumed they had no access to or didn't know due to lack of motivated interest. I could not have been more wrong. I think there is a certain view that settles into us as "volunteers" but namely as outsiders in a culture we're so desperately trying to assimilate into. And that is "they" [i.e. everyone around you, who isn't American] don't share even the most remotely similar ideas about entertainment, knowledge acquisition and everyday living. The fact of the matter is, they do. Way way way way more than I ever gave anyone credit for. I simply mean, that once the superficial language barrier is knocked down you can find striking autonomous opinions that shock and excite you, even amongst the young and the most impressionable. The point is, it doesn't matter where you hang your coat at night or where you were born, every people group has those who fit the norm and even more who don't. You just have to be willing to discount your assumptions one person at a time. And anyone who has worked or lived abroad for more than a week can relate to just how difficult that can be.

I don't mean to say that I have been in any way racist or prejudice, I have simply taken my mental "shortcuts" and trusted judgements to my prior experiences without much deviation. This past English club was a perfect example of how growth stunting that kind of thinking can be. You miss out on the most fascinating part of a different culture, only because you simply thought it wasn't there or there was no bridge to get you there. I have no idea if any of this in translating as well as I hope it is. If it isnt, sorry for not making sense. Thanks for reading anyway.:)

On another note, I'm into my final 27 weeks. yes. 27 weeks. I can't help but feel ecstatic, accomplished and sad all at the same time. What a mess of emotion. I'll be sure to update soon.

The Benevolent Leader, ad infinitum

The economist just came out with an article spotlighting the new referendum passing through KZ's one party parliament that revoked the upcoming election in 2012 and keeps current President[since 1989], Nursultan Nazerbayev to remain in office until 2020. Only 10 years shy of 2030, when Kazakhstan is believed [irreverently by it's people] to be caught up to the modern ebb and flow of the rest of the world. Nazerbayev is already 70 years old but the echelons at the top of the ruling party have put pressure on each tier down to the micro level to acquire signatures. The total number gathered in the end rounded out somewhere near 2,000,000, 1,800,000 over the needed quota. Many people, I've noticed on mail.ru and other places, have been talking and complaining about feeling pressured to sign. Even one of my own teachers lost her job because she failed to compile a list of signatures for this very cause.

Many Kazakhstani's will say Nazerbayev is a great person before they say anything about his presidency or policies. This shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone, since the whole idea of openly questioning a leader's policies is somewhat a new idea in this part of the world. This is not to imply that no one is openly discussing the recent turn of events, but in my scope of experience and in my small town, most people sign and forget about it. The true reality of the phenomena of Nazerbayev proposed to take 3 full decades of office is the sheer unanimity of decision amongst the people. Sure, there are only 16.3 million of them, which makes it quite easy to narrow down "factions". But the truth is that Kazakhstan is still a sapling, metaphorically speaking. The country has no real detailed national consciousness and is, in my own opinion, quite far away from realizing it. Yes, the economy is expanding, money is flowing into the capital, people are being exposed to more opportunity and capitalism is taking a small incremental affect on its markets. The issue is the fact that the peoples' mentality holistically isn't catching up. Everyone outside of the main cities are so underexposed to anything outside their television sets, there is almost no hunger or search for any information. I understand breaking away from the communist hangover of "complacency" is a daunting task and hell, if I had grown up during that time I'd probably be just as lost. The only thing left to do, is build up the new generations to understand the inter-workings of their government, understand the laws, stop the corruption and enforce the "democracy" they claim to have.

This decision comes as a bit of a slap in the face of the international democratic arena, since not one month ago, Astana held the OSCE Summit where Hillary Clinton herself attended. The good people of KZ assured the rest of the world they would uphold their democracy and follow suit.

They, of course, have since failed to due so. Well, let's say they have simply chosen not to do so. The upside to having Nazerbayev's presidency and the rule of "Nyr Otan" for a few more years is that foreign investors will see it as insurance for continued stability. Whether this assumption will pan out, time has yet to tell. All I'm wondering is when will the day come when Kazakhstani's take charge of their "democracy", aggressively endeavor for their national consciousness and run their country not fueled by racism and pride but by a genuine and honorable love for their country.

Post Secret Kazakhstan

I am totally doing a shameless plug for my good friend Elena. She's working at a non-profit in Karaganda that focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness and education. She has started [very successfully] a KZ version of the postsecret phenomena. I encourage everyone to go on over to the site and check it out. It's so great! Here's the link:

HERE.

Жана Жылыңызбен!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011, goodbye 2010. This year has been an incredible one, filled with lots of growth, lots of trials and lots of boiled mutton. I'm happy to say I've survived all the turmoil and enjoyed the bouts of intense joy I've felt over the last 12 months. I spent this new year like any other, surrounded by friends, sharing yet more toasts and a few fireworks. The fireworks are the greatest part of the new year here I must say.

The biggest handheld fireworks are available on every street corner leading up to the 1st. You can buy all the fireworks you want, no one is going to come and tell you they're "not allowed". People here walk right outside, to the front steps and light and fire. At any one time, you can see dozens of tiny and large fireworks alike going off in between buildings, setting off car alarms, nearly hitting telephone lines and bursting so low in the sky that I instinctively duck after every one. This year's celebrations have been the first in a long time "without snow".

The locals have been animate about the fact that there still isn't any snow for us here in Zhez. I'm surprised myself, although I'm not really complaining.. Having snow and ice on the ground would have made my journey back home last night a little too interesting.

So, this year is looking bright. A year of transition for me, since I will come home to california. Who knows what adventures lie ahead. Time will tell.

For the mean time, I wish everyone out there a wonderful holiday. Be safe and get those resolutions rolling..