Car accident

I got into a car accident on Saturday while traveling between Karabulak and Taldy Korgan. I'm fine, although I have whiplash and it puts me into a horrible mood. The word "whiplash" is not in my Russian-English dictionary, so it takes me awhile to explain why I move like a robot.

If there is one thing I learned during my internship at State Farm Insurance it was driver safety statistics. The death rate by cars is worse in Kazakhstan than in America because of bad roads, poor drivers, lack of seatbelts and police enforcement. However the Kazakhstan government has taken steps to improve driver safety by receiving a multi billion dollar loan to repair the roads between its major cities such as Almaty to Astana and to create new ones to its major trading partners Russia and China. Not only will the road repairs make driving safer, it will hopefully provide an economic boost to a country which contains practically every natural resource on Earth but has trouble exporting them. I could go on, but this post is starting to read like a research paper. If you want to read more about Kazakhstan's road woes, I'd recommend getting your hands on the November 2008 issue of the Economist.

When I travel in Kazakhstan I always take into account the time of day, weather conditions, type of car, and who I ride with. I don't travel at night. I travel only when the weather is good. I also won't ride with "young guns" who feel like they have something to prove on the streets, nor ride in heavily modded cars (I won't ride if I see anything like an aftermarket turbo boost meter, NOS kit, short shifter, exhaust system, etc). While the city roads are great, between major cities and in the country Kazakhstan's roads are awful and I want to keep my body intact.

Anyway, the accident.

The particular car was one of those modern stationwagon/coupe type cars. The man driving was nice and didn't try to mark up his price (a popular taxi driver method to rip off foreigners), and there was already a young women and an old Kazakh babushka in the car. The roads were reasonably clear and it was daytime so I felt reasonably safe. We pulled off and accelerated to the highway speed. That was when things went wrong.

The car started to sideslip and thinking that it was ice, the driver slowed down a little. In retrospect I think that's what saved us. A couple of minutes later the car started to slide again. At this point, if he had just stopped with his brakes, we would have been fine. I don't know what his problem was, but he started some maneuvers that made the situation worse and almost killed us. The fool shifted out of 5^th gear into 2^nd, cranked on the emergency brake, and cranked the wheel full to the right. The tires locked up, we started to spin, and we heard a weird metal grinding sound.

A lot of languages filled the car as we spun. The babushka began to pray in Kazakh, the young lady shouted in Russian, and I yelled at the driver about the stupidity of using the emergency brake at high speeds in English. We made two revolutions, and two tires left the ground but we didn't roll. We hit the curb and the rail on the side and came to a stop.

We all got out of the car (the babushka was still praying) and looked at the car. I quickly saw what the grinding noise was: the back wheel was folded up underneath the car at almost a 90 degree angle. One of the front tires was in ribbons (we blew it when we spun), and when I walked near the hood of the car I smelled something burning unlike burnt rubber (maybe from his red-lining his engine?). We ended up hitchhiking to Taldy Korgan.

And now I am writing this post, with my back to a heater to keep my neck and back loose enough so I can sleep tonight. So, while I'm miserable in the short term, I'll defiantly take it. It could have been worse.

The internship of nothing

At least they showed up.

Reflecting on this past week and my first experience with having interns, it was an awkward, rough week. It's hard to delegate a project if you do not have a steady, stable project yourself. I do have that new building project, but right now that the project is on hiatus while I wait for the contractor people to draw up a list of stuff that they need.

However the good news was that they showed up and were actually early. I should probably describe the two "practicants" (I'll call them interns from now on). They are 17 years old girls that love the Pussycat Dolls, guys, cell phones, and monti. I only like one of those four things. Minus their musical choices they have a lot of potential and I think I'll enjoy working with them, if we can find a stable project.

The following contains what we did (or didn't do) each day for the first week and how I felt about it. I wrote these throughout the week, but only got internet access today. I'm so disappointed and frustrated that they have so much potential but we can't do anything.

Monday

"You received that many A's and you still can't talk?! That's bull! "

I actually said this to my interns today. Good thing they didn't understand what I said. Or anything else for that matter.

I was pissed because they told me that they had over 6 years of English language instruction in which they got really good grades. However, when prompted they cannot remember basic greetings, days of the week, or numbers. Speaking of a lack of practical language abilities, I HATE how language is taught in many schools in America and around the world. In many cases, language is treated the same way as the hard sciences, and it shouldn't be that way. Written tests are a horrible method for determining how well a person uses a language. I don't care how many blanks you filled in and how many tests you aced. Just talk to me!

These interns wanted business instruction in English, but their language is so basic it will be impossible. They have a practicum plan but we are not going to follow it. We'll work together to make a new one. I am not a teacher but their language is so weak that they cannot function in a business environment like their syllabus demands. Therefore, I am going bombard them with language the first week and then ease up as we start to do projects. What projects? I don't know, but I have a week to think of some.

Tuesday

As much as I complain to my director that written tests are not a good evaluation of language ability, these two have great potential. They catch on really quick to whatever I throw in front of them. However, I know that learning a new language is difficult and tedious. I need something that will spark their interest. I don't think I have a lot of time to find it because as 16 year old girls their attention span is short. I'm already starting to lose them. They are not independent enough for me to give them tasks (and what would I give them anyway?) so I told them to come in the afternoon from 2-5 instead of all day. I don't want to teach them English, but they need to know at least a little bit if they are going to deal with me for the rest of the month.

However, we decided on a new plan. They will help me do an English club. They get practice with English, basic project planning, some translating and teaching experience, and I get a new thing to do. A perfect plan? We'll see.

Wednesday

I think I may have found the thing that will motivate them: music, and in particular the Pussycat Dolls. Personally, I think they are a pitiful musical group: their cd's are a waste of space; their music pollutes the air, and their music videos are cool if you push the mute button. The lead (the only?) singer has talent, but the rest of them fail as musicians. However my interns love them and I'm going to use them as a tool for them to learn more language. They like to translate their songs, so we'll do that for practice. I've got to give it to the main (the only?) singer: her words are clear as a bell and easy to understand.

Thursday

Today's lesson: always have a back-up plan. Today's plan was brilliant: They would arrive at 2:30. We would go to the local school, meet the English teacher who already has an English club scheduled for next Monday (so we don't have to make one!), and then spend the rest of the day and tomorrow learning vocab, games, and tactics for doing an English club.

This all fell apart when the teacher didn't come. I didn't have a back-up plan, so I just sent them home. I'm horrible at this teaching thing and an even worse mentor.

Friday

No interns today. In fact, even I didn't work today. Why work when there is nothing to work on? I really don't know what we are going to do next week. The contractor people need another week to figure out what they need for the new office, and my director is out of ideas. I have ideas, but we need a space to do them; a space larger than a small kitchen. It all comes back to that building.

If you build it they will come

Now that all of the holidays have subsided, life has now settled down to somewhat of a regular schedule. Every day, I wake up at 8:30, dress, throw coal into the петчка and prey that nothing blows up, (this is a major accomplishment for me, given my past experience) and go to work.

I work until 12, and then go back and cook lunch. I used to have an English club that would meet during my lunch hour(s) once a week, but I had a disagreement with the teacher who was assisting me. We had vastly different philosophies about time. She thought it was ok to waste my time and then say "I forgot". She did this more than twice, so I ended her English club. I don't feel bad about it. After all, PC stands for "Peace Corps", not "Passively Compliant".

Anyway, I return to work at 2:30, and work until 5. After that, I hang out with my host family until I go to bed. If you rinse and repeat the process, it becomes a good representation of my life right now.

But for who, where and what do I do at work? The organization that I work for is called the Yeskeldy Community Learning Center (CLC). They assist the town of Karabulak and the 4 surrounding villages by providing computer and sewing classes and seminars on a variety of topics from business plans to tax preparation and other assorted life skills. Or, to be more correct, they used to provide all of those things, but cannot because of space limitations.

This may be the unluckiest not for profit/NGO I've ever heard of. Since it's creation in 2004, they have been relocated 4-5 times due to reasons that were not their doing: skyrocketing rent, corruption, and unsafe building limitations. A fire may have been involved at some point, but I am not sure because my Russian is still very bad and my director gets upset when she talks about it and switches to high speed Russian, which I don't understand. She has a will of steel; setbacks like those would have derailed many others, but she keeps on chuggin' along.

Currently, the CLC has only 1 room to hold computer classes. It's too small to do any of the other classes; it is the size of a midsized American kitchen. To make it even more complicated, the room is located in the Karabulak Akim's building (the Akim is equilivant to "government leader", in this case, the Mayor). It's very hard to be "non governmental" if your office is in the government building and am at the mercy of their policy, time schedules, and electricity management. The CLC reminds me of the quote, "all dressed up but no place to go". They have the appropriate materials, qualified people, and programs to be successful but just no space to implement them. I would even say that if they had a building and set it up all great and such, they would not need a PC volunteer.

The organization desperately wants to move so it can expand to its original state and beyond. Moving to the few public buildings in Karabulak is not a wise choice: they are either unsafe or the rent is way too expensive. Therefore the organization has decided to construct a new building. My job is to help them achieve that goal. So what I'm doing is helping them get things together so that they can apply for grants, and trying to leverage and maintain the community's support with the project.

Yeah…so that quote from that god awful movie Field of Dreams pretty much describes my work life right now.

Wait! I have interns?

Since I arrived in Kazakhstan, more weird and exciting things and opportunities have been happening to me than when I lived in America. I think it is because I am the only American in my town, and people seek me out with new ideas. I really don't mind; I love new adventures and challenges and it keeps my semi-village life in Karabulak interesting.

Today, it was two college students who came into the one room that serves as my organizations office/classroom and asked if they could intern with me for the next month. Actually, the exact word was "practicum", (the word "intern" or "volunteer" isn't really used here), but the idea was the same as an internship: They will work when I work, do what I do, and learn some new skills and English while helping me out with projects (or the one project I have right now, constructing a plan for a new building).

I find the whole situation hilarious. I've never had interns before. In fact, around this time last year, I was finishing up an internship myself at State Farm Insurance Company. I followed people around; worked a 7:00-3:15 (NOT a 9-5. I love flex time!), and assisted them with their projects. They tolerated my questions, were patient in helping me along, listened to my ideas, no matter how outlandish, and demanded only the best from me. And now, I'll get to experience it from their side. I'll know I'll be using the mentors I had there as a model for this intern/volunteer/practicum experience I am supposed to create.

That is, if they show up next Monday.

New Years Day(s)

If there is one holiday that is totally awesome in Kazakhstan, it is New Years. As I've alluded to many times in previous posts, New Years in Kazakhstan is a combination of Christmas, 4^th of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, one thing that I never imagined was that the holiday took all of the intensity from those holidays and crammed it into an almost week-long fun fest. I would have taken pictures, but as usual I forgot my camera. Anyway, my director has some photos from the holiday, and I'll upload them as I get them.

People started celebrating the holiday long before I even realized what was going on. We didn't really work the week of Christmas, we mainly sat and drank chai. The internet also wasn't working. On the 29^th, my director took me to a "yool-ka"/ political rally in Taldy Korgan, which was sponsored by the Party of President Nazerbayev. While I thought it was a bit weird to attend a political rally, it was really fun. (but afterwards my director and I had some great cultural exchange on political parties in Kazakhstan and around the world; something I enjoyed because I studied it extensively in college). While there was a lot of "hoo-rah" and a huge speech by the oblast Akim (Akim=head of government. Oblast=Kazakhstan version of a US state, eg. Iowa. ), what really interested me was the yool-ka. I really hope that my director took pictures. In the meantime, I'll try to describe it:

Little kids dressed up in Halloween like costumes linked hands (or appendages; there were some aliens and camels) around a huge Christmas tree and danced around it May-pole style. After they did this for awhile, the Kazakhstan equivalent of Santa Claus appeared and dispensed candy to each kid who walked to the front and gave a small toast to the love and health of everyone. It was very cute.

Later on that night, I went to a banquet sponsored by the office of Karabulak's Akim. Although I've always had a strict personal policy of not partying with people who I work with, I realized that in this case, New Years, it is socially acceptable. I still thought it awkward to drink with my director (would you be comfortable with sharing a bottle of vodka with your boss?).

However, I had nothing to fear; everything worked out quite well and I had a lot of fun. The only problem I had came with dancing: I am not a comfortable dancer, and dancing is huge here at banquets. I basically dance when I want to, which isn't often.

There was a lot of food at the banquet, and I failed to pace myself, because my host mom (who is the head cook at the café we had the banquet) cooked a meat and carrot salad that I really loved, and I ate way too much. After the food, were lots of toasts: to health, to luck in the upcoming year, etc. After all of this is the dancing.

At that time, I was too full to dance. Or move. This did not jive well with some of my co-workers, who tried to drag me, quite literally, on the dance floor. While arguing with them was really awkward, they learned very fast not to mess with me (and I learned that yelling is a perfectly acceptable behavior. I'll write more about this later). I also learned that I have a "death glare" that can stop middle aged Kazakh men to Russian babushkas in their tracks. It needs work, but it was something I never knew I had. I just have to aim it at the right people….

I still haven't described New Years Eve and day.

The day of the 31^st was spent cooking with my host mom. Monti, plemini, borsh, if you can name it, we probably cooked it. We cooked way more food than the family could eat, so I asked her why we were cooking so much. "Because," she said, "other people will eat it". I wasn't sure who the "other people" were, but I guessed that I would eventually find out.

At 8pm, I had a surprise: The Russian President came on TV, and wished the world health and peace. My host family, who was also watching, didn't mind one bit (they are Russian). To me, I was wondering why they weren't angry at this, because that seeing the Russian President on TV in Kazakhstan would be the same as if the Canadian president came on TV during New Years. (I'll save my other experiences with seeing how people in Kazakhstan react to Russia/living in a transitioning post-communist country for a later post).

At 10pm, we all dressed up (I didn't know for what; I was planning on staying at home) and ate dinner. We did lots of toasts to each other, and I did in a couple of toasts myself.

At midnight, my host mom climbed on a chair with a wooden spoon, imitated Big Ben striking 12, and yelled out more toasts (note: After talking to other volunteers, this is probably a tradition special to my host family. But it was fun anyways!). Then we went outside, where I feared for my life because everyone in Karabulak was lighting off fireworks. Roman Candles, M-80's, and god-knows-what-else was fired, seemingly at once, which made the sky so bright that they blotted out the stars. I saw fireworks land on houses ("No problem!," said my host sister. "They have snow on the roofs"), trees, and one even hit a car that was driving by. I had enough when I saw my sister looking in the firing end of her friend's malfunctioning Roman Candle. Luckily, no one was hurt. After all of this, we went "ghosting".

As a reminder, "ghosting" is when people get up and go visiting others. Evidently, it is tradition for people to ghost after midnight on New Years Day. That was why we made so much food and dressed up. When it was all said and done, it was 6 am. I went to bed. However, we were not done.

At 11am, more people came over: family, friends, my director, my sister's friends. We hosted and ghosted until 7pm, when I called it quits. I slept for over 13 hours.

And that's it!