Springing from Lost Dreams

Hi everyone! This has been a good week, although busy. I have been trying to get back into the swing of things and prepare for a delegation that arrives on next Wednesday. It has been really fun to be back at the orphanages.

A few months ago I wrote a blog about lost dreams. In it I wrote about a boy whose dream of being in the military seemed to have been shattered. I wanted to update you a little about his situation and that of one of the other graduates at Saramoldaeva. Thankfully, it looks like he was the one who decided that he didn't want to be in the military. Previously, he had heard that you get free housing if you are in the military and since he was concerned about housing, he thought he should take up a career in the military. He doesn't really want to live the life of a military man. He also doesn't really want to go to University. He sounds like he likes the idea of learning to work for the railroad. One of his caregivers knows someone that works on the railroad and it is likely that after he receives training at a technical college, he will be able to find a good, consistent job.

As Olya and Keekzhan talked with him, they also spent a lot of time talking with the other boy from our group that will be graduating this year. He enjoys school and has the opportunity to go on to University after graduation. He wants to get a degree in Oil and Gas. He is currently preparing for entrance exams. If he does well enough (which is very difficult to do), he will be able to get a scholarship. If not, he will need to pay around $3000 for a year of school (this includes renting an apartment and tuition). We are currently helping him take Kazakh lessons and have purchased books in order to help him prepare for these tests.

It is exciting to see the way that Olya, Muldir, and Keekzhan are able to encourage these youth as they prepare for the world outside the orphanage. I will keep you updated as these and other youth that we work with make decisions about their future. It is fun to be able to have an impact on their lives.