Looking to the Future

On Wednesday I had the chance to attend the graduation ceremony at Saramoldaeva orphanage.  The children recently returned from camp and school begins on September 1st.  We sat with the director, a man from child protection services, and the children and staff of the orphanage to celebrate this special day.  Before everything started one of the boys in our sponsored groups came and said hello to me.  Although he looked familiar, I couldn't quite place him.  Later, when they announced his name,  I realized exactly who he was.  He had grown up so much since 2009, when I visited the orphanage regularly.  He was one of the boys, in a Russian speaking group, who always took the time to try to speak to me in Kazakh.  Below is a picture from the other day as well as a picture from 2008.  He has a beautiful voice and was given the chance to sing at graduation.

During the ceremony the director reminded the graduates that their futures are in their hands.  She gave them examples of graduates who have become very successful, including one who has recently purchased a cattle ranch near Almaty.  She also reminded them of some graduates who have not made great choices.   I was given a chance to speak and echoed her words, but also reminded them that there are many people who love them and are here to help them.  I reminded them not to be afraid to ask for help.   I also asked them to come by our office and let us know how they are doing.  I hope they do this as it always brings me great joy to know how our kids are doing out in the real world.

Culture Shock

In case you think that culture shock never hits those of us who have lived here long enough, fear not.  Last week I definitely hit a new pinnacle of culture shock.  However, I am thankful for the way I dealt with it.  I think I only had a true meltdown once.  This is going to be one of the longer emails because I think it is a funny story (or stories) and it gives you a feel for daily life here.  The short of it is my car was impounded, it took three days to get it back, I had to clean my stairwell and my apartment, and my electricity was turned off all in the same 24 hour period.  I guess the plus is that I now know how to deal with a ticket if I ever get one and I had fun joking with some of our staff.

On Wednesday night we were driving back from Shymkent and I was pulled over by the cops.  I was a little surprised, because I didn't think I had done anything wrong.  When I asked what I had done he said he didn't know but used the word arrest and sent me to two other police officers.  I later found out the word arrest basically means that there is an outstanding ticket.  After at least 15 minutes of talking with the officers, I realized that one of our previous drivers (who only lasted 10 days with our company) had received a ticket while driving the car I was driving.  As a result, his ticket came up in relationship to the license plate and they informed me that the only thing they could do was impound the car.  So, we drove (with the police officer in the car) to the parking lot for impounded vehicles.  One of our security guards came and picked us up (with the wheelchairs we had brought from Shymkent).

The next morning I was in my office talking to my Kazakh dad about the situation.  While we were talking a man called and informed Aben that they were at my apartment ready to begin work on my electricity.  We are in the process of changing the electricity over from that of an individual to that of a company.  This process includes changing the meter  As a result, we had to run a new line that goes straight to my apartment instead of being shared with the rest of the complex.  I knew this would take place, but none of us knew they were coming that day.  So, someone needed to be at my apartment while they worked.  However, I needed to be dealing with the police related to the car.  I found out at this time that there was a chance I wouldn't have electricity starting Thursday morning through the weekend.

Well, on that note I went with Mukhan to deal with the police.  We went to the office and they said we needed to pay the ticket.  We learned that there is a law that as a company, you are responsible for any tickets that drivers receive while working for you.  As a result, companies are supposed to hold the salary or a cell phone or something until the employee leaving brings a document from the police saying they have no outstanding tickets.  So, we went to pay the ticket at the main Kazakhstan bank branch, as they told us to do.  That bank, being the main branch, said they don't take payments and sent us to a smaller branch.  The smaller branch then sent us to the post office.  Now I know that when you pay a ticket you can pay at the post office.  We then took the document back to the office in order to get a document that stated that we had paid and were free to get our car back.  However, the computer was not working so he told us to come back at 4pm.  At four we went back to his office and it still wasn't working.  He had us wait downstairs while he went to the store to pick up the computer.  However, it wasn't ready. He finally had someone else make the document on their computer.  He told us to take it to the road police station, room 13.  So, we went there and they informed us that we would have to come back the next afternoon.

Meanwhile, the electricity was being worked on at my apartment.  After I got done with the original payment, I went to the apartment to babysit the workmen.  I got there right as they turned the electricity off.  The man in charge of the project decided to visit and ask me a million questions, when all I wanted to do was be productive.  They finished the work for the day around 2pm.  The man in charge had to go get some signatures and other things and depending on how long it would take him, I might not have had electricity until after the weekend.  So, I boxed up the things in my freezer and sent them with Aben.  He reminded me that I needed to clean up the stairwell and my entryway.  This was the only time all week that I almost lost it.  My apartment was finally clean (two days before) after all the remodeling this summer.  However, the electricity people drilled through walls and left all their trash and everything else (including the smell of smoke) in my apartment.  They also drilled through the outside wall in the stairwell, leaving a huge mess.  I went out and started cleaning the stairwell while internally talking to myself and whining about how many other things I had to do and how my apartment would never be clean.  It was definitely one of those times when I realized I was letting my pride surface and I needed to just get over it.  It helped a little when I thought about doing it to be a good neighbor, but only a little.   I went to bed at 9pm since I was tired and there is not much to do if you have no electricity.

The next morning I arrived at the office and waited until the afternoon.  In the afternoon, we went to the police office.  We got there around 3pm (usually lunch is from 1-2pm) and the doors were closed with a crowd of people outside who had been there since morning.  We waited for about 20 minutes until a police officer drove by and informed us that the office was not opening today and that we should come back the next morning (Saturday).  I had to then return to my apartment, where they were going to connect my electricity to the new meter.  The electricity came back on and I was able to enjoy a restful night, knowing that I was supposed to go back to the police station at 9am the next morning and all I needed was to show them the document and it would be done.

We arrived at the police station the next morning and I was thrilled to see the door open.  We went to window 13 (although there were two windows with this number ... one in which the person knew what we needed ... but this isn't the window we first went to).  We got in line and he informed us we needed a stamp.  Well, we ended up having to get a signature, a stamp from a different office and two other stamps from other windows at the police station before we received the document giving us permission to pick up the car.  The funny thing is that everyone else in line with us was also going through the same process.  So, we all followed each other from window to window and then back to the line at window line to find out what we were missing.  Three hours later (yes three hours) we had the document allowing us to pick up the car.

Thankfully, during all of this time (other than the cleaning) I was able to laugh about the situation.  I had fun spending time with Mukhan and Azamat the first few days.  Aben and I got to talk about how getting angry at the police officers wasn't going to help anything.  We laughed with the other people going through the process.  I also enjoyed watching people look at me like I had four heads, since I was the only woman in the room most of the time.  It all ended with some fun memories and laughter, the car back, and electricity at the apartment.  We also learned a new law about drivers.  The time also helped me begin a new habit that I plan to keep up of walking too and from the office.  So, it wasn't all bad, but it was definitely a trying week.

Interlink Blog

One of the projects I have been working on these last couple weeks has been to set up a new blog for Interlink.  You can receive a compilation of the week's posts in email form by clicking on the newsletter button in the top right corner of the blog.  We have also started posting to our Twitter account.

It has been fun to work with the staff to get ideas of things to post.  Today at lunch we talked and laughed about some of the Kazakh proverbs that exist.  We will also be posting some interesting stories about the culture and our work.

Also, tomorrow Aben and I will be heading to Shymkent to pick up the last installment of wheelchairs from Crossroads.  I have several contacts of people to start connecting with in order to find the best homes for these wheelchairs.  The process will take a while because we want to make sure it is done well, but the time will be worth it.

Support Needs:  I still need $480 in monthly support

Fun with Friends

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to get out of the city and have some fun with friends.  On Friday, the entire office and their families went to a river for a picnic.  We had a great time eating shashlik, swimming, and spending time together.  It was a nice time to get to know the spouses and children of my co-workers.  We enjoyed the day together as we celebrated a successful delegation season!  Also, I had fun riding too and from the picnic with Assel.  We talked about ways in which we could improve my Kazakh and her English.  We have started implementing some of those things this week and I think Assel is going to be hard task master, which is great!

A few days later I got to go on a camping trip with some youth.  It was fun to hang out with them and teach them how to roast a marshmallow without burning it.  I got to sleep out under the stars. We also had a great time swimming and playing nine square in the air.  The only challenge for me was that most of the youth were Russian speaking (whereas I speak Kazakh).  However, we figured out ways to communicate enough to even trash talk a bit while playing nine square.  Although I was exhausted at the end of the time, it was so good to get out of the city and enjoy some time in nature.  Here are some pictures from my time!

Buying a Dog

It is very important to have a guard dog here in Kazakhstan.  Some just want the dog to be fierce (they chain these up during the day and then let them loose in the yard at night).  These usually tend to be large dogs.  Others what a "doorbell" to let them know when someone is at the gate.  These tend to be dogs that I usually refer to drop-kickable dogs (the ones that are the size of a soccer ball and like to bark a lot).

In September, the team house needs a new dog.  Since it is best to buy a puppy and by September we want the dog to be able to bark and be comfortable caring for the property, we decided this is the time to buy one.  It will give the puppy a chance to get used to a new house and learn how to guard the house from Mika.  Since Jim and Liz's departure has been delayed a bit, I had the fun of picking out a dog for them.  I thought you might enjoy hearing about my adventure.  

Earlier in the week, we had gone to the bazaar to find out where dogs are sold.  We were told they were sold near the chickens, but only on Sunday mornings from 9-12.  So, on Sunday I went back to the chicken selling location.  At first, I thought someone had told me wrong because all I saw were a bunch of cars (where I had been told dogs would be).  However, I started to hear barking and realized I must be nearby.  Then, I noticed that all the cars had their trunks open.  Everyone was selling the puppies that were being stored in their trunks.  There were about 50 to 100 dogs waiting to be sold.  

It was at that point when I realized I was not at all prepared to buy a dog.  First, I had no idea what kind of dog was staring at me.  Second, I realized that most of the sellers spoke Russian, not Kazakh.  Third, I realized I was one of very few females in the entire area.  I guess mostly men buy and sell dogs.  I made a first pass at all the dogs, just looking and not speaking to anyone.  I tried a second pass, but all it did was add to my sense of being overwhelmed.  I did ask a few people prices and realized all the dogs were pretty reasonably priced.  The third time down the row I saw a woman encouraging (by dragging a bit with a leash) a puppy down the row.  She looked out of place and a little concerned about being there.  I couldn't quite figure out what she was doing.  

After a while, I ended up in a conversation with the woman.  We spent the next 10 minutes talking.  She kept telling me why her puppy was great and I kept agreeing with her and asking about buying it.  She would respond that she didn't want to sell it, but wanted to find it a good home.  I kept wondering, how do I convince her that I am a good home.  My connections with the director at Sarmoldaeva Orphanage helped convince her, as she puts on a yearly competition at the orphanage and knew of the work that we do.  So, I walked away from the bazaar carrying a very scared black puppy who I paid 50 tenge for.  Some money need to exchange hands for it to be an official sale and that was the smallest coin I had with me.  

Now Vella is getting used to being at the team house.  Mika is adjusting to having a puppy around as well.  Hopefully, Vella will be good company for Mika and Mika will teach Vella how to be a great team house dog.  So far everything seems to be going well!  

Support Update:  I still need additional monthly team members totaling $500 

Life is a Team Sport

As many of you, I've been watching the Olympics recently.  As I watched yesterday, I was struck by the importance of team.  This is the case with every sport, including the individual sports.  The team is not just the individuals you play the sport with, but it includes those that have gone before, those that are cheering you on, coaches, peers, sponsors, family, and everyone else included in an athlete's success.  Each person on the team is there in a different way when you win and when you lose.    

I think often we make the mistake of pursuing life as an individual sport.  We forget that we have a team of people (even in an individual sport) that come alongside us and make what we do possible.  In my life, I have to acknowledge the need for others a little more than some might since my job depends on the sponsorship of friends.  However, even so, when things get tough, my natural tendency is to try to tough it out on my own.  I think we all tend to do that.  When life gets rough, we try to figure out how to fix it.  Often that means that we push our team away and try to get things figured out before we reach out to our team again.  

However, the more I think about it, the more I think we are called to something completely different.  I think we are called to live life in community.  It is in those hard times, when I want to pull away from everyone,  that the best thing I can do is remember that I have a team of people surrounding me.  

I also think about how Olympic athletes have a group of people scrutinizing them and being honest with them about their mistakes in order to make them better.  We expect this from athletes, but often when it comes to our personal life, we want to hide our failures and our shortcomings.  Why do we have different standards for athletes?  Why do we recognize that growing and getting stronger requires recognizing where we struggle when it comes to them, but not when it comes to us?  Why do we think we can do it alone?  This challenges me to be more of a person that invites people into my life to live every aspect of my life with me. 

The other night as I was watching team gymnastics, I recognized one other way in which I often live differently than an athlete.  In the team competition only the best three individuals get to compete in each event.  Team members have to rely on each other in areas of their own weakness, even though compared to me they are all amazingly gifted in even their weakest areas.  Why do we want to be good at everything?  Why don't we want to admit that someone has a gifting in something that we don't have?  

These are the things I have been trying to implement in my life.  I want to live in community in a way that causes my reliance on others.  This goes against my natural reaction to life, but the more I chose to rely on others, the richer my life becomes.  

I also realize how blessed I am to have such a large team of people living life with me, from those that have known me a long time to those that I am just meeting.  I have a wonderful support system here in Taraz of friends and family that have been here for me for nine years.  I have people encouraging me from the all over the world.  I also have a team of people sponsoring my work here.  Thank you for being part of my team and helping me to live a richer life!