Three Months of Change (Craziness)

I have been really bad at updating my blog, but will try to do better in the near future.  Here are some highlights from the last three months.  

• I have been living in Muncie, IN since October. I have really enjoyed catching up with friends from Muncie. During my time in Muncie I was able to complete two practicums and graduate with my Masters in Special Education. I thoroughly enjoyed both classrooms for different reasons. Both teachers taught me so much, as did the children in each class. I was surprised to be drawn more to the children with severe disabilities. Maybe it is because I see fewer people wanting to teach these children. 
• As many of you probably know, Interlink Resources has decided to close their doors in Kazakhstan.  As a result, I am in the States for an extended period of time.  I will be visiting Kazakhstan for a few weeks in January, which I am really looking forward to. I can't wait to see my friends there.  Interlink has offered to continue my salary until the end of August, since that is when I will be able to find a full-time job as a teacher.  I am so thankful for Interlink and the opportunity to have lived in Kazakhstan. I don't necessarily sense that my time in Kazakhstan is completely finished, but for now I expect to be in the States for a while. 
• On a whim, back in November, I started to pursue the possibility of purchasing a house in Muncie. I had heard rumor that it was cheaper to buy a house than to rent in Muncie and decided to look into it. A friend from Taylor University is a real estate agent, so I asked her if she thought it was doable with my salary, etc. Long story short, I will be closing on a house on January 6th.  It is a beautiful old house (early 1900's), that needs cosmetic updates. I was able to qualify for a grant from the government to help with my downpayment and closing costs. Having lived on the East coast for so long, I was shocked at the low purchase price of the house. I am looking forward to having a place to call home, no matter where life takes me down the road. As I work on the house, I will upload before/after pictures for you to enjoy. 
• I have had the joy of spending Christmas with my family. My niece is almost three years old, so she was able to really enjoy Christmas for the first time. It has been fun to play games, do puzzles, and just spend time with my family. 

On January 4th I will be heading back to Indiana, where I will be for about 10 days. I will close on the house on the 6th (as long as everything goes as planned) and will have a few days to get settled before heading to Kazakhstan for about three weeks (leaving on January 15th). I will probably spend some of my time searching flea markets for furniture and starting to get settled. I will also need to buy a car during the ten days I am in Muncie and figure out transportation during the time before I purchase a car. So far everything has come together really smoothly, so I am anticipating the same to take place for purchasing a car. I will also work on gathering the things I need to apply for a teaching license. It will be busy, but fun, as things continue to move forward. Upon my return from Kazakhstan, I plan to substitute teach in Muncie in order to gain more experience in the schools and get a feel for the schools. My desire is to get a job in a severe disabilities special education classroom in Muncie in the fall. Eventually, I would like to take what I learn in the classroom back to Kazakhstan in some way. Stay tuned to see how things come together in the next few months.  

Long Overdue

It's been a really long time since I have blogged.  Sorry about that!  Life has been a bit crazy these last few months. I am currently enjoying the beautiful fall weather of Montana. Yes, I am no longer in Kazakhstan in case you missed the change in location. It has been fun spending time with my family and getting to know my niece (she is two). I will be here until the end of September, when I head to Indiana to complete two practicums in eight weeks in order to finish up my master's degree in Special Education.  It's going to be a busy few months, but I am looking forward to all I will learn while being in the classroom.

Here's some of what has gone on in my life during the last few months:

• We had a busy summer delegation season. Our company conducted two English camps at two different orphanages. 
• I taught a beginners English class for children whose families were part of our Ray of Hope Club. One of the children had Cerebral Palsy while the others had relatives who had Cerebral Palsy. It was fun to watch them all learn. I generally don't like Teaching English, but this group was fun and they learned a lot in just 1 1/2 months. 
• My English club continued to meet. We planned activities for children from the orphanages who were at summer camp on a couple different occasions. 
• I continued to teach Nurdaulet how to read in Kazakh. By the end of the summer he was sometimes able to read the Kazakh words for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and horse.  
• My cousin, Jeff, came to visit. We had fun exploring the mountains near Taraz and also had a couple nice days in Almaty before he left. 
• Jim Nelson came to visit with his daughter, Sarah. It was especially good to have some time with them to remember Liz's life and her love for the Kazakh people. 
• Interlink's board of directors determined that I would not be returning to Kazakhstan, as originally planned, in January. Interlink has a policy to only send expats out in teams and since there is no on else prepared to return with me in January, they determined it would be best for me to wait for a team to be formed before returning. As a result, we had to shut down out work with children with disabilities for the time being. As a result, I spent most of August preparing to come back to the States and organize and pack things well both at home and at the office. 
• A great tea time with some of the mothers of children I have been working with. It was fun to hear their dreams for the future for themselves and their families. I look forward to keeping in touch with them even though I will be in the States. 
• Special goodbyes at the office and with friends. It is hard not knowing when I will be returning, but I am so thankful for the special friendships I have been given in Kazakhstan. I am looking forward to the day I am able to return. 

 Our Office Staff 

 The Women at our Office

Hiking with my Cousin, Jeff

A Waterfall at the end of the Hike

My Kazakh Sister's Wedding

A couple weeks ago my Kazakh family and I traveled to Astana for my sister's wedding.  It was a wonderful weekend celebrating her marriage with our new extended family.  I especially enjoyed the wedding day and spending extra time with my Kazakh siblings and cousins as we went with Assel and Dosken around town to take pictures.  The weekend was full of lots of eating, very little sleep, and a wonderful wedding celebration.  Here is some of what I experienced:

• 20 hours there and 20 hours back on the train. Thankfully the days we traveled were fairly cool compared to the days surrounding our travel days.  
• Arrival at 9:30 pm at night.  Upon our arrival, we were taken to the apartments we would stay in for the weekend where we were able to shower and change. Then we went to Dosken's apartment for a welcome dinner with the in-laws. We started with salads at about midnight. I sat with the adults and got to participate in giving toasts and trying to keep up with conversation. At 2am we went outside while the table was cleared. At 2:30 we started the exchange of gifts (our family brought gifts for keeping house for Assel).  Each gift was opened and shown to Dosken's female relatives (this part of the activity was only attended by the women). The men sat in the other room watching World Cup Soccer.  At 3:30 we went outside again while the table was set for our meal. We ate Beshbarmak (horse and noodles) at 4am and then left for home around 5am.  

• We got about 3 hours of sleep the night before the wedding (from 5:30 to 8:30 am).  
• On Friday (wedding day) the cousins all gathered at one apartment to get ready for the picture taking trip.  All the young relatives and friends gather and go from place to place in a limousine taking pictures before the actual wedding. With the lack of sleep the night before, everyone was pretty tired by the time we went to the restaurant at 6pm.  I definitely enjoyed spending the day with my cousins.  

• The wedding party lasted from 7pm until midnight. It was a fun time of singing, dancing and toasting.  I had to slow dance with two male relatives (one on my side of the family and one on Dosken's side of the family) who had been toasting all night. Dancing is definitely not my favorite thing as my coordination is lacking. I am super coordinated when it comes to sports, but not so much when it comes to dancing (especially slow dancing). I guess this is something I should try to learn at some point, but generally at this point I just avoid situations where I have to slow dance. Dancing while the married person I am dancing with sings me a love song is even more awkward.  

• We were able to sleep in the morning of the wedding. Then we were all taken to a cafe for another lunch hosted by Dosken's relatives. It included much of the same, dancing, singing, toasting. There was even an accordion player. 

• One of my Kazakh sisters, a cousin, and I left early to explore Astana a bit. We went to an indoor mall that has been built since the last time I was there. This mall has an amusement park and a beach inside. It was pretty crazy. We also walked through the center of town and took pictures. 

• Then we headed back to Dosken's apartment for one last meal before getting on the train. By then I was pretty worn out and having a hard time focusing in Kazakh anymore. 
• The train back to Taraz included lots of reading and sleeping.  

It was a crazy weekend, but a great celebration. I am so thankful that Assel found a husband she loves. I am thankful for my Kazakh family and the opportunity to celebrate this wedding with them. I am thankful for the extra time I had with them as we prepared and then traveled. I am so very thankful for such a great family here in Kazakhstan.  

Upsee

We recently purchased a new item to help with our physical therapy.  The Upsee came on the market in April and we have been waiting patiently to receive ours.  It came with our Saramoldaeva delegation and we have had the chance to use it with one child, David, a few times since its arrival.

Our first attempt, was honesty not the greatest, but was a great opportunity to learn for the future.  Although we had read the instructions and watched the instructional videos, we hadn't really though through everything.  I had the opportunity to wear it the first time we used it.  We didn't really prepare David for what we were doing and just went outside with his two siblings to the yard.  I didn't think to bring a blanket to lay him on while putting the vest on and we hadn't put the vest on inside.  As a result, I put it on him while he was laying across my lap (definitely not ideal).  Since I couldn't look at myself while I had it on, I couldn't quite tell that it wasn't adjusted quite right.  Despite this, the look of delight on his face and that of his sister's was priceless as they held hands standing up together (see pictures below).  As suggested, we only spent a few minutes using it and only walked a few steps.  Afterwards we went back inside to do the rest of our exercises.  David did not want anything to do with his other exercises.  Although he couldn't communicate what was wrong, I had the sense he was mad that we came inside and he was no longer standing. We have moved the use of his Upsee to the end of his exercise time, which has helped.

The next time we used the Upsee, his dad put on the belt and walked with him.  I preferred being able to watch and give suggestions as I could see what was going on and how David was responding.  The smile on his face as he walked around was great.  We are still getting the hang of using it, but so far David's reaction and his ability to do some "normal" things outside has been priceless.  We are looking forward to trying it with a couple of the other children in our Ray of Hope club this week.

Building Community

One of the desires for our Ray of Hope Club is for it to be a place where community is built.  We want mothers, fathers, and children to feel supported and encouraged by one another. One of our board members was in Taraz last week for a visit. She has a background in education and currently provides anti-bullying training for schools in Virginia. We hosted a tea where she shared some of the wisdom she has learned with parents. She also took the time to listen to their ideas about how they want to bring hope to their children.  While the parents sat, talked, and drank tea, the children played in the adjoining room. Our time together lasted for over two hours as everyone had a great time laughing and enjoying each other's company.  

We also began a piece of art work that is now hanging in our Ray of Hope Club. Children and their family members created leaves for our tree using their feet and hands. We will continue to add the hands and feet of others who become a part of our club down the road.  It will be fun to see the branches fill and know that each leaf represents a life that has been touched in some way.  

Time with Staff

Some of my closest friends in Taraz are the staff in our office. Although we work hard together, we also have a lot of fun.  Over the recent holiday, several of us went to visit a canyon known as the second most beautiful place in all of Kazakhstan.  It was a beautiful day and a fun time with friends.  We took lots of pictures and laughed together.  I am so thankful I get to enjoy living in Kazakhstan with such great friends!  It was the first time any of us had actually visiting this National Park.  What a beautiful way to spend a day off!  

Learning to Count

Each week I get to spend some time playing with a group of children with disabilities living in a foster home in Taraz.  Our arrival usually includes several children screaming my name and moving to hug me.  There is usually a constant clatter of "Sara apke" (aunt Sara) until I have had a chance to pay attention to each child.  Their attention then turns to the container of toys we bring.  It is hard for them to contain their curiosity.  Often I have to put the container in a corner of the room and sit in front of it in order to prevent each toy/activity being removed before we are ready to play.

Recently, my co-worker Almira has been going with me.  It has been a huge blessing having her join us.  She has such great ideas of creative activities to do with the children to reinforce the concepts we are trying to learn.  Currently, we are trying to teach them their numbers.  Although many of them can count to ten, they haven't yet grasped the concept of what the numbers represent.  We have been using snack time to reinforce counting by eating once piece of our snack at a time and then counting what remains.  On the last visit we started at ten.  We were able to get down to three or so before impatience took hold and we no longer counted before eating.  Not too bad!

We also try to incorporate fine motor skills into our activities.  It is fun to see each child figure out how to do things on his own.  They are very curious and good problem solvers when given permission to explore.  It is fun to be a part of this!

Enjoying Beauty

Over the recent holidays I had a chance to go hiking in the mountains with a friend from England who lives in a neighboring city. Although it is only May 5th, the temps probably reaching about 90 degrees that day. Thankfully, in the hills it was a bit cooler. Southern Kazakhstan is mostly steppe and  is dry and brown for much of the year. Although the browns are beautiful, my favorite time of year here is the spring. During the spring the hillsides display so many shades of green. The plowed farm land adds many different distinct browns and greens as well. On top of everything, springtime brings with it the blooming of wildflowers of all different colors and shapes. It is always refreshing to get out of the city and enjoy the beauty of creation. I wish you could be here to enjoy it with me, but I figured some pictures would at least give you a glimpse into the beauty of Kazakhstan.