A Week in the Life

I figured it was time for me to share what a "normal" week looks like for me.  The reality is, no week is the same, so I don't really have a normal which is how I like it for the most part.  I thought I'd just list some of the things that took place during my last work week before vacation.  Hope you enjoy!

• Called a woman from a local organization to offer free hearing screenings in Shymkent
• Sorted through the Savva Delegation pictures
• Took a boy to Shymkent to look into getting braces.  He was born with a cleft palate and has recently undergone surgery, but needs braces for his teeth. 
• Used all my strength to physically restrain a child in order to perform a hearing test.  We came to find out that he had ear infections and major ear wax ... which was causing him not to appreciate us sticking things in his ears.  I got to help restrain him while his ears were cleaned out as well. 
• Spoke with our Stateside director
• Cleaned up my apartment to prepare for my Kazakh lesson and English club
• My Kazakh teacher didn't show up, so I went to the office
• Set up three new computers for our office  
• Had someone drop in at the office to introduce me to someone who wanted to come to English club
• Bought meds for the boy with the ear infections
• Baked a cake for English club
• Had English club
• Made a video for the service celebrating Liz's life
• Spent the morning playing with a group of children with disabilities.  We painted with water (those cool books that have the paint already in the book), applied tattoo stickers, and watched dinosaur sponges grow from capsules.  
• Explained the meds to the caregiver of the little boy with the ear infections 
• Tried to buy my return train ticket at an electronic kiosk ... waited for 10 minutes for a grandmother who didn't know which train she wanted to take ... realized they don't accept foreign passports at the electronic kiosk ... didn't want to wait in line to speak to a person
• Met my Kazakh family at the train station right before lunch in order to see off my Kazakh mom and sister.  They were going to Astana for my sister to apply to college.  
• Tried to go check prices for a wheelchair, but ended up at a building maintenance company instead.  
• Purchased my train ticket at a small travel agency without a line
• Signed a bunch of random documents since Marina was on vacation this week
• Updated our company blog so that it would continue posting while I am on vacation
• Updated my personal blog
• Posted pictures from the Savva Orphanage camp on our Facebook page
• Updated our website and planned future updates
• Talked to our receptionist about working on blogs so that people get to know our staff
• Asked our English speaking staff to work on translating our website into Russian and Kazakh during any down time they have
• Chatted on Facebook with some of our past delegates
• Got caught up on all my emails
• Set up debriefing during the first part of my vacation
• Spoke with Sharyll Martin in our Muncie office about the fall delegation
• Sorted and organized the supplies left over after the Savva delegation
• Gave some grass cutting advice
• Went with some of the staff to check out a possible picnic site for our all staff picnic
• Bought picnic supplies (saw cranberry juice for the first time in Kaz)
• Cleaned up my office, which looked like a disaster area after a busy month.
• Found the organization that sells wheelchairs and got an estimate for a specialized dance wheelchair.  
• Brainstormed with our staff about some ideas for next year
• Listened to part of an online conference 
• Brainstormed about turning English club into a Volunteer Club for the fall
• Had tea with our accountant and discussed the cultural expectations and customs surrounding a death in the family
• Found a translator to help me in Almaty so that I can hang out with some of the Russian speaking orphans that graduated and now live in Almaty
• Tracked down contact info for the orphans I hope to visit

As you can see, I had a pretty productive week.  Time for vacation!  

Why I Love Delegations

Each year we have several delegations come to Kazakhstan from the USA.  Each delegation usually has between 10-15 people who stay here for 10-14 days.  To be honest, there is a lot of extra work that goes into hosting a delegation.  Delegations tend to cause much of our other work to be put on hold. However, despite the extra work and change in routine, I absolutely love having delegations here.

Although I enjoy having other people from the USA here, especially this year, this is not the primary reason I love delegations.  I have grown to love Kazakhstan and claim it as my own.  Although I am still grateful to be a US citizen, I am just as thankful for the time I have spent in Kazakhstan.  I consider this country "my country" and the people here "my people."  As a result, the thing I enjoy most about delegations is watching new people fall in love with my people and my country.  I love watching someone come over for the first time who is a little apprehensive and then leave a few days later leaving part of their heart behind.

It's the people of Kazakhstan we fall in love with.  It's the relationships that can carry across borders that draw people back to Kazakhstan over and over again.  Delegates come to Kazakhstan hoping to make a difference in the lives of the children we work with and usually leave finding that they have grown and changed for the good as a result of the relationships they have built.  I love being here to  watch this transformation take place.

Here are some pictures of my time with the Savva Delegation.

Thoughts While Holding an Eagle

Last week I had the fun opportunity to spend an afternoon in the mountains near Almaty.  Katie Moffett and I went up to the mountains for several hours they day before she left for the US while others spent the day shopping.  We had a great time exploring and hiking up to the point we could actually find some snow to play in.

Each time I have been to Shymbolak, I have seen a trainer holding a beautiful eagle and have wanted to hold him, but have not wanted to pay the exorbitant rate or wait in a line (not to mention I was slightly terrified of the whole idea).  However, the day we went to Shymbolak was a quieter day and the eagle was just sitting on his pedestal waiting to be held.  The trainer asked if we would like to hold him.  My response in Kazakh surprised him, because I look like I should only speak Russian.  After talking for a little while, he gave us a really good deal ($3.50 each), so I chose to overcome my fear and hold this eagle with a very sharp beak.  The trainer was especially excited because of my Kazakh and so when I was holding the eagle, he was giving instructions to turn my wrist quickly, which would cause the eagle to spread his wings.  He was snapping pictures while I did this and wanted me to keep on going.  Here are some thoughts that ran through my head during this fun experience. 

• Wow, that beak is really sharp and big!
• Eagles are really heavy ... not sure how long I can hold him up while turning my wrist back and forth. 
• I'm glad they kept the hood on him as the trainer says he gets angry without it.
• Boy, he likes to move closer to me ... that beak is practically connecting with my face and every time I move further away he just gets closer.  
• The trainer doesn't seem to be concerned at all, so I must be safe.  I am counting on the fact that he knows what he is doing.   
• I bet this eagle could knock me out with one hard whack to the head with those wings.  

Overall, we enjoyed a beautiful, relaxing day on the mountain.  It was one of the clearest days I have ever seen (no smog or cloud cover).  After a busy couple weeks, it was just what I needed.  Katie and I had a great time enjoying the nature around us and getting to meet some new people along the way.  

Rednecks

There is a term in Kazakh that is equivalent to our English term "redneck."  While we were in Bishkek this week, we used this word to refer to ourselves several times.  

• We asked our van driver where we should get off to get to a specific street.  Apparently the street we wanted ran parallel to the one we were driving on and was very long.  We didn't know the intersection we needed off hand, so the van driver could not suggest the best stop. 
• We asked a taxi to take us to the center of the town.  When he asked where in the center, we responded back "the center."  He then proceeded to tell us, as if he was talking to a small child, that the center is very large and it would be better if we were specific.  The only place we recognized in his description of the center was Tsoom (a shopping area that is found in the center of every former Soviet Union city).  So, we went to Tsoom.  
• When we took a van to the bazaar, the driver told us that if we wanted to go to the bazaar, it would be an extra 2 Som per person.  He was smiling when he said this, so we thought he was joking and never paid extra.  He must have felt sorry for us because he didn't bring it up again. 
• Our vans in Taraz are now small busses.  So, there are more seats and they don't get nearly as crowded.  As a result, I stepped on the same woman twice and tried to knock the hat off her head as well.  I kept on saying "sorry" in Kazakh.  She was very kind, however she finally got smart and moved away from me.  
• I tried to pour a cup of tea for myself and ended up having the lid, the filter, and the tea bag fall out into my cup of tea.  Thankfully, no one except Saltanat noticed.  
• On our last van ride, after visiting the city center, we couldn't get the door to the van open to get out.  We tried to roll down the window instead.  The van driver told us to pull the red handle, which we couldn't find.  The entire van laughed at us as we got off.  We are still laughing at ourselves an hour later.  

We have spent a lot more time in Bishkek than we were planning to.  My Kazakh visa was expiring this week and we had all the documentation submitted to the ministry of foreign affairs in Astana over a month ago.  The goal was to submit my documents on Tuesday morning and leave on Wednesday evening.  However, the ministry of foreign affairs had sent a document with my passport number copied incorrectly to the embassy here in Bishkek.  As a result, we had to call them and ask them to re-submit the document.  The embassy is closed on Wednesdays, so I was unable to submit my application until Thursday morning.  Once the man at the embassy checked my documents, he then had me go to a bank to pay the fee for receiving a visa.  Upon paying, I then had to return to the embassy to file the paperwork.  Thankfully, the embassy is a seven minute walk from our apartment, which we didn't know ahead of time.  He received my paperwork and now we are just waiting until this evening to receive my visa.  He has promised we will receive it tonight, which I'm hoping actually happens.  We will travel back to Taraz tomorrow (Saturday) and then I will leave on Sunday night by train to go to Almaty to pick up our next delegation.  Below are some highlights and funny stories from our time here.  

• The Kyrgyz people are extremely hospitable.  They have been very helpful along the way. 
• On the van ride from Taraz to Bishkek and woman was trying to feed her young child an apple.  She reminded me of a mother bird as she bit the apple, chewed it up, then spit it into her daughter's mouth.  This was probably the most sanitary option due to traveling, but I still found it funny.  
• This same woman rode in the van through the border crossing with the driver instead of getting out when the rest of us got out.  When they were closer, she gave her baby to the driver and then got out of the van to go through customs herself.  Later we realized that she and the driver must have been related.  Until then we were shocked she left her baby with the driver.  
• At the border, everyone was pushing to get through customs first.  Since I am an American, it took me longer on the Kazakhstan side as they check my passport thoroughly, which I'm sure frustrated everyone who had chosen our line.  Then, we almost missed the little window within an old shipping container that was the entrance to Kyrgyzstan.  When we finally got back to our van, we were the last people and the driver asked us "what took you so long?" 
• You pay the van driver when you get on the van and not when you get off.  It is the opposite in Taraz. 
• We have had a great apartment to stay in during our time here.  Our host was very helpful and ended up giving us one free night as reimbursement for the internet not working during the first few days of our trip.  It was actually a blessing not to have internet, because we got a break from work and just got to enjoy some rest.  

Overall, we have had a nice time in Bishkek, although we are ready to return to Taraz.  It has been fun getting to know Saltanat better and getting some down time.  We spent a lot of time laughing at ourselves, which is always good.  

A New Voice

Today, I had the joy of seeing one young boy realize he has a voice.  Baghdat is about eleven years old and has cerebral palsy.  He is unable to walk and unable to speak.  He communicates by pointing and making some a few sounds that his caregiver can differentiate.  Otherwise, he has had little way of communicating, especially with strangers.

The last two times I have visited, I have tried to teach Baghdat to point to picture symbols with words below to make a choice.  However, both times we were in a room with so many distractions and so much excitement that it was impossible for me, let alone him, to focus.

Today, Gulnar and I took another group of four graduated orphans to help.  The difference today was that we divided into two groups.  I took Nushan, one of the graduates, and Baghdat with me to another room.  There, I set out four different things we could play with and allowed him to chose something to play with.

At first, I was afraid he wasn't going to be able to understand what to do.  He was so excited he wasn't looking at the pictures and was just trying to physically scoot to the toy he wanted.  We played with a couple different toys, but he still didn't seem to understand that he could chose.  It wasn't until I started getting ready to play UNO with the others, which would cause him to be left out, that he scooted towards the communication strip and pointed to a ball.  I quickly got the ball out (while playing UNO) and we kicked it back and forth.  He got so excited at one point he lost his balance and fell over backwards, laughing the whole time.  I could tell he was getting tired, but I wasn't going to stop unless he asked.  He looked at his card and indicated that he wanted to color.  When I handed him the coloring things he rewarded me with the biggest smile!

I had been trying to do this activity now for three separate days, in different ways.  However, each time I came away feeling like he might never be able to communicate in this way.  Today, when I had almost given up, he was the one that drew me back to the pictures.  It wasn't until he realized he wouldn't be playing unless he selected something that he realized he had a voice.  I look forward to next week when we can build on the fact that he knows what to do with the pictures and begin building his vocabulary.  Now that I know he can use this system, I need to think through how to set it up so that he has access to it at all times and does not get frustrated using it.  Today definitely reminded me that I need to be more patient and that everyone deserves a voice.