- Ben-gay can substitute for Vicks VapoRub
- One box of tissues is never enough
- Neosporin helps if your tissues do not have lotion in them
- Four flights of stairs suddenly seem like the Alps
- A cold does not prevent you from burning your tongue on hot tea, in other words lack of taste does not equal tongue sensitivity
- There is an oil you can put in your nose to prevent you from catching your co-workers cold
- Although my cold comes from sleeping under an airconditioner, the rest of the office has a bug going around
- Pride and Prejudice and While you were Sleeping never get old
- It's hard to remember what a fever is on a centigrade thermometer when your mind is half asleep (thankfully never had a temp)
- Orbit dental candies make good cough drops (I should send some to my hygienist)
- Watching football always makes a day brighter
- It's important to remember to plug your phone back in when you wake up
Friday, September 21, 2012
Always Learning
I figured it was time for a more humorous post. I've been sick with cold this week and have learned some things through this time. I am feeling better, but am definitely not yet back to full strength. I have a wedding to attend tomorrow, so hoping my energy continues to increase. Hope you enjoy these random things I have learned. Maybe they can help you one day.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Wheelchair Delivery Begins
I have had a chance to build some new relationships this week as a result of the wheelchairs we are distributing in Taraz. On Monday, I met with the head of a local organization that works with 50 people here in Taraz who are wheelchair bound. This was an initial conversation in which I got to know the challenges associated with their organization.
One of the biggest challenges I became aware of is the lack of transportation available for a person in a wheelchair. In Taraz we have something called a social taxi. This allows people with disabilities to receive transportation around town for things such as doctor's visits. However, due to the minimal number of vehicles, each person is only allowed four rides a month. They shared that this is especially difficult for students who are trying to attend University. Some youth have received full scholarships to University, but are unable to attend due to lack of transportation. Being an educator at heart, this challenges me.
We have been able to donate three wheelchairs so far. One to the Youth Invalid Society, the organization in Taraz that operates the social taxis. This wheelchair is a lighter transport chair that should help them as they transport people from one location to the next. This organization gave us the names of two other individuals who were in need of a wheelchair. The first of these wheelchairs went to a man who works for the organization I mentioned in the first paragraph. His wheelchair was in pretty bad shape, so he was a good candidate for one of ours. The second of these wheelchairs was given to a man whose wife is also wheelchair bound. They have two grown daughters. He was sick the day we delivered the wheelchair, so we were only able to meet his wife. I look forward to meeting again with them sometime soon to get to know them better.
It has been fun to begin the process of finding good candidates for our wheelchairs. I am looking forward to touching base with some groups that work with kids so that we can start delivering some wheelchairs to children as well. I'm hoping we will be able to build relationships that will open doors to our work in the future. It will be fun to see where all of this leads.
Friday, August 31, 2012
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.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
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.
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.
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