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.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Book Dedication
It is good to be back in Taraz! We arrived on the train this morning at 3:30. I am a little tired from the travel, but I think I'll be back to normal tomorrow. While I was gone, a lot of different activities happened. You can check them out on the Interlink Blog. One of those activities was the dedication of a book that we helped Saramoldaeva orphanage print in December. Here is an excerpt that I think shows the importance of what we do with the children.
“Our Interlink” kindly reminds the children about their sponsors. Sara Coggins always comes to visit the children with other employees. The employees of Interlink are always desirable guests for the children. The children spend time playing and talking to Americans. Two girls were happily learning English with Zina Omarova. Sara is always kind and affable to the children. Her kind smile is always shining. They have done a lot of things for the children that make the children feel comfortable and cozy. The company bought a computer with a printer and a computer desk for the orphanage. The children were very happy when the employees of Interlink came before the start of the school year to congratulate them on a new school year and wish them good studies. They also came to the orphanage and brought an oval table and chairs for all the girls, a microwave oven, and a television stand. Everyone knows that it’s hard to be without hot water in the Spring and Fall, so to help with this situation, the employees of Interlink bought a hot water heater and a washing machine. The children were ready to go to school thanks to the help of Interlink Resources, Inc. Teachers from the 18th group said that in summer Interlink completed repairs. Now it is comfortable. Sara often comes to the orphanage. For New Years the girls were given dresses, toys, and video and audio players by Interlink Resources. Sara has also given a lot of pictures. The children say, “We are thankful to our sponsors.” Every month this company organizes a birthday party for the children, where they give presents, candy, and more.
“Our Interlink” kindly reminds the children about their sponsors. Sara Coggins always comes to visit the children with other employees. The employees of Interlink are always desirable guests for the children. The children spend time playing and talking to Americans. Two girls were happily learning English with Zina Omarova. Sara is always kind and affable to the children. Her kind smile is always shining. They have done a lot of things for the children that make the children feel comfortable and cozy. The company bought a computer with a printer and a computer desk for the orphanage. The children were very happy when the employees of Interlink came before the start of the school year to congratulate them on a new school year and wish them good studies. They also came to the orphanage and brought an oval table and chairs for all the girls, a microwave oven, and a television stand. Everyone knows that it’s hard to be without hot water in the Spring and Fall, so to help with this situation, the employees of Interlink bought a hot water heater and a washing machine. The children were ready to go to school thanks to the help of Interlink Resources, Inc. Teachers from the 18th group said that in summer Interlink completed repairs. Now it is comfortable. Sara often comes to the orphanage. For New Years the girls were given dresses, toys, and video and audio players by Interlink Resources. Sara has also given a lot of pictures. The children say, “We are thankful to our sponsors.” Every month this company organizes a birthday party for the children, where they give presents, candy, and more.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Nine Hours in Bangkok
I am currently sitting in the Bangkok airport. We have a nine hour layover and I was able to find a free internet spot, so I figured I'd try to do some updating about my time in Thailand. Since it has been two weeks of fun, I figured a list of highlights would be the easiest way to communicate things.
Highlights From Thailand Trip
Cramming 4 of us into the back of a tuk-tuk and driving all over Bangkok. A tuk-tuk is a small vehicle that is square and small. The driver sits up front and the passengers sit behind. We were able to fit four of us in a space that was probably 3 square feet or smaller.
Hint for getting a massage in Thailand: Choose the oil massage, not the traditional Thai massage if you would like to be able to move the next day. Knees, elbos, fingers, and all other body parts are used to beat your muscles into submission by attacking every possible pressure point in the body.
Banana Boat: Just picture four of us flying over the waves on this big inflatable banana-looking tube. Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity as our driver was not content with the fact that we were actually staying on the raft and not flipping over.
Jet skiing on the Ocean: We had so much fun the first time, that Jason and I went out a second time on our last day at the beach. The first time the waves were pretty big, so we couldn't go extremely fast (but we caught a lot of air). The second time the Ocean was pretty smooth and we were able to go as fast as it could go!
Elephant Ride: Riding on top of an elephant is pretty entertaining. I think my favorite part was when Jason got to ride on the head of the elephant and was threatening (in a very calm voice) the elephant just in case she chose to make a poor decision and take us down into a hole nearby.
Basketball: I had a chance to watch about 10 basketball games during the second part of our trip. I have friends in Chiang Mai and their children had basketball tournaments the week I was there. It was fun to be able to watch basketball again and spend time with friends.
Zip lining through the jungle: This was a fun experience. We flew between 12 different platforms, walked across shaky bridges, and were lowered down several hundred feet to get to the next platform.
Night Safari: On our last night, we went on a night safari. We rode in trams through a wilderness that was created for all kinds of animals (from tigers to bison to wild boars). It was pretty impressive. After the safari, there was an impressive 15 minute light show. We did this with my friends that live in Chiang Mai. It was fun to spend our last evening with friends while seeing some new sites.
Shopping: Thailand could not be Thailand without shopping. Total, I probably spent over 10 hours in places where shopping could be done. It just wasn't possible to get away. There were even opportunities to buy things while riding on elephants. Our drivers stopped the elephants and pulled out a small box containing jewelry made from elephant tusks. Up to this point, Jason and I thought we were safe from shopping for a few hours.
Well, it was a great trip and just what I needed. The length was perfect. I am looking forward to getting back to Kazakhstan and my work.
Highlights From Thailand Trip
Cramming 4 of us into the back of a tuk-tuk and driving all over Bangkok. A tuk-tuk is a small vehicle that is square and small. The driver sits up front and the passengers sit behind. We were able to fit four of us in a space that was probably 3 square feet or smaller.
Hint for getting a massage in Thailand: Choose the oil massage, not the traditional Thai massage if you would like to be able to move the next day. Knees, elbos, fingers, and all other body parts are used to beat your muscles into submission by attacking every possible pressure point in the body.
Banana Boat: Just picture four of us flying over the waves on this big inflatable banana-looking tube. Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity as our driver was not content with the fact that we were actually staying on the raft and not flipping over.
Jet skiing on the Ocean: We had so much fun the first time, that Jason and I went out a second time on our last day at the beach. The first time the waves were pretty big, so we couldn't go extremely fast (but we caught a lot of air). The second time the Ocean was pretty smooth and we were able to go as fast as it could go!
Elephant Ride: Riding on top of an elephant is pretty entertaining. I think my favorite part was when Jason got to ride on the head of the elephant and was threatening (in a very calm voice) the elephant just in case she chose to make a poor decision and take us down into a hole nearby.
Basketball: I had a chance to watch about 10 basketball games during the second part of our trip. I have friends in Chiang Mai and their children had basketball tournaments the week I was there. It was fun to be able to watch basketball again and spend time with friends.
Zip lining through the jungle: This was a fun experience. We flew between 12 different platforms, walked across shaky bridges, and were lowered down several hundred feet to get to the next platform.
Night Safari: On our last night, we went on a night safari. We rode in trams through a wilderness that was created for all kinds of animals (from tigers to bison to wild boars). It was pretty impressive. After the safari, there was an impressive 15 minute light show. We did this with my friends that live in Chiang Mai. It was fun to spend our last evening with friends while seeing some new sites.
Shopping: Thailand could not be Thailand without shopping. Total, I probably spent over 10 hours in places where shopping could be done. It just wasn't possible to get away. There were even opportunities to buy things while riding on elephants. Our drivers stopped the elephants and pulled out a small box containing jewelry made from elephant tusks. Up to this point, Jason and I thought we were safe from shopping for a few hours.
Well, it was a great trip and just what I needed. The length was perfect. I am looking forward to getting back to Kazakhstan and my work.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Fun, Fun, Fun
I am still having a blast in Thailand. We are now in the city of Chiang Mai. I have had the chance to see some friends here (He was the principal of the school I taught at in Denver). I have even seen most of their children play basketball for school, which has been really fun. Today I went zip-lining through the jungle. Due to limited internet access, I haven't been able to post many pictures or stories this week. I will try to post some more pictures of my time once I am back in Kazakhstan. We leave here on Friday morning. This has been just the rest I needed between a couple busy seasons in Taraz!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Two Dogs and Fishing Line
Today we arrived at the beach. We had a nice time of swimming, reading, and just relaxing on the beach all afternoon. I even got to eat mango - my favorite fruit from my time growing up in Kenya. I even went for a swim in the pool. After dinner tonight (which was a great sweet and sour shrimp meal that the waiter recommended) I decided to just go for a walk by myself on the beach. I have two funny stories from that time.
First, I almost got eaten by two dogs. I must have crossed into their territory at some point. Both dogs came after me. I made sure I didn't turn my back on them (causing them to want to play a game of chase the running away person), but started walking the opposite direction. One dog gave up after not too long, but the second dog was not going to have his beach walked on by me. I clapped my hands to try to scare him away when he got closer, but instead of helping it caused him to start growling and come nearer. At this point I backtracked into the water. He stayed at the edge of the water and followed me barking for at least 100 yards. I guess I finally crossed out of his jurisdiction and he decided to leave me alone. I could then return to the lapping of water instead of shin deep in the water and wondering if I would need to go for a swim.
Second, I cam upon a man fishing. He didn't seemed concerned with me, so I kept walking. After I had passed his spot, I got a fishing line right across my neck from his last pole that was resting in the sand. After the dog experience, I jumped a little, but quickly realized what it was, untangled myself, and continued on my walk.
It was a wonderfully, relaxing walk. It was so nice to just have some time to myself where I could just walk along the beach and be amazed by God's creation. What a wonderful God!
First, I almost got eaten by two dogs. I must have crossed into their territory at some point. Both dogs came after me. I made sure I didn't turn my back on them (causing them to want to play a game of chase the running away person), but started walking the opposite direction. One dog gave up after not too long, but the second dog was not going to have his beach walked on by me. I clapped my hands to try to scare him away when he got closer, but instead of helping it caused him to start growling and come nearer. At this point I backtracked into the water. He stayed at the edge of the water and followed me barking for at least 100 yards. I guess I finally crossed out of his jurisdiction and he decided to leave me alone. I could then return to the lapping of water instead of shin deep in the water and wondering if I would need to go for a swim.
Second, I cam upon a man fishing. He didn't seemed concerned with me, so I kept walking. After I had passed his spot, I got a fishing line right across my neck from his last pole that was resting in the sand. After the dog experience, I jumped a little, but quickly realized what it was, untangled myself, and continued on my walk.
It was a wonderfully, relaxing walk. It was so nice to just have some time to myself where I could just walk along the beach and be amazed by God's creation. What a wonderful God!
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