Febuary 2nd - Village Life in Winter

A month into 2010 and village life surprisingly is somewhat busy. As English clubs get going, I sometimes find myself darting up and down Main Street . There are a variety of English levels at my school. They range from students who have difficulty reading ‘hello’ or ‘hey’to those who attempt simple conversations in English. Comprehension is very challenging for most of the students. Many students, especially the younger students and the girls, appear eager to improve their English.

For now, it seems that holiday season is taking a little rest here. As mentioned in my previous blog, having to stay indoors so much is not pleasant to me yet. Strategies have been developed to avoid stagnation. On top of work and going to the gym/culture house regularly, I have begun to learn how to draw. Thanks to my Moms and Pops, I now have a book that teaches you how to draw Anime characters. So on those nights when I just don’t want to go to bed, I quietly sketch away.

The villagers continue to show their warmth. My whole life has been lived in metropolitan cities before coming to Kazakhstan . Lesnoye, being 900 people strong, though has its energy. You know your neighbors here and we’re all neighbors in Lesnoye. Almost every time I walk down Main Street , I am greeted by someone I know or vice versa. Whenever I go to any of the local stores, a conversation with the cashier or another customer is usually guaranteed. It feels good not to rush in and grab your goods and scramble out to your next task.