Guest Teaching at Balkashana Sec. School

This past week, I was a guest teacher at Balkashana Secondary School in the Sandiktau county town center of Balkashana. As of now, Peace Corps plans to place a volunteer at this school in November. Though Lesnoye is only 15 km from Balkasha, there are immediate differences between the two schools. Balkashana only serves students within its town borders, has running water in the school, and serves a more ethnically diverse community whereas Lesnaya school serves students from four villages, has no running water, and is about 90% ethnically Russian.
Having acquainted myself with the Balkashana English teachers previously, I observed a few of their English lessons, wrote several lesson plans with them, and taught six lessons collaboratively. Like Lesnoye, Balkashana has three English teachers: Natalia (a 20 year veteran), ‘Natalia Jr.’ (a 6 year veteran), and Anatoli (a 38 year veteran in English and German). Team-teaching 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades demanded energy and adaptability. Overall, the lessons flowed well considering it was the first time we taught together and the three teachers invited me to guest teach again. The students loaded me with questions and being from California helped because almost all the students knew Arnold Schwarzenegger (aka Governator) and about Hollywood . “Is there snow over there”, “what kind of car did you drive”, “why did you come to Kazakhstan ”, “do you like it here”, “do you speak Russian”, “what ethnicity are you” and “do you have a wife” were the questions received in almost every class. A day full of energy indoors.

Febuary 27th '10 - Celebrating Military Service

Kazakhstan embraces its military history. February 23rd was Soviet Army Day, a holiday where respects are given to all men who served militarily under the Soviet Union . About 80% of the men I’ve met in Lesnoye(in or past their late 30s) have served in the Soviet military. These men often proudly share their numerous service stories which have taken place in Belorussia , Siberia, North Russia, Ukraine , and Armenia . In addition to WWII memorials and statues of Lenin which you will encounter in almost every village or town in North Kazakhstan , military respect is also within school walls. For instance, 10th and 11th graders attend two military classes weekly: 1. practical instruction on marching and military demeanor and 2. automobile training (big trucks and busses). Whenever I see any of my students in their camouflage uniforms, it’s due to one of these classes. Being from California , this military pride is very new to me and has provided me with several opportunities to listen to personal service stories which give me deeper insight into Kazakhstani culture.

On Soviet Army Day in Lesnoye, the female teachers treated all the men who worked at the school. Coincidentally, it was -33C on the 23rd so that meant no students. All school staff gathered for a pot luck in school at noon. The women cooked numerous dishes and even presented upbeat, humorous poems for each male staff member. Too bad I could only understand about half of the poem written for me but it was simply great to be included. The male teachers, usually stoic, were mostly smiles on this day. Another interesting and enjoyable holiday in Kazakhstan. Now, only if the snow will melt away.

Third Month into Kazakhstan's winter

Three months of Winter and just two more months of snow to go L. This past week, my manager Natalia visited Lesnoye for her first site visit. Arriving to a slightly chilly -36C, there were unfortunately no students at school so just school staff welcomed her. Natalia does site visits with all the volunteers in the Akmola and North Kazakhstan oblasts. Over some chai and sweets, she met with the director, lead English teachers, and administrators to casually discuss my professional progress and their professional wants. Thankfully, positive things were shared by the Lesnaya school staff and Natalia gave me sound practical advice on how to reach out to even more students and teachers in neighboring communities.

Lesnoye, though only 900 people strong, is the village center. Every school morning, weather permitting, a school bus brings in students (grades 5-11) from three neighboring villages: Gramikovka (300 people), Richnoye (500 people), and Baistrimovka (500 people). These students are then bussed back to their respective villages in the afternoon. Lesnaya School has about 200 students and half of them come from the three neighboring villages. Presently, I am the only PCV in Sandiktau County and this county is sprinkled with villages like Lesnoye and has a county center of Balkashana which has about 8,000 residents. The plan is to start connecting with other local teachers professionally and socially.

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.

January is a cheery month in Kazakhstan

January is a cheery month in Kazakhstan . Usually, January does put me in the brightest of moods but over here, there are numerous celebrations to repel the solemn and cold weather that frequently accompanies January. Here are a list of Kazakhstani celebrations this month: December 31st (New Year’s Eve), January 1st (New Year’s Day), January 7th (Orthodox Christmas), January 19th (Krishenya). Chatting it up with the students outside of school and meeting new locals and hearing their stories and questions are energizing. The socializing is great but all that still needs to be done indoors. Staying indoors so often is rough on me. Being the first time I’ve lived in snow, I’m used to jumping on my bike for a refreshing morning winter ride or even sitting outside on winter evenings at a coffee shop letting that mocha warm me up. Not over here. Move, move, move when you are outside. California folks, your freezer is usually set to -20C and over here, it is -35C with some wind on top of that. So, locals put their meats and ice cream in the garage.

Orthodox Christmas

 Orthodox masses begin at 11 pm Christmas Eve and continues till 5am Christmas day.  I didn't go to mass but I visited the small church in Balkashana with Rashid, a fellow teacher.  Rashid gave me the history of the church and how it had to be rebuilt after the Communists initially tore it down 70 years ago.  To say the least, it's a different culture over here and many people had to struggle to communally practice their religion.  On the lighter side, plenty of colorful snow figures decorate the town center.   

Northern New Year...

New Year’s in a little Kazakhstani village can be exciting.  They take New Year’s seriously here and a lot lead up to 2010.  First, there was the Yolka on December 29^th.  This is where students dress up and put on plays.  It began at 10 in the morning and ended with dancing at 10 in the night.  The Yolka is an informal, traditional, and colorful event where the audience gets involved with dancing and singing (led by the students) to traditional Russian holiday songs.  I tried my best with the dancing. 

Next, there was New Year’s Eve.  My host mother, Aliona, was in the kitchen all day preparing over 10 dishes which included a goose, smoked fish, and a variety of complex salads.  We began dinner at 10 and celebrated the beginning of 2010 in the home.  Afterwards, there was dancing till 4am in the community center and we made our way over.  Many people showed up.  Fireworks and lots of energy. 

New Year’s Day is just as energetic as New Year’s Eve.  Friends and family started coming over at 10 in the morning for food and drink.  The socializing only ended at 5 in the morning.  So, lots of dancing and laughter like the night before.  I have had enough meat the night before so I gobbled down almost a whole pineapple.  Tropical fruits are hard to come by here.  The warmth inside the homes is a great compromise for that bitter cold outside.