The shock and after shocks of real life corruption

Natalia and Jumiliya were working as translators with Interlink Resources, Inc when I first arrived in January. Now I call them friends. We try to catch up every week at least and this past Friday they stopped by to tell me some very shocking news.

Due to graduate from university in July, it was just announced that their university is no longer licensed to issue diplomas!! Apparently sometime in 2007 the University of Moscow closed all its branches in Kazakhstan, but the director of the branch in Taraz never mentioned this to the students, continuing to collect school fees and hold classes. Now, just months short of completion Natalia and Jumiliya are wondering what will happen. They can take the national exam, but can’t receive a diploma, necessary for the work that is already so hard to find and so desperately needed.

Will another school accept them as graduates? Maybe, but they could be forced to repeat a whole year and they will definitely have to pay fees again and perhaps even bribes. It's $1,000 for another semester, an amount the girls and their families aren’t able to afford. It’s hard to believe, but these girls have no recourse to fight back, no chance to confront the director, definitely no way to get their money back, and even if there is a court case it will take years to be resolved. Meanwhile the girls will not have degrees and not be eligible to work or move on with their lives. Right now they’re waiting to see what the other university students will do and praying that another college will accept them as graduates…

Sweet Nothings

It’s the little things I notice here that have warmed my heart to Kazakhstan. I love that on the buses, seats are given to women and to the elderly. It’s done with a quiet courtesy that is often unrecognized. And squished on the morning commute the other day, a woman encouraged me to rest my bags on her lap as she sat in front of me. I was so surprised, but for her, the kindness was second nature. Even more, I can no longer count the number of times boxes and bags have been taken from my arms. Although it has been hard for me, an idependent American woman, to receive, I'm learning to enjoy my escorts to and from the bus stop or wherever I may be going. The KZ people may not have the street front warmth of say, the American South, but their manner reveals a deep sense of cooperation and respect. For the people here, this is life. Not perfect, but there are sweet things to savor.

My Petri Dish Companions

So here are the folks I work with. most often It's Kiikzhan (our newest employee), Ken (can you tell which one he is from the lineup?), Sara, and myself. We're the four that make up the Kids Connection team, visiting orphanages, leading delegations, and keeping up with the sponsorship program! Both Ken and Sara both have blogs I would encourage you to check out sometime!

The How To Manual of Kazakhstan, Chapter 3

How to Get Pepper
I LOVE pepper and that’s no exaggeration. Here however, in a land of bland, I have been craving it. But I can’t find it! It’s been “missing” in the shops when I ask and there’s not an ounce of it at my host home…so I thought. Then last week I got a nasty cold that had me at home a couple of days and VIOLA! Out comes the pepper! Hurrah! Apparently the only use for pepper here is clearing out the sinuses. I’m just happy to have seasoned food again!

How (not) to Use Electricity
This particular lesson comes from my coworkers (thanks Beth & Sara). First, if you smell something burning, never give up until it’s found. DO NOT go to bed wondering what it might be! In light of that, here are some helpful tips when planning for electrical fires. Do not ever use, cheap, old or skinny extensions. Always, always buy the expensive bulky kinds. Never, ever cover electrical wires with blankets, especially ones made of wool with tendencies towards spontaneous combustion. Use the bathtub for anything on fire. Make sure when placing wires to plan burn holes on dark funky patterned carpets for easy disguising.

How to Buy Electronics
What you need will determine where you go:
AT THE BAZAAR: If you need a cheaper item, say a hair dyer, you can go to the bazaar. After you select your dryer, make sure you have the seller plug it in and let it run for awhile so you know it still works. AND, make sure all the attachments fit. I didn’t do this and now I have a useless spikey thing full of holes that I probably would not have used anyway, but looks impressive when it attaches to the hair dryer and supposedly gives you fabulous curls. But, there’s nothing you can do. No return policies, no guarantees, no questions asked at the bazaar. AT THE FANCY SHOPS: Now, if you’re buying something nicer, such as an electric tea kettle ($50) or a Teflon frying pan ($100), find one of the nicer Solpaks (fancy shops). Inside they look familiar to any westerner. The thing that confounds me is that though the isles are empty of customers, there are literally dozens of people working in one small area. Therefore, if you show an interest in an item, no less than 2 or 3 people will trail you and gesture vaguely towards more expensive items with an air of helpfulness but a very apparent lack of substantial knowledge in product use. In any case, after deciding, point out the item you want to the nearest hovering clerk (don’t touch) who will then direct you to the cash register where they will meet you with your item of choice. Receive and pay for the item and walk directly over to “security” where another clerk and the store security officer will meet you. They will completely unwrap your item and plug it in to test it. They will examine each piece of packaging to ensure that you, the apparent Houdini thief, didn’t slip anything in the box while walking the two steps from the cash register to security. After “verification” the clerk will give you several stamped items. One is your receipt, one your guarantee, one a flyer for a sale, and lastly your product, now in a store bag. Under the careful eyes of security you may now exit the store. Happy shopping!

Teachers don't need classrooms

This past weekend I spent two days at my favorite place in Kazakhstan, Savva Orphanage in the town of Merke. The Interlink team goes each month to celebrate birthdays with the children for that month, deliever sponsor letters (see link if you want to write a letter) and pictures, and sometimes watch a movie with the older kids.

During our visit, I spent some time with two boys we very fondly refer to as "hooligans." I love them dearly, but like most boys they too often find themselves wrapped up in mischief and trouble whether or not they intended to! In this case, the boys and I were taking lots of funny photos (see below) and they showed me a hand gesture they assured me meant "friend." Well, it didn't I came to find out! The next day I was able to sit down privately with the two of them (and a translator) and explain that I knew they had lied. I offered them my forgiveness and assured them that I still loved them. But then we were able to have a conversation about trust and integrity. Both boys seemed to hear and respond to what I said. I'll follow up with letters encouraging them to have integrity in other relationships and I'm looking forward to speaking with them next month.

Arkzhakun

This is my Kazakh name. It is pronounced ahr-k-zhock-un. It means “white light” which is my Kazkah extended family’s attempt to translate my name. Fire and joy were too masculine to name a girl, so they decided on and I accepted Arkzhakun. I’m excited that my name matches so well with my desire to be a light and blessing to the people of Kazakhstan. Now I just have to be able to recognize my name in the midst of a Kazakh sentence and remember to answer!

Mama took me to the bus stop

So last week I had an embarrassing morning. You know (and I know) from my earlier blog that I am perfectly capable of taking the bus to work. I do it every morning. Then last Monday, my host Mom’s vacation was over so we went to the bus stop together. Along the way, she taught me some Kazakh. Sounds good, right? Well…

I had left my wallet at work (so I thought) and had only 30 tenge which is enough for a bus which is 25 tenge but not a marshuka (a van) which costs 35 tenge. Normally lots of buses and marshukas pass my stop so I figured I would just wait for the bus instead of asking Mama to lend me the 5 tenge I needed (approximately 3 cents).

NO buses came with my number! It was just one marshuka after another and when Mama didn’t take a bus, I realized she was waiting to see if I knew what to do. I did know! I just had to wait for the bus to come! After watching marshukas pass me again and again, Mama finally stopped one and pulled me on. What to do! I was now on a marshuka and didn’t have enough money. Then I did what I should have done at the house when I realized I only had 30 tenge, I asked Mama for another 5 tenge. I was so embarrassed for being adult having to ask for money. It didn’t help that the other people looked at me like I was crazy. Who is this Russian looking girl with the funny accent calling a Kazkah woman “Mama” and asking for money?! I was so flustered I almost missed my stop and Mama had to yell to stop the bus and then yell again to say she would pay for me.

This was a lesson to me in asking for help, something I’ve never been good at doing. And I can only think that the buses never came so that I would let go of my self reliance and take the hand of humility.

Here is a picture of what it looks like walking home from the bus stop and a picture of my room in the host home.