I'm still alive

So I realize it’s been almost a month since I’ve updated this, and SO many things have happened! Here’s a brief re-cap:

We have had some pretty amazing times together and I love all the field trips we have taken, I think my favorite was the trip all the way to Almaty to marvel at the train station! ;-) But really I have come to enjoy everyone’s company and get sad about leaving them too soon! I feel like we’ve become a family – love you all! One night we all went to the Country Director’s house where we had lots of delicious food: hambugs, brownies, ice cream. It’s crazy how much I’ve missed them and it’s only been 2 months. Having a quick drive through is definitely a luxury I didn’t think I was going to miss…

Last week I found out where I would be living for 2 years! There was a fun ceremony and refreshments followed. There was a map of KSTAN on a table with little hut thingys placed on the map at each of the sites. We went one-by-one to locate our hut. It seemed SUPER long, as I was number 17 out of 20! But I am really excited about my site and, although, I don’t want to leave my Kaz 20 family, I really want to work! It sounds like I will be working at a Boarding School assisting with English and an Ecology Club! Next week I visit my site and hopefully learn more as I am eager to start!

I met my counter part this week. A counter part is kind of like a teacher / friend / someone for me to go to for assistance over the next two years. Peace Corps Staff did a BOMBDIGGITY job matching Trainees to sites / with Counterparts. My counterpart is amazingly awesome and reminds me of me. She is incredibly fun and laughs! That was really the only “requirement” that I had – must laugh! 

The day after Site Announcement 15 of us travelled into the “Big City,” Almaty. We met up with some education volunteers and rented an apartment (which is similar to a hotel, only bigger). I think I can speak for everyone and say that we all had a super “lovely” time. We went to a place named Guns-N-Roses! There were burgers there and we all devoured them like starving children!

My favorite thing about this town has got to be that there are stray cows! It was totally crazy when I saw a random cow walking down the street. There are also donkeys that eat out of the garbage near the school where I learn Russian. And one day I had to wait for a bunch of sheep to get out of my way so that I could walk home. There are wild dogs here…well, not really wild, just LOTS of strays. It’s kind of like Sparta in Kazakhstan!

My host family continues to be incredibly awesome! My mom quizzes me everyday on vocabulary around the house and every night they try and include me in the conversation. My host mom is genuinely excited in what I have learned each day and she is often the one who will repeat phrases of others in, what I like to call, “slower, dumber” Russian. I taught my family how to play duck-duck-goose, which was hysterical! My host mom thought it was the greatest game ever and arranged us all in the kitchen to play. The funniest part really was that we all squatted because sitting on the floor/ground is not generally accepted here, I had a difficult time balancing, but we were all laughing and they were speaking lots of Russian.

I think that Pre Service Training (PST) is difficult and a time of very little sleep and LOTS of work, but am trying not to wish it away as I know, like many other things in my life, there will be a day a look back and wish I was back in PST. I hope to get better at updating this.