life in kstan.2

17 April 2009

I’ll be posting two blogs tomorrow (hopefully). The main computer in Ivanovka was stolen, so I didn’t get to post the last blog when I wanted to, which means y’all get multiple entries all at one time! YAY! Haha I’m sitting in my room right now, (9:26pm on the 17th) and will try to make it to Kant to use the internet tomorrow.
So…. What new happened since the last time I (tried to) wrote.(write)?

It freakin snowed! In the middle of April!! Thankfully it didn’t stick around for long. I have enough trouble navigating flat, paved roads on the clearest days; snowy days on the roads in Ivanovka station would not be good for me.

Hopefully the next time it gets that cold, I’ll be in my permanent site and my “winter clothes” boxes will have arrived. Not that it is warm by any means right now. Actually, I’m kind of freezing. Actually, I’ve kind of been freezing since I got here. Haha. I finally busted out the one pair of thermals that I brought because I just couldn’t stand it anymore- toughing it out got too tough. Haha It should be getting warmer very soon, and I cannot wait! (pretty soon you’ll be reading my complaints about how it is too hot… remind me of this at that point:-D)

Speaking of permanent sites, I interview next week and find out my permanent site the next. (I think) I don’t really have a preference. Extreme heat in the summer or extreme cold in the winter.. neither sound that great, but I’m pretty adaptable, and every volunteer I’ve talked to or read says that their location is beautiful. You can’t go wrong, right?

Also, I taught a class!! To be accurate- 2 classes. 6th and 7th form. (form is grade, but I’ve already adapted to the way things are said here, so I’ll try to clarify.) Considering it was my first time teaching ever, I think it went okay. I’ll definitely be better prepared next time, I team-taught with another volunteer and we work pretty well together. Team teaching takes some getting used to all on its own, in addition to just teaching. I think sharing a class and teaching a lesson together makes it easier for the teacher and for the students because they all get more attention. I guess we’ll see if my opinion on this changes once I’m an actual volunteer and not a trainee.

And other big news! My apa (host mom) let me help cook dinner! Okay, she let me cut up a head of cabbage, and put away the barenya (delicious jam they have here) but it is a start! I’ve never been able to help do anything before. We talked today in what I like to call “Kyrglish” and I got the point across that I don’t want to be a guest anymore and that I like to and want to help cook and that other volunteers get to help in their families, and I think that really helped. Sunday I’m supposed to do laundry and now I’m thinking/hoping that my apa realizes that I’m not a complete waste of space and can do some things for myself. We’ve also discusses me maybe cooking American food on Sunday. How awesome would that be? I’ll letcha know how it goes, though it might take a few weeks.

For those of you wonderful, lovely people who sent me emails that I haven’t responded to (a.k.a anyone who sent me an email because I haven’t responded to any)—the internet was uber slow last time I posted and I didn’t have time to open a single email, much less read it. I could pretty much only post an “I’m alive and have a phone- so call me” blog. But hopefully tomorrow (/today) I’ll get a chance to read and respond to the emails that I know are there.

I’m gonna sign off now (getting up at 6 on a Saturday still sucks, even halfway around the world- just as an fyi)

I’ll hopefully talk to some of you soon. (skype works really well here- mom and dad use it and it sounds great on my cell phone- and its cheap –hint-hint haha)

Miss you!
Love from the cold Ivanovka Station,
Jess