Right now I am still in Peace Corps training. I live in the same town and train (language, technical, and cultural) six days a week with the other twenty people in my program. This all ends November 7th, when we are all shipped off to different parts of Kazakhstan to work in various NGOs. This Friday we find out where our permanent sites (like the ones we’ll have for the next two years… OMG) will be.

I must admit that I am very anxious about this revelation. A couple weeks ago we were given a questionnaire regarding the type of NGO we would like to work for and the area of Kazakhstan that we would prefer to work in. I expressed the desire to work in an urban area in Northern Kazakhstan. I also expressed the desire to work for an NGO that dealt with either urban development or human rights issues. The Peace Corps staff has taken these things into consideration, as well as my past experience, and the available sites when placing me; however, there are no guarantees and in fact it is unlikely that all of these preferences will be met.

These next four days are going to be VERY long. Now I knew going into the Peace Corps that I would need to be really flexible and willing to go with the flow, but I will be very disappointed if I am placed in some tiny village working in some school or something. It’s not that I don’t think working in villages or with children is worthwhile, but I don’t think that in this type of situation the Peace Corps would be utilizing my skills and experiences to their fullest (I mean I did just graduate with a degree in URBAN and regional studies, concentrating in international development…). But hey, whatever happens I think I’ll be okay. I will likely have to create some secondary project anyhow and maybe there I can really get creative and make this Peace Corps adventure relevant to my studies. Anyway, I will be sure to post where my placement is, any information I have about the organization I’ll be working for, and how I feel about it all.


On a slightly lighter note… I went on a hike with a few friends in the mountains outside of my town. It was pretty amazing because we’re right on the edge of a mountain range and the steppe (flat nothingness) and we could see forever once we got up a little :)

Here's a couple pictures finally.

Ok friends, you will be happy to know I am doing well. I have begun to adjust to my new host family, which is a big weight that has been lifted from my shoulders. Also my Russian is progressing quite smoothly, which just makes everything easier.

I've also been doing a "mini-internship"/"practicum" with a local NGO twice a week, which has made me even more enthusiastic for the work that I will be able to do when I'm at my permanent site. The organization I'm working is the Kazakhstani Union for the Blind. Their mission is to spread awareness about people with disabilities and to educate disabled people (and parents with disabled children) about how to be self-sufficient in Kazakhstan. The goal of the practicum is primarily to observe the way an NGO works in Kazakhstan, but I have also been able to create a logo and brochure on the organization (two great marketing tools that they did not have before). I am very excited to hear about where and which organization I will be placed with. It will likely be an organization working with urban issues, but I have not idea what kind. I find out on October 4th where I will live and work the next two years.

You'll also be happy to know that I have discovered the best coffee shop in Almaty. It takes me an hour by public transportation to get there and one coffee is an entire day's worth of my spending money, but it is absolutely worth it. As some of you know I LOVE coffee and it has been very difficult to pretty much go cold turkey and substitute it for "chai", which is tea in Russian. This cafe is my happy place :)

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well stateside. Until my next post... Das Vidanya (a sad attempt at the phonetic spelling of the Russian goodbye).

Alright. So finally a rundown of the last couple weeks...

So I started off my Peace Corps adventure by flying to Philadelphia on August 17th. We had some general information sessions on the Peace Corps as an organization, policies, etc... It was also an opportunity for me to get to know the 60 other Peace Corps volunteers that will be serving in Kazakhstan the next 27 months.

Two days later we took a bus to NYC where we flew to Kazakhstan. It turned out to be an extra long trip as we had a ten hour delay in Frankfurt, but essentially just meant more time to get to know people.

I arrived in Kazakhstan jetlagged, but excited. We spent one night in Almaty (one of the biggest cities in Kazakhstan) and the next day we were driven about an hour away to our training base in a small city called Esik. We were met by our host families who immediately took us to our new homes.

I have to admit having a host family was the part about the Peace Corps that I was most nervous about. My host family ended up being just an older, retired woman named Mira. She was very nice, but spoke no English. Her apartment was very nice, especially by Kazakhstan standards. I had my own bedroom with a desk, running hot water, a tv, a washing machine... After the next week I became less nervous as we kind of figured each others habits and schedules out. Unfortunately after being here about three weeks, Mira's doctors decided that she needed to go to the hospital to get treatment for high blood pressure. This past Friday I had to move out of her place into a new house. This was difficult because I felt I had just begun to feel comfortable living with Mira. The new family is very different. It's a married couple and their 3 and 11 year old daughters. They are very energetic and talkative, which is good for improving my Russian, but not as great when it comes to personal space and alone time. It can be a bit frustrating now, but I'm confident in the next few weeks I'll adjust.

Anyway, a lot of my time is spent away from my host home. First of all, I have Russian classes from 8AM-12:30PM six days a week. Russian is incredibly difficult, but I feel like I am improving just fine and I'll admit living with a family who doesn't speak English is helping. In the afternoon I have Technical Training from 1:30PM-6PM. During this time we have sessions about how to work with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Kazakhstan, maintaining our health and sanity, and other skills that will be useful while here. We also have "mini-internships" two afternoons a week with local NGOs. I am working with the Kazakhstani Union for the Blind, which is run by two Kazakh ladies, one of which is blind herself. My job is mainly to observe and learn, but I am also working to create a logo and a brochure for the organization which is fun. This schedule is really tiring, but clearly helpful. It also gets me excited about the work I'll be able to do once I get sent to my permanent site (the one I'll be at for the remaining two years) in November.

So this is the basic overview of the last two weeks. Now that I've gotten it out the following posts will be able to include more fun stories of weird food, panic attacks, and the cow man. But for now you should know that I am doing well. While I have had my difficult moments, I am lucky enough to be surrounded during the day by other Peace Corps volunteers who are amazing. We all have a lot of fun and keep each other stable. I have already begun to form a few of what I am sure will be long-term friendships. Of course, what also keeps me sane is thinking about all my friends and family in the great US of A :)

Anyway, this is it for now. Feel free to shoot me an email (mizenerj@gmail.com) or package full of Starbucks coffee :)

I finally have a blog!

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to start my blog. The training site here just got DSL this week and this is the first chance I've had to spend more than a few minutes on the computer. From now on I should be able to post every week or so, the first detailed entry coming Monday or Tuesday. Until then everyone should know I am doing well and miss them immensely.