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).