Really, I survived the winter!

May 19 – Just yesterday I realized that it has been a very long time since my last update. The weeks seem to pass by slowly, but as a whole, time is racing by. We have already been at site for six months, and Thursday will mark nine months since we arrived in Kazakhstan.

I am proud to say that I am alive, having survived the bitter winter of northern Kazakhstan. There were several days below -30C, when working at my office even with three layers of clothing would have been nearly impossible had it not been for the space heater they placed beside my desk. And even then it was just barely manageable. I seemed to manage alright down to about -20C. But anything colder and I was miserable because I am so cold-natured. (I take after my mother!) Generally I ventured outside as little as possible, walking as swiftly as my numbing legs would carry me to and from work and nothing more if I could help it.

While my office was very cold because it is on the ground-floor of an apartment building, the apartment where I live with my host-mom is on the top floor of its building. Home was almost always warm, and at times hot enough to warrant air conditioning generated by opening the windows. As is typical across much of this part of the world, the city has a centralized heating system so residents and businesses have no control over the temperature of their radiators. The only way to regulate heat (besides opening the windows) as far as I have determined, is to replace the radiators with a larger or smaller size, depending on the amount of heat you prefer.

There was much more snow here than normal this winter, or so I have been told by a number of people. New snow arrived nearly every week, which I appreciated because it is so much easier to walk on than the ice that was created soon after every snowfall. (I am happy to report that I fell only three times on the ice all winter long!) And it turns out that the brightness of the snow may have contributed to the first winter in a while in which I didn’t feel like I had a case of the “winter blues”. During March the snow began melting, creating an awful quagmire in the city that lasted several weeks. And at night the water would re-freeze, so ice was really a nagging problem all winter long. I ended up wearing my snow boots for a few weeks to avoid ruining my dress boots and having to hop and jump around the puddles. By the second week of April, finally most of the lakes, ponds, and puddles had dried up.

In late March we traveled to Almaty for more training. It was a very intense, jam-packed five days during which little sleep was to be had even if you chose not to partake in the late night partying. I enjoyed seeing friends and other volunteers that I had not seen since November. I especially liked talking to the other volunteers in my program, learning about what each one of us was doing, talking about our various situations and problems, and offering ideas and solutions. It was a good trip, and the first time I had walked on dry ground since leaving Almaty on November 8. The tulips were even beginning to peak out of the ground at that time. Upon returning to the north on the 30th of March, I was immediately saddened as I awoke on the train to find cloudy, dreary skies, cold weather, and snow again. The next few weeks were rather difficult for me. The snow had mostly melted, and the snow that was left was dirty and brown, no longer pretty. The skies were overcast for a great number of days, and rain came occasionally. I was absolutely miserable and in somewhat of a mild depression. While talking to my sister one evening, I realized that the winter had been better for my mood. The frequent new snow kept things bright outside even with the limited number of daylight hours. But in April without any new snow, minimal sunlight, dreary skies, no green grass or leaves yet on the trees, and just dirty buildings and bare ground surrounding me, my mood suffered tremendously. Towards the end of April the skies had cleared somewhat, green vegetation began to appear, warmth filled the air, and I started feeling much better. What a relief too, because I was not exactly the best girlfriend or co-worker during the dreariness of the early part of the month.

Since the beginning of April, my life has been extremely hectic and busy, both at work and otherwise.

• I wrote my first grant application. We applied for a grant for a project earlier in the year, but the funding organization decided to focus on issues other than violence against women even though that was one of the themes listed in the grant guidelines. We then found another grant through which to fund this project, but it was through the UN and had to be submitted in English. It took me 2-3 stressful weeks to fully understand every aspect of the project so I could write the application. Actually, I wrote the concept note. We are still waiting to hear something from UNIFEM. If they like our project, we (I) will then have to write a full grant application. The concept note was 8 pages. I’m a little anxious about what the full application might entail.

• Since December we have been working on a new strategic plan for our organization. Unlike most organizations where volunteers are placed, mine really does have some idea of how to function from a business perspective. They actually had a strategic plan they wrote in 2005 that was for the next 20 years. Much has changed the during the last four years and they had just started the evaluation process of that first plan when I arrived in December. It was a decent plan, but some pieces were done incorrectly and I worked with my director and counterpart to explain the problems that I saw and lead them in the right direction. The new strategic plan is nearing completion. The process has taken quite a while because it has been intermingled with the writing of many project plans to apply for various grants. I feel the strategic plan and the long-term goals identified within it will put my organization on a path toward long-term sustainability IF we can just get the ball rolling. There are still several hurdles to overcome, though.

• I traveled to Almaty for a meeting with my director and a representative from an international women’s organization based in the Netherlands. While I questioned my director’s motives for asking me to attend, I was reassured there was potential for a long-term relationship and that my attendance at the meeting was important to them. During the meeting we found out they are also updating their strategic plan and are considering whether to continue working in Kazakhstan for a few different reasons. Even though this meeting failed to reveal opportunities they had hoped for, I made my first solo train trip to Almaty and made two local friends on the return trip.

• I organized a website development seminar at my office that was presented by another volunteer. My organization’s website is in desperate need of updating and only one person in my office has some idea of how to do it. It has been at least two years since it was touched, so he needed a refresher course. Other volunteers and a few locals attended as well. Yes, I could have figured it out, but our purpose here is not to do things for our organizations—we have to focus on skills transfer and building long-term sustainability so they have the tools and knowledge to function better without a volunteer when we leave. I felt it was better to bring in a much more experienced person to cover this topic.

• My host-mom teaches English translation classes at one of the local universities. She asked me to lecture or lead a discussion on a topic of my choice during one or two of her evening classes. I chose to hold a discussion, not wanting to bore them with topics they might not be interested in and wanting to give them an opportunity to practice their English-speaking skills with a native speaker. During my first visit we discussed cultural issues related to international business. A couple of weeks later, the second discussion considered personal and corporate ethics, as well as corporate social responsibility. Each visit there were only a few students who spoke up and contributed significantly. I know that my host-mom was somewhat disappointed in them because she knows that several of them speak English fairly well. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my visits. I hoped they learned a little something that may help them in the future. Many of these students are working on engineering degrees and also seeking certification in English translation, so it is quite likely they could face some of these issues.

• My most recent project was to conduct a budgeting seminar for another volunteer’s organization, which nine locals attended. I just learned a little while ago that one of the attendees presented a budget for a small project at today’s weekly meeting! Someone actually listened to my presentation, learned something, and put it to use—woohoo!!! This is a perfect example of our purpose here. Anyway, from what I know about her, she is a very intelligent young lady who desires to make a better life for herself. She currently teaches English at a village high school, and is quite proactive in seeking opportunities for herself. I believe she is going to look for a better teaching position for next school year, and I wish her the very best. However, I must add that I was quite disappointed, and am still disgruntled by the fact, that the organization’s director and the volunteer’s counterpart both failed to attend the seminar. They knew about it more than a week in advance and were reminded the day before. It is still unknown why they chose not to attend. So goes the life of a volunteer: successes, disappointments, and ongoing battles, all stemming from the same activity.

• I have also had the opportunity to attend several local events recently with my host-mom. I have been to three plays, a concert by the local symphony (and another one on Thursday), and a concert by a female Kazakh singer. In addition, I attended a few ice hockey games this winter, which, as you might imagine, is very popular in this area. And a bit of trivia for you—the Kazakhstan national team won a world ice hockey championship in Lithuania near the end of April. With this championship, they earned the right for Kazakhstan to participate in the premier league next year, which already includes the U.S., Russia, Canada, and others.

Amongst all of these projects, activities, and events, I managed to contract food poisoning a few weeks back. We have no idea where it came from because I had not eaten anything new or unusual and we had taken proper care of our food at home as always. Quite a mystery, but at least this bout was not so severe as what I had while in Thailand a couple of years ago.

A couple of weeks ago Peace Corps made flu shots mandatory for all volunteers. I do not know whether this was mandated by our in-country staff or Washington DC. I just know that I was very unhappy when I received this news. I have never chosen to receive a flu shot, and we did have the option of getting one last fall. I declined and withstood their pressure and suggestions that it was in my best interests to get one. The policy was changed due to the swine flu. However, I still do not know why the policy was changed for this reason when the current vaccination will not guard against swine flu. I am currently seeking an answer for this. Luckily, my regional manager came for a visit last week and brought the vaccination with her. I was able to go to a local clinic to receive it, rather than having to travel to Almaty to take care of a 5-second matter.

On May 1 we were officially allowed to move into our own apartments. (Peace Corps requires that we live with host families for the first six months of service.) After much consideration, a lengthy discussion with my boyfriend, and still further deliberation on the matter, I will continue living with my host-mom. I live in an ideal location that is central to the city and a 10-15 minute walk to work. I have everything I need and then some, and most importantly, I enjoy living here. I have a really great host-mom! So I am staying until November. At that time I will move into a one-bedroom apartment that is currently occupied by another volunteer who will end his service in November. The new apartment is about three blocks from where I live now and about equidistant from work.

On another note, as at home, summer is the time for vacations and fun since school is not in session. It will be work as usual for me throughout most of the summer, although I do have a few plans. For one week in June I will be helping another volunteer with a youth day camp in a small town in the mountains a few hours from my city. In July I will travel to Almaty for a mandatory mid-service physical. In August I will help a couple of other nearby volunteers with a series of business English courses. Toward the end of the month, my boyfriend and I are planning a short vacation somewhere close by to celebrate our birthdays. And to top off the next few months, I will meet my very dear best friend Jenny and her husband Jeff in Europe for a two-week vacation!!! I am getting more and more excited as this time nears. We are currently in a big debate over visiting Spain or Turkey, and none of the three of us has strong feelings toward one destination over the other. (They even had the advantage of spending last Saturday afternoon at the bookstore perusing travel guides, and they are still torn between the two!!) However, we will decide soon so we can develop concrete plans and I can obtain approval for international travel.

I believe that brings me pretty well up-to-date. We’ll see if I can be more timely with my next post. (Disclaimer: I suggest that you don’t hold your breath!)