Days 5-7: French Fries

Hello Suzie! Wow, what a weekend, where to begin... I guess I could list off all the stuff we did and all the things we saw, but this trip was truly eye opening in a bigger way. It was incredible to be on our own in a city where every sign was unreadable and where almost every word was unknown to us. I felt like this weekend was like culture shock on steroids; it truly helped me to appreciate how welcomed we were in Astana and how hard everyone here is working to make us as comfortable as possible in an uncomfortable situation.

We got lost a lot in Almaty and had a hard time getting directions from our map (in Russian) and the locals (Russian speakers). We became very creative in our ways of asking questions and pointing out distinctive buildings on our map when speaking to shop owners and taxi drivers, but it was really stressful. We had no clue if the information they gave us was what we were asking; there was some very carefully placed trust involved. A few times we were jipped by a taxi driver (he drove us literally two blocks to our hotel, insisting we couldn't walk it after we'd mimed walking to the "Astra 'Otel" as we were told by Anastasia it was pronounced in Russian, and he charged us 400 tenge for the ride which was worth around 50 if that) and misled by a shop owner (we asked where we were in relation to the river... you can imagine the miming here... and we were pointed in the wrong direction. I don't think it was intentional, but still very confusing and a little disencouraging), but we felt extremely empowered to be living it out on our own. We worked together to read city and bus maps, talk to Russian-speakers, attempt to translate signs and writing based on our small understanding of the Russian alphabet, etc. Many of the attractions that were suggested to us we stumbled upon by chance, such as this beautiful orthodox church (we wish we could have entered, but it was their Christmas and it was crowded... that and we didn't want to disrespect anyone), a huge World War I and II memorial, some old Soviet buildings as well as some cool newer ones, the Guns and Roses Pub and Grill (??? apparently it's a chain... wonder if the band knows about it at all...), a market-bazaar type place with shops and a costco-size room with hanging meets and cow heads unlike you would believe, and lots of other things. We saw a Kazakh wedding, a Kazakh policeman pulling over and yelling with a citizen, old babushkas begging for money outside the church, kiddos sledding on nearly impassable ice, all sorts of things. It was an incredible two days... sadly, the food and different smells here began to play kickball with my stomach the day we left and continually throughout the trip, and the sleeping situation on night trains aren't the easiest (and I slept on the floor in the hotel room). I wasn't feeling my best, but there was so much to do and so many places to explore I hardly noticed. We had a free traditional Kazakh breakfast at the hotel both mornings and were all feeling as though we needed a taste of home, so we dined American. This helped all of our stomachs a bit, I think :) nothing quite like pizza and french fries to set things right! Although, it does make people usually feel wrong when had at home... funny how that works.

I again, but more extensively, felt frightened and intimidated about immersing in the culture but am so glad I did so. This trip was huge in shaping my view of newcomers' emotions and struggles, in our communities and in our classrooms. The fear of not knowing the area or the language or even the different foods can cause these kids to not communicate or explore or even eat. Throughout my time here, my heart leapt when people spoke even a little English and when they respected my attempts at their language; this just reiterated the importance of embracing the cultures of our incoming students and how crucial it is to take the time and learn as much about them as they are attempting to learn about us. Learning how to properly pronounce their names, basic phrases, holidays, all of those things will help them feel welcome and valued.

Long weekend, long hard lessons, good learning :) until tomorrow! Starting in my second grade classroom, SO stoked! And won't be meeting our host family until Tuesday, a pipe burst in their apartment while they were on vacation and they're now in a hotel so we'll be with the wonderful Kruger family.

Hope all is well in Spokanistan!
Chels

P.S. To family and friends- I've been posting pictures to Facebook if you'd like to take a looksy... not many though, you'll have to see me when I get back to see them all and get the full story :)