Turkey Day Kazakhstan 2007

Happy Happy Holidays to everyone back home. Life is good here, with lots of things picking up and the hints of a regular schedule starting to emerge. I’ve had my first meeting with the Professional Development Institute (PDI) where I’ll work every once in a while, and the 6:30 am alarm six days a week has become the norm. The weather is cold but bearable with highs in the 20s (oF), and I’ve been able to play basketball and light weights several times in the last week. Every day I seem to be a little more comfortable with my new home and new job.

This last weekend, in case you missed it, was Thanksgiving, a wonderful opportunity to get together with family and friends, take a moment to actually count and voice our ridiculously excessive blessings, and of course eat as much as possible. As I am half a world away from my family back home and the teleporter has yet to be invented, I spent the holiday with my newfound friends and family here. Early last week I reminded Saule that Thursday was Thanksgiving Day, and although we don’t need to do anything big, it would be great to at least get some people together and eat. At first she suggested having a collective lunch at school with all the English teachers at our school (there are 5), but thought maybe that wouldn’t serve the holiday justice, and so thought maybe a café would do. She looked for a suitable place and decided that the cafes were either too small or too expensive and that we should just have it at someone’s house. “It’s supposed to be a family holiday, anyway, right?” she asked. So, she asked Natalia Borisovna (or Natasha, my host mother) and we hosted what ended up being a massive (for the size of the apartment, at least) dinner. The party included Natasha and Marina (my host family), Saule (my counterpart), Galina, Olga, Natalia and Natalia (English teachers at #8), Meghan and Forrest (Kaz-18 PCVs) and Gulmira (local girl, PC groupie who has known all the PCVs since she was in the 8th grade). We played a game with some toilet paper, sang some songs, and ate a delicious meal of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and various salads. Add to that the beer, wine, vodka, tea and cakes, and you can say we had a grand ol’ time. My family, gathered in Decatur IL, called and passed the phone around to all those present, 14 in all counting Rudy, my brother’s new puppy. We played “Guess Who This Is,” which I’m proud to say I was 14 for 14 (if you count “um… I’d have to say either a puppy or a small child” for the squeaks I heard from Rudy).

Friday and Saturday I took off work and joined 23 other PCVs (Kaz 18 and 19) in a resort town a few hours south of Petro. 6 of the 7 of us PCVs in and near Petro headed down on a bus and then a van to the town of Zerenda near the oblast center of Kokshetau. As for the seventh, Mike fell on the ice last Wednesday and busted up his knee, earning a cast/splint strapped to his leg and trip down to Almaty for Thanksgiving to see Dr. Victor. He’ll be fine and will return this week, but I’ve definitely watched my step a little more since then. Gulmira (understand what I mean by PC groupie?) took his spot because the bus tickets were already paid for, and we left at noon on Friday. In Zerenda we stayed in a lodge with many bunk bed rooms. We had a community bathroom and kitchen and slept 6-10 per room. Friday night we ate spaghetti and pizza, complements of Sven, a 6’10” (at least) Kaz 18 PCV with a knack (and thankfully, a love) for cooking. Also in our ranks was Jessica (Kaz 19) who worked as a professional baker in a fancy restaurant in Portland for a few years before coming to KZ (kay-zed, as Saule says in her British English). Needless to say, we ate well and paid little – the entire weekend cost maybe 5000 tenge ($40). I took my guitar, to which Chris (Kaz 19) did justice, and we played, sang, made up songs and freestyle raps about Thanksgiving and life in Kazakhstan. I know he’s white, but Chris definitely has some freestyle skills.

Saturday, the one full day we had in Zerenda, I woke up to find that my coat had spent the night on a heater (I blame gravity) and now has an orange-ish grid branded on the left shoulder. Woops. We had eggs and pancakes for breakfast and set out to explore the grounds of the sanatorium as they call it. There was a cross-country skiing trail, being put to use by young and old locals alike, and we hiked around, finding a decent sized hill (a mountain by North Kazakhstan standards). We conquered the hill, after a break to sled on… well, me. I was the only one with a long enough coat to serve as a sled, so I offered rides. Let me explain: I would stand with my back to the hill below and whoever was driving the sled would tackle me, sending us both sliding down the hill, face to face, laughing hysterically. It was a lot of fun. On the top of the mountain we could see to the south a nearby lake (I think it’s already frozen by now) and the small village of Zerenda off to the east and north. When we finally meandered back to the lodge, we were happy to find a game of snow football underway, Kaz 18 vs. Kaz 19. I eagerly joined in, and on our second drive scored the first and unfortunately only touchdown for the newbies. After coming in to thaw and dry my only pair of pants, I napped until dinner, which deserves a new paragraph.

Somehow, someway, somewhere, Sven found a turkey in Kazakhstan. He must have had to go knocking door to door in the village nearby, because I’ve yet to see or even hear of another turkey since being here. Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Salad (with lettuce!). And, yes, (I was astounded too) PUMPKIN PIE. All 24 of us sat around two long picnic tables, and in great Kazakhstani fashion, went around the room giving toasts. First, the Kaz 18s, with their celebrations of one year completed and renewed strength for the second, and then the 19s, full of homesickness mixed with eagerness to begin our service and gratitude to the 18s for organizing such a great weekend. We played twister, we drank beer, we talked loud (in English), we watched Superbad (funny movie if you haven’t seen it) and basically did all the things we never get to do on a normal basis. What a great feeling it was to be surrounded by such awesome people who will become our extended family and support system for the duration of our lives in Kazakhstan (and I wouldn’t doubt beyond). I missed home greatly, especially hearing my wonderful mother crying on the phone, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t ask for a better Thanksgiving.

But alas, the weekend ended and we found ourselves, although full and happy with many new friends, back at site and at work. Luckily, I’m enjoying my job, and life at school is getting a bit easier. The students are getting used to me, although I only see each class 1.5 hours a week. I should also be starting my own English club sometime soon, so there is a lot to do. I’ll wrap things up for now, wishing you again a happy holiday season and the hope that you’ll continue to be thankful for the privileged lives you have simply by living in the US.

PS - Pictures are up on Flickr.com, so feel free to check them out.