my redesign and updates are going very slowly due to readjustment, the job search and family obligations. hang with me!
Please login first to post comments.
I think I’ve decided on a new direction for the blog. I’ll post more in about a week. Check back but I’ll also send out notifications/email.
I was digging around in my external hard drive and stumbled upon some neat things that I never got around to uploading.
There are two videos of my students during the New Year celebration, a scene from a winter bus ride and my debute on national television in Kazakhstan.
Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/ekcurtistube
SO, you may have noticed the lack of writing recently.
If you’ve been reading my blog you’re aware that I was requested by Peace Corps Kazakhstan to stay for an additional year of service as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader. This is something I was really looking forward to doing as well. Also, if you know [...]
On the day that Kazakhstan announced some EXCELLENT new smoking and drinking laws, I spotted this sticker on the bus. Therefore, I couldn’t help myself…
http://www.box.net/shared/njzsxbtto7
My 3rd birthday in Kazakhstan. Birthdays and holidays are about the only occasions when the passage of time becomes a reality. 27 months of service has gone by so quickly! I don’t always understand that I’ve spent 27 months in another country. This birthday was particularly overwhelming because it is my [...]
This post is really at tribute to Aziza Apai (Kazakh lesson here; Apai translates as teacher) and her magnificent skills as a hostess! If born under different circumstances, perhaps she would have found her calling in the field of RHT management or catering. She is a remarkably warm person and has a [...]
There has been an unexpected change. I will not be able to extend my service for a third year due to Peace Corps policies that are out of my control. I must believe it is all for the best, though I will be very sad to say goodbye so soon. A few [...]
Second to education, most consider health care to be a key issue for Kazakhstan. The system here is horrific. Much worse than it should be considering what else the government is pumping money into (see Astana post). Everything about the country is bogged down in bureaucracy, the health care system included. That [...]
Apa and I spent the weekend making salads for winter. We really enjoy conserving things for the days where there isn’t a veggie or fruit to be found. We made several jars of salads, a few jars of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes and a few jars of apple jam. The process really [...]
I went hiking in the mountains once again. Autumn has settled in so the scenery was quite beautiful. Ageei was our guide as usual and two other PCVs joined us. We decided on a route that may be used for a charity hike next year. A few PCVs are organizing what [...]
This summer I had the privilege of working as a pre-departure orientation (PDO) teacher for the FLEX Program. FLEX is administered by American Councils and funded by the US Government. The program sends 100 Kazakhstani students to the US for one year of high school in America. It is a fantastic opportunity for these kids!
From [...]
Okay. Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. The new capital. Astana means “capital” in Kazakh.
From in summer
View Larger Map
The new sections of the city, built within the last decade, are completely planned. The government glorifies Astana as the future of Kazakhstan! And It is perhaps the strangest place I’ve ever been [...]
As some of you may know, my original summer vacation destination was supposed to be Urumqi, China. I was really excited to see the region considering the current events taking place there (I wrote about this in a previous post). I was anxious to compare Kazakhstan to China. Though China is more [...]
Well, my mother and stepfather are officially awesome. I really am not able to put into words how I feel about them as people, as my parents and as guests in this country. Their first trip out of the States was halfway across the world to see me! Impressive, huh?
It is a REALLY long journey [...]
Another WONDERFUL adventure into the mountains! This time, our friend Heiko accompanied Ageei and I for the hike! Heiko recently moved to Almaty from Germany to work for a pharmaceutical subsidiary. Great guy, and at about 6’7 he really stand out. We took a route familiar to Ageei; first we climbed Alma-Arasan Valley to the [...]
Yesterday, I went to the Alatau Mountains near Almaty, Kazakhstan with my friend Ageei. The mountains are very accessible from the city, just a bus ride away. It is an absolutely beautiful area. The city is overcrowded with people and cars, so naturally the air quality is VERY poor. However, once [...]
Friends,
It is English Week as school. It also happens to be the week before the last week of school. I’m tired, the teachers are tired and the students are tired. A year ago, these conditions would have stressed me out completely. Now, it is very mildly stressful. I’m more concerned with everything else regarding the [...]
Friends,
Before rambling any further, I want to comment about the promised volunteerism essay. I’m still writing, mostly because it underwent two different format changes! So, a work-in-progress people, a work-in-progress…
Well, I have been traveling and making plans for traveling (which is not so easy in Kazakhstan), preparing for the arrival of my mother and stepfather, [...]
Hi!
I’ve just returned from a two week work trip to Almaty. Aside from 4 days of food poisoning, all went well. While in Almaty, I attended the 1st Volunteer Development Seminar in Kazakhstan! The seminar paired with my other work in Almaty really answered many of the whys left hanging in my [...]
We had a GREAT Valentine’s Day celebration at my school. I’ve posted the photos from the event. I count it as one of my major successes. The party was organized entirely by my students and me!
Thanks for the decorations Mom!
My Friends,
It’s Peace Corps Volunteer Week! I’m way past due for blogging. I do it to myself really. It is much easier to write a little everyday than sit down and try to condense two months into one post. So I won’t try, to condense that is….but I will make an [...]
My Friends, its 2009!
A new year.
The go ahead for a fresh start. Its been a difficult year for the world over.
What are you hoping for? Its in there, secretly. I can hurt so badly in one moment then cause your heart to flutter wildly the next. Are there worries so strong that [...]
Friends,
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Because it’s the most wonderful time of the year! I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s the holiday cheer. The season might be more difficult this year with the global economy as it is, but let us remember that the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with worldly gifts [...]
My Friends,
Oh. Here I sit, weeks, months too late, trying to write another blog. I love blogging, and I have these experiences all the time – and I think, gotta blog this! But actually sitting down to write…
It’s a combination of priorities and energy. During a recent conversation with a volunteer, [...]
My Friends,
I want to share a few verses with you, I needed to put it out there. Will post more very soon.
“So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation, but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another. And if one [...]
Dear Friends,
My second birthday in Kazakhstan, its amazing. I feel proud to still be here, to be a year older and theoretically, a year wiser. I don’t know. In the past year, I have never had so many ups and downs, successes and failures, great experiences and those I would rather forget. [...]
Hey y’all,
I have been blogging a lot less than I would like. I promise to write soon and expect a new video as well! The good news about the lack of news is that so much as been going on that I haven’t had time to sit down and write. Obviously, the bad news is [...]
This is what happens when you mix sugar, children and a late night…
My guests are two daughters of a fellow English teacher and the granddaughter of our neighbor. The girls are good fun when they play together. I invited them over for a lesson in the ultimate American treat, chocolate chip cookies! Definitely a [...]
*if you follow the link to google video it will play in a larger frame
This video was taken in winter. Two of my bosses from Peace Corps visited our region; one of them shot this video with a digital camera. Here, I am playing a Kazakhstan national instrument, the dombrya, along with my best friend [...]
My Friends,
The days are growing cold as autumn has come to Aktobe. My most loved season, I truly adore this time of year. Here, autumn lacks the traditional trimmings and happenings of home, but there is no mistaking the atmosphere. No football, but a yes to leisurely afternoons. Thanksgiving and Halloween [...]
Dear Friends,
For the follow-up. I concluded the introduction with a tag about the girls being so different from one another. Just as much as Anna goes it alone, Medina is a great leader among her peers. She will enter into 9th grade this year, giving her three more years (only 11 grades [...]
You may be experiencing problems with the 1st video. We’re working on getting it working…
How many entries are we showing above?
For now, we are showing up to 50 entries on each page. Entries that
are too short are filtered out. For more entries, please use
archives.
|
Connect to Peace Corps Journals
About the Journal
Contact Us
Disclaimer:
| |
| Copyright (c) 2010 |
