October updates

We just wanted to update you all on how things are going here in Almaty.

We're nearing Fall Break and will have a week off!  We've been working hard.  Brooke has been enjoying teaching mythology and Ancient Greece to her seven year-olds.  They made some great "armor" and had a chance to show it off.  They also wrote election posters for characters they learned about in their mythology unit.  Brooke and I teach, of course, at the same school, but she teaches on the other side of the campus so we really don't run into each other in the hallways.  I had the chance to visit as the kids were putting on all their armor and they were soooooo excited.  Fantastic.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, I've been teaching about Mesopotamia and reading short stories with my 12 year-olds.  Our latest story was "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto.  I think the kids could really identify with the themes, especially the awkwardness and embarrassment that can come from trying to act cool in order to impress the opposite sex.  Last week there was a school dance and the kids had all sorts of drama and awkwardness going on as they decided who they were going to ask to go with them.  I enjoyed reading notes that I confiscated or that were left behind on the desks when they left the room: things like, "I can't go with you.  I've already promised so-and-so."  Mind you, if someone asks you to go with them to the dance, you still must pay for your own ticket and you'll still end of dancing in a circle with all your classmates anyway so it's mostly symbolic.  I really enjoy working with these 12 year-olds.

We're going to Kyrgyzstan for Fall Break in a group of ten teachers from the school, if we get our visas, that is.  There isn't much time -- just two more days.  Basically the Kyrgyz Consulate has been stalling, we think, in order to get more money from us.  Hopefully our negotiator from the school can work it all out with the money we've given him for our visas.  We heard that there was some physical aggression on one of his visits to the consulate.  If/when we do make it to Kyrgyzstan, we're going to the capital, Bishkek, and then taking a trip around Issyk-Köl, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world.  Bishkek is just a few hours drive from here.  As the crow flies, Kyrgyzstan is 15 miles directly south of us here in Kazakhstan, but the big Tian Shan mountain range, the northernmost extent of the Himalayas, stands between the two countries.
We've had our car for nearly two weeks now.  It's been nice to have to get us around town whenever we want.  Traffic here is pretty crazy.  Lanes don't mean anything and there are always more lanes of cars than are painted on the asphalt.  People are pretty selfish drivers and don't really think of others on the road with them.  I'm staying calm and trying to be as safe as possible.  There have been some minor mechanical issues that, I guess, you'd come to expect with an older car.  Our school employs mechanics and they take care of all our cars for us.  We don't have to pay for labor, just parts.  It's a good deal.  We've used them a few times already.  We had a window that wouldn't roll back up.  In case it rained, we left it for the weekend at our school director's house because he has a covered parking area.  We got it fixed, but now the trunk/boot isn't unlocking as usual.  There are a few other issues that I'd like to have looked at like the idle and having the air conditioner repaired, not that I'll need for another few months, but so that we won't have to breathe so much bus exhaust when it warms up again.  Although the mechanics are very nice, I'd like to wean myself off their services.

Something that we've mentioned before that Brooke and I really enjoy is how social our school is.  Several nights a week we have parties and different teacher's houses, hikes, TV nights where we watch current US programs and have dinner together, shopping together, and our weekly themed potluck dinner.  So far the potluck themes have been Moroccan, Mexican, Indian, Korean, German, Italian, and Indonesian.  We're really fortunate to have such great colleagues and support.  It makes living so far from home a lot easier.

Everyday brings something new and that's what makes life exciting.

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Photos by Brooke,
map and flag sourced from the internet