Bryan's Conference
For the last month or so, Bryan has begun almost every communication with me with the phrase, "I will never organize anything again." But despite his worries, and due to a lot of hard work on his part and on the part of his college, his two-day teaching methodology conference was a great success. For two days, about sixty teachers attended session led mostly by volunteers and visiting Peace Corps staff. The teachers were active and interested, and the logistics, though suffering the normal kinds of hiccups that one expects in Kazakhstan, all worked out well.
A starring role was played by Theresa, my good friend from the Kaz15 Kazakh language training village, now serving in the south near Kyzylorda, whose Kazakh fluency was unceasingly adored. There was news report about the conference, which I haven't seen, but which I suspect is as much about an American speaking near-fluent Kazakh as it was about new teaching methods. On the taxi ride to the college, early in the morning, Theresa and I were asked (in Russian) where we were from. I told the driver to guess. He said, "Well, I don't know, but I saw this English girl on the television last night, and she spoke Kazakh, and I'm not saying you guys are English, but there are a lot of Kazakhs here who don't speak their native tongue, and it's embarassing for them..." I started to ask, "Would you be surprised..." and he interrupted, "Of course I was surprised! An English girl! Speaking Kazakh!" "No, would you be surprised to find that this woman was sitting in your very taxi?" Even after this revelation, it took him a while to be convinced that he could speak Kazakh with her.
Other highlights were the invention of the "penguin-surpise-rabbit" and "jazz tyrannosaur" dances (thank you to Josaih and Amanda), a nine-shot-of-vodka celebratory lunch in Borabai (thank you to the director of Kazped college), a really strange christmas-tree-decorating rice-throwing singalong celebration of the Orthodox New Year (thank you to Makhabat and her cadre of Kazakh carolers). Yes, a fine weekend was had -- fine enough, I hope, for Bryan to someday change his mind about never organizing anything again.
A starring role was played by Theresa, my good friend from the Kaz15 Kazakh language training village, now serving in the south near Kyzylorda, whose Kazakh fluency was unceasingly adored. There was news report about the conference, which I haven't seen, but which I suspect is as much about an American speaking near-fluent Kazakh as it was about new teaching methods. On the taxi ride to the college, early in the morning, Theresa and I were asked (in Russian) where we were from. I told the driver to guess. He said, "Well, I don't know, but I saw this English girl on the television last night, and she spoke Kazakh, and I'm not saying you guys are English, but there are a lot of Kazakhs here who don't speak their native tongue, and it's embarassing for them..." I started to ask, "Would you be surprised..." and he interrupted, "Of course I was surprised! An English girl! Speaking Kazakh!" "No, would you be surprised to find that this woman was sitting in your very taxi?" Even after this revelation, it took him a while to be convinced that he could speak Kazakh with her.
Other highlights were the invention of the "penguin-surpise-rabbit" and "jazz tyrannosaur" dances (thank you to Josaih and Amanda), a nine-shot-of-vodka celebratory lunch in Borabai (thank you to the director of Kazped college), a really strange christmas-tree-decorating rice-throwing singalong celebration of the Orthodox New Year (thank you to Makhabat and her cadre of Kazakh carolers). Yes, a fine weekend was had -- fine enough, I hope, for Bryan to someday change his mind about never organizing anything again.
1 Comments:
Hi Bryan,
Your blog is an interesting read. I have been to Kokshetau a couple of times in the early 1990's with a sister city organization from Waukesha, Wisconsin.
It seems that the Kokshetau (or Kokchetav!) that I knew back then has really changed. Looking at your pictures it is really amazing to see how different everything looks.
Back then the only somewhat-reliable way to communicate with Kokshetau was via ham radio...a friend of mine in Shchuschinsk used to relay messages from the USA. The telephones never used to work, and the Internet...well...forget about it. I remember talking with a PCV there from New York, he kept asking me to mail him (!) copies of Sports Illustrated because the only thing he had to read was the current issue of "Stepnoj Mayak".
Anyway thanks for posting the pics and best of luck as you continue your experience in Kazakhstan. I remember the shocked looks I used to get as a Russian-speaking American...I cannot even fathom what they would do with someone who spoke fluent Kazakh!
vsego dobrogo
Brian Remfrey
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