ENGLISH CLUB CONTINUES

Today we had our third English Club at the church after the end of the service. I was curious to see how many people would show up for the club, and I was so surprised by the result! The first week of the club we had about 12 people. Last week we had 25 people and filled up our room completely. This week, 35 people showed up and we had to move into a larger area of the church! The club went really well, and the three of us who are leading it were blessed to see so many students and people show up. We had a couple of ice-breaker games to get to know each other, and then we introduced some idioms for the students to learn. We wanted to share the story of the Good Samaritan, so the idioms related to helping and hurting (go the extra mile, give the shirt off your back, add insult to injury, kick a man when he is down). We introduced and explained the idioms, and then had the students share in small groups about a time when they had to "go the extra mile" for someone or when someone had done the same for them. After sharing, I read the story of the Good Samaritan, and integrated these idioms into the story. We then had a chance to share in small groups how each student would have reacted in such a situation and if they would be willing to help out someone in need.

The time went by fast, and I hope that students will continue to come back next week to learn more. One of my friends had said that he was first worried that they would not have enough people to start this club, but now he is worried that they won't have enough room in the church to hold everyone! I was blessed to hear such a comment and continue to hope that this outreach will provide many opportunities to "shine the light."

SPORTS OUTREACH

It looks like the chance to play sports will continue to through the winter season thanks to an indoor gym that is owned by the school where I work. I was informed by some of the students that they played basketball and volleyball often last year in this gym during the winter months when it was too cold to play outside. Several students are interested in playing each Saturday, so I believe this will be another opportunity to deepen relationships with my students and with some students from other classes who are interested in joining in the sports activities.

CELEBRATING REPUBLIC DAY IN KAZAKHSTAN

This last Saturday was the holiday for the Kazakhstan Republic Day established back in the early 1991 when the country officially became a republic (moving away from a communist form of government). They celebrate by giving a day off, and that means I have a day off from teaching. I was thinking yesterday that if it wasn't for this holiday, then I would never have been able to come here to Karaganda and teach. So I had many reasons to celebrate yesterday, and I will have reason to celebrate again on December 16th because that is the Kazakh independence day when they broke away from the Soviet Union in the early 90s. The statue of Lenin still stands downtown in the public square, and his influence is ever-present in the memory of many people here, but the government is striving to move on and establish their own unique history and culture for this new generation of Kazakh people.

AUTOMATIC HEATING, MANUAL AIR CONDITIONING

Karl and I shouted for joy two nights ago when we came back home and realized that the heat was starting to finally come on in our house. Now we won't have to wear bundles of clothes in our apartment anymore! And I won't have to wear a beanie to bed anymore either. It's so nice to have a warm apartment. This week the weather has actually been quite bearable, and I was happy not to have another cold spell hit us before the heat came on in our place. And now the funny thing is that our heat is always at a constant level and therefore cannot be controlled by us. So if we get too warm in our apartment, it will become neccesary to open windows in the house just so we can cool off.


- posted by Joel @ 11:11 PM

 
HAS THAT SERVICE COME TO YOUR REGION YET?

Back in California, and in many other areas of the US, one of the most popular questions that I hear asked by those who enjoy using the internet is, “Has DSL come to your city yet?” Everyone who has the internet seems to want to know if DSL or a local cable network company is available in their region yet so that they can get rid of that old dial-up method and move on to something bigger, better, and faster.

Well over here in Karaganda we have a different question that we ask during this particular time of the year. For you see, the city controls when all of the houses, apartments, and the buildings will begin to receive heat through the city controlled piping system that weaves its way through each of our places of residence. And now that the temperature is generally down in the 20-30s at night, the big question we are asking here is, “Has the heat turned on in your region yet?!” I would say we have quite the same attitude of expectation regarding this issue as the folks back home do with DSL.

I hear from others in the city that October 15th is the big day for having the heat turn on, but that it can also vary either way from that date about a week. So while we patiently wait for the heat to come on, I will continue to sleep at night with my sweats, sweatshirt, and beanie on my head. Once I’m actually in bed, it’s not so bad, it’s just the waking up in the morning part that gives me a hard time. Who wants to get out of a warm bed and stand in a fifty degree room anyway? Once again, I am so thankful for the water heater in our bathroom that allows me to have a warm shower in the morning.

- posted by Joel @ 11:33 PM

 
ONE MONTH OF TEACHING COMPLETE

It hardly seems possible that our team has been in Karaganda for over a month already. It seems like just yesterday that I was wandering aimlessly around a local market looking for bread and pointing at food items while making many unintelligible noises that the clerk could not understand...oh wait, that WAS yesterday.

Okay so one month went by fast, and I still can't communicate much better in the local markets than when I first came, but at least the other day I was able to understand the lady at the money exchange place when I handed her ten dollars to change and she said something like, "Nyet Tenge" ("No tenge", which is the Kazakh currency). I guess when people say that money talks, it's understandable in Russian too!

Well as I was saying, I can't believe I've been here over a month. This week I will be giving my students there first test, and I am anxious to see if they learned and remembered anything from me, if the test is too easy, and if they will want to come back again next week. I hope that they did learn and that I can challenge them with the test. I continue to learn and improve during my times of lesson planning. It is a struggle, but I know the more I do it, the more I'll get better at it and understand how to develop a solid plan in less time than it takes me now (usually a good part of the day).

SECOND WEEK OF SPORTS AT THE SOCCER FIELD

About as many students came out to play baseball and soccer as did last Saturday. We had a very good time playing baseball again and then later a full-field game of soccer. It was great fun and all the students seemed to enjoy it. We watched a baseball movie in class last week, so now the students know some new baseball terms and expressions. Some of the older guys who played are now able to imitate Babe Ruth's famous "called shot" by pointing to left field before they take their swing at the ball. They know the Great Bambino well and they also now know what it means to be in a "pickle" or to try and hit my "heater" when I pitch to them.

A few people from outside of the class came out to play also and that was very good. At the end of the game time, one of them said, “See you next Saturday". I hadn’t anticipated playing every week but I had the feeling he was under the assumption that we would do that. I guess they played sports regularly last year. I also found out that we could play indoor volleyball if the weather was disagreeable with us next weekend, so I will ask the students to see what they want to do this coming weekend.

ENGLISH CLUB EXPERIMENT

This Sunday at the Joy church, we had our first "English Club". It is still in the experimental stages, but basically it will be a free outreach put on by the church for anyone who wants to come and learn more English. I led the lesson for the day and we shared introductions with each other, learned some new idioms, and then talked a little about what it means to be successful in life. We enjoyed our time together and plan to have this club each week after church on Sunday. At this point it will be fairly informal, but we will focus on different aspects of English learning depending on the level and expecations of those who are attending.

Also next Sunday, the pastor has asked me to share my testimony during the morning service as well as in the English Club that afternoon. I will have a friend translating for me in the service so that I can share as I would if I were speaking to other English speakers. The purpose of my testimony is to allow the congregation to get to know who I am so that they will have a better understanding of my background and desire for serving within the church (specifically, the English Club). I believe this will be the place that I will attend on a regular basis.

HITCH-HIKING AT MIDNIGHT?

Well I thought maybe we'd be in for an interesting adventure on our way home tonight from a friend's house. Several of the teachers went to a region outside of Karaganda to visit a friend for dinner. The ride was about 45 minutes from our apartment. After our time together, we left our friend's place about 9:30 and caught a Mashruka (van-bus) for our ride back into Karaganda. The van was packed and a couple of us had to stand hunched-over because there was not enough room to sit. About ten minutes into the ride, we started to hear the engine begin to sputter a little bit. Before we knew it, our van was dead on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere (at least it was to me because I was lost). We all got out and I thought we might have to do a bit of walking to get to the next bus stop, but fortunately, another mashruka came by just after we got out and stopped for us. Of course it was already pretty full, so we were able to increase the body heat temperature quite a bit more by stuffing a few extra people in the van.

I actually was able to sit down this time, but not without having three guys crowded around me so that I was forced to squeeze up next to the window of the van. I was thinking about how little room I had, but then I thought that at least I had a seat and that I didn't have to stand hunched over the way they were. And to look on the bright side, I told my friend behind me that having three guys crowded around me like that made up for the lack of seat belts because it was like having three automatic airbags to brace the blow if we got into an accident. Hmmm...pretty selfish on my part. Well these tight spaced rides seem to do weird stuff to my brain and I can't help but think about odd situations like that (See my 8am bus ride in the sardine can).

Anyway, we made it home just fine, and I smiled at yet another adventure in transportation in Karaganda. I'm sure it will get even more interesting when the snow season comes and the buses have to stop driving when they can't see twenty feet in front of them because of the blizzard. Ahh...memories of North Dakota are near at hand. :)

- posted by Joel @ 2:05 AM

 
PLAYING BALL AT THE SANDLOT

Well how about that baseball game we played on Saturday? I think the students had a great time, and I know I had a great time. About 18 of my 33 students showed up to play baseball at the all field on Saturday and I was very happy to see that so many people came out to play. We started off with a little batting practice so I could teach them the rules of the game.

Our field was an all-dirt soccer field that belonged to the local school. We didn’t have bases, so we made some bases using rocks and trash that was lying around. We also didn’t have gloves for everyone so I tried to use the softest ball we had available. It ended up being a large plush-type softball which was soft enough on the outside to catch bare-handed, but hard enough on the inside to still hit a long way. I also ended up pitching slow-pitch style softball instead of fast-pitch because of safety concerns.

The students loved it and they caught on fairly quick to the rules and ways of the game. After the batting-practice we split up into two teams and began to play. Some of them hit the ball a long way! I was happy to see that everyone hit the ball well at least one time and had a chance to get on base and run the bases. Of course there is a certain level of competitive spirit in a game like this and both teams did their best to win. Unfortunately there is also a certain amount of cheating that goes on by some students as they often “forget” what the score was for their team when I ask. I pitched for both sides (I was completely worn out at the end) so that I could help tell players what to do after hitting the ball.

After the students were tired of playing, we took a little break. For the last part of our time, some students threw the frisbee together while others got a little game of soccer going on one half the of the field. We played for about 30 minutes more and then we called it a day.

After the games, some students still wanted to go out to do other things, so we went out to eat at a fast food restaurant that serves fried chicken items along with side dishes (very similar to KFC). They had pretty good food for fast food and it was a good chance to talk with the students in a group setting that was informal. We spent some time asking questions for everyone in the group to answer. Some of the questions were, “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” and “What would you do if you knew you only had one day left to live?” Each person in the group had to take a turn answering, and then we asked another one. I was surprised by the question asked by one student, “What is your purpose in life?” Well that seemed like a good chance for me to share about what is truly meaningful in my life, and so those students were able to hear about two greatest commandments and my commitment to follow them.

Later in the evening, we took a quick walk in the park and the students showed me the lake where there are row-boats available to rent if you wanted to go out on the lake. We weren’t interested though, so we continued to walk around the lake for a while. By the time it was getting dark, everyone was ready to go home. So I got on my bus (Bus 45) and headed back to my apartment. I was quite happy with the time spent with everyone and I hoped to play again next Saturday…assuming it doesn’t snow or anything.

- posted by Joel @ 12:34 AM

 
FUNERAL ON THE SIDEWALK?

Today I was walking with my teammate to visit another friend in a different apartment complex. We were walking down the sidewalk, chatting about various things when we noticed down the way that there was a large group of over 100 people standing in an organzied formation wearing mostly dark colors. I immediately thought it might be a funeral, but I was puzzled as to why a funeral would be taking place in the middle of a residential area of apartment complexes.

As we came closer, we saw that this funeral was being observed by all Muslim believers. The first thing I heard was the voice of one man chanting in Arabic. As I came closer, I saw that he was standing next to a group of people who were all men. Off to the side, as is traditional, the women were standing in their own group and paying homage to the deceased. I was most surprised when we came closer to see that the body was actually laying there on the sidewalk, covered in a blanket. I had never seen anything like it before, but they were performing an official funeral right in the middle of this residential area where people regularly walk on the sidewalk to and from their business.

It was quite a sobering experience and it's the second time I've seen a dead body in public like that since I have been here. The first time came a couple of weeks ago at a bus stop where an older women had apparently died suddenly (or she was hit by traffic) and was lying on the sidewalk, surrounded by many people and some police officers. Her face was covered with a sheet and I knew she was no longer alive.

When I came back from my friend's apartment, there was no sign or trace that a funeral had ever been performed on the sidewalk that I had just walked by two hours ago. Now it will feel a little bit different each time I walk by that part of the sidewalk. Seeing a dead person in public like that is always sobering experience and it reminds me of how short our life really is on this earth. Once to die and judgement after that...at least that is what I believe. But fortunately that loving Judge has paid in full for all the broken laws...if the defendant will choose to plead guilty and accept that payment. For me, I'm not only out on parole, but free from all debts created past, present, and future. Life on earth, although short, is sure a lot more peaceful thanks to the One who paid my bail and allowed for me to escape the darkness.
- posted by Joel @ 12:06 AM

 
10 REASONS WHY HAVING "LOW EXPECTATIONS" HAVE HELPED ME ADJUST TO KARAGANDA

When at training they kept beating into our heads the phrase, "low expectations." We were told to be prepared for the worst and then it won't seem so bad if it's slightly better than worse. Well as a normally optimistic person, that has helped a lot here and these are some reasons why...

10. There is no In & Out Burger, Olive Garden, or Chili's here in Karaganda, but I have to say that eating a traditional Uzbek meal (soup, shish-kabob, bread, salad, stuffed meat rolls, and tea) for about $2.50 isn't a half bad deal at all...if only my stomach could wait more than two hours to digest it before making me run to the bathroom.

9. There are a lot more English speaking people here in the city than I expected, so I have not lacked in opportunities to speak my own language on a regular basis...now if only I could communcate with the remaining 300,000 people living here.

8. When the water is running, we have water for hot showers and I'm VERY thankful!

7. Our TV screen is only about 15 inches wide, but at least the VCR player doesn't eat movies like our teammate, Andy's VCR does

6. Sure it takes days to dry clothes in 30 degree temperatures, but at least we have a small washing machine in our apartment to get our clothes clean in the first place

5. My chalk board in my classroom has bulges and unwritable spots on it, but at least the electrical outlets have been fixed so if I can't write anything on the board, I can always throw in an English movie, kick back, and let Robert Redford give the students their English lesson for the day

4. Yes there is a weird mystery smell in our kitchen that comes and goes on a regular basis, but at least we can retreat to the freshness of the toilet room when the kitchen smells too bad

3. Sometimes we get locked out of our own steel-door entry way to our apartment area, but at least there are professional lock breakers who can come at anytime and bust the locks with a screwdriver and hammer (that's reassuring security isn't it?)

2. Not having a way to drive around town on my own isn't so bad...these Mashruka (van-bus) drivers don't seem to pay attention to traffic laws very much so I get to places faster than I would if I was driving on my own

1. My students know English grammar better than I do in some cases, but when I can't remember the rule for present-perfect participles, at least I can stump them with phrases like "What up foo?" and "Who's your Momma?"

DISCLAIMER: You know I'm kidding about some of these right...I mean I am teaching a business class after all. :)

- posted by Joel @ 2:03 AM

 
THREE WEEKS OF TEACHING COMPLETE

I am relieved to have made it this far in my time of teaching as I continued to be challenged in my lesson planning for each day of class. The students seem to be enjoying the class, but I am sometimes pressed for what I think to be appropriate material to teach the class. Some students are at different levels than others so I don’t want to leave anyone behind or anyone bored, but I think that is difficult to do in any class, so I continue to try and find activities and ideas that will help everyone in one way or another. I am very thankful for all the training we had and all the resources I have been given by ESI to teach with. There are a great many ideas to choose from it that has been part of the fun in adapting it to fit a business setting.

Saturday my two classes will meet me at the school soccer field to play…baseball of all things. We took a vote, and both classes wanted to play baseball rather than soccer. That is fine with me since baseball has always been one of my favorites. After we play we may go out and tour around the city a little bit. I hope that this will be a good time to get to know some of the students on a more informal basis than in the classroom where we are mostly discussing business and English rather than life in general.

- posted by Joel @ 1:08 AM