"And so, the time is here, and so I've reached, the final curtain....."

Yes, it's goodbye time again. Having been in Kazakhstan almost 12 weeks, and here in Shymkent for 11, the GX programme is very almost over and I find myself thrown into manic preparations for departure. We gave our official community farewell reception on Saturday where the whole team joined together in thanking our host homes, volunteer placements, and others in the community for their support. I must say, it was rather a fun afternoon. We had a giant "Spaseeba Shymkent" (Thank You Shymkent) jigsaw, we showed a video of some of the things we've been up to since getting here, we sang songs (John Lennon's 'Imagine', and a Russian song of similar style about friendship and overcoming challenges), and we gave a presentation of the things we will be leaving in Shymkent (my contribution was English language teaching), and the things we will be taking away with us (clicheed, but I said I'm taking memories of all the fun we had, especially at the kids' summer camps). Oh, and there was muchos food - every member of the team had made and/or brought something. I had attempted a Doughty's Delight - a creamy cold pudding which my mum is famous for. Unfortunately I could not easily come by all the ingredients so it turned into an experiment involving biscuits rather than trifle sponge, and smetana (creamy yoghurty stuff) rather than the specific cream-yoghurt concoction it was supposed to be. However, it seemed to pay off alright as it all got eaten before I myself got to try it!

I'm going to continue to talk about food. One of my favourite topics. And there has been plenty lately. Last night, my host home made a little celebration for me which was so lovely. Roslan (Rashida's boyfriend) cooked shashlik - the traditional Kazakh barbeque - of marinated chicken. It was absolutely de-li-cious and we had it the traditional Kazakh way - meat only and eaten with the fingers! Rashida, Roslan and I sat outside in the evening warmth, eating shashlik, drinking beer and wine (no mixing, don't worry!), and chatting. Madina, Rashida's daughter joined us later too. It was such a lovely relaxing evening and one I won't forget. I'm already getting sad at the thought of having to say goodbye to them and to Rashida's father tomorrow!

And so, the next part of the adventure is that we are going to get an overnight train to Almaty tomorrow evening, arriving on Wednesday morning. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent in true GX-style, evaluating everything - we have 24 weeks to cover! I'm on the debrief committee along with Dinara, Rory and Kassym and so we have spent the last few weeks planning the two days. I just really hope they turn out OK and that we all have a load of fun in our last days together. :)


We certainly have had fun since we got here, though at times it has been a rollercoaster. As usual, now that I am finally feeling fully settled and used to the ways of Shymkent, it's time to leave..... OK, I'm going to mention some highlights:

• Our Community Action Days (CADs) where we could see the contributions we were making - bringing some joy into the lives of the kids at the summer camps, taming an overgrown garden, tidying up a library, dancing along to music at an anti-drugs campaign concert.....
• Teaching English at my placement. By the end of my time working at the Clinic, I was really attached to the girls who came along to the English classes we ran - their enthusiasm made it all worthwhile. On our final day there, we had a bit of a party and played loads of games. I won't forget their smiles.
• The trips we've taken - to the mountains, to Turkestan and Sairam (nearby towns where we saw many beautiful old mausoleums.....though I think I've seen more mausoleums in the last 11 weeks than I had seen in my entire pre-GX life - I'm now mausoleum-ed out!).
• Discovering the little oasis-es in Shymkent which were welcome relief on many a hot day - the cool shade and waterfall in Ken Baba Park, the sheer relaxation of the pool and sun loungers at the Aquapark, Mozarella - a Italian restaurant serving super-tasty pizza, and the centre of everything, the Mega Centre (a fully air-conditioned shopping centre!).
• The experience of the colourful and characterful bazaars and haggling over prices. This is something I really felt uncomfortable with at first, especially as I would ask how much something was, and then spend 5 minutes working out what price had been quoted me, and another 3 minutes working out how to say my offer! But with a bit of practice, I'm proud to say I improved.

And then, of course, I can't fail to mention all the people I've met and got to know here. Some of the moments that have meant so much have been where people have recognised me in the city centre and come over to say hello, for instance, some of the children from the camps, or the students from Interlink. It's like I've felt accepted and welcomed. Initially Shymkent seemed like a chaotic crazy place but it just took a little while to get used to. There are probably still places and instances I'm a little uncomfortable with (the blatant staring of some people, and getting comments from strangers on the street), but for the most part, I can hold my own. I can communicate with people in shops and on buses, and with my host family. It's little victories like communication which have helped to keep me positive.

I've learnt a lot. Man, I could go on forever about everything (but I won't).....I now know more about Kazakhstan, about cross-cultural teamwork, about social issues, about volunteering, and about myself. I have many memories to share with people. And I have good friends in an awesome team. We've had our difficulties in the past, but we have shared this experience with one another and that's something which will keep us united. When we all go our separate ways on Friday I predict there will be more than a few tears shed.

OK, so I am starting to sound more and more wishy-washy and so I should probably sign off here. When I get back to England I'll try to get some photos up and maybe a run-down of the FINAL DAYS.

I'm looking forward to seeing you back in Old Blighty. But until then, take care, and with much love,
Beth x

Prayer Points (thanks so much for your support over the past 6 months - I have appreciated it so very very much!)
Praise:
- For the successful completion of Phase 2, here in Shymkent. For the relationships we've built up with host homes, volunteer placements and others. For all that we have managed to achieve. Specifically I'd like to give thanks for my host home where I have been very happy.
- For all that has been learnt by each member of the team. I think we have all benefited from the programme.
Prayer:
- For safe travel. Our train to Almaty is overnight on Tuesday, and our plane home is on Friday morning. The Kazakhstanis will also all be travelling to their respective home towns on Friday.
- For our time of debrief and evaluation in Almaty. May we leave the programme havnig reflected on all the positive things which have happened and been achieved over the past 6 months, and have a lot of fun in our last 2 days together as well!
- For the future of the team. May each member be blessed in the path they will now take. Some do not know what they will do next, so for guidance and blessing.

Thank you and God bless,
Bx

Action stations!

As usual, too much to write about! The last few weeks have been action-packed on many levels. The geographer in me is wanting to split down my descriptions of what has been happening into different scales so here goes....bear with me on this!

Shymkent itself - nothing much has changed to be honest. The summer has continued on, hot and dusty.....until about the last week when there has been a perceptible change in the mornings and evenings - it's a little cooler! Thank goodness for that. :) The middles of the days are still sweltering most of the time, but the other morning, I actually woke up cold (imagine! Or maybe this is all too real for those of you back in the home country) and the night before last I found myself reaching for a blanket whereas for the previous weeks I have used just a mere sheet as covering, if that.

Ha! In true British fashion I find myself mentioning the weather first. But I have developed a theory as to why this is. You see, the UK has such a temperamental climate that the weather is always always changing and surprising us, so we like nothing better than to discuss it! So, you can understand why I pounce on the smallest variance in climate here as it makes a change. :)

The team - oh, we've been up to oodles and oodles of stuff. I think the last time I wrote we were just about to trip off to our Mid Phase Review at a place called Aksu-Jabagly, right near a nature reserve about 2 hours away. It couldn’t have been more different from Shymkent, and a very welcome break from the norm. We were staying in this tiny village with one street. The surroundings look right out of the Lake District and it smelt like Yorkshire. And we could hear the silence! I think it was only by traveling out of Shymkent that we realized just how noisy the place is all the time. Unfortunately most of our time was taken up with evaluating the programme so far (controversial at times, but good to get unspoken concerns out in the open), and the other activities we had planned – horse riding and walking in the mountains – had to be scrapped on account of complicated logistics (divide 6 horses by 19 people…..) and again, the weather (a very strange weekend of heavy rain showers). But the whole weekend was a refreshing break nonetheless.

Another notable trip we have recently taken has been to another children’s summer camp. I really have enjoyed these as the children are so open and friendly and eager to say hello or just look at us if they’re too shy! And we got to conduct some activities for them about smoking and how it’s bad for your health. So, whereas at a previous camp I, along with Gulnara, had to lead the kids in 5-minute sessions of aerobics (!), at this one, I, Kassym, Catherine and Misha got each team of children to elect one of their number to stand at the front with a spoon in their mouth, and read off some statements about smoking and healthy lifestyles. The rest of the team had to guess what they were saying. This was quite amusing, and we had more than one child laughing, trying to speak with the spoon impeding them and causing them to drool – lovely!

We’ve also been up to various socials including possibly the most relaxing day on GX so far where a few of us spent the whole afternoon and early evening at Shymkent’s outdoor water park. We did nothing much all day other than lounge about on sun loungers, reading books, chatting, and occasionally dipping into the swimming pool, or, if we were feeling adventurous, zooming down one of the water flumes. Bliss. I think Aquapark fits into our list of oasises (oases?) in Shymkent, along with Ken Baba Park and the Mega Shopping Centre.

I must mention GCDs (Global Citizenship Days) as they’ve played an important part in my fulfillment on GX, and yesterday was our last ever GCD (sob!). No more shall the team meet on Fridays to learn about global social issues….. Over the course of this phase, we have covered topics such as teenage pregnancy and contraception, human trafficking, poverty, disability, and corruption (as well as a few others). At one of the GCDs (I won’t tell you which one), we watched a really clever and interesting short film which had a profound and challenging effect on my attitude. Please do check it out if you have the chance. It's in two parts, in total about 11 minutes long. Take a look at part 1 here. And part 2 here. I would also highly recommend watching the film ‘Philadelphia’ which we did when thinking about attitudes towards sexuality. It’s a brilliant film, set in the 1990s, in which Tom Hanks plays a high flying attorney who is gay and has AIDS. When this is discovered by others, he is discriminated against and fired from his job on a pretext of incompetency. The main plot focuses on the legal battle for the recognition of his rights, and the efforts of his attorney (Denzel Washington) to overcome his own homophobia to make the case for him. It’s a tear-jerker too and I wasn’t the only one who had tears streaming down my face by the end of the afternoon.

OK, stepping down from team level, I’ll talk about my placement. To be honest, it’s similar to last time. I can’t deny I’ve had a mixed experience volunteering there as there have been long stretches of time where I haven’t felt that I’ve been contributing much, but I can certainly say that teaching English has made me feel more useful. I have three more classes to teach – two on Monday, and our final one on Tuesday which is also our last day of being at our placement. Last Thursday I told the girls that Tuesday would be our last lesson and they were so sad about it! To be honest, I will be too as they’ve been great pupils and we’ve had a lot of fun together. During one of our lessons last week, I ended up acting out certain feelings (feeling angry, feeling hungry, feeling in love, feeling…..ugly!) which had us all in giggles. I never thought I would be able to teach English, and it’s been a challenge, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, I couldn’t do it without the help of Olga, and sometimes some of the other Kazakhstanis, to help translate stuff, and also to explain English grammar. Honestly, until Olga explained, I had no notion of the rules for making nouns plural!

Ah! I forgot to say that we have moved into the new clinic building and so for the last 2 weeks we have had a lovely spacious, unsmelly room with a squeaky clean white board. J It’s beautiful. The building itself doesn’t officially open until next Friday (although, as usual, this is subject to change as it has done at least 3 times so far), but we may yet be involved in the opening.

And now onto a personal level. It has been a turbulent time of late for several reasons. Last time I wrote I was preoccupied with trying to work out what I should do post-GX. Well, I am very very happy to say that that is now sorted! A big answer to weeks and months of prayer. As of Tuesday 15^th September, I will be a part-time administrator for a fair trade NGO called Banana Link which has its UK headquarters in Norwich! It all became clear about a week and a half ago – I had a telephone interview and an emailed computer test (both not without technical difficulties being as they were being conducted a couple of thousand miles away from Norwich!), and an hour or so later, I was told that Banana Link were offering me the job! Now at this point, I still wasn’t entirely sure that I wasn’t meant to be going to Reading to do my Masters after all. But I had what might be called a revelationary moment at about midnight that night, when everything became clear – of course this is the right thing for me to do. It was a lot more complicated than that but I don’t want to bore you with even more details, but there we are. Reading is deferred and I shall be working in Norwich. It is a job which could, potentially, start me on the international development career ladder (admin’s where everyone has to start), and the fact it’s in fair trade…..well, let’s just say that on the team I am known for being a fair trade nut.

The other turbulence has been caused by the departure of Dinara from our host home – she has moved into a different host home with some of the others on the team. The two of us are fine and still get on really well, but you can imagine it’s taken a bit of getting used to as for the last 5 months we have shared almost every moment (except when we’ve been at our placements) together. I do miss her a lot :( but thankfully I’m very comfortable living here with Rashida, Madina, and Rashida’s father. Obviously there’s been some adjustment as it’s very different without Dinara here. But it has also meant that I’ve been improving my Russian and communicating more with Rashida’s father (who speaks no English) as Dinara has not been around to act as intermediary! Often, in the evenings we watch a Turkish family soap together which has been really badly dubbed in Russian, but I kind of understand it and it’s quite funny in parts!

OK, well, I think that’s the blog fairly well up to date by now! Sincerest apologies that, once again, on account of my laxity, everything has piled up and so it’s turned into an epistle of uber-mammoth length. Perhaps next time it will be a bit shorter. And it may be the last as it’s a mere 13 days until we leave the country, and 10 days until we leave Shymkent! Crazy stuff.

I hope all is well with everyone. I can’t wait to get in some proper catching up soon.

Take care, and with much love,

B x :)

Prayer points

Praise:

- For the friendships and relationships that the team has been built up here in Shymkent with our host homes, volunteer placements, and with the others we have met.

- For answer to prayer about my future, and that I will have a job to return to which I am very excited about!

- For the completion of the new building at my placement (Youth Healthy Lifestyle Clinic). The are a few bits and pieces which need tweaking but it’s looking fab and I’m sure it will be a real blessing to the work that the organization does.

Prayer:

- For all the preparations for our departure. As we’re winding up our activities here in Shymkent, please pray that we will have the time to fit in all that needs to be done as there really is a lot, as well as devoting enough time to the people who have supported us here (host homes, volunteer placements), to ourselves, and to spending time with God.

- For team friendships and relationships. May they continue to grow stronger and stronger right up until the end of the programme.

Thanks so much. Love and prayers, Bx

What next?

Yes, as Kirsty said, I am a scamp. I'm sorry it's been more than a month. I can feel the pressure of falling behind on my updates. And alas, I haven't the time right now to fill in the massive gap I've left behind me (the last 5 weeks) but I thought I'd better reassure you I'm still alive. I've become a little more roasted in the sweltering Shymkent sun (mid-30s to 40s most days), but otherwise I remain unscathed by my experience. Pretty much over the major culture shock - it took longer than expected but I can now say with confidence that it's a thing of the past. My motto has become 'Go with the flow' as it's the best way to accept the unfamiliar environment and happenings that surround me. (I hope) I'm older and wiser for the experience. And I shouldn't forget to mention I am having fun! Recently we've helped out at a couple of children's summer camps which has been rewarding as the kids enjoyed the activities we put on for them. At the last one Gulnara and I ended up leading teams of children in some aerobics exercises!

There has been much to keep me preoccupied lately. It varies from week to week. There was Dinara's and my second GCD on Human Rights (did you know that one of the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to rest and leisure - we should do well to remember that one!!!). Then I'm on the communications committee which means that every so often I have responsibilities in putting together our team newsletter. But at the moment, my main preoccupation is not to do with GX. It's to do with the future. At the beginning of the programme I thought I had everything mapped out.....I return to the UK on 4th September and I have a place to study a MSc in Rural Land and Business Management at Reading University, commencing in late September. However, I'm now rethinking this. There are very good reasons both why I should go straight to Reading, and why I should defer a year, but I just can't seem to sort them out at the moment in my mind. So I'm hoping and waiting and praying for some guidance. Watch this space for what happens next..... Oh, and if anyone has any answers, pass them this way!

Right folks. Here's a promise that more blogging will follow shortly. In particular I want to put up a bit of light travel writing as it's all getting composed in my head but doesn't seem to come out on the keyboard when I sit down in the internet cafe. But we're going away this weekend to a nature reserve for some time to reflect on the past 7 weeks that we've spent in KZ (yes, it has been that long!) and for a bit of a break. Back Monday, hopefully rested, relaxed, refreshed and ready for the final 5 weeks.

So, until next time, much love,
Beth x :)

Prayer points
Praise:
- That activities at work have recently picked up. I now help to teach two English classes a week which I really enjoy, and our new building is very almost finished so we're looking forward to moving in soon!
- For successful Community Action Days where the team has pulled together to help out at various places. We have recently been to two children's summer camps, and done a day's gardening work at one of the other placements.
Prayer:
- For team health. It seems that periodically people get dodgy stomachs, and in particular, Ben has been suffering from various different ailments. When people aren't feeling well it seems to affect motivation and mood levels.
- For our weekend away. That it will be an encouraging time together and that we will return to Shymkent feeling rested, relaxed, refreshed and ready for the final few weeks. I've a feeling some issues may arise so please pray that we will work through them effectively become closer as a team as a result.
- For the decision I have to make. Please pray that I will know what God's will for my future is and that I will be able to make the decision in time.

Thanks. Bx

Sickness and (near) death

Strictly speaking, if we're going for chronological order then the title should be the other way round as the near death experience came first, but that's by the by.

Yes, it's true, earlier this week my stomach (which I had great faith in seeing as it survived four and a half months in Brazil without the slightest revolt) decided it didn't agree with whatever I ate (too much fruit methinks) and so I had a 45 minute date with the bathroom at 2 in the morning as my bowels decided to empty themselves however they could. Beautiful. Thankfully I am back to normal now but I know now to be more wary with what I'm eating and drinking. Think I'll steer clear of cherries and apricots from now on...

The near-death experience came last Sunday and it's certainly something I will not be forgetting easily. I don't think I've ever feared for my life as much as I did then thanks to the stupidity of some 20-something Kazakhstani guys who thought they would be giving us a fun afternoon and evening! Seeing as it is ridiculously hot here in Shymkent, I have been dying to go swimming since we arrived and so when one of the host homes (a young recently married couple) offered that they and their friends would take us to a nearby swimming spot, we readily agreed. Little did we realise then. We started to gather at 4pm at Mega, the super-shiny shopping centre in the centre of Shymkent which juxtaposes against the hot and dusty streets of the rest of the city. As Kazakhstan is pretty laid back when it comes to timing, it was 5pm before we were ready to set off. We were split into different cars and off we set. A little more quickly than we are used to but we know drivers here are pretty nippy so we thought little of it. It was only once we hit the roads outside of the main city that we realised perhaps the driving was a little more than we had bargained for. I'm talking something like out of The Fast and The Furious. And literally breaking every single driving rule I can think of!!!! No seatbelts, talking on a mobile whilst driving, speeding, going through red lights, drinking beer...at one point, three of the guys drew their cars into a row across the road, revving their engines before slamming on the accelerators and racing up the road. I was in the car on the inside of the road and along with Grace and Ben, the other passengers, was literally screaming as we saw an oncoming lorry! Parents and friends, I PROMISE FAITHFULLY NEVER TO TAKE SUCH A RISK AGAIN by getting into a car with these lunatics on any other occassion! We all agreed later that a lesson had been learnt.

Having said all that, once we got to the second lake (the first was too full...so 2 and a half hours of hair-raising driving later we finally got to some water!!!), had a thoroughly refreshing swim. It was just approaching dusk which gave the place a lovely light and we got to see the mountains near Shymkent too in the hazy distance. It was rather pretty after the dusty confusion of the city. Dinara and I didn't want to stay too late so took the first opportunity of getting back to Shymkent with the first car leaving. Still, this wasn't quite the direct route home we were hoping for as the couple in the car insisted taking us to a cafe first and stopped off to persuade another family member, Oscar, to come too. There were a few comments that Oscar and I should get married but they were only joking. I think! Although we didn't really want to go to the cafe and stay out even later, it was a display of Kazakhstani hospitality and people here are really just genuinely interested in English people (we're a very rare breed) and are eager to learn more English.

Dinara and I got off quite lightly compared with the others in our team who had stayed on at the lake - they weren't so lucky. The crazy lunatic drivers insisted on having a party which meant everyone had to stay late and when they eventually agreed to head home, all three cars got stopped by the police! It all sounded very confusing but involved trying to bribe the policemen... But thankfully the whole team did eventually get home safe and sound. It was an adventure not to be repeated and one that we can now look back on and laugh!

On more a more GX programme-related note, we started our volunteer placements last Monday. I am working for a Youth Clinic with Olga. The clinic is not yet open as the building (an old 'House of Blood' - where blood was donated and transfused) is being thoroughly renovated and repaired, but the organisation also works with schools etc to provide education and information and healthy living and sexual health. I'm not entirely sure if the building will be ready before we leave but we'll have to see. This week has been very quiet and there have been long hours when Olga and I have been sat in our room (yes, we have our own room!) chatting and trying to make some decorations for the room with the very limited resources we have (pens keep disappearing as well...). A lot of the other workers were hard at work preparing for an Anti-Drugs event which happened on Friday evening. I'm hoping that that's part of the reason why we did not have much to do and that things will pick up from this week. There's talk that we might be giving some English classes to the rest of the workers in the clinic as none of them speak much English and they are keen to learn more. To be honest, I have found the week quite frustrating as I'm the type of person who wants to get stuck in and make a difference from the beginning but it is really difficult when I am unable to communicate with anyone else except Olga. But these are probably just teething problems and hopefully as the weeks pass we will be able to identify how we can make a difference.

Another GX development is that we have taken part in several Community Action Days already which is encouraging as through these actions we have a purpose regardless of our placements and through them we also take part in the community. The first CAD I missed as I still wasn't feeling 100% on Thursday evening, but the rest of the team went to a nightclub, introduced themselves at the front and stated their purpose - giving out condoms to encourage safe sex so as to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS (a rapidly increasing problem in this region) and STIs. Apparently it was quite a fun evening but the condom distribution got a mixed reception as some people just did not want to know. I think sex is still quite a taboo topic in Kazakhstani society, especially in this region which is known for being more "traditional".

Our second CAD was on Friday - the team were involved with the Anti-Drugs event which took place in one of the parks in the centre of Shymkent and was to mark the International Day of Combat Against Drug Addiction and Trafficking. The Event was kind of a concert thing with lots of acts - dancers (including some breakdancers who involved contortion in some of their moves!), singers (the GX team were spontaneously invited up on stage to act as backing dancers - a very surreal experience dancing on stage in front of a couple of hundred Kazakhstani people!), quizzes about drugs, and then GX. Our team performed a sketch about why drugs are bad which involved string tying people together representing the different pressures that drugs exert on a person. Unfortunately the string kept breaking but I think we just about managed to pull it off! Our other involvement was in a "volunteers' dance" along with some othe local young volunteers. We had only learn the dance that afternoon so were a bit nervous but it was actually rather fun and went well. The concert closed with the symbolic act of launching lots of helium balloons. We left feeling that it had been a good evening's work and that, hopefully, the message about drugs will have hit home to at least some of those who attended.

And then yesterday (Saturday) we did another mini-CAD in about 20 minutes where we handed out 150 information packs about HIV-AIDS to young people in the centre of Shymkent, representing one of the volunteer placements which supports HIV-AIDS orphans. Again, a bit of a mixed reception but most people were happy just to take a plastic bag from us, I think as it was easier than stopping to chat or to refuse!

Phew! Mega-bloggage going on there. But a lot has been happening recently. Every day is different and my mood is yo-yoing a bit at the moment too. I think I am finding it more difficult to settle in here than I had expected I would but things are definitely on the up as we take part in CADs. Hopefully our role in the placement will begin to take shape this week too... I'll update you on that next time.

But til then, with lots of love,
Beth xxx :)

Prayer points
Praise:
- That we are getting stuck in to some Community Actions;
- That I am beginning to feel a bit more settled. Getting to grips with the bus system, and being able to update my phone by myself are just little daily victories!
- That I am being taught to trust and rely more on God day by day. This experience is really helping me to focus more on Him.

Prayer:
- For team health. I think most people have suffered a little in some way since we arrived.
- For more opportunities for the team to take part in the community.
- For my placement - that Olga and I will find some meaning to us being there which will keep us thoroughly occupied!

Thanks and God Bless. B x

Contact address

In case you feel like testing out the Kazakhstani postal service (I have absolutely no idea what this is like!), I am staying at:

26a Kentau Avenue
160002 Shymkent
KAZAKHSTAN

The novelty factor

Hello from Kazakhstan!

After 5 days of being in Kazakhstan, we've finally made it into an internet cafe. I think it looks like any othe internet cafe around the world since it seems to be identical to the ones I used to frequent in Brazil 5 years ago!

Anyway, the last week has been absolutely jam-packed full of new and strange experiences which are making my head feel like bursting! I believe it's called culture shock..... Hopefully as we get settled into our host homes and placements over the next week then this feeling will subside. The whole team seems to be feeling this way at the moment, Kazakhstanis included - apparently Shymkent (our host community) is pretty much like a different world to most of them too!

The whole adventure started last Thursday when we jumped on board a coach from Harlow, and from there to a bmi flight from Heathrow bound for Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty. We arrived in the wee small hours of the morning, getting to our hotel at 4am and so only got about 3 hours sleep before breakfast and the commencement of our bombardment with new experiences, starting with breakfast itself. I have never had cabbage and beef at 8am before! There were other courses to breakfast too, including a type of porridge of which we had several varieties whilst in Almaty - almost makes up for the lack of cereal. ;) Other 'cross-cultural musings' about food are that in Kazakhstan, tea is drunk with everything, and can either be taken with milk, lemon, sugar, none of the above, and can come in an instant packet. Also, I think I may get rather fat in Kazakhstan as most meals seem to include meat and potatoes, and the pastry snacks we have been provided with are delicious, and they are mostly fried. Oh dear...

Over the weekend that we were in Almaty, we had various bits and pieces of training and a press conference with the national press (!), but also a chance to do a bit of sightseeing. I think the highlights for me were going to the city's best viewpoint, Kak Tibya (pronounced something like that at least) and looking out over the city towards the majestic Tien Shan mountains which rise up to the east of the city. We also went to the foothills of the mountains, where some of us climbed up 841 steps to get another spectacular view! Stunning.

We have quickly learnt that traffic in Kazakhstan is crazy. Crossing the road is a mission, even more so here in Shymkent than in Almaty and drivers nip around pretty quickly, seemingly with few road rules! We're mainly sticking to buses which, as you can imagine (and like in any new city), have their own system which we will hopefully get used to.

On Monday night we left Almaty to travel by overnight train to Shymkent. Although the process of leaving the hotel and getting on board the cramped train and into the compartments was a bit of a stressful mission, once on board I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Before the sun went down I was more than happy to gaze out of the window (lying front down on one of the top bunks with my head next to the open window through which the breeze was a welcome relief!). The steppe landscape was mesmerising - it seemed to go on forever with very little interruptions, just the occasional isolated settlement or lone horse. Once night fell, we tried to get a bit of sleep - I got more than I thought I would, even though I was on the top bunk and was told that I had to be careful when the train stopped as I might be catapulted onto the floor!

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning, we received a fantastic welcome at Shymkent station - quite a lot of people turned out for our arrival, complete with a massive 'Welcome 2 Shymkent' banner and English and Kazakhstani flags. We were all whisked away to our host homes. Dinara and I are staying with Rashida, an English teacher in her late 20s. There is also her daughter (Medina) and her father in the house. She has given up her large double bedroom for us and she is sleeping on the sofa. The house itself is much more spacious than Harlow. It is in a peaceful area and there is an overgrown kind of garden where I picked fresh raspberries for breakfast this morning. :)

Yesterday and today we have been having yet more training, but we also now know our placements. I will be working at Youth Friendly Clinics with Olga but we have yet to be told what this involves so we will have to wait and see until Monday! Some American Peace Corps volunteers came to speak to us today about volunteering in Kazakhstan and we were told to expect a very different style of working to what we are used to. Intriguing.

OK, running out of time so my comments on Shymkent will have to wait for another time.

Love to all,
Beth xxx :)

Prayer points:
Praise:
- That we and all our luggage arrived safely in Shymkent!
- For the welcome that we have received here.
Prayer:
- That we all settle in quickly. The whole team seems to be suffering from culture shock at the moment which I think is affecting our energy levels.
- That Olga and I will be able to get stuck in at Youth Friendly Clinics on Monday, that we will be challenged, inspired, and learn through the experience whilst making a difference!
- For host home relationships. As we have only been here 1 and a half days it will take a while to build these up. I'm still feeling a bit awkward and shy so I'd really appreciate prayer for this.
Thanks!

Clarity

I've no idea why the previous post was labelled Tuesday 9th June - it seems to be a bit behind times! I'm leaving tomorrow, on Thursday 11th June.... Bx