Dear loyal readers,

First of all, I apologize for not having posted in so long. There was a lengthy period where I couldn’t access blogger.com because the government blocked the website (facebook too). Everything is okay now.

I received several messages from people asking about the violence in Kyrgyzstan. First, let me stress that I am perfectly fine. Thankfully, the upheaval did not spread to Kazakhstan, although there was a brief period where we thought that might be the case. There were rumors of possible demonstrations in Almaty, but nothing happened. Kazakhs are pretty apathetic when it comes to politics. The former President of Kyrgyzstan did make a brief stop in the city of Taraz (where we have several volunteers) before heading on to Belarus, but that was about it. I do appreciate the concern that some of you expressed, and, admittedly, I did briefly consider the possibility that I might be heading home sooner than expected. For what it’s worth, I understand that most of the Peace Corps volunteers in Kyrgyzstan are back to business as usual. Apparently about twenty of those living in the southern part of the country were sent home.

As for my business—I finish teaching next week, which is a very exciting development indeed. I have enjoyed teaching more than I thought I would, but I’m looking forward to the break. The week after next I’ll be presenting a paper at the 11^th annual National Association of Teachers of English of Kazakhstan (NATEK) conference (I imagine my work will be published in the Chronicle of Higher Education shortly). Then I am running a summer camp at my school during the first two weeks of June. In July I’ll be in the States for two weeks for some much needed R&R.

Here is some basic information about my life in Kazakhstan:

Money: I am paid about 500$ a month in Kazakh Tenge (the local currency). While this may not seem like much, it does allow me to enjoy a perfectly acceptable standard of living in this country. The rent for a typical apartment is about 200$ a month, and food and other incidentals are also fairly inexpensive. Peace Corps pays us additional travel and living allowances in the event that we have trainings or workshops far away from our permanent sites.

Food: The national dish of Kazakhstan is called Beshbarmak, which is essentially chopped up pieces of horse or beef spread out over a bed of what we might call lasagna noodles. This is served only on special occasions, or whenever guests come to visit. In practice, this means that Kazakhs eat Beshbarmak all the time. And, as a frequent guest of honor at celebratory events, I often get the added bonus of getting to eat a piece of the head of the animal. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Beyond that, the diet here pretty much consists of potatoes, pasta and beef (or occasionally horse). Fruit and vegetables are very hard to come by during the winter months, as everything has to be imported from Uzbekistan or China. In general, Kazakh food can be quite bland, so I usually try to go out on the weekends and eat out with friends. As Kazakhstan is home to over 100 different ethnic groups, you can find lots of good food if you know where to look. For example, Kyzylorda has several good Korean places, a decent Chinese restaurant, and a good Georgian place. I tend to order things like Plov, an Uzbek dish consisting of rice, carrots and beef, or Shasklik, skewers of barbequed meats. All in all, pretty good stuff (albeit not all that healthy).

Housing: I still live with my Kazakh host family, although I am looking forward to moving into my own place. In principle, I could have moved out at the beginning of May, but I have decided to wait an extra few months until one of my Peace Corps friends here in Kyzylorda moves out of his apartment (he is going to graduate school in Scotland). As of August 9^th I will move into his place. All are welcome to sleep on my floor.

Weather: The winters are brutally cold, and the summers are brutally hot (at least in this part of the country). A week ago it was already 35 degrees Celsius, and I am told it can get up to 50 degrees in July and August. We’re talking Dante’s Inferno hot. I can usually deal with the heat pretty well, but my body is going to need some time to adjust to this. At least it’s a dry heat. The other issue is the constant wind, which blows sand and dust up into your eyes whenever you go outside. The only really bearable time to live here is April and October, when it’s comfortable temperature-wise and the winds die down a little.

Politics: I would be happy to discuss the political situation in Kazakhstan via e-mail. I will not comment on it here.

Gender Relations: See “Politics.”

2010 Buffalo Bills’ Playoff Outlook: Not good.

Thanks for the many supportive e-mails/comments. I hope this post finds all of you well—wherever you are in the world—and I look forward to hearing from you soon. I promise to post again in a more reasonable amount of time.

Take care for now.

Alex