Laundry Day

Peace Corps is truly different all around the world. Some countries are very poorly developed, and others.... well not so much. Kazakhstan doesn't quite fit the Posh Corps definition (okay, maybe some site locations might) but it falls closer on the more developed scale than my friends that are going to Africa soon. This general fact relates to my story about laundry.

While my family does have hot water (thankfully) and a TV (although no cable), they do not have a washing machine. Some volunteers have host families that do have washing machines. For them laundry is only different because there are no dryers. (Dryers, by the way, may be the most inefficient machine ever invented. Clothes dry. It's what they do. All you have to do is hang them up. But we found a way to use up power and electricity just to make it more convenient.) Anyway, it got to the point where I needed to do laundry. I was fine wearing my shirts over and over again, and my pants as well. But once you run low on socks and underwear, you don't have a choice.

I had broached the topic with my host brother on Thursday of last week, mentioning to him that I would need to do laundry. While I was wanting to do it on my own, a small part of me wanted to be faced with the hospitality that some of the other volunteers had, i.e. their family insisted on them doing it rather than the volunteer. My family, which gives me quite a bit of autonomy, was not interested in this. Rather, my host brother was pretty much like, okay. This was a problem, being that I didn't have any idea on HOW to do laundry.

Fortunately, I had enough essentials to last until Saturday in which our language teacher had promised a laundry training day. I was eagerly anticipating this, as I was quickly reaching the critical stage of garment options. Saturday came and we combined with another language group to learn this critical, developing world skill. We divided between men and women and raced against each other, each washing one piece of clothing. We learned how to soak, scrub, rinse, and dry. (Of course, the women won, partly due to the fact that one of their members routinely hand washed their clothes). But the more important victory was the knowledge of knowing how to do this myself.

That afternoon, I was ready. Instead of asking for instruction, I merely had to ask my host family where to wash. I asked them where I should and they gave me the tazik (tub) and told me I still needed soap and detergent. I was happy to buy this from the store, as I enjoy interacting with the local magazine (how to say store in Russian, think Army magazine) workers, mainly practicing the question of how much does this cost and getting a string of numbers back so quickly, that I don't actually understand them (I can county to 999,999,999,999 in Russian now, but it's just hearing it that is the problem).

Anyway, I get the soap, and the detergent, and my clothes, and I'm ready to go. I soak, and scrub, and rinse for about an hour and a half and get most of my clothes done. I was really feeling like I'm in the Peace Corps. So maybe I don't have to heat up my water on the stove or take malaria pills, but I'm hand washing my clothes. I even managed to rub a sore on one of my knuckles, from what I'm assuming was poor beginner's technique.

After rinsing the detergent (or at least most of it, who am I kidding, some of the detergent out of my clothes), I hung them off our fifth story balcony to dry. I wasn't fully thinking this through, but I only hung some article by one clothespin. This was due to the limiting number of clothespins and my large amount of clothing articles. I wanted to maximize the amount of clothes I could dry at one time.

I then left to hang out with some other volunteers and watch a movie. (We tried watching Aladdin, but had to settle for Just Friends instead. Major downgrade there.) I come back about three hours later to find that most of my clothes had already dried. But some of them weren't there. Having forgotten about the huge wind gusts that often go through our fifth floor apartment, I had not really considered how precarious my clothes were just hanging by one clip. A quick survey showed that my pants were still there, as were my shirts and there were an even number of socks. The gaps must therefore be from fallen underwear. Awesome.

I break out a flashlight and shine it down below. On the clothesline below ours I see two pairs of my boxer briefs just hanging there. Great way to meet the neighbors, I thought. Embarrassed, but seeing no other solution to my problem, I told my host brother the problem. He informed me that the apartment below ours is actually vacant. So no need to worry about someone awkwardly finding underwear hanging outside their window, but bad news for getting it back. Almost unfazed though, my host brother fastens a hook out of some twine, a nail, and some metal. He then dangles this hook off the balcony in order to get my clothing back. Did I mention this was all happening at about 11:30 at night? The first pair was a success, but the second was too close to the wall to get a good angle on it. He ended up knocking them off the line, and I was excited to see they cleared the clothing lines of the third, second, and first floor apartments as well to land safely on the dusty ground below.

I'm pretty sure my family will enjoying sharing that story for some time to come. And from now on, all my clothes get at least two clothespins. Minimum.

Kazakhstan!

We're in our second week of training now. I haven't been able to get much Internet because there are twenty of us and one computer with very slow dialup. We should be getting DSL zaftra (meaning tomorrow, meaning some point in the future, maybe). Training is super busy, with four hours of language class a day and then four more hours of class in the afternoon covering more technical aspects. We then have time to go home, eat, drink chai (tea), more chai, do our homework and go to bed.

I'm in the OCAP training group, and we are in a town about half an hour outside of Almaty that has about 50,000 people. I live on the fifth floor of an apartment building with a sweet host mom and a host brother (who speaks some English). There's a host sister too, but she's at school during the week. In more recent news, I'm trying to do Ramadan with my family, as they are practicing Muslims. It's only day two, but so far, it's not that bad. We wake up at 4am to eat a hearty "breakfast" (meaning leftovers from the night before, so it's not typical breakfast food), and then we go back to bed. How you're supposed to fall asleep immediately after four cups of tea, I'm not sure yet, but I think I'll catch on. Then we get a big meal as soon as the sun goes down. They seem excited that I'm doing it with them, and I'm all about trying to integrate as much as possible.

More stories will come soon, as I have more time on the computer. Expect hearing about my first laundry experience and thoughts on Kazakh professional dress. I don't get to check my email regularly, but feel free to email me. I'll get to it eventually. :)

Staging: Day One

Ted asked me to blog about staging. And there was there is a free computer in the lobby, so why not fill some requests. Staging has been great so far. The day began for me early, as my flight out was at 7:00. I arrived here and noticed another volunteer at the airport, as he was carrying a large backpack and a winter coat (in August). We rode to the hotel together and then met some more volunteers. After lunch, we had registration which was just filling out a bunch of paperwork. Then the sessions began. Pretty basic stuff: Peace Corps mission, backgrounds, introductions of everyone, safety concerns (which they stress a lot, which is of course, good), expression of general anxieties and aspirations. Then we were let out on the city for dinner and hanging out.

Everyone here seems awesome. There are sixty-three of us, and Peace Corps does do a really good job of creating diversity among the group. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone more and getting to know them. It's finally awesome to talk to people who have been going through the same things (explaining where Kazakhstan is, that we have no idea where we are going, or what we will be doing there, etc.) I mean, I feel that since I know so many other MI students, I have this support more than some other volunteers, but it's nice to meet people who have been going through many of the same things.

Philadelphia is also awesome. I got to see my good friend Lauren for the first time in fourteen months, so thanks PC for staging us here. Tomorrow we have more sessions, and then Tuesday we ship out to Kazakhstan. It still hasn't sunk in completely. It has, but it hasn't. I can't really describe what I"m feeling right now. Excitement, numbness, anxiety, anticipation.

Address and Thoughts

Staging is tomorrow. I have a lot of things going on in my head. And feelings too. Nerves are kicking in, but I'm pretty calm. I've done the final things (pack, get Power of Attorney signed (which I picked up from Office Depot, if anyone ever wondered where to get one), printed out requirements for my internship assignments, got photos developed, went to the beach, etc.) and now I'm just waiting and hoping that I didn't forget anything too important and my baggage fits the crazy airline requirements.

Also, my address for training is:

Peace Corps Kazakhstan
P.O. Box 257
Almaty 050022
Kazakhstan
ATTN:

Корпус Мира Казахстан
а/я 257
050022 Алматы
Казахстан


Feel free to copy and paste that into word, put my name on it, size it appropriately, and then send me lots of fun stuff. Be sure to put my name on it. This will be good until about November. It takes about two to three weeks to get mail so, until about November 1 or so. I'll send out my new address for my site when I get it.

Trouble in the Region

When I first found out I was going to Central Asia for NGO development work, I thought I might end up in Georgia. Obviously, it is lucky that I received the assignment to Kazakhstan instead. I've had some concerns over whether what is going on in Georgia right now would affect the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. From the books and articles I have read, Russia and Kazakhstan have a pretty good relationship right now. There are no disputed territories like South Ossetia. There may be some tension between ethnic Kazakhs and Russians in Kazakhstan, but the government and the society seem to be negotiating this well. Also, Peace Corps is very concerned about the safety of its volunteers and takes every situation seriously. If there ever were to be any sort of problem in Kazakhstan while I was there for any reason, PC would get us out of there. It happened to my friend who was serving in East Timor, and it may happen to a fellow ISU ACEDer currently in Georgia. I am confident of my safety during my two years in Kazakhstan. I hope that the conflict in the region ends soon. My thoughts and prayers are with all the people that this conflict is affecting.

Upcoming Challenges

All over the world, Peace Corps volunteers face different challenges based on their country's environment. I have friends that are going to Africa that probably will not have running water or electricity. Whereas, I'm going to Kazakhstan. Even within Kazakhstan, there are volunteers that have very few amenities in the remote villages they are placed in. However, as an NGO volunteer, the likelihood of such a placement is low.

However, one unsuspected challenge that I am preparing myself to face is the intense emphasis on personal appearance. Based on the reading packets and the listserv communication with current volunteers, it seems that Kazakhs care a lot about how they look. They put a lot of effort into always looking their best and take a lot of pride in their appearance. Examples of this include one of the Peace Corps staff saying that volunteers' bosses often talk about appearance before performance, a volunteer saying that her colleagues always talk about the previous volunteers' poor appearance, and many more volunteers chiming in about fashion and appearance. If this wasn't enough, the PC language program actually instructs us on how to ask Do you have...a washing machine, detergent, iron, lint brush, hot water (in that order!). I took Spanish for two years, traveled to South America twice, and never ever learned the word for lint brush.

Now, I don't want to make it sound like I'm a bum or a slob, but as most people know, personal appearance is not something I usually put a lot of effort into. I have won the superlative for least likely to own an iron. At my grandfather's birthday, we have video footage of my niece calling me a caveman (at least three times) due to my beard. And this past year, I did grow a mullet, color it red, and then cut it into a mohawk (mul-hawk) for a number of weeks. Of course, all of this was when I was working as a graduate assistant for the economics department at school, and people expect grad students to be a little off don't they? Based on my own personal style, a number of friends have said that I look homeless or compared me to a hobo(tard).

And its not even that I'm just lazy about it (although that is a part of it). I really believe that appearance is just this artificial facade. If we get past it and really see a person, then we are much better off. I value a person and their actions much more than their appearance. Although, I am not blind to the fact that appearance makes a huge difference, especially with first impressions. But I try to push beyond these normative social values whenever I can. End short rant.

But I can be professional. I can look nice. I can keep my clothes clean and iron them all the time. But I don't imagine it will be easy. People face all sorts of challenges in the Peace Corps. And as stupid as it sounds, this will probably be one of mine.

PS. In a previous entry, I was excited that I could keep my beard if I kept it trimmed and professional. After further honest self-evaluation, I realized that my scraggly facial hair never quite makes it to the level of looking professional, and I plan on shaving it.

Staging

Because of my PCMI program, I have a quite a few friends who are entering into the Peace Corps. And I think none of us understand what this enigma known as "staging" is actually about. For those that aren't in with the PC lingo, staging is a two day event that takes place in the United States immediately before departing for the country of service. PC flies all the volunteers in your training group to one city for a two day orientation of sorts. And then you all leave for your service together.

For one thing, staging also creates an awkward answer as to when do I leave for Kazakhstan. Well, officially it is August 19 at 9:35 PM from NYC's JFK airport (and after a bus ride from Philly too; the Peace Corps is already prepping us for international travel!). But August 17 is the day my Peace Corps really starts. That's when I leave Savannah (at 7:05 in the morning; no late night on Saturday....right....) and embark on my journey. And then I get to spend the next two days in "staging."

When you ask most volunteers about staging, they don't seem to have too much to say. I think that means it goes by quickly and then you bombarded with the shock of actually landing in your country of service and beginning your PST (pre-service training). Whatever happens for those two days probably seemed pretty minuscule. Well for all future volunteers who may be wondering what staging is, I will write about it before actually going. Thus, I will not forget to write about it after going.

The full itinerary is as follows:
Sunday, August 17, 2009
1:00-3:00 PM
Open Registration

3:00-7:00 PM
Welcome and Introductions
Peace Corps Approach to Development
Personal Definition of Success
Safety and Support
Anxieties and Aspirations
Nuts and Bolts

Monday August 18, 2008
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
A Slice of Life: Coping with Unwanted Attention
Managing Risk
Policies in Practice

LUNCH

1:30 - 6:00 PM
Change 5 Things
Crossing Cultures
Staging Capstone
Bridge to Pre-Service Training
Logistics of Departure
Evaluation and Closing

Tuesday August 19, 2008
11:00 AM
Check out

12:00 PM
Bus arrives for loading and departure

9:35 PM
Depart for Kazakhstan!

There ya go. That's staging described by someone who has never been to it.

And on a related note, I don't know about all the other volunteers, but honestly the first time I got nervous was when I saw that last line. "Depart for Kazakhstan!" That's the real thing. And it's going to happen on August 19. At 9:35 PM. That is the last time I plan on being in the United States until November 2010. Kazakhstan for 27 months begins right then.