Sitemates, Halloween, Workshop and Special Guest

October and half of November have flown by! I've been amazed at how there is not enough time each day.

New Apartment

In the beginning of October I moved out of my host family's apartment and into an apartment with a local friend and her sister. I was living with my host family since November of last year and will really miss living with them but like the change as well. I still visit them. My new apartment is on the top floor of a building in the dead center of Shymkent and it was recently renovated. It took me awhile to get settled in but since then I've already hosted a few guests.

Britt's Departure

At the end of the month Britt left Shymkent after volunteering here for the past two years, She has been an amazing friend and support and I can't imagine my past year without her. When I first got to Shymkent she hosted me for a week, helped me visit my host family options and introduced me to Musli cereal. More importantly, she got me into Battlestar Galactica over the last few months. Leading up to Britt's departure she, Phillip and I marathoned the last season.

Halloween Party

So this holiday isn't completely unknown here it's just not celebrated at all. My friends in Shymkent, however, got a taste of it at my Halloween party. The first guests that arrived received American chocolates (Butterfingers) and all were greeted by decorations that I had been preparing for a few days. During the evening we ate pumpkin pie and pizza that was delivered (a novelty), danced, had a costume contest and watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Sharing cultural moments like this are a fun part of the Peace Corps experience.

Newbies

Last week at 6:15 in the morning we (kz-21s) went to pick up the new volunteers who will live in Shymkent for the next two years. We welcomed Bethany, Cynthia, James, and Katie with a pancake brunch. Delicious! Over the past week and a half they have been busy getting adjusted to their new lives, finding host families and understanding the intricacies of Kazakhstani work culture.

College Application Workshop
Last week was Fall break for public schools in Shymkent. Since my older students are normally super busy taking extra courses I had a 3 day training for them during the break. It was a workshop to teach them how to apply to universities and colleges in America. We covered topics such as choosing universities to apply to, writing application essays, scholarships, admissions tests, resumes, and American college culture. I had a lot of help from other Peace Corps volunteers and two Fulbrights that live in Shymkent. Part of the workshop required students to prepare a draft of their personal statements so they could get one-on-one editing help from the volunteers and Fulbrights. Over the 3 days about 20 students showed up, maybe 7-9 showed up everyday and they found it really helpful.

Guest of Honor
In just a few days my dad will be visiting me for about 5 days! Not only am excited to see him after a year and a few months, but many of my local friends are interested in meeting him. I'm going to take him to work, to meet my host family and see some cultural sites. More on the visit later!

Peace Corps Trainings

Right after Thanksgiving a few of us will get on a train and head to Almaty for two trainings. The first is about PEPFAR and HIV/AIDS and the second is our Mid-Service Training. I'm not really sure what the second one will be about but it will be great to see friends that are spread all over this huge country.

Whew! That's alot and to be honest I just breezed through it without much detail but I'm glad to be busy!