A tough part of being away for the last year and a half has been keeping in touch with friends and family. Some people have been more than amazing though. Being a volunteer in a country like Kazakhstan allows me many ways to stay in touch. It's not like the Peace Corps from 50 years ago!
Internet
When I was at my host family's apartment we got internet a few months after I moved in but eventually it stopped working on my computer. I still have no idea why. Also, for the longest time I didn't have internet at work. Well correction, there was internet but it was dial up that my director paid for out of her own pocket, so I generally stayed away from that. For her sake and to save my own sanity. About once a week I went to a cafe with wifi to satisfy my internet needs. They probably hated me there. I would order something and eat it as slowly as possible. Then an hour or so later I'd order a soft drink or a pot of tea if I really wanted to stretch out my time. At that time I did my best to copy emails to a blank document and write out my replies offline. Now things have changed. A month or two after moving out of my host family's apartment and into my own, my roommate and I decided to get internet and a wireless router. Unlimited internet costs about 4000 tenge ($1=~150 tenge) per month after the initial set up fees.
Cell
When I got to Kazakhstan I had some culture shock about the way people use their cellphones here. To an American it could seem rude. People often have more than one pre-paid service provider and some have more than one phone. Also, an important note is that there is no voice mail or free nights and weekends. When people get a call they pick it up right away so that they don't have to call back and use their units. This is common even in class or at a training. Even after a reminder many do not put their phone on silent.
Now I have two cellphones. Very integrated! One plan is cheaper to call people on the same plan for a long conversation. The other is really good for short calls to people on the same plan and for calling America, though I can't figure out why it limits the call to only ten minutes.
Mail
The seven volunteers in Shymkent share a P.O. box. Since my office is closest to the post office I've taken on checking the mail box once a week. It can be the best or most depressing thing. If no one gets mail I leave dejected. There should always be mail in the post office box! Even if it's not for me! I should have probably mentioned this a long time ago but packages can take any where from three weeks to two months to get to Shymkent. When you send the package, you may be told that it will arrive in 10-14 days. Don't believe it! Not that the USPS isn't doing their job but I think that's the time it takes the package to get to Kazakhstan. Who knows what happens once it gets here. Unfortunately, two packages that were sent to me have been lost. A tip for anyone sending mail to me in the next few months, make sure you write the address in English and Russian (Cyrillic letters). My address is written on the right panel of my blog. Getting packages are great but I love receiving letters just as much. I write back to everyone who sends me mail so email or message me if you don't get a reply.
So whichever line of communication you prefer I'd love to hear from you and stay in touch (or get back in touch). That said, I'm down to my last six months so maybe we can talk face to face soon!
