The Monument of Kazakhstani Hope.
Church in Almaty with no nails.
Wedding.
The poet, philospher, cultural man Абай.
Me and a fellow volunteer with a mustasche.
Very well—the in-service training was more of a vacation period in which we learned of various ways to be effective volunteers (again) and blew off a little steam with some colleagues for a few days in a nice city and showers (individually).
They say that our responsibilities as a Peace Corps volunteer do not include changing the world, let alone saving it, but they do often preach providing new perspectives or improvements of life for a few individuals. I suppose that happens from time to time in most other professions. I wouldn’t know. Twenty-two.
And they give us such wonderfully lofty goals as to act with this in mind patiently, and in face of difficultly and confusion. That’s swell, but I think that you, dear reader, act unselfishly and capable to someone you know or don’t know all the time without having a fancy mission statement printed on copy paper and handed to you in a foreign country. Is this assumption correct or are we all damned?
March 8th was Women’s Day. It was also my roommate’s birthday, so much celebration was had. This included dancing, smuggling drinks and ice cream into the restaurant (we're not the richest family, aight?) and dancing some more.
Example of dancing!
Presently doing the following:
« Website design for my AIDS organization
« Preparing Latin and Greek word origins lesson
« Preparing World History lesson plan
« Trying to master the pronunciation and proper usage of the phrases, “That was a pretty awkward situation” and “It’s going to be muddy like this for awhile, isn’t it?”
« Rolling my pant cuffs up
« Enjoying the Shins, Of Montreal and The Killers’ semi-new albums
« Obtaining tickets for a three-week vacation to the
« Growing my sideburns back
« Preparing my students for their voyages to the
« Anxiously awaiting the time when I can give my students their Amero-Kazakh Super Friends Pen Pal letters*—they might just eat the paper with elation.
*-This is a group of Kazakhstani students from my lessons and clubs that correspond with randomly selected, yet best of the best Americans to partake in the ole fashioned cultural exchange known as pen pals. If you would like to apply to be part of the Amero-Kazakh Super Friends Pen Pal Club, simply e-mail andrewholets@gmail.com and request membership. Ask for Andrew Holets.
I need to find a better internet joint to upload photos.
Additionally, I am opining and wishing for the finest recovery for Rob Lowry. He is indestructable.
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