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JOAN LETTER #1
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6/3/97
Dear Mom,
Good morning and welcome to Kazakstan! Much to my disbelief I am here safe and
sound with the rest of my group. We landed at 2:30 am (K time) on Sunday
morning, which is 12-13 hours ahead of Wisconsin. Overall, the flight was fine.
Washington, D.C. to Amsterdam was long and uncomfortable, and then we had the
long layover in Amsterdam. The final leg her was lovely--what a view! At one
point, Kelley, another volunteer, got me to look out the window and see one of
the loveliest sunsets stretching across the horizon and being reflected in a
snaky river below. At that point we were either over the Ukraine or Kazakstan.
And, by the way, our flight path from Amsterdam to here went over Berlin, Moscow
and then to Almaty.
The first thing we noticed from the plane was a lack of lights. Despite being
over the capital, much less the airport, there were only a handful of lights.
Street lighting and most outdoor lighting is non-existent here, which is a big
reason people stay in at night.
The second thing I noticed was the humidity and heat. It was 68 degrees when we
got off the plane. Certainly made for general uncomfortableness during the long
wait in the airport to get through passport control and customs. The airport
itself was pretty nice, but primitive by American standards. Lots of grey, brown
and white colors in marble, wood and metal. I have no idea how one knows when a
flight is coming, going, delayed, or early.
Peace Corps volunteers currently serving here met our group at the airport and
got us through the airport without a hitch. They brought us big bottles of water
and their happy faces, which was great. We then drove in a big bus and two vans
to a dormitory building in Almaty where we are currently staying. It+s very
basic, and a great beginning introduction to the Russian Kazak culture. The
lawns everywhere are unmowed and unkempt-no gas for mowers. The showers are open
stalls with lukewarm water, relatively clean, with showerheads coming out of
open pipes. The bathroom--well, there is no seat for some reason and we pitch
our used toilet paper into a waste basket next to the toilet. Enough said.
The food has been OK. Last night we were served an unidentified salad which most
people passed up, and pizza with Spam. Lunch rocked though, with a big bowl of
borscht (soup) and a hot cabbage side dish. The beet slaw was OK, but bland. The
bread here is incredible. And the tea is lovely, even though it makes us all
sweat to drink it.
We are here until Wednesday, when we move to Kapchigai (sp?) and our host
families. Everyone is a little apprehensive about that to say the least. But we
can+t wait to be at the lake to swim. Apparently at Kapchagai it is the place to
vacation, comparable to our regard for somewhere like Martha+s Vineyard.
The other volunteers are great, and lots of fun. Slowly we are all getting to
know each other, and I have even found a few runners in the group. Presently, we
are all suffering from various degrees of jet lag, which makes for interesting
conversation partners at odd times of the night. On that count, I+ve been lucky.
I+ve been tired and had a slight headache yesterday, but not much more. I still
have some adjusting to do, but nothing serious, I think.
I+ve moved out to the balcony just outside our room to write a bit more before
breakfast. It faces east, I assume, as the sun is rising directly in front of
me. There are loads of trees here, some planted on purpose and some surprises. I
recognize birch and beech, but not much else. I+m not much of a tree buff, so
the similarities and differences may be lost on me.
The most popular sound here is of barking dogs, and for this time of day, a
rooster. A canal or river is running just across the way somewhere, but I can+t
see it.
My impressions so far? People are grim and there doesn+t seem to be much caring
abut the basic things in life, i.e. sweeping, clean bathrooms, or construction.
Most building are cement with large streaks of rust running down their sides.
Streets are fairly dirty, and garbage lands in seemingly specific places, but
doesn+t get picked up. Theft is common and already someone has tried to pick our
pockets. And no one smiles. But they do dress up much more than us, which makes
me happy for my dresses and skirts. And dill is put on everything--like parsley
or any other decorative green.
It is also a great comfort to me to be with the other volunteers, and sharing
things about ourselves. People seem really impressed that we are here as a
married couple and we get lots of questions about that. It+s nice to be with
people who are really honest abut their fears and expectations, many of which
are the same as mine. We+ve only lost a few people so far. One person backed out
in Washington, the couple from Lake Mills [near Madison] couldn+t come at all
because they didn+t sell their house, and one other person isn+t here, but I
don+t know why. I think there are a total of 52 of us.
Anyway, I+m off to breakfast and another day of information, language, and some
medical stuff. Our shots start next week, it seems which isn+t so great but
that+s fine. I may write more later before I mail this. In the meantime though,
I send my love and thoughts.
Always, Joan
PS We just learned about our host family in Kapchagai--a family with two older
sons and a dog and cat. I+m a bit nervous to meet them and live there, but
excited too I feel good about being here but scared too. So does everyone else.
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