From the Soviet Era to Today: a Look at Business

The 20th Century was always my favorite era to study in history classes in high school and college. On this trip I was very interested to see how Kazakhstan has changed since the Soviet Union broke up and how Kazakhs feel about their country's progress.

Kazakhstan is a country with vast open landscapes and, as a result, one of their most important economic activities includes farming and the raising of cattle, sheep, and horses. Many people moved to the region of Kostany (where we stayed with our host) during the "Virgin Lands" campaign. Nikita Khrushchev developed this plan in 1953 to boost the Soviet Union’s agricultural production because of massive food shortages at the time. Part of the strategy was to encourage young foreign citizens to move to the vast new "frontiers" to settle and create new communities (remember the term "frontier" APHG?). The campaign had mixed results: millions of hectares of "virgin" land was cultivated but housing and infrastructure (including repair shops, energy resources, and roads) could not keep up with the pace of people moving to the area. When soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced Perestroika (a political movement to restructure the economy of the Soviet union) in the 1980's the widespread economic changes had a profound impact on local farmers and many people who arrived in Kazakhstan during the Virgin Lands Campaign moved back to their countries of origin. This created a dramatic population decline in the area and Kostany is only now starting to recover demographically. The Akim, or Governor, of Kostany joked with us that every woman in the region is encouraged to have 10 children to help boost the population.  My APHG students might note that this is not likely to happen; as Kazakhstan progresses through demographic transition it is unlikely the birthrate will increase dramatically.  However, there is demographic hope for the Akim; as the economy improves, people feel more inclined to have children, as evidenced in the population pyramid below. 


 In the pictures below you can see a farm we visited (the man is the picture owns the farm and kindly took us on a tour of his facilities).  Farms in the area produce a lot of cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and onions.  These items make up a good portion of many of the meals we enjoyed while in Kostany. 

Eastern Hospitality

"You are V.I.P's" Yelena says to us every day. We have certainly been made to feel incredibly welcome and appreciated while in Kazakhstan and today was no exception. Kazakh's pride themselves on their hospitality and we we were treated with incredible warmth and generosity when we visited a retired teacher named Olga today. "I've been waiting for you!!!" she said as soon as we walked in the door. We could smell the national dish, beshbermak, cooking when we walked in to her smartly decorated apartment on the 4th floor of a large apartment building. This dish is traditionally made with noodles, onions, spices, and (of course) horse meat. Olga was kind enough to make me a vegetarian variation although this is a very strange concept for Kazakhs. For them, meat = health and horse meat = extra healthy.

Earlier in the morning we traveled to two local places of worship: a Russian Orthodox Church and a local Mosque. It was the first time I've been inside an Orthodox Church and I was amazed by the overwhelming beauty of the icons, the smell of incense, and the sound of the choir. A short distance down the street stands the oldest Mosque in Kostany (it was transformed into a movie theater when the Soviets were in power and then back to a Mosque after the fall of the Soviet Union). Erin and I were overwhelmed by the openness of the Imams - they were happy to answer questions and allow us to tour most of the building. One of the most surprising things we've noticed about people in Kazakhstan is how open and accepting they are of people of different faiths and nationalities. They work and eat and play together with incredible harmony. This is something the president Nursultan Äbishulı Nazarbayev has worked very hard to promote in Kazakhstan and it seems to be working. Even the students in school seemed to be very surprised to hear that bullying is a real problem in U.S. schools - it is not something they deal with on a serious level.

Part of our day was also spent at a local museum regarding Kazakhstan's history from Jurassic times through today. Seeing how Kazakhs remember their time as part of the Soviet Union was particularly interesting to me. We also enjoyed getting acquainted with the local "wildlife" in the awesome dioramas.

You will also see pictures below of our time spent shopping at a "mall" in town. In our ventures around the city we notice tremendous new pockets of wealth in the midst of fairly pervasive poverty. The items in the mall were as expensive (if not more expensive) than what we typically see at Cool Springs Mall. Although I was very tempted, I did not buy the awesome hat but I did try the mushroom flavored Lays. Surprisingly delicious.

School...on Saturday?!?

School is in session! That's right - students go to school 6 days a week in Kazakhstan. I cannot begin to describe how enjoyable it was to share the projects my students created for me to bring with me to Kazakhstan. "They play tennis too!" "Look at how big their school is!" "What is a taco?" students murmured to each other as they looked through my student's descriptions of teenage life in the United States.

 Our day included a trip down south to visit another school.  The picture below gives you an idea about what the physical landscape looks like and they types of vehicles they use for mail service, repair companies, and sometimes even ambulances.

 We made a stop at the store on our way back.  Caviar chips, anyone?

 Looks delicious...

After teaching in the early morning we were escorted to a local government office to speak with a man who is the equivalent of the Governor of the state (oblesk) of Kostany. Speaking in hushed voices, the assistants instructed us to wait in a clean, beautiful office. When the Governor was ready for us he spoke about the new industries he is trying to build in Kostany (cattle), challenges faced by the government (improving infrastructure and the employment rate), and about how the government is trying to boost the birthrate after a decrease in population following perestroika (remember our studies of pro-natalist policies, APHG students - this is a good example!). Before leaving the governor presented several beautiful gifts to us, including a seal of the city. We felt quite honored!

Most of our afternoon was spent speaking with students and teachers who speak (or are learning English). We noticed that we often get the same questions from Kazakhs:

- What are your hobbies?
- How many languages do you and your students speak? (This is embarassing to answer because many Americans (including myself) speak only one language fluently whereas many of the people we speak with are studying 3 and sometimes even 4 languages).
- What do you like about Kazakhstan (my #1 answer: the hospitality! Kazakhs are incredibly warm and generous to guests).

After a long day of teaching and traveling around Kostany Obelisk we were ready for relaxation. Some Kazakhs have what is known as a "summer house" where they go to relax in the summer, grow fruits and vegetables, and enjoy the warm weather. Yelena's friend (also named Yelena) invited us to join her at her summer house for dinner and some time in the sauna (very popular in this part of the world). Once again, we were treated to an incredible evening of sharing stories about our history and culture and, of course, eating. Our guests fill our plates like we haven't eaten for days. It is amazing what you learn about a foreign land when you take the opportunity to converse with local people over a meal. I urge you, my students, if you ever have the privilege of traveling overseas (and I hope each of you will), take some time to eat with local people. It is an incredible way to learn things about a place that you won't find in a guide book. Amazing people are all around...find them and learn from them. You will become a better person as a result of your encounter. This is the beauty of travel!

(I don't know why Yelena wanted us to wear hats.  Why not, I guess?)

The Other Side of the Planet.

There is so much to say about my first two days here in Kazakhstan!

Seated next to me on the plane on the way from Astana to Kostany were two Australians who were moving to Kazakhstan to help Kazakhs develop a cattle industry similar to cattle operations in Australia. I found this fascinating because for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years Kazakhs were nomadic herders. To invite Australians to help develop a new system of cattle ranching is but one example of how much Kazakhstan is changing.

After arriving at the airport in Kostany we realized that we were in a very different place than the city of Astana. There are only a couple of flights per week to the tiny airport and the landscape looked much like the United States midwest. Our host Yelena picked us up and drove us to her school for an afternoon I will not forget for the rest of my life.

Our day began with a welcome reception hosted by the teachers and administrators. They invited us to have tea with the principal while a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed us about our journey. The spread of delicious treats they provided for us was quite impressive: chocolates, fruit, vegetables, nuts, cookies, cheese, dates, and, of course, horse meat. Yep, that's right, horse meat. Over the course of the day I was offered horse meat no less than 3 times. Erin was bold enough to try it and she said it reminded her of a strange version of pot roast.

After meeting with administrators we were invited to be the guest of honor at a Kazakhstan cultural celebration hosted by the school. Students and teachers performed Kazakh and Russian songs and dances and students practiced their English by sharing stories about Kazakhstan's history and customs while dressed in traditional Kazakh costumes. At one point in the ceremony we were invited to stand in front of the whole school and receive a bowl full of Kazakhstan's national drink: fermented mare's milk. We were left with no choice but to drink. Bottom's up! Let me simply say that it was unlike anything I've ever tasted before. It must be stirred well to get rid of the chunks and it is very sour. I'll take orders for all of you who want me to bring this back as a souvenir! Be warned, however, that just one bottle costs about half of the bill for our hotel room for a night.

(Below you will see some additional pictures I was unable to upload before).

 (Just a couple of hours before I was forced back on the same plane to come back where I came from to get a corrected visa).

 Kazakhstan Embassy in Frankfurt.  Thank you!!!

 Student "water fountain" at the school.  They all share the cups.

 School lunch room.

 View from our host teacher's house.

 Tea time spread (including horse meat).

 Kumis - national drink

 Post office

 Kazakhstan cultural presentation.

 Students' home economics projects.

 Hands-down, my favorite student at the elementary school.

And, the sign for the toilet...

Success!

I made it! I even got a little smile from the immigration official this time. Amazing how much more smoothly things go when you have the correct paperwork! The airport in Astana is incredible - so modern and clean. Ironically they are playing Taylor Swift in the cafe behind me. Globalization at its finest! (I will share more about the interesting history of Astana in another post).

For now, I have one last flight to board to Kostany. I am looking forward to seeing the city that will be my home for the next week.

Kazakhstan or bust...again!

I got my visa! Thank you for all of your well wishes! The process was quite the adventure. I had to wander around Frankfurt trying to find a small, obscure blue building (the Kazakh embassy). After much waiting and explaining I was told to deposit money into a German bank account. The man told me to come back at 4 and when I did all of the lights were off. I worried a bit but there were two other people there and they assured me the man was coming back. After waiting for awhile he returned with my visa! It was such a funny moment - he was Korean by heritage who grew up in Kazakhstan, spoke Russian, and lives in Germany, helping an American. He was very kind and wished me well on my journey. There is nothing like being at the mercy of people I've never met to challenge the way I treat people I don't know. As a foreigner here, I am overwhelmed by the kindness and helpfulness of strangers.

I have several pictures to share from Germany but I am having trouble with the computer I am using so when I get to Kazakhstan (hopefully!) I will be able to upload more images.

I am off to the airport (again). Wish me luck!

Oh the irony...Kazakhstan Connection

I've said for many years that travel is the best teacher.  This has certainly been the case in my life and this trip is no exception.  It is often the disappointments or failures or unexpected detours that teach us the most and show us what we are made of.  When I left Germany yesterday I fully expected to spend the night in Kazakhstan.  Boy, was I in for a surprise...

We arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan just before midnight.  I felt exhausted and simultaneously excited to see the country.  Unlike what I experienced in Germany, I truly felt like I was on foreign soil the moment I arrived.  The signs were in Russian and the terminal smelled vaguely like I remember from the airport in Kolkata, India - a combination of fuel, people, and incense.  

We were greeted by the customs and immigration officials.  I use the term "greeted" loosely - their tone was cold and official and, in my case, unforgiving.  The scene reminded me of the beginning of the book "Apples are from Kazakhstan" where the author describes the attire of the customs officials saying:

"[A]ll the uniformed officials continue to sport the universial headgear of the authority inherited from the Soviets.  These giant opera bouffe hats of red and brown are so ludicrously out of scale and a have a cartoon quality, like ten-gallon bus conductor's caps.  Those worn by customs officals are topped off in green felt."

(I was not allowed to take pictures while going through customs but the drawing below will give you an idea).

We were chatting quietly amongst ourselves until it was time for each of us to have our moment with the official.  This was the last step between my plans started over a year ago and the beginning of my adventure...or so I thought.  The woman stared at my visa for what seemed like an eternity.  "This is wrong" she said flatly.  I wasn't sure what she was referring to until she called up an even less pleasant woman to explain the situation to me.  The date on my visa was wrong.  One tiny number was supposed to be a "0" instead of a "1." "You must leave and go back to where you came from," said the second woman.  "What?" I said in disbelief.   This couldn't be happening.  I made it so far, I couldn't bear to turn back.  After negotiations with our host and some tears from me the decision remained:

I was being deported.

That's right.  Deported.  I never thought I would say that in all my life, but there I was, being passed off from one official to the next, spoken to in stern Russian, forced to go back down the walkway to get on the same plane I flew in on.  I was going back to Germany.

So, here I am, writing to you from a hotel in Frankfurt after flying over vast swaths of Russia...twice...in one day.  The last 12 hours have been a mad scramble to contact US and Kazakh embassies in Kazakhstan, Germany, and the United States.  We have been managing foreign languages, major time zone challenges, and paperwork complications.  If travel is a teacher then I am certainly getting a lesson in patience, trust, and the willingness to make lemonade from life's lemons.  

Tomorrow I will go to the Kazakh embassy first thing in the morning, new paperwork in hand.  I have to hope and trust that the right people will come through.  Please send good thoughts my way!

Until then, I will seek out adventure where I am.  I love Germany and I will cherish the opportunity to spend a day or two in this incredibly country.  

For now...auf wiedersehen! (Until I see you again)

Note: I must give a sincere thanks to my traveling companions and Teachers for Global Classrooms for doing such an incredible job to try to resolve the situation.  You all have been wonderful!