Tags
10 Things I can do in the States, but couldn’t do in Kazakhstan (or in Shieli):
- Use Skype whenever I want
- Walk past a dog without fearing for my life
- Have friendships with men
- Drive
- Eat fresh vegetables every day
- Drink tap water
- Pour food scraps down the sink
- Recycle
- Date people I might not want to marry
- Audition for plays
10 Things I could do in Kazakhstan, but can’t do in the States:
- Speak Kazakh every day
- Find someone to teach me Kazakh poetry and dance
- Eat my counterpart’s homemade kattyk (like plain yogurt), taba nan (bread baked between two iron skillets over a fire), jam, etc…
- Teach my host sister Japanese
- Visit my favorite fruit-seller in the bazaar
- Celebrate Nauryz and International Women’s Day
- Watch donkeys rolling in the dust in the street
- Be the first person to teach kids (and adults!) “The Hokey-Pokey”
- Say “Hello!” 100+ times every day
- Go to the banya
10 Things I did in Kazakhstan, and can also do in the States:
- Speak Russian
- Talk to people about their community’s needs
- Teach
- Visit former students who are accepted into study abroad programs (cross your fingers!)
- Send letters and packages overseas
- Give heartfelt toasts
- Find a short-legged table and have all my meals sitting on the floor
- Buy a pair of fashion boots and keep them immaculately polished
- Make a fool of myself in public
- Volunteer
