I cant stand not having fun.
I can’t stand not enjoying humor.
I can’t stand not being active (sports and etc.).
Most of all, I can’t stand not being around people for too long.
For some parts of this journey, I have had to deal with being in situations that I can’t stand. Some countries are culturally all business and no play. Some countries inhabit a people that do not poses a similar sense of humor as me or do not poses a sense of humor at all. Some countries don’t have a lot to offer in the physical activities department. Fortunately, I have been able to be around people I love throughout the race but there have very seldom been periods of time where all of these categories were clicking together. My entire month in Kazakhstan, however, has proven to be one of these periods of time!
Arrival
Many obstacles were set before us on our way to our designated city in Kazakhstan. It was difficult to cross the border from China into Kazakhstan because of language barriers and visa issues, there weren’t any well advertised and organized forms of transportation from the border crossing to our town, and we had no form of wifi or phone services within the country while traveling. All of these issues were eventually overshadowed by the amazingly smooth transportation that fell into our laps once we stepped outside of Kazakhstan customs. A local came up to us, bargained a taxi price, and threw our 8 person team (including large packs and etc.) into 3 separate cars that drove us straight to our city (over 6 hours). The best part about this is the fact that I was around 7 people that I love dearly and have become close with as a result of this journey. I love people and without them, travel days would be 100x harder. The view was pretty nice, too. Here’s a pick of us getting to the border and a pic of our view once we were traveling in Kazakhstan:
North Side
The first area of the country that went to was the North Side. There, we taught English to locals on evenings. On the first night teaching, we introduced ourselves and then had the students introduce themselves. There were at least 20 students of all different ages present. Over half of the students made a joke during their introduction that had me rolling. One of them mentioned how he was the humblest person he knows and that led to an ongoing joke for the rest of the night. It was a refreshment to be able to laugh and be laughed at, to understand their humor and for them to understand mine. I was invited by one of these students (the humblest person) to come to a toastmasters meeting and hear his competitive speech. I was able to capture it on video and I think it will give you an idea of the humor I am talking about:
Second Leg
The second stint of my time in Kazakhstan was spent in another town on the Northeastern side of the country where we taught English for another organization. We had smaller rooms of students but they were just as funny and were a joy to be around. Such a fun time! Classes took place in the afternoon and then most of the students would hang out with us in the evenings. We had many opportunities to have meaningful conversations while enjoying the company of these amazing people. One night, we had a movie night where we watched The Emperor’s New Groove and had group discussions on the movie’s meaning afterwards. I had a flock of curious youth aged students who I got to share some awesome life lessons with that night! Here are photos of the movie night and some other nights we had playing games with the students and connecting with them (Sorry for the graininess):
Final Sprint!
For our last stop in Kazakhstan, in the southern region of the country, we did something special. You may have guessed it. We taught English! This time, it opened up the opportunity of a lifetime. Some of our students took our group to a mountain on our off day and we walked up over 800 steps with them. It was the most active I felt in a long time and left me breathless at the top. While traveling to this mountain, our group had some very impactful talks and it brought us closer with our students. Before leaving our students that night and going home, 2 of them made a decision to follow some of the pathways that we have taken in life and we gained a new brother and sister. They are like family now! Here are a couple of photos of us on top of that mountain:
This was a fantastic month. It was probably my favorite country so far! I have other stories I want to tell of this place because it was so good. Life always has moments that we feel we can’t stand, but they won’t be seen as that for me anymore Kazakhanstand it if I get to see my Father Glorified like this.
Peace and Love!
