This month is flying by, we only have one more week in the beautiful country of Kazakhstan. Here is little background information on the country. First and foremost, it once was considered to be a part of Russia. This means that many people are Russian and speak the Russian language. The other half are people who came from Mongolia and Turkey to make the Kazakh people and speak in the Kazakh language.
This month my team and I are teaching English at two different colleges. One is a Russian school and the other one is a Kazakh school. I was helping at the Kazakh school and I loved every minute of it. Everyone welcomed us, and made us feel like royalty. They shared their traditional songs, outfits, and food with us. We were asked many questions about the American culture. We had many questions about why there are so many fast food resturants in America. Their school system is different. Highschool ends at the age of 15, so the colleges students are between the ages of 15-19. Then they can go to a university. Many of the students want to extend their education in different countries.
We went to the Central Museum with some of the students from the Kazakh school. We spent the day learning about the Kazakhstan history. The students got to practice english through the explanation of the historical exhibits. The Kazakhstan traditions are creative and beautiful. They are nomads so they use all of nature to live. Nothing is wasted. So the most popular food here is horse meat. I personally did not try it but heard many recommendations.
Everyone is eager to learn english and move to a different country, mainly to Europe, even though it is exremely hard to get out of the country. They are beyond grateful for Americans to come over and talk with them. One of the questions I was asked was how to sound like an American, my response was that even though your accent makes you sound different doesn’t mean you don’t have the ability to speak English. You should be proud of yourself because most know at least 3-5 languages. I wish I could speak another language. Also American music is held in high regard in many countries. We got a lot of hugs, pictures, and bows to show gratitude for our country’s music. When we received these gestures, I felt like we were receiving all the glory for America. They put us on the same pedistal as God and I’m no where close to being in the same position.
I’m guilty of giving gratitude to the American culture too. In one of my blogs I mention how we as “Americans” give off something that nobody else does. People are drawn to us. We are no different than anybody else except we do have God and that is attracting people without them even realizing it. Since we launched for the race, everything has been provided for us. We have had a smooth, easy time in every country so far. There are so many people willing to help us. It has made it easier on us, allowing us to have less of a struggle. Until the last few days I have been giving the glory to America, when it isnt America. I should have been giving it to God because he already paved the way for us. He has opened the doors that we wouldn’t have been able to. It made me think how many times I have giving the glory to something else. It is easy to do that, to get caught up in it all, especially when life gets so busy. It is so important to take time and process things. If I hadn’t slowed down and taken the time to reflect on this important detail, I would have missed out on some of God’s blessings.
I want to encourage everyone to slow down. Don’t let life slip by because your already planning for tomorrow. Below are pictures from my time at the Kazakh college.
