Recent dealings, Blue Bay, Photo updates

The photo section has a been once more updated! In this update:

Portraiture Collection

Blue Bay Trip, August '07

Lost Sledding Photos, circa January, '07

These, and other photos, can always be found at my Photo Album.

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A few posts back I had written that I wanted to start writing more about documenting day-to-day life here – usually I felt the need to write only posts that had some poignant meaning at the end of post, but I’ve realized that this actually results in few posts than I’d like.

I’ve returned from my 30 day home leave back from the states. In the Peace Corps, if a person elects to stay for a 3^rd year, they get an free plane ticket back home and back to the country of origin for R&R. I even get a fat per diem of $12.00 a day while in the states, so that was good for like…half a pizza.

Being back at home was nice, certainly better than the last time, since this time I was home for longer than two weeks. Being able to see all my old friends again, (especially long lost high school friends who seemed to crawl out of the woodwork and congregate the local Starbucks) as well as my family was actually very refreshing after being away for so long. I completed most of the things I wanted to do, including going the beach, eating Mexican, Japanese, Chinese and Fast food, buying new clothes, swimming, and so on. The in-and-out burger was an epic part of my trip home, I have to admit.

Upon my return to Kazakhstan, I hung out with Ashli and Amanda, two remaining Kaz-17s who are a part of the Kaz-19’s training. After that, I got back on a train (through plotzkart, unfortunately) back to Ust-Kamenogorsk.

I suppose it’s hard to say a city can change much in 30 days, but it certainly does seem to be a bit different. The local Coffee Blues (a coffee chain situated among Pizza Blues, the local Pizza joint monopoly) has started offering unlimited wi-fi internet for free, something that Sam and myself discovered with much delight. Previously internet was bought through prepaid cards, a normal card being 10 megs upload/download (good enough to check email and surf a few sites) for a ridiculous price of 500 tenge, just under 5 dollars.

So today, Sam and I just basically sat here for most of the day catching up on some long needed internet access on our own computers.

A few days ago we returned from Blue Bay, a local lake resort area about 2 hours outside of town. You can see pictures in the posted above link. Locals usually go every summer, for weeks at a time, to relax by the lake in owned dachas or rented 'domiks' [little house] and apartments and go swimming or enjoy watersports. Basically every watersport you can think of is here, including windsailing, jet-skiing, and sailing.

My trip here was a long time coming because locals rave about how great the place is during the summer yet I've never been able to manage a trip out there in the two years that I've been here, since the process of renting a place and getting out there can be a little difficult. Fortunately, Sam's counterpart, Sveta, invited him out. Upon hearing that I was back, her niece called up a friend that was nice enough to pick me up and drive me the whole two hours out.

Blue Bay is, interestingly enough, a man-made lake - half a century ago the entire area was nothing but a large valley that was intentionally flooded under the directorate of the USSR for a purpose that isn't entirely clear to me just yet. Regardless of the reason, in its present day state it's a place for people to go swimming and jet-skiing, apparently.

There were many beach-like areas, and it was great just to go and lay out by the beach. Our gracious hosts were great to us, feeding us, giving us a place to stay, entertaining us, etc, all free of charge.

Sam's counterpart, Sveta, is amazing with the bayan, a Russian-style accordian and the two nights we were there the group partied it up in the most classic russian style way possible. Drinking and Singing. Loudly. Until 3 am. Until americans have long gone to bed. Until the neighbors came pounding on the door demanding silence.

On the first day, Sam and I took the little air-pumped boat out to the center of the bay, actually quite far from the beach (and dangerously close to the paths of jetskis and motorboats, we soon discovered), and proceeded to watch a paddle that had a crack in it sink into the water, leaving us with one paddle and turning around in circles. Wonderful. After about 10 minutes of struggling in circles, we decided, that being rational adults, we would figure something out. Although a bit awkwardly, we eventually rowed canoe style back to the beach, paddling one side, then the other.

On day two, Sam and I went for a hike around the bay, trying to get through to other side by foot. 2 hours, dirtied pants and scratched arms later, (and watching Sam try to jump across a ditch which he proceeded to fall into) we eventually go to the other side. However, we were to return to the other side of the bay by 3, which was getting dangerously close. We eventually decided to split the cost of renting aa rowboat with a kazakh guy and his girlfriend, where we would row across and they would proceed to take the boat out later.

At 3, we went out on a little catamaran that took us out to an isolated part of the bay, where we had a picnic of shashlyk (skewered bbq meat) and vegetables with Sveta and her friends. I have to admit, I was a bit afraid I wouldn't be able to get a fire going, but we managed to do so without much problems. This was easily the best part of trip, since it was fairly well isolated had lots of scenery without man-made objects to screw up the view. Belly full of meat and vodka, we returned back to shore and proceeded to lay out at the beach for the rest of the evening, chatting with locals.

Definitely something to attempt again later next summer when the rest of the volunteers get here. Good times. Rested and relaxed, I'm pretty ready for school to start.

Ust has also treated me well, since I have a few weeks before school actually starts. I've already met up with lots of local friends already, as well as dealing with my Landlady to negotiate rent for the new year. Coming back, I went out with Dana, a 21 year old english teacher that worked at the kazakh school down the street from my house. Actually meeting her on the train down to to Almaty, coming back and seeing her after a month was actually a bit strange, but I had a good time getting to know her.

Good times ahead. New University year, Newspaper Projects, Grants to write, Orphanages to work with, English and Leadership clubs to start, new volunteers, etc. etc. To the 3rd year.

Cheers!