Last week was Noruz. This holiday, as some of you may know, originated in ancient Persia with the Zorastrians or fire worshipers to celebrate the coming of spring. Turkmenistan has embraced this holiday wholeheartedly. As a result, I had two full glorious days off of work. I found myself on a bus to Gokje, a small village outside of Ashgabat where my new extended host family resides.
I arrived in Gokje just in time for a nap. Almost my entire family, Dad, Uncle, Mom, and four sisters were curled up on the carpeted floors comfortably passing the holiday hours. This is my kind of family!! I joined right in.
After our nap, we planted corn! After a long week of projects and planning and preparing and teaching and worrying and thinking it was just what I needed.
The garden area was already divided into 10 by 10 foot sections by low walkways of packed earth. We took on this grid one square at a time. First, Dad broke up the large chunks. Then we sprinkled the loosened earth with corn kernels. We then used spades to turn over the top layer including the tiny yellow kernels. With all the kernels hidden, we then flooded the square with water using an ingenious apparatus constructed from hose, scrap metal, and paint cans. After finishing one square, the girls and I would toss around the frisbee and American football I had brought with me to the village at the request of one of my dress clad sisters while dad tackled the next square.
Notably lacking was the clash that is expected when two very different cultures collide. My sisters and my host mom dressed in floor length, home-made, floral patterned dresses squatted in traditionally Turkmen socks and sandals to turn the earth. Then, without any hesitation or reservations they stood on the packed walkways to throw around a football. They are not at all afraid of me, my culture, my differences, or my football. I wonder if this is because I have learned how to present myself and culture within acceptable limits since coming or if they are truly exceptional. I think probably a lot a bit of both.
As further proof that I have learned to function within acceptable norms, I had an interview of mine printed in the newspaper! One of my colleagues at the institute decided to interview me. This interview was printed in both English and Turkmen. Below I have included the English version for your reading pleasure. Please excuse my overuse of adjectives.
Interview:
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Rebecca Ann Tess Elmore. I am from the United States of America. I graduated from William Marsh Rice University in Houston, Texas with a degree in English Literature and a teaching certificate. My passion in life is teaching. I am currently living and working here at Azady Institute of World Languages. I came with an organization called Peace Corps. Peace Corps currently has 36 English and health teachers working in Turkmenistan.
Did you know anything about Turkmenistan before coming here?
Before I came to Turkmenistan, I knew very little about this wonderful country. I had seen pictures online of beautiful Ashgabat and of traditional Turkmen koineks. I was excited and eager to come learn about an entirely new country in a part of the world I had never visited before.
A few words about your activities at Dovletmamet Azady Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, please.
The part of my service that I value most highly is working with my esteemed colleagues. I really enjoy sharing ideas with them and working to create innovative lessons. I am thankful to them for sharing their knowledge and experience with me. To be honest, they feel like my family. We drink tea together, go to weddings, and celebrate birthdays. They have made me feel so very welcome here.
What do you think of the Turkmen students?
As for the students, they keep my life interesting. They are open and willing to learn. They are eager to speak even though speaking is perhaps the most difficult part of learning English as a foreign language. They always greet me with a warm hello and smile. I enjoy working with them. It is wonderful for me to watch as their knowledge grows.
Any differences between American and Turkmen students?
One of the biggest differences between students here and students in the United States is their dress. Turkmen students always look neat and professional in their uniforms. They look focused and serious. This uniform is very good practice for the working world where young graduates will be expected to look competent and capable. Students in the United States could use such practice!
Please, your wishes to your colleagues and students here.
To all my fellow teachers, thank you so very much for sharing your institute with me, for letting me teach alongside you and learn with you. In the following ten months, I hope we will continue to get to know one another and to work successfully together. Remember that teaching requires constant learning. This is perhaps the best part of our job!
To all my students, I both hope and expect that you will work had and do your best for the remainder of your studies while I am here and when I am gone. It has been and will continue to be a joy to be your teacher. Be brave in your language learning. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because mistakes are merely opportunities to learn.
Thanks!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Istanbul in a Nutshell
I just spent a glorious week in the magnificent city of Istanbul, Turkey.
Istanbul, for me, was strangely familiar. On one hand, the culture, religion, and language are all reminiscent of Turkmenistan. On the other hand, Istanbul was a refreshing reminder of the existence of all the modern conveniences and excesses of what I associate with the “Western World:” consumerism to the max, navigable and various forms of public transportation (here I exclude Houston from the “Western World”), restaurants galore, toilets that can handle toilet paper, movie theaters, etc. Istanbul is truly a mix of East and West and rightly deserves its name, “A Country on Two Continents.”
Enough chattering and philosophizing. Hehehe. Here are some hard facts about my vacation.
Forms of Public Transportation used:
1. Turkmen Airlines. Cheap and safe! Extensive meal provided.
2. Tram. Light-rail style.
3. Funicular. Underground subway/elevator that takes up you a steep hill. 3 min ride max.
4. Trolley. Running to catch and jumping on are absolutely acceptable even in heels and skirts.
5. Train. A tad bit sketchy after dark but absolutely functional. Runs along old city walls.
6. Bus. Route takes the place of a carpool lane with multiple stops, interesting.
7. Ferry. Scenic, relaxing, concessions provided but not included. An hour ride for about a dollar.
The theory behind mass transit seems to be: try everything possible to get our 15 million people where they need to go. Miraculously, this hodgepodge, no, extensive network of transportation was wonderfully easy to navigate. Istanbul-ites may complain about the traffic but why drive??
Foods eaten:
1. Backlava . I tasted everything at least once. Trust me, hazelnut is the best.
2. Street corn. Savory and delicious and salty!
3. Dried Fruits. Particularly what I think was a persimmon or date? Don’t know. Ate it anyway.
4. Fish. Wonderful delicious. Enough said.
5. Doner Kebab. Fast, cheap, delicious. Kinda small though . . .
6. Juice. Fruit juice is all the rage with juice shops, called vitamin bufes, elbow to elbow.
7. Iskender Kebab. Delicious, slides right down, order twice as many orders as you think you want.
8. Unknown white steamy drink sold at night out of what look like samovars. Sprinkeled with cinnamon. Expensive (2 lyra) but worth it.
9. Turkish delight. Why are Americans generally uncreative with their candies? Fabulous. Like gummy candies for grown-ups.
10. Pite. Turkish pizza.
11. Cheese and olives and lots of them. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
12. Nutella. Seems to have spread world wide. Apparently originated in France??
Turkish words learned (spelled phonetically):
1. Kach-How much?
2. Merhaba-Hello
3. Tamam-Ok
4. Afadarsingiz-Excuse Me
5. –yorium-Ending of first person present continuous verbs, can be stuck to Turkmen verb stems for mediocre communication
6. Past tense, numbers same as Turkmen, vocabulary such as ‘pillow’ all same as Turkmen
7. Charlashmak (Turkish-to work, Turkmen-to exchange or bribe)
Famous Places visited:
1. Blue Mosque
2. Topkapy Palace
3. Princes Islands
4. Istanbul Modern. Wonderful art museum. I recommend it!
5. Spice Bazaar.
6. Grand Bazaar.
7. Starbucks. Hehehheeheh. Twice. Do I feel guilty? Only a little tiny bit.
8. Taksim square.
Not famous places visited:
1. Tea Garden- The tea keeps a’coming and the Nargile (Hookah) keeps a’burning.
2. Movie Theater
3. Ariel’s Apartment. Thanks for your hospitality!
4. Bar with live band playing “Turkish Fusion” which is, for the record, much more difficult to dance to than techno. Did that stop me, you ask? Not at all!
5. Multiple Park benches usually accompanied by one or more cats.
Favorite activities in no particular order.
1. Eating food and people watching on a park bench.
2. Sitting and drinking upwards of four to five vases of tea consecutively. Yes, vases. Then finding the closest bathroom. Flushing the toilet paper. HA!
3. Walking with arms linked. This is ok for any mix of genders or ages.
4. Scrabble after breakfast on terrace overlooking the sea.
5. Riding the ferry with feet propped on railing. Listening to country. Yes, I know. Don’t judge.
6. Biking lost around an Island. How lost can you really get on an island? You would be surprised.
7. Eating Magnum ice-cream while sitting on a wall, particularly caramel flavor. Try that for intense chocolaty taste sensation.
8. Buying street food.
And that about sums it up. If you can’t tell, my trip consisted mainly of eating, travelling via transit to a different area, and eating again. Oh, with the occasional, often accidental, seeing of a historical sight. It was heavenly.
Turkey is a must for all travelers.
Miss you all. E-mail me whenever!
Me
Istanbul, for me, was strangely familiar. On one hand, the culture, religion, and language are all reminiscent of Turkmenistan. On the other hand, Istanbul was a refreshing reminder of the existence of all the modern conveniences and excesses of what I associate with the “Western World:” consumerism to the max, navigable and various forms of public transportation (here I exclude Houston from the “Western World”), restaurants galore, toilets that can handle toilet paper, movie theaters, etc. Istanbul is truly a mix of East and West and rightly deserves its name, “A Country on Two Continents.”
Enough chattering and philosophizing. Hehehe. Here are some hard facts about my vacation.
Forms of Public Transportation used:
1. Turkmen Airlines. Cheap and safe! Extensive meal provided.
2. Tram. Light-rail style.
3. Funicular. Underground subway/elevator that takes up you a steep hill. 3 min ride max.
4. Trolley. Running to catch and jumping on are absolutely acceptable even in heels and skirts.
5. Train. A tad bit sketchy after dark but absolutely functional. Runs along old city walls.
6. Bus. Route takes the place of a carpool lane with multiple stops, interesting.
7. Ferry. Scenic, relaxing, concessions provided but not included. An hour ride for about a dollar.
The theory behind mass transit seems to be: try everything possible to get our 15 million people where they need to go. Miraculously, this hodgepodge, no, extensive network of transportation was wonderfully easy to navigate. Istanbul-ites may complain about the traffic but why drive??
Foods eaten:
1. Backlava . I tasted everything at least once. Trust me, hazelnut is the best.
2. Street corn. Savory and delicious and salty!
3. Dried Fruits. Particularly what I think was a persimmon or date? Don’t know. Ate it anyway.
4. Fish. Wonderful delicious. Enough said.
5. Doner Kebab. Fast, cheap, delicious. Kinda small though . . .
6. Juice. Fruit juice is all the rage with juice shops, called vitamin bufes, elbow to elbow.
7. Iskender Kebab. Delicious, slides right down, order twice as many orders as you think you want.
8. Unknown white steamy drink sold at night out of what look like samovars. Sprinkeled with cinnamon. Expensive (2 lyra) but worth it.
9. Turkish delight. Why are Americans generally uncreative with their candies? Fabulous. Like gummy candies for grown-ups.
10. Pite. Turkish pizza.
11. Cheese and olives and lots of them. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
12. Nutella. Seems to have spread world wide. Apparently originated in France??
Turkish words learned (spelled phonetically):
1. Kach-How much?
2. Merhaba-Hello
3. Tamam-Ok
4. Afadarsingiz-Excuse Me
5. –yorium-Ending of first person present continuous verbs, can be stuck to Turkmen verb stems for mediocre communication
6. Past tense, numbers same as Turkmen, vocabulary such as ‘pillow’ all same as Turkmen
7. Charlashmak (Turkish-to work, Turkmen-to exchange or bribe)
Famous Places visited:
1. Blue Mosque
2. Topkapy Palace
3. Princes Islands
4. Istanbul Modern. Wonderful art museum. I recommend it!
5. Spice Bazaar.
6. Grand Bazaar.
7. Starbucks. Hehehheeheh. Twice. Do I feel guilty? Only a little tiny bit.
8. Taksim square.
Not famous places visited:
1. Tea Garden- The tea keeps a’coming and the Nargile (Hookah) keeps a’burning.
2. Movie Theater
3. Ariel’s Apartment. Thanks for your hospitality!
4. Bar with live band playing “Turkish Fusion” which is, for the record, much more difficult to dance to than techno. Did that stop me, you ask? Not at all!
5. Multiple Park benches usually accompanied by one or more cats.
Favorite activities in no particular order.
1. Eating food and people watching on a park bench.
2. Sitting and drinking upwards of four to five vases of tea consecutively. Yes, vases. Then finding the closest bathroom. Flushing the toilet paper. HA!
3. Walking with arms linked. This is ok for any mix of genders or ages.
4. Scrabble after breakfast on terrace overlooking the sea.
5. Riding the ferry with feet propped on railing. Listening to country. Yes, I know. Don’t judge.
6. Biking lost around an Island. How lost can you really get on an island? You would be surprised.
7. Eating Magnum ice-cream while sitting on a wall, particularly caramel flavor. Try that for intense chocolaty taste sensation.
8. Buying street food.
And that about sums it up. If you can’t tell, my trip consisted mainly of eating, travelling via transit to a different area, and eating again. Oh, with the occasional, often accidental, seeing of a historical sight. It was heavenly.
Turkey is a must for all travelers.
Miss you all. E-mail me whenever!
Me
Friday, February 19, 2010
Three Cheers for Cultural Exchange
To my loyal blog readers, I apologize for the belatedness of this post. It will probably happen again. Hang in there with me!
I had amazing classes yesterday. Lately, my life has been awash with the kind of cultural exchange to which Peace Corps aspires. These classes epitomize these experiences.
My first class was studying education, specifically the education system in Great Britain. This isn’t particularly applicable to them for a number of reasons. First, if these students were to leave the institute for a year abroad, they would not be allowed to continue their studies here. Second, the Britain only provides a couple of scholarships to Turkmen, and even these target those seeking graduate degrees. Enough background.
After tossing a ball around to review the basic tenses and playing hangman to review vocabulary, I decided to have them present on education in Turkmenistan. I modeled the presentation with a short presentation of my own on education in the US.
My students were astounded by the following: my university was small with only 3,000 odd students. UT, with over 50,000 students, was beyond their comprehension as was the fact that the US has over 2,000 colleges and universities. The cost of college, of course, was unreal to them. Me too, I said!
I, in turn, was surprised by the following information: when my students were at school, there was no physical education. Now, students in schools and universities have PE once a week. I also learned that there are specialized public schools: economics and management, languages, math, science, etc. Finally, to enter the institute to study English, three exams are required: English, Turkmen, and Holy Ruhnama.
In my second class, we discussed a text entitled “A Friend in Need.” After debating the relative worth of happy vs. unhappy endings and good vs. bad characters, I asked them to produce a list of five qualities that they seek in friends. “Tidy” and “polite” cropped up among the expected answers of honesty, kindness, and intelligence. I doubted both as a mis-translation but was convinced by follow up that these two words were exactly what my students meant.
We went on to discuss the following situations: If your friend needed money, would you give it? If your friend needed a place to stay, would you let them live with you? If your friend stole something, would you tell? If your friend asked you to write an essay for them, would you?
My students said that they would absolutely give their friends money, would absolutely let their friends live with them indefinitely, wouldn’t tell unless the crime negatively impacted another friend or family member, and would absolutely (with one exception who had studied at an American HS for a year) write the essay for them. They did not consider this cheating.
At this point, I am bursting to share with them the differences between their answers and those I would expect from American students. Emphasizing that identifying differences is different from passing judgment.
In other news, I have changed families yet again. One thing you must learn about living in a foreign country, any foreign country, and perhaps particularly in Turkmenistan is that things change suddenly, without warning. Perhaps this is because I am not savvy enough or experienced enough with Turkmen culture to pick up the signs or perhaps this is simply a fact of life in for millions of people. Perhaps as Americans, we take the relative stability of our lives for granted. Then again, perhaps I was merely protected from the winds of fate and fortune J by my wonderful parental unit.
Enough of rambling. My new family is wonderful. I live with two sisters, 19 and 23, and their uncle who is 70. The girls family, parents and three other sisters, visit often from a suburb of Ashgabat where they live. The girls are about as different as can be. The younger one is bubbly and open-hearted. Her English is good and she talks with me every chance she gets. The older one is quieter and motherly. However, she has a strong sarcastic streak that has made us fast friends. They both work.
The uncle is fabulous. At 70, he runs regularly and eats two walnuts before breakfast and after dinner everyday. He also drinks a concoction of vinegar, vodka, and walnut extract everyday. He remembers some English words from his 1 year of English class during 7th grade. Now, he is eager to learn more. I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast and he has dubbed this “Gerculees” (Hercules). He plans to join me in my morning consumption of Gerculees.
From my new family, I have learned:
· lots of Turkmen vocabulary such as blessing, tradition, unfortunately, to augment etc.
· that if my palms itch, money is coming my way
· never to flick water from my hands after washing
· how to make borsch
· how to crack seeds open with my teeth and extract the meat with my tongue
That’s all for now. If you’ve made it this for, congrats. You are a super-committed blog reader. Thank you.
I’m off to Istanbul, Turkey for a week of vacation! I’ll tell you all about that soon!
Me
I had amazing classes yesterday. Lately, my life has been awash with the kind of cultural exchange to which Peace Corps aspires. These classes epitomize these experiences.
My first class was studying education, specifically the education system in Great Britain. This isn’t particularly applicable to them for a number of reasons. First, if these students were to leave the institute for a year abroad, they would not be allowed to continue their studies here. Second, the Britain only provides a couple of scholarships to Turkmen, and even these target those seeking graduate degrees. Enough background.
After tossing a ball around to review the basic tenses and playing hangman to review vocabulary, I decided to have them present on education in Turkmenistan. I modeled the presentation with a short presentation of my own on education in the US.
My students were astounded by the following: my university was small with only 3,000 odd students. UT, with over 50,000 students, was beyond their comprehension as was the fact that the US has over 2,000 colleges and universities. The cost of college, of course, was unreal to them. Me too, I said!
I, in turn, was surprised by the following information: when my students were at school, there was no physical education. Now, students in schools and universities have PE once a week. I also learned that there are specialized public schools: economics and management, languages, math, science, etc. Finally, to enter the institute to study English, three exams are required: English, Turkmen, and Holy Ruhnama.
In my second class, we discussed a text entitled “A Friend in Need.” After debating the relative worth of happy vs. unhappy endings and good vs. bad characters, I asked them to produce a list of five qualities that they seek in friends. “Tidy” and “polite” cropped up among the expected answers of honesty, kindness, and intelligence. I doubted both as a mis-translation but was convinced by follow up that these two words were exactly what my students meant.
We went on to discuss the following situations: If your friend needed money, would you give it? If your friend needed a place to stay, would you let them live with you? If your friend stole something, would you tell? If your friend asked you to write an essay for them, would you?
My students said that they would absolutely give their friends money, would absolutely let their friends live with them indefinitely, wouldn’t tell unless the crime negatively impacted another friend or family member, and would absolutely (with one exception who had studied at an American HS for a year) write the essay for them. They did not consider this cheating.
At this point, I am bursting to share with them the differences between their answers and those I would expect from American students. Emphasizing that identifying differences is different from passing judgment.
In other news, I have changed families yet again. One thing you must learn about living in a foreign country, any foreign country, and perhaps particularly in Turkmenistan is that things change suddenly, without warning. Perhaps this is because I am not savvy enough or experienced enough with Turkmen culture to pick up the signs or perhaps this is simply a fact of life in for millions of people. Perhaps as Americans, we take the relative stability of our lives for granted. Then again, perhaps I was merely protected from the winds of fate and fortune J by my wonderful parental unit.
Enough of rambling. My new family is wonderful. I live with two sisters, 19 and 23, and their uncle who is 70. The girls family, parents and three other sisters, visit often from a suburb of Ashgabat where they live. The girls are about as different as can be. The younger one is bubbly and open-hearted. Her English is good and she talks with me every chance she gets. The older one is quieter and motherly. However, she has a strong sarcastic streak that has made us fast friends. They both work.
The uncle is fabulous. At 70, he runs regularly and eats two walnuts before breakfast and after dinner everyday. He also drinks a concoction of vinegar, vodka, and walnut extract everyday. He remembers some English words from his 1 year of English class during 7th grade. Now, he is eager to learn more. I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast and he has dubbed this “Gerculees” (Hercules). He plans to join me in my morning consumption of Gerculees.
From my new family, I have learned:
· lots of Turkmen vocabulary such as blessing, tradition, unfortunately, to augment etc.
· that if my palms itch, money is coming my way
· never to flick water from my hands after washing
· how to make borsch
· how to crack seeds open with my teeth and extract the meat with my tongue
That’s all for now. If you’ve made it this for, congrats. You are a super-committed blog reader. Thank you.
I’m off to Istanbul, Turkey for a week of vacation! I’ll tell you all about that soon!
Me
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Home (to T-stan) for the Holidays
I have learned a couple of things about celebrating Christian/American holidays in Muslim/foreign countries.
First and foremost, the best part is you still get a full set of holidays on top of the Christian/American ones! All kids know that this means double the excitement, double the presents, double the excitement, and double the food.
I have also learned that every English teacher is fully expected to not only know and be able to sing Jingle Bells well, but also to produce the soundtrack. After a number of requests from my teachers, I put out feelers. I asked my site mate who produced a number of Christmas favorites including Rudolph. I also asked other volunteers in the area who also handed over their bounty of Christmas music. To my surprise and disappointment, Jingle Bells was absent from the whole lot. It wasn’t until I confided my embarrassing dilemma to a host country national friend that I finally got my hands on the music. HA! Goodness. Only then did I notice that a number of the other teachers had downloaded Jingle Bells for their latest ring tone. Oh, technology! Ha!
Finally, I have learned that there are a number of theories and practices behind gift giving. In the US, we do our best to buy what we think the other person needs or wants. Despite our best efforts, we often fail in our gift buying endeavors hence the existence of gift receipts and gift cards. In Turkmenistan, there are varying levels of gift givers. Most volunteers are mere amateurs. We pick up chocolates or cookies to take with us when we go guesting and maybe, just maybe try to acquire flowers for Women’s Day. We are last minute, low cost, low effort gifters. Shame on us! Then there are level two gift givers. My host mother is a level two. She has a perpetual stock of chocolates. Her chocolates range in quality and price. She is prepared for surprise guesting or surprise holidays. Also in this middle category is the single gift giver. This person has had success in the past with a certain gift, say a ceramic statue of two kids holding hands. This person will then give this gift for any and every occasion with no fear of repeat gifting. After all, one is better than two. Finally, there is the extreme gifter. This person has a wardrobe set aside entirely for gifts. These gifts include chocolates, cookies, lotions, ceramic statues, underwear, towels of all shapes, colors, and sizes, material for dresses, underwear, and stuffed animals. This person is ready for anything: for guests who bring gifts and must be given gifts in return, for hodyaloy (giving thanks to God by giving things to other people), birthdays, holidays, and every other gift-giving situation imaginable.
I also learned some important difference between the way we celebrate Christmas and the way Turkmen celebrate New Years.
1) In T-stan, Santa does not have a wife. He has a very young, very attractive granddaughter. My students were astounded when I told them that Santa had a wife and even more astounded when I told them that she is old.
2) Santa’s suit does not necessarily have to be red. Often his suite is blue. This is strange to me.
3) Children do not rush of to bed on New Year’s Eve. Quite the contrary. They stay up as late as possible. For this reason, there is not designated time for Santa’s arrival. The presents simply materialize. As a result, most children never actually believed in Santa.
4) All salads have either mayonnaise or oil. But this holds true of all salads everywhere on Christmas, New Years, or any other day of the year. Noteably lacking from these salads is lettuce.
5) Turkmen children are fundamentally different from American children. My host sister turned down pumpkin pie in favor of a second huge chunk of duck meat which she ate happily with her fingers, the grease all over her face and hands.
All in all, I had a fabulous Christmas and New Years. For Christmas I wrapped presents with my host mom for my host sisters. Then enjoyed the surprise of Christmas morning. I made stockings out of an old dress and an old scarf and gave one to my host mom filled with goodies. She gave me a nice brocade jewelry box. I wore read stockings and a red sweater to the institute and pranced around with garland around my neck singing Rudolph with my students. My teachers bought me a large plush pink bathrobe for Christmas and gifted it to me at the end of the day. My sitemate and I made chicken cachitore, salad, and cake for my host family.
New Years was a bit more low key. I helped my host mom cook a bit, we all dressed up in our holiday finest, and then we sat down for a feast. A little later, I took a walk with my host sister. Then I fell asleep a little bit before 12. It was wonderful. I’m kind of a grandma.
That’s all for now! Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all the best in the New Year!
First and foremost, the best part is you still get a full set of holidays on top of the Christian/American ones! All kids know that this means double the excitement, double the presents, double the excitement, and double the food.
I have also learned that every English teacher is fully expected to not only know and be able to sing Jingle Bells well, but also to produce the soundtrack. After a number of requests from my teachers, I put out feelers. I asked my site mate who produced a number of Christmas favorites including Rudolph. I also asked other volunteers in the area who also handed over their bounty of Christmas music. To my surprise and disappointment, Jingle Bells was absent from the whole lot. It wasn’t until I confided my embarrassing dilemma to a host country national friend that I finally got my hands on the music. HA! Goodness. Only then did I notice that a number of the other teachers had downloaded Jingle Bells for their latest ring tone. Oh, technology! Ha!
Finally, I have learned that there are a number of theories and practices behind gift giving. In the US, we do our best to buy what we think the other person needs or wants. Despite our best efforts, we often fail in our gift buying endeavors hence the existence of gift receipts and gift cards. In Turkmenistan, there are varying levels of gift givers. Most volunteers are mere amateurs. We pick up chocolates or cookies to take with us when we go guesting and maybe, just maybe try to acquire flowers for Women’s Day. We are last minute, low cost, low effort gifters. Shame on us! Then there are level two gift givers. My host mother is a level two. She has a perpetual stock of chocolates. Her chocolates range in quality and price. She is prepared for surprise guesting or surprise holidays. Also in this middle category is the single gift giver. This person has had success in the past with a certain gift, say a ceramic statue of two kids holding hands. This person will then give this gift for any and every occasion with no fear of repeat gifting. After all, one is better than two. Finally, there is the extreme gifter. This person has a wardrobe set aside entirely for gifts. These gifts include chocolates, cookies, lotions, ceramic statues, underwear, towels of all shapes, colors, and sizes, material for dresses, underwear, and stuffed animals. This person is ready for anything: for guests who bring gifts and must be given gifts in return, for hodyaloy (giving thanks to God by giving things to other people), birthdays, holidays, and every other gift-giving situation imaginable.
I also learned some important difference between the way we celebrate Christmas and the way Turkmen celebrate New Years.
1) In T-stan, Santa does not have a wife. He has a very young, very attractive granddaughter. My students were astounded when I told them that Santa had a wife and even more astounded when I told them that she is old.
2) Santa’s suit does not necessarily have to be red. Often his suite is blue. This is strange to me.
3) Children do not rush of to bed on New Year’s Eve. Quite the contrary. They stay up as late as possible. For this reason, there is not designated time for Santa’s arrival. The presents simply materialize. As a result, most children never actually believed in Santa.
4) All salads have either mayonnaise or oil. But this holds true of all salads everywhere on Christmas, New Years, or any other day of the year. Noteably lacking from these salads is lettuce.
5) Turkmen children are fundamentally different from American children. My host sister turned down pumpkin pie in favor of a second huge chunk of duck meat which she ate happily with her fingers, the grease all over her face and hands.
All in all, I had a fabulous Christmas and New Years. For Christmas I wrapped presents with my host mom for my host sisters. Then enjoyed the surprise of Christmas morning. I made stockings out of an old dress and an old scarf and gave one to my host mom filled with goodies. She gave me a nice brocade jewelry box. I wore read stockings and a red sweater to the institute and pranced around with garland around my neck singing Rudolph with my students. My teachers bought me a large plush pink bathrobe for Christmas and gifted it to me at the end of the day. My sitemate and I made chicken cachitore, salad, and cake for my host family.
New Years was a bit more low key. I helped my host mom cook a bit, we all dressed up in our holiday finest, and then we sat down for a feast. A little later, I took a walk with my host sister. Then I fell asleep a little bit before 12. It was wonderful. I’m kind of a grandma.
That’s all for now! Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all the best in the New Year!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Back in Town
Howdy folks-
I'm back in Abot, and I've picked up directly where I had left off. I'm busy teaching and teaching and commuting and scheming new things to teach.
Lucky for me, I made it back in town for Christmas. Although here, the big day is New Year's. For this reason, the Russian/Turkmen version of Santa Claus is circling the third floor of the Turkish superstore where I happen to be using high speed internet. He is escorted by his beautiful young grandaughter. When I tell people that Santa Claus has a wife, they usually ask, "But she is young right?" Hahahahah! No, I reply, she is not.
I don't feel like reiterating last year's New Year's post. Instead, I have decided to include a welcome letter that I was asked to write by staff for the new volunteers. Yes, there should be new volunteers coming in February or March!! Only health volunteers are coming but regardless, I'm excited to meet everyone!
Ok, here it is:
Welcome to Trainees!
We are so glad to have you! You have embarked upon a journey of epic proportions in a country of epic contrasts. But you know that already. Everyone has told you some variant of the above, I’m sure. Most people have no idea, though, what the specifics will be. To be honest, neither do I. I know that my experience is uniquely mine and your experience here will also be uniquely yours. Own it! You get to be in Turkmenistan today.
So about what I do know. I teach English at a language institute in T-stan’s beautiful, if somewhat surreal, capital city. In other words, I teach approximately 120 students a week ranging in age from 16 to 25. Not only do they span the spectrum in maturity, they also span the spectrum in language ability. A year into my service, my job still demands constant flexibility, creativity, and more than anything, optimism. I have learned to fail gracefully and start building again not only at the institute, but also in my daily interactions with my host family and even with the strangers on the bus. I have eaten bone-marrow jello, taught a class of 30 students with 0 preparation, welcomed Santa on New Year’s, discussed the difference between nationality and ethnicity, worn skirts, survived the buses during rush hour, and found peanut butter at a bazaar. All this adds up to some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows of my life. I don’t regret it for a second.
I hope I haven’t solidified any expectations that you are carrying around because that is probably the worst thing I could possibly do. Do not go into your service with expectations. Easier said than done, I know. Open minded, yes. Expectations, no. Expectations tend to lead to let downs or worse, self-fulfilling low standards. A lack of expectations allows for room to observe, listen, induce (not deduce!), and build up from what you find.
I hope that your experience will not be easy. I hope that you will face challenges, make mistakes, and feel lonely. Why? Well, I have found that it is from these low places that I learn the most. I’m a teacher after all!
That's all for now guys. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
I'm back in Abot, and I've picked up directly where I had left off. I'm busy teaching and teaching and commuting and scheming new things to teach.
Lucky for me, I made it back in town for Christmas. Although here, the big day is New Year's. For this reason, the Russian/Turkmen version of Santa Claus is circling the third floor of the Turkish superstore where I happen to be using high speed internet. He is escorted by his beautiful young grandaughter. When I tell people that Santa Claus has a wife, they usually ask, "But she is young right?" Hahahahah! No, I reply, she is not.
I don't feel like reiterating last year's New Year's post. Instead, I have decided to include a welcome letter that I was asked to write by staff for the new volunteers. Yes, there should be new volunteers coming in February or March!! Only health volunteers are coming but regardless, I'm excited to meet everyone!
Ok, here it is:
Welcome to Trainees!
We are so glad to have you! You have embarked upon a journey of epic proportions in a country of epic contrasts. But you know that already. Everyone has told you some variant of the above, I’m sure. Most people have no idea, though, what the specifics will be. To be honest, neither do I. I know that my experience is uniquely mine and your experience here will also be uniquely yours. Own it! You get to be in Turkmenistan today.
So about what I do know. I teach English at a language institute in T-stan’s beautiful, if somewhat surreal, capital city. In other words, I teach approximately 120 students a week ranging in age from 16 to 25. Not only do they span the spectrum in maturity, they also span the spectrum in language ability. A year into my service, my job still demands constant flexibility, creativity, and more than anything, optimism. I have learned to fail gracefully and start building again not only at the institute, but also in my daily interactions with my host family and even with the strangers on the bus. I have eaten bone-marrow jello, taught a class of 30 students with 0 preparation, welcomed Santa on New Year’s, discussed the difference between nationality and ethnicity, worn skirts, survived the buses during rush hour, and found peanut butter at a bazaar. All this adds up to some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows of my life. I don’t regret it for a second.
I hope I haven’t solidified any expectations that you are carrying around because that is probably the worst thing I could possibly do. Do not go into your service with expectations. Easier said than done, I know. Open minded, yes. Expectations, no. Expectations tend to lead to let downs or worse, self-fulfilling low standards. A lack of expectations allows for room to observe, listen, induce (not deduce!), and build up from what you find.
I hope that your experience will not be easy. I hope that you will face challenges, make mistakes, and feel lonely. Why? Well, I have found that it is from these low places that I learn the most. I’m a teacher after all!
That's all for now guys. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
DC Trip
As some of you may have heard, I have messed up my knee again. About a month ago, I convinced Gary, my sitemate, to go with me to the health walk. The health walk is a paved path through the mountains outside of the city. One of the other volunteers once attempted to count the stairs on the health walk but stopped after 3000. Needless to say, you go up stairs and then you come down stairs. Poor Gary. I convinced him to go up a full 5 kilometers before turning around. With 3 kilometers left to go on our decent, I hurt my knee jumping from a height of about 1.5 ft. I was unable to walk.
For the remaining 3 kilometers, I hopped up the up parts, slid down the railing on the down parts, and Gary carried me (imagine any Vietnam war movie you have seen where one loyal soldier carries his wounded companion to safety-minus the mud, Vietnam, the war, and any sort of enemy) on the flat parts. It took two hours to get to the bottom.
Side note: That morning I had promised my host family a Mexican burrito night. Upon my return home, I was distracted by the awesomeness of flavored ground beef and CHEESE! It was fabulous.
The next morning, I reported my injury to Peace Corps. After an x-ray and a CAT scan, the doctors concluded that I had managed to jolt one of the screws in my knee (put there during ACL surgery two years ago) out of the bone.
After two weeks of bed rest—which if you know me at all, drove me crazier than I already am J--I returned to the institute. Despite all the mental pressure I put on it, my knee refused to improve.
As a result, Peace Corps is sending me to Washington DC for medical treatment. It is so strange for me to be leaving! It is so strange to be headed back to the US! In my preparations, I have done a lot of reflecting. This is what I reflected J:
I would like to thank you very much for supporting me in my first year of Peace Corps service. As I have cleaned out my room in preparation for my medical evacuation, I have come across a lot of wonderful memories. I feel, more than ever, that my past year has been a full one, full of challenges, successes, mistakes, failures, personal growth, and change all around. Although I don’t have the hindsight to fully grasp how significant this year has been, I can already tell you that it has been the most formative year of my life.
This reflection has also convinced me, beyond a doubt that this is not goodbye. I do not wish to take this opportunity to bow out gracefully. To put it simply, I am not finished here. Not only have I made a two year commitment that I wish to fulfill, I have too many loose ends.
· First, I have begun a TOEFL prep club with four eager women who are committed for the next year.
· I also began a new club at the institute recently with my best students from last year. They want to put together a teacher resource book for students to use during their year of practicum or required teaching in the public schools.
· I prepared for but was unable to give a training session on the use of the new audio equipment at the institute.
· My host sister from training is pregnant, and I want to see her holding her child.
· I dedicated myself to a full year of teaching 110 second year students who expect to see my smiling face at least once a week.
· I have not been able to visit either Lebop or Dashoguez.
· I began a club not for the best students, but for the worst students in an effort to give them a second chance to catch up.
· I designed 12 training sessions for PST that I was unable to put into use. I want the chance to do that next year.
· I have become part of a support network of volunteers. It may be cliché, but we feel like family. I can’t imagine leaving them now.
· I am excited to meet with five or six of my most excited teachers who recently began to ask me for various communicative games to set them up for each week’s lessons, games that they play in class.
· I want to improve both my Russian and my Turkmen.
· I would like a chance to redo the ECA that I helped with last year. I learned so much and want to put what I learned to use.
· Last week I discussed the difference between ethnicity, nationality, and culture with one of my classes. I want to continue that discussion.
· I have not been able to go on a walk with one of my teachers who lives very near to me. I promised her I would.
· Finally, I have not properly told anyone goodbye.
I do not wish to parade my list of accomplishments. I merely wish to assert the importance of this past year and my desire to return to a place that I now call home.
Thanks again for your support!
Tess Elmore
For the remaining 3 kilometers, I hopped up the up parts, slid down the railing on the down parts, and Gary carried me (imagine any Vietnam war movie you have seen where one loyal soldier carries his wounded companion to safety-minus the mud, Vietnam, the war, and any sort of enemy) on the flat parts. It took two hours to get to the bottom.
Side note: That morning I had promised my host family a Mexican burrito night. Upon my return home, I was distracted by the awesomeness of flavored ground beef and CHEESE! It was fabulous.
The next morning, I reported my injury to Peace Corps. After an x-ray and a CAT scan, the doctors concluded that I had managed to jolt one of the screws in my knee (put there during ACL surgery two years ago) out of the bone.
After two weeks of bed rest—which if you know me at all, drove me crazier than I already am J--I returned to the institute. Despite all the mental pressure I put on it, my knee refused to improve.
As a result, Peace Corps is sending me to Washington DC for medical treatment. It is so strange for me to be leaving! It is so strange to be headed back to the US! In my preparations, I have done a lot of reflecting. This is what I reflected J:
I would like to thank you very much for supporting me in my first year of Peace Corps service. As I have cleaned out my room in preparation for my medical evacuation, I have come across a lot of wonderful memories. I feel, more than ever, that my past year has been a full one, full of challenges, successes, mistakes, failures, personal growth, and change all around. Although I don’t have the hindsight to fully grasp how significant this year has been, I can already tell you that it has been the most formative year of my life.
This reflection has also convinced me, beyond a doubt that this is not goodbye. I do not wish to take this opportunity to bow out gracefully. To put it simply, I am not finished here. Not only have I made a two year commitment that I wish to fulfill, I have too many loose ends.
· First, I have begun a TOEFL prep club with four eager women who are committed for the next year.
· I also began a new club at the institute recently with my best students from last year. They want to put together a teacher resource book for students to use during their year of practicum or required teaching in the public schools.
· I prepared for but was unable to give a training session on the use of the new audio equipment at the institute.
· My host sister from training is pregnant, and I want to see her holding her child.
· I dedicated myself to a full year of teaching 110 second year students who expect to see my smiling face at least once a week.
· I have not been able to visit either Lebop or Dashoguez.
· I began a club not for the best students, but for the worst students in an effort to give them a second chance to catch up.
· I designed 12 training sessions for PST that I was unable to put into use. I want the chance to do that next year.
· I have become part of a support network of volunteers. It may be cliché, but we feel like family. I can’t imagine leaving them now.
· I am excited to meet with five or six of my most excited teachers who recently began to ask me for various communicative games to set them up for each week’s lessons, games that they play in class.
· I want to improve both my Russian and my Turkmen.
· I would like a chance to redo the ECA that I helped with last year. I learned so much and want to put what I learned to use.
· Last week I discussed the difference between ethnicity, nationality, and culture with one of my classes. I want to continue that discussion.
· I have not been able to go on a walk with one of my teachers who lives very near to me. I promised her I would.
· Finally, I have not properly told anyone goodbye.
I do not wish to parade my list of accomplishments. I merely wish to assert the importance of this past year and my desire to return to a place that I now call home.
Thanks again for your support!
Tess Elmore
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Coming up on a year! (Part 1)
I was recently asked if I have adapted entirely to the culture. My answer was an absolute no. I don’t think that is entirely possible. After all, I started 23 years behind everyone else! Then on second thought, I considered how comfortable I am navigating through my daily life, through the chance meetings, and insignificant exchanges. I considered how I am now comfortable in my own clothing and own skin, even confident! I considered how often I am mistaken for a native specifically, of Russian origin (until I open my mouth and Turkmen inevitably comes out!). I think perhaps I’m doing pretty well in the whole cultural adaptation arena. However, there are still moments when I do a mental jaw drop at just how different life is here. Here are some recent jaw drops:
Cultural Moments
1. First, it is very common to wish people ‘bon appetite’ when they are eating. Especially if they are eating and you are not. Usually this doesn’t happen at organized meals. My teachers have translated this to ‘good appetite.’ So, during my breaks when I eat lunch I am constantly encouraged to be hungry! Ha!
Anyway, I occasionally stop by the bazaar on the way to or from work. Usually, I will purchase a kilo of apples, a couple bananas, or maybe a sweet roll. I then cart my haul to my next destination before partaking of the bounty. However, one day I was particularly hungry and pulled out my sweet roll to much on while still walking to work. As I was putting the roll to my mouth, I was greeted with a loud ‘Bon Appetite!’ from the stranger walking past me on the street. I was shocked. Stopped walking. And looked at him. He didn’t even turn around. I continued down the street and within 20 seconds received another one! I couldn’t help laughing! Two complete strangers had just politely applauded, even spurred on my street side roll ingestion.
2. I gave my students pictures of famous people to practice describing appearance. I did my best to stick to people they would know. These people included: Shakira, Obama, Enrique Iglesias, Tess (Me!), Putin, and Julia Roberts among others. They doubly surprised because first, they did not recognize Akon because they did not expect him to be black and second, they had no idea who Albert Einstein is. They did appreciate the fact that most people have long hair but that he had tall hair. J
3. Again on the subject of appearances, I was not at all surprised when my female students admitted to having short red hair despite the fact that they all have long black braids reaching down to their waist from underneath the ornately embroidered skull cap. Both the skull cap and braids are characteristic of all school and university uniforms. Fake hair may be purchased at a number of Bazars in Ashgabat. I have resisted the seductive call of the fake hair thus far but I’ll keep you updated. I was surprised, however, that my hair was described as both short (it now stretches at least half way down my back) and red (it is inarguably brown). I was reminded, once again, that EVERYTHING, even color, is relative.
5. In a class of advanced students, we were debating what makes a good and what makes a bad teacher. In one activity, they were describing a teacher on her first day of teaching. Their description of an absolutely horrible teacher was by and large a physical description. This poor teacher had a hole in her shoe and sticks in her hair. Ha! I was reminded once again how serious appearance is here. I made sure to iron my blouse twice the next morning. In 115 degree heat, women will close windows to avoid messing up their hair! That’s commitment.
6. So I have this problem with white-washed walls. It is the same problem I have with chalk. It is the same problem I had with mud when I was 5 (read: when I was in a country that had mud). I always get it all over me. But not to worry! The teachers and even students have me covered. They are constantly brushing off my back, my shoulders, and my sleeves. I’m no longer embarrassed about it. It is kinda of a joke for our department. However, it reached a new low last week after I brushed the back of my right shoulder against the wall in the English department office. Both of the young male teachers in our department did simultaneously came to my rescue. HA! Can you imagine? I had two men falling over me to brush a white-wash spot off my shoulder.
7. Last week, I had a cold and as a result, I lost my voice. All day everyday, I had people expressing their condolences for my voice. After initial concern, a twinkle would light up their eyes and a hint of accusation would creep into their voice. “Did you eat ice-cream or drink cold water??” I was posed this question at least 15 times a day. I abstained from those tempting 15 cent ice-creams just so I could assure them that, no, the ice-cream was not at fault. After two days of this, my patience was a tad bit stretched. This is what an ice-creamless life does to me. I walked into the Peace Corps guard shack excepting, for some unknown reason, understanding. Perhaps they would encourage me to visit the medical staff, acquire medication of some sort, or perhaps rest. I was relieved when the initial concern did not digress to accusation. I couldn’t help laughing (soundlessly) when the concern gave way to a conspiratory wink and a “it was the cold beer huh?”
8. Ok. This one is a bit embarrassing and I can’t believe I’m gonna put it on the world wide web but here goes. So my supervisor is approximately four feet tall. I am not four feet tall. I am a solid 5.7. I had just helped her use the computer to find and print some document or another. She was standing in front of me to thank me for my help when this huge smile lit up her face. You are a good Muslim! She said in perfect English. I was really confused. She laughed and reached up to pat me on the shoulder. “You have something that all good Muslims have,” she said. “A chin hair!”
Chin hair and all, I’m heading into my second year of service. I’m still working on the cultural adaptation, but I’m thoroughly enjoying myself in the process.
I miss you all.
Tess
Cultural Moments
1. First, it is very common to wish people ‘bon appetite’ when they are eating. Especially if they are eating and you are not. Usually this doesn’t happen at organized meals. My teachers have translated this to ‘good appetite.’ So, during my breaks when I eat lunch I am constantly encouraged to be hungry! Ha!
Anyway, I occasionally stop by the bazaar on the way to or from work. Usually, I will purchase a kilo of apples, a couple bananas, or maybe a sweet roll. I then cart my haul to my next destination before partaking of the bounty. However, one day I was particularly hungry and pulled out my sweet roll to much on while still walking to work. As I was putting the roll to my mouth, I was greeted with a loud ‘Bon Appetite!’ from the stranger walking past me on the street. I was shocked. Stopped walking. And looked at him. He didn’t even turn around. I continued down the street and within 20 seconds received another one! I couldn’t help laughing! Two complete strangers had just politely applauded, even spurred on my street side roll ingestion.
2. I gave my students pictures of famous people to practice describing appearance. I did my best to stick to people they would know. These people included: Shakira, Obama, Enrique Iglesias, Tess (Me!), Putin, and Julia Roberts among others. They doubly surprised because first, they did not recognize Akon because they did not expect him to be black and second, they had no idea who Albert Einstein is. They did appreciate the fact that most people have long hair but that he had tall hair. J
3. Again on the subject of appearances, I was not at all surprised when my female students admitted to having short red hair despite the fact that they all have long black braids reaching down to their waist from underneath the ornately embroidered skull cap. Both the skull cap and braids are characteristic of all school and university uniforms. Fake hair may be purchased at a number of Bazars in Ashgabat. I have resisted the seductive call of the fake hair thus far but I’ll keep you updated. I was surprised, however, that my hair was described as both short (it now stretches at least half way down my back) and red (it is inarguably brown). I was reminded, once again, that EVERYTHING, even color, is relative.
5. In a class of advanced students, we were debating what makes a good and what makes a bad teacher. In one activity, they were describing a teacher on her first day of teaching. Their description of an absolutely horrible teacher was by and large a physical description. This poor teacher had a hole in her shoe and sticks in her hair. Ha! I was reminded once again how serious appearance is here. I made sure to iron my blouse twice the next morning. In 115 degree heat, women will close windows to avoid messing up their hair! That’s commitment.
6. So I have this problem with white-washed walls. It is the same problem I have with chalk. It is the same problem I had with mud when I was 5 (read: when I was in a country that had mud). I always get it all over me. But not to worry! The teachers and even students have me covered. They are constantly brushing off my back, my shoulders, and my sleeves. I’m no longer embarrassed about it. It is kinda of a joke for our department. However, it reached a new low last week after I brushed the back of my right shoulder against the wall in the English department office. Both of the young male teachers in our department did simultaneously came to my rescue. HA! Can you imagine? I had two men falling over me to brush a white-wash spot off my shoulder.
7. Last week, I had a cold and as a result, I lost my voice. All day everyday, I had people expressing their condolences for my voice. After initial concern, a twinkle would light up their eyes and a hint of accusation would creep into their voice. “Did you eat ice-cream or drink cold water??” I was posed this question at least 15 times a day. I abstained from those tempting 15 cent ice-creams just so I could assure them that, no, the ice-cream was not at fault. After two days of this, my patience was a tad bit stretched. This is what an ice-creamless life does to me. I walked into the Peace Corps guard shack excepting, for some unknown reason, understanding. Perhaps they would encourage me to visit the medical staff, acquire medication of some sort, or perhaps rest. I was relieved when the initial concern did not digress to accusation. I couldn’t help laughing (soundlessly) when the concern gave way to a conspiratory wink and a “it was the cold beer huh?”
8. Ok. This one is a bit embarrassing and I can’t believe I’m gonna put it on the world wide web but here goes. So my supervisor is approximately four feet tall. I am not four feet tall. I am a solid 5.7. I had just helped her use the computer to find and print some document or another. She was standing in front of me to thank me for my help when this huge smile lit up her face. You are a good Muslim! She said in perfect English. I was really confused. She laughed and reached up to pat me on the shoulder. “You have something that all good Muslims have,” she said. “A chin hair!”
Chin hair and all, I’m heading into my second year of service. I’m still working on the cultural adaptation, but I’m thoroughly enjoying myself in the process.
I miss you all.
Tess
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