7.17.2009

preparing to leave

March-July 2009

I applied for this program in mid-October 2008, was nominated on Halloween for Central Asia, was medically cleared in late January 2009, and was invited for Kazakhstan in late February 2009. Against warnings of a lengthy limbo period, the 4-month application process was pretty stress-free.

Since then, I’ve tried to prepare myself as much as possible. I got some Russian, Kazakh, and TEFL resources and have also been trying to update myself on Central Asian politics and society.

Though I hope to focus on the Kazakh language in training, I’ve been looking mostly at Russian because I’ve heard that even Kazakh speakers mix in a lot of Russian vocab and grammar. I’ve had a pretty enjoyable time studying on my own as long as I use multiple resources.

In talking with returned volunteers, three major messages seem to stick out: my experience will be what I make of it, go in with realistic expectations and anticipate some rough times, and altogether, it’s a fairly unique opportunity with some pretty cool benefits. I’m excited and horrified at the same time. I'm leaving some amazing people, but didn't want to pass up on this. I hope I'm successful.