Where In the World...

BLOG #10
Sept. 25

I taught my 4th lesson to my 5th graders today! It was on addresses and phone numbers and it went really well. This class was the closest I have come to actually making it through a whole lesson plan! Usually the actual class turns out completely different than what I had meant to do lol! I mean the topics and grammar are alway covered, it just ends up that it happens different than I plan for it... I don't really understand it either - but I really am getting better at this! I also really like my 5th graders... It's also nice to teach the same group for a while... I know what they have learned in the previous classes, who does well, who struggles - it will be really cool to teach the same kids for two years!
We had Kazakh after lessons, which were fun... we played games most of the time... then I came home had tea and ate a little bit. The four lesson plans for next week are due tomorrow! I have one done and its about 11:00 at night lol. Story of my life. I played with Ablai and the neighbor kid for a while. It's so funny, kids are just kids no matter where you are lol. We threw plastic paint container lids at each other like frisbees lol. Just the same as the stupid games we made up when we were kids. We made a punching bag out of a big water jug tied to the clothesline with a rope. Did some karate. Played hot potato/monkey in the middle (its a dog in the middle here though). Then I talked to Peter, the British guy from church, about going to an orphanage!
He invited me to go with him yesterday, but we were in Almaty for a Hub Day and didn't finish in time. It sounds like a really moving experience. I've never been to an orphanage... but he and some other people from the church go every monday and thursday... just to hang out with the kids, most of which are disabled in someway. It's funny because I guess "there are no disorders" in Kazakhstan... still... I mean that nothing is recognized to be a disorder here yet... no one "has" ADD or any learning disabilities, or any disorders even... Lord knows what happens to those who suffer from something like that here! Echo was telling me about a study that she read about where a group of advanced students were treated like an LD class, and an LD class was treated like advanced students... to the point that they considered themselves to be opposite class, and they actually performed accordingly. (The real Advanced students performed worse, and the real LD students improved) I think there is a lot of truth to that. I've been so blessed to have complete support from family in whatever I did...! Others definitely don't have that, which is hard for me to wrap my head around. Anyway I'm very excited to go to the orphanage - should it be feasible... we usually don't finish at the school until 4 30/5ish... and they go at 4... I'll try for Monday.
We filled out our site preference sheets the other day... I decided to go for it! Lol, there has been a lot of talk from other trainees that they already have us placed and they don't pay attention to what we say on the forms... But I figure - if they are going to give me the opportunity to say what I want in a site, I'll take it lol! I circled, the south, Kazakh language (possibly a Russian tutor), to have a site-mate, and high school level. My only other request was to be a reasonable distance from Almaty to have the option to occasionally make it to an English speaking Protestant church when I can... (I don't really remember how I worded it) We'll see where I end up! I'm trying to really make my case about this... I feel like I've already made more concessions to PC than most other trainees and really want them to consider that! ...I won't go into details but let's just say that it definitely has been the Lord's will and not mine for me to be where I am - since the application process :) And it's amazing how I really like where I am now... and I wouldn't have expected that I say that if you would have asked me when I first arrived here. The only way to look at it is - even if I am assigned to me "ideal" site, there will be plenty of challenges to work around... and even if I am assigned my "worst case scenario" site, there will be amazing experiences.
We will be talking face to face with someone about the sites on Monday (the 28) - hopefully we will be able to leave school early, as soon as the interview ends, and I'll be able to visit the orphanage :)