Introducing volunteer work to my students is one of the best ways to exchange culture. My students traveled 14 hours to volunteer at two Halloween parties I hosted for my new students. It was such an awesome act of volunteerism!
Kazakhstan has many beautiful things. One that stands out in particular are the costumes that are traditionally worn. Here is a picture of Kazakhstani National Hats that are traditionally worn while girls are dancing. They're beautifully...
This year at Murager School in Kazakhstan, 80 students were able to send a Flat Stanley to America to travel for two weeks and then return to share stories of their adventures! It was incredible!
This is a photo of my 5th grade choir. Their debut performance was at the graduation ceremony for the 11th graders in May 2011. They did a fantastic job!
This picture was taken in the Pohnpei Public Library in Kolonia Town on the island of Pohnpei in The Federated States of Micronesia. June 1, 2011 was the first day of the Summer Reading Program, "One World, Many Stories" that was hosted by the...
It's not everyday you come across a counterpart that you can call family. My counterpart is exactly that. She's not quite a Mom, not quite a sister, but she's surely someone that I'll never forget. She's family. Her name is Gulnaz and she is...
This was taken on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 in Ohwa, Madolenihmw on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. I hosted an Easter Egg hunt for all the children who live on my compound. This is a picture of the children after...
During a week of Camp GLOW in Kokshetau, Kazakhstan we met a lot of cute and interesting kids since there was a simultaneous camp along side ours. Here is one of the cutest boys you'll ever meet. His smile was to die for.
Ceremonies; Food and meals; Host community friends
This photo was taken April 24,2011; Easter Sunday. I created an American style Easter party for the children who live on my host family's compound. This is a picture of two of my host cousins trying Peeps for the first time. The photo was taken in...
A Russian tradition! This photo was taken on the Ishim River in Petropavlosk, Kazakhstan. It is a tradition that the lake be blessed in January and traditional dunks are taken. Here is Volunteer Nick Huber dunking three times to stay healthy all...
This photo was taken at a 4th of July party in Kazakhstan. Married Peace Corps Volunteers, Melissa and Matt belted their hearts out to adoring fans singing traditional American songs.
Jamilya and Aisulu were awesome enough to fully complete the FLEX program and I was able to meet them in the last year of my service in Kazakhstan. These two amazing women helped me organize a teacher training for 90 teachers from our area. It...
camps and clubs; girls' education; Women and Development (WID)/Gender and Development (GAD)
This is a photo of our group of girls in Chalkar, Kazakhstan. This Camp GLOW was the fourth of four Camp GLOWs that took place throughout Kazakhstan in the summer of 2011. There were 30 participants at the 5 day/6 night sleepaway camp. It was an...