Second Year in Kazakhstan Begins

When performance curators launched the first human cannon baller, 14 year-old “Zazel,” in 1877 at the Royal Aquarium in London, they had little inkling that six decades later, the invention of jet engine technology would eventually catapult people half-way around the world in less than 24 hours. By day two of being back (We are presently approaching the five-week mark of our second year in Kazakhstan), I felt as if I’d literally traveled here by cannon.

Just over a month ago, on August 18th, we basically said our last goodbyes, hung out on a few planes, took a couple of naps, ate a hot meal or two, and bam… back in the old apartment. By day two, I’d totally forgotten the bill I was so worried about that came just before we left, the taxes we fastidiously worked on amending, and was already thinking about what we should cook for the upcoming week at work and slightly confused by why I had Euros in my wallet (We made a quick stop in Amsterdam during our last layover). Suffice it to say, the miracles of childbirth, the consumption of circus peanuts, and plane travel never cease to amaze me.

We returned to the same school but with several new staff members. Talking with the newbies means having the conversations we had a year ago, except that this time, we are the “experts.” It means that their observations are ways of life that we’ve simply gotten used to, like how so many people you pass on the street here look quite dour. You might smile at a stranger but you will never get one back.

The other day, I was walking with one of my students from the main school building to the one I’m in. He is a very observant young man and suddenly asked me, “Mrs. Kohlmeier, why do you always laugh at everyone you pass?” Of course I replied that I’m not laughing but smiling. And of course he asked why I do that. I explained that I’m just being friendly, to which he retorted, “Oh, we don’t do that here. We only smile at someone if we know them.” I told him that maybe someone is having a bad or lonely day and it might feel good to have someone smile at him or her, but he assured me that it’d make the situation worse, as it would appear that you are laughing at him or her.

I’ve had conversations with others over the past year on this very topic and several locals have said that smiling at a stranger signifies that you are hiding something. There is a definite layer of paranoia that seems to influence interactions here, a paranoia that seems to have intensified upon our return. We’ve learned that if you’ve ever served in the military in another country, it means that you are “in the know” more than your average Joe and you are associated with being spy material. Corryn thinks it’s the old Soviet mentality still at work, as Kazakhstan has only been an independent country since 1991. It’s interesting but annoying at the same time, as it leads to numerous rumors, gossip, and backstabbing.

On a lighter note, our feed-a-stray program has grown. We began feeding a cat near work last year, around March or April. A few weeks later, she adopted a kitten from someone else’s litter and we started feeding her as well. When we returned this August, she’d taken on yet another orphan who was pretty scrawny and runt like. Of course, she too began enjoying the cold milk and kitty food Core packs every morning. Then on the way home one day, we found a very friendly black kitten near our apartment and began feeding him, totaling four.

About a week ago, we were feeding the threesome and heard an intense little mewing sound coming from a nearby tree. We looked up and saw four sets of tiny little eyes on four tiny little kittens that looked like mini-versions of the first cat we’d started feeding in March. Yes, our mama now has six kits, and we are feeding eight mouths! Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the four little ones for a few days, so we’re hoping mama just brought them to a safer location, as she is still nursing. There are no animal shelters or facilities for spaying and neutering, so we do the best to feed the little flock we’ve found.

Overall, school feels busier than last year but we are really enjoying ourselves and spending time with all the people we got to know last year. We've already had the International Brunch for all the families and I've made sushi rolls with my students (one had written a "how to" essay on making sushi rolls). We plan to travel a lot more this year, and are already working our details for upcoming breaks. And I’m still working on my masters, so this year will likely fly by, like a cannon ball out of its shoot.