西贡鼠 SAIGONNEZUMI

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Karatau

My Kazakh Host Brother and Sisters

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For two years they kept me company during my Peace Corps service in Karatau, Kazakhstan.  We even had sibling fights and arguments, especially Gulzhan (in the tanktop) and I.  It was an enjoyable two years.  Ulzhan (holding Diana in her arms, a little baby who chatted with me in English last year.) was a great cook but she left after the first year to study medicine in Almaty. … [Read more...] about My Kazakh Host Brother and Sisters

Karatau Mosque – 1997

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When I lived in Karatau, Kazakhstan, as a Peace Corps Volunteer, there were two mosques in the town.  With Saudi funding, the townspeople started to build a new mosque to replace the smaller older one.  Unfortunately, roughly a year before I came to Karatau, money ran out for the project.  It was never completed. In 1998, with money from the local community, the Muslims closed … [Read more...] about Karatau Mosque – 1997

Riskul

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This picture was one that surprised me when I saw it in the US.  It nearly brought tears to my eyes. If you look at the photo below, look at the girl to the farthest right.  Her name is Riskul, she was my 6th Former , Class 6B, student at the Karatau Lyceum when I took this photo in 1997.  Riskul never smiles well at least when I am around.  She seemed like a serious student … [Read more...] about Riskul

A Cold Christmas (1997)

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Winter, 1997, in Karatau, Kazakhstan, was the coldest I ever experienced in my life.  I was at my Peace Corps site for just a little over two months when winter struck with a fury.  Even the local Kazakhs and Russians were surprised at the harsh winter.  It got down to -40 C which was not normal for my southern Kazakhstan town.  Around Christmas I remember that the walk to take … [Read more...] about A Cold Christmas (1997)