From 9/26

Whew, I barely made it through this week. Every week it is a struggle to get all my work done, and when I finally finish it all, they tell me that the next week even more work is due. I could complain once again about how much stuff we have to do for training, but I don’t want to bore you with my whining. Anyway, I finished my teaching for the week today. I taught my 6th grade class twice and had my first lesson with an 8th grade class that went really well. I have learned that even if nothing goes as planned in your class, as long as you keep your cool and act like it was part of the plan, no one really notices. Today I literally put a blank poster up on the board and before I had explained what the activity was, kids were raising their hands to write on it. I let them just direct the activity and they basically did exactly what I would have had them done anyway (write questions and answer them). I’m not sure if this means that I am telepathic or if kids are just insanely intuitive, but I’ll give us both some credit.
Teaching is actually kind of a struggle for me. I thought that it would just come naturally, but I actually get intimidated in front of a group of 15 twelve year olds. Every class I learn a lot about how to teach though, and since we have very little resources with which to plan lessons, I am becoming very thrifty and resourceful. After two years of this craziness I will be prepared for anything I will ever face in the education field. I never really thought about my teachers in school as having lesson plans, I guess I thought they just improvised everything, but after spending hours creating visual aids and lesson plans I have so much more respect for all my teachers. Teachers in Kaz also get paid even less and work 6 days a week. I just don’t understand how education can be recognized as such a vital cornerstone of any society (American or otherwise) and yet teachers are so taken for granted. Teachers should get paid a ton of money if only for the fact that they are half babysitter for most of the year. I digress.
After a rough start to the week, I went to visit some friends Wednesday after school and was a bit nervous because I had to take a marshuka (taxi bus) back to my town at night and couldn’t see the stops. I pretty much had to intuit when to get off at my stop, but I chose perfectly and made it home safe and sound. When I got home my host sister had a friend over who was really cute. I think she kind of liked me, and though I am sure I will never see her again, it was nice to have a least one Kazakh girl not look at me like a weirdo beard-o. It was her birthday so host Mom busted out the cognac and Champagne, and I had some much needed R and R. Thursday was payday (also much needed) and I was really hoping to get a package my parents had sent me two weeks ago. I walked in and saw a package on the table and got really excited, but it turned out to be a package for someone else. I was a pretty bummed, mostly because the mail from HQ probably won’t come again until next Thursday, but I’m sure I will appreciate it even more next week because I will be even more swamped with work.
Tomorrow after class I am going into the city with some friends to eat at a hamburger place. We were supposed to do it last weekend, but we were all mostly out of money and busy so we didn’t. I am really excited; I have never wanted a burger so bad. Supposedly they cost like 10 bucks, but I’d say it’s worth it at this point. I just want you all to know I am spending your tax money on some Americana. I have no real plans for Sunday, but there is loose talk of going to the mountains. I hope we do. It is getting really freaking cold and this will probably be the last weekend it is possible. It is usually around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings. I have already started using thermal unnawares. I am going to die in a month or two… can anyone say Boggsicle?