September 5, 2008
Permanent Site Visit, Part 2: In Talas
Before
I begin let me say y’all in trouble now, because I’ve learned how to type in
Cyrillic on my computer, so the Kyrgyz words will be flying fast and furious.
That is as soon as I learn where the letters are on the keyboard.
Okay, I’ll try to be brief as you’ll be hearing a lot about my work over the next two years, but all signs look good. My counterpart seems nice and speaks almost fluent English. Only English can be spoken in the school. So much for my Kyrgyz getting better. I’ll be teaching Conversational English to 3rd, 4th and 5th Course students. University here is five years, but students still graduate at 22, so they must start a year earlier. In the Spring I’m slated to teach a brand new course entitled Introduction to Modern Linguistics. When I asked if there was a text book for the class, my counterpart said I should look for info on the Internet. Good thing I have until March. I will also conduct an English class for the teachers once a week. Most speak competently, but want to speak better. I’ll hold outside classes on listening skills for the students and, yes, I get to start a Drama Club. That should be extremely interesting.
My family is nice. My new host mother is a German teacher at the school, in the same building, on the same floor. Not sure how I like this set-up, but I know why it was made. She lives two blocks from the school and they didn’t want me walking too far in the frigid winters. My host father is a doctor. A neurologist, if I understood my mother correctly. He’s also 65 so I don’t know how much doctoring he does these days. Mostly he mans the counter at the little magazine they own in the front of their house. (A magazine is the Russian term for a convenience store. Mostly, they sell candy, cigs and booze.) I believe my father’s career took a downturn after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Once Moscow quit paying everybody’s medical bills, who can afford a neuro guy? Average wage in KG? About $300/year, although it’s much higher in the cities. Still...
I’m a 20 minute walk from the bazaar, the cafes and the other city volunteers. The group that’s been there a year was very helpful this past weekend showing us the ropes and around. I also met the village volunteers yesterday at a group picnic by the river. Quite pastoral and the food was delish!
Now I’m back in Kenesh, wondering what the hell I’ll be doing for the next two weeks. Swearing in is September 18th. I know I’m getting a week of Russian lessons, but beyond that, I’m not sure.
Okay, I’ll try to be brief as you’ll be hearing a lot about my work over the next two years, but all signs look good. My counterpart seems nice and speaks almost fluent English. Only English can be spoken in the school. So much for my Kyrgyz getting better. I’ll be teaching Conversational English to 3rd, 4th and 5th Course students. University here is five years, but students still graduate at 22, so they must start a year earlier. In the Spring I’m slated to teach a brand new course entitled Introduction to Modern Linguistics. When I asked if there was a text book for the class, my counterpart said I should look for info on the Internet. Good thing I have until March. I will also conduct an English class for the teachers once a week. Most speak competently, but want to speak better. I’ll hold outside classes on listening skills for the students and, yes, I get to start a Drama Club. That should be extremely interesting.
My family is nice. My new host mother is a German teacher at the school, in the same building, on the same floor. Not sure how I like this set-up, but I know why it was made. She lives two blocks from the school and they didn’t want me walking too far in the frigid winters. My host father is a doctor. A neurologist, if I understood my mother correctly. He’s also 65 so I don’t know how much doctoring he does these days. Mostly he mans the counter at the little magazine they own in the front of their house. (A magazine is the Russian term for a convenience store. Mostly, they sell candy, cigs and booze.) I believe my father’s career took a downturn after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Once Moscow quit paying everybody’s medical bills, who can afford a neuro guy? Average wage in KG? About $300/year, although it’s much higher in the cities. Still...
I’m a 20 minute walk from the bazaar, the cafes and the other city volunteers. The group that’s been there a year was very helpful this past weekend showing us the ropes and around. I also met the village volunteers yesterday at a group picnic by the river. Quite pastoral and the food was delish!
Now I’m back in Kenesh, wondering what the hell I’ll be doing for the next two weeks. Swearing in is September 18th. I know I’m getting a week of Russian lessons, but beyond that, I’m not sure.
It
wouldn’t take me long to discover that, once again, most of what I was told
about my stay in Talas differed from reality. I won’t say the PC lied to me,
because each statement contained a grain of truth. The most egregious one had
to be “only English is spoken in the English Department.” HA! The only times
I heard English were in my class and when the teachers spoke to me. That’s it.
Every other word came out Kyrgyz or Russian. Students repeatedly told me that
the most common language in their other English classes was Kyrgyz. That was probably
due to the students’ poor English skills.
In the book there is further explanation on the other points that were oversold to me.
