Here's my semi-public Peace Corps blog (by semi-public, I mean that it's accessible by invite - all you have to do is ask me). As you probably know, I'm in Kazakhstan with Peace Corps' university English teaching program. Right now I'm in what's called pre-service training, or PST, and in November, I'll be sworn in as a volunteer and will teach English, probably other subjects, and maybe even German at a university.

Right now, I live in an apartment with a host family. The Soviet-era exterior is a big contrast to the cozy interior. We have DSL, satellite TV, a shower, hot water, and a washing machine, so it's not the Peace Corps experience that initially comes to mind for most people. That's fine with me, though, because frankly, it's nice, and I still feel like I can make a difference here even if I'm machine-washing my clothes as I type. Besides, sometimes the hot water stops working, and you can feel a little more Peace Corps-y by boiling water in a teapot and mixing it with cold water in a bucket to bathe.

Our days here mostly consist of Russian language lessons, "technical sessions" (i.e. safety, health, lesson planning, university structure, etc.), and the English club that we're running during training. It's a busy schedule, but it's only for a month and a half more.

Here are some photos from last month. The bird was trained, not wild, if you were wondering. And the horse was also domestic. But still cool. The other people are a fellow volunteer (technically, trainee, but "volunteer" seems like a better all-purpose word), her host sister, and her friend.