Holidays

I've decided what I miss most of all right now is the joy of the holidays.  It always bothered me that Christmas items and songs flooded the stores before Halloween was over, but I think I'd rather have that than nothing.  As the weather gets cold and dreary, and there are no Christmas lights, decorations or music, it is getting a little depressing.

So, in true International Spirit -- we had a Thanksgiving Party!

Since Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, we all worked as usual, but it was really nice that our colleagues from around the world wished all of us Americans a Happy Thanksgiving.  We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday night -- and it was quite a celebration.

First, the turkey.  A Kazakh friend (who has lived in the USA for about 15 years, sounds like she's from Los Angeles, and is an American citizen) was determined to get us a turkey.  She had been planning on it since September.  The Tuesday night before the party, she texts me that she has a line on 2 turkeys that the lady will kill and pluck for us.  She's going to get them tomorrow.

Wednesday, I get the text, the turkeys have fallen through. The lady decided they were too small to kill. If she fattens them up, she can get more money for them.

So the search was on.  Our friend drove all over Taraz looking for a turkey.  The locals at school were giving us ideas of where to look, and we would send her there.  We also had locals calling their friends and family looking for a turkey.  I thought it would be OK to just get turkey parts, but the game was on.  Thursday night I get a call that we have a turkey coming in from Almaty -- about a 6-7 hour drive away.  She had called her cousin, who found a turkey and a driver to bring it out to Taraz!  We had a 10kg turkey arrive by car on Friday.

It was worth the time, the search, and the tenge to have the whole turkey.  A couple of us had thought ahead and brought sage, rosemary and thyme with us when we returned to Taraz after summer break  -- so it really tasted like Thanksgiving!

It was an opportunity for we Americans to show what Thanksgiving is about.  About 30 people showed up at my place -- including some out-of-towners from the NIS school in Shymkent.  In all we had the 5 Americans, 2 Portuguese, a couple of Ugandans, a Frenchman, a couple of S. Africans, an Italian, an Indonesian, a couple of teachers from the Philippines, a number of Brits and a number of Kazakhs. I was thankful for each and every one of them!

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Rhonda:

550 Years of Kazakh History

This past month, Kazakhstan celebrated its 550th year of statehood.  All those years ago, the meeting and agreement were finalized here in Taraz.

The town has been getting ready for this celebration for months.  New streets, flowers planted everywhere, new bus stops, new parks, new white stuff painted on the bottom of the trees...

The celebration lasted 3 days and brought President Nazarbayev and the presidents of our neighboring countries to Taraz.  Although I had to work, Terry was able to attend some of the events, so I thought I could share a few of his pictures.

Taraz was a major crossroads on the Silk Road.  To celebrate that, there was a caravan of about 30 camels that brought in materials and goods to set up a Kazakh cultural event in one of the big parks.

 Here are the camels diagonally parked on the side of the road.

Yurts were set up around the park, and artisans were practicing their crafts.  This is the beginning of a felt rug made from wool.

This is the inside of one of the yurts.  You can see the handmade instruments hanging on the blue background.  If you look at the ceiling, you can see the "ribs" of wood that form the yurt structure.  It's kind of like a teepee idea.

These young ladies in traditional garb were very busy posing for pictures.

Sorry, those are all the pictures I have.  I'm bummed that I missed it all.

We Are Members!

As I've been saying, "Who wouldn't want to have us as a member?"

We are now officially members of the Council of International Schools.  What does mean, you ask.  Well, it means we can now apply for accreditation from CIS.  It means that the first step in the long journey of my job here is successfully completed.  It means the hardest part is yet to come.

In order to continue to move toward accreditation, we need to continue to establish systems at the school that are integrated, sustainable, and focused on student well-being and achievement.  For me, it means setting up a system of Professional Learning Communities where the teachers can work on curriculum review, data analysis, and effective instruction.  

"Easy," you say. "You've done that before."  Yes, but with resources and a common language.  This is proving to be quite a challenge.

All those things that we so take for granted in the U.S. are new concepts here.  Remember, Kazakhstan has only been out from under Soviet rule for a short time.  Many of the Soviet style systems and the thinking that accompanies them are still alive and well.  

But we have begun the hard work.  Last week, my team and I did three days of professional development workshops kicking off our new initiative.  Again, I am fortunate to work with a group of international teachers who are knowledgeable, patient, and willing to continue to learn themselves.  

Slacker!

OK, OK, I've been a slacker!  I have let the blog slide.

Terry and I arrived back home in Taraz in August.  Time flew by, and he is now back home in the U.S.  But a lot happened in between.

First, we bought an apartment in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.  Why Portugal?  Have you tried the food there?! We have decided it would be worth moving there if only for the food.  It's really a beautiful spot north of Porto and just south of Spain, where the Lima River goes into the Atlantic. Our place is at the edge of the City Center, about a 5-10 minute walk to the river and about a 10-15 minute walk to the ocean.  We are very excited, but we have only spent about 3 hours in our place since we completed the purchase.

This is looking up the main street in Viana toward the train station and Santa Luzia Cathedral.

Looking down on the town from up by Santa Luzia.

Sitting by the Lima River.

The coast that far north is rocky.  

I would say that the most amazing thing about this experience has been the people we have met.  We now have an accountant, a notary, a real estate guy, a lawyer, and two bankers in this town.  Oh yeah, and two ladies who run a coffee shop and a couple of waiters who make sure we get to try all the delicious dishes.  Did I mention the food?! All of these folks are within steps of each other, and they were all very kind and helpful to the two foreigners who only speak enough Portuguese to say "good morning," "good bye," and "thank you."  

Tchau...

Saying Goodbye for Now

The month of June has been full of summer school, exams and goodbyes.  Today is the last day for the international staff.  Most of us fly out tonight, with the rest following over the next week.

Last Saturday was the first ever graduation at NIS Taraz.  Arsen, the principal, was keenly aware that he was establishing a tradition, and he took great care in orchestrating the event.  I've been to a lot of graduations in my time, but never one that was as joyous as this.

It was a hot night, but a breeze blew through the courtyard and it was a gorgeous evening to be outside.

Led by the administration, the graduates exited the school and circled the courtyard.

Extended families came to see their loved ones graduate.

The graduates patiently listened to their speakers.

I was honored to be asked to address the Class of 2015.  I didn't have a translator, which means my speech really was only for the graduates!

Arsen readed the text of the diploma.

The students came to the front and received their diplomas from Arsen or a representative from AEO/NIS.  This is Zhansaya receiving hers.

Of course, the students immediately checked them out when they returned to their seats.

Baitukov Arsen addressed his first graduating class.

Students sent the NIS insignia off into the sky.  A very touching moment.

The graduating class, the Grade 12 teachers (in white) and the administration.

Hats in the air! 

As my first year in Taraz ends, I can say that I have been blessed with eager, kind, and brilliant students, talented and fun international colleagues, and a school administration that gets better everyday.

Although I am anxious to return home to my family and friends for the summer, I know that next year in Taraz will only be better.

Have a great summer everyone!  See you at home!  Or if not, right here in August.

Goodbye, Peter

We said "goodbye" to Peter, our team leader, at the end of last week.  Although we are all going away (most of us home) for the summer, some of us are not returning.  Peter will be going to a city on the Caspian Sea next year at a new NIS school that will be opening there.

Here we are at "The Bear," a Russian restaurant we frequent.  They have 1 menu that is written in English, so if our group is large, it can take quite some time to pass it around and everyone choose their meal.

We couldn't buy a card (no cards in English), so I asked Diantha, our art teacher, if she could make one.  She did a beautiful rendering of a scene taking in the part of the school and the gardens with the mountains in the background.

It just so happened that the day before she made this, I had taken a picture of the same scene because it had struck me as so beautiful.

Of course, Diantha did a little editing so that construction nearby wouldn't be in her artwork.

Godspeed, Peter.  We will miss you.  See you at the sea.

Entertainment

I will say once again, that I work with an amazing International Staff.  It's a good thing.  Think about it:  how limited are your entertainment options when you don't speak the language?  Also, Taraz isn't exactly a mecca for entertainment.  So we hang out together and make our own fun.  Here are a few pictures from some recent events:

Pizza Party:  I supplied crusts, sauces, olives, carmelized onions, and cheeses.  Anything else, you bring yourself.  We all made pizzas to our own liking and shared.  It was casual, easy and fun.

Charlene and Stephen waiting for her creation to finish baking.

Here it is!  A Hawaiian from the S. African contingent.

Aaron making a BBQ Chicken pizza while Rae samples the ingredients

Another recent event was the Ladies Brunch and Make Up Seminar.  Rachel, Ben's [English teacher] wife, is a makeup artist.  She brought over her box of tricks, I made brunch, and Ben was our token male, bartender, and photographer.  We had both international and local teachers in attendance.

Everyone looking on intently.

Rachel using Rae as her model.

Rachel helping Anar with eyeshadow.  Who knew you used different techniques for Eastern eyes than you do for Western?

 Showing off our new eyebrows.  Scary!

I unfortunately don't have pictures of our most recent event: movie night potluck.  George and I chose a movie from the 1970's: The In-laws.  Everyone brought what they wanted with enough to share.  My favorite moment of the night:  Larry made a fantastic meatloaf.  Ben, one of our Brits, was so excited.  He'd heard about meatloaf and wanted to try it.  He gets a piece and says, "It's meat! In a loaf!"  Apparently, he always thought meatloaf had nothing really to do with meat and everything to do with bread.  He loved it and took all the leftovers home!

I am blessed beyond belief with friends and colleagues here.

Marching

All students are required to do pre-military training in Grades 11 and 12.  All boys are required to spend 1 year in military service after graduation.  I think if they go right to university, they can put that year off until after schooling.  The girls can decide if they want to serve or not.

We have a wonderful military teacher here at NIS.  I can never remember his name (I am much better at remembering if I see the name written), so I call him Gunny.  The rest of the International Staff have picked that up.  Gunny is amazing with the kids -- and he is very involved in everything with the school and he is extremely funny.  Even I understand he's funny, and I don't speak Kazakh.

Since the beginning of the year, he has been working with the Grade 11's teaching them how to march.  I get to watch them out of my office window -- and hear them.  Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a marching competition between the Grade 11 classes: 11A through 11H.  It was a big deal. Officers in the military, along with some administrators, were the judges.  Let me share some of it with you.

The event began with each class forming their unit in their assigned place in the courtyard.  Each class represented a different branch of the military indicated by their uniforms.

That was followed by the national anthem:

Gunny then presented our troops to the highest officer in attendance.  I don't know his rank, but he was important.

Then they marched, sang and marched, and marched some more.  They did several rounds of the courtyard, saluting the judges' table as they passed.  The second group that comes around on this video were clearly the winners.  I was very proud that most of them are in my IELTS class that meets twice a week.  They are great kids.

Now that the marching is over -- and the weather is beautiful-- instead of marching, I see dancing outside my window.  Everyday, the kids go out and dance.  No one is too cool.  They just have a good time.

The School Development Plan

You can't tell from the past several posts, but I do actually work here!

Our focus since our return in January has been the School Development Plan and our application for membership in the Council of International Schools (CIS).  This membership will then lead to the next step, accreditation, hopefully by the end of 2017.  My main job is to use my knowledge and experience of the accreditation process to advise the administration.

I am happy to say that our School Development Plan is in its final stages of revision, and I am extremely proud of the administrative team for their leadership, teamwork, and inclusiveness in completing this arduous task.  I am confident that when the CIS representative visits us to approve our membership, he will hear from almost every member of the staff how they were a part of developing this plan.  Even more, they will be a part of making the plan a reality.

On a recent Wednesday, the administrative team lead the staff in developing our vision, mission and values:  our Guiding Statements.

Arsen, our principal, had every staff member -- teachers, nurses, cooks -- meet in the assembly hall to explain our task.

Principal Arsen explaining our purpose

Some of the staff getting instructions before going to work

Each member of the administration took a group to lead a discussion of what they valued, what they wanted for our school and our kids, and what makes NIS Taraz unique.  I even had to lead a group, with the help of my co-teacher, friend, and frequent interpreter, Anar.

The administrative team, led by Arsen, then consolidated all the ideas into our vision, mission and values.

Our input from each group

Asemgul B, Asemgul K, Aisha and Fatima

Members of admin team looking for patterns

Our administrative team has really become a focused, organized leadership team.

Nawryz

Because of the bad weather, NIS Taraz postponed the Nawryz celebration until today.  A couple of weeks late, but worth the wait.  The weather was in the high 70's and sunny.  It was an amazing day of food, song, dance, and other Kazakh traditions.  It all took place in the parking lot at school.

Over the past two days, I've been able to watch them assembling yurts in the lot.  There were 5 yurts in all with tents set up in between.

The feast inside one of the yurts

Parents took charge of setting up the tables and keeping the food coming in each yurt.  We were quickly pulled inside the first yurt for some lunch.  The tradition says you need to visit each yurt.  We had to pace ourselves on the eating, but we still didn't make it into each one.  These tables are filled with traditional Kazakh foods -- breads, samsas, dried fruits and nuts, fresh fruits, vegetable salads -- and the ladies brought us soup followed by plof (rice with vegetables cooked with lamb).  There were also plates of cheese and sweets -- and of course horse milk and camel milk.  No, I still don't like them.  Today, I had to try camel milk.  A little better than horse milk, but still so sour.

The inside of this yurt was done in a very traditional manner with the type of furniture and decoration that the nomads would have had.  It was really beautiful. Those rolls on top of the chest are additional cushions.  Many of those were laid out on the floor for us to sit on as we ate (more food).  In this yurt I met a woman who I believe was the grandmother of one of our students.  She spoke English pretty well and said that she doesn't get to practice very often and is afraid she is losing it.  I told her to come by any day and I would be glad to speak English with her.

Some of our girls

Many of our students were wearing traditional costumes and danced some of the traditional style dances.  They are absolutely beautiful.  They look like little dolls.  A couple of the classes got together and did an interesting dance routine.  They just wore their NIS track suits and did a combination Kazakh traditional and hip-hop dance to Kazakh music.  It was great.  We also had acrobatics, horsemanship, falconry, singing, games and comedy.  All by our extremely talented student body.

It was a great day.  It made me feel so happy to be in Kazakhstan and so fortunate to be able to share this experience with friends -- both international and local.