EVERYTHING'S CARVED IN JELL-O!

Carved in Jell-O???

A friend in Tonga used to counsel me to remain flexible, because things could change at a moment’s notice.  “Things aren’t carved in stone here,” he’d say, “they’re written in Jell-O!”  Considering the average temperatures in the South Pacific Islands, I loved the mental image of messages written in Jell-O and then being eaten!  It was so fitting; meetings scheduled a week or more in advance were cancelled, others were scheduled with just an hour’s notice.  Everyone was used to it, no one got upset (except the Pa’alangis, until we accepted the fact that we weren’t going to change THAT habit of Tongans).

Well, Jell-O has found its way to Kazakhstan.  Given that we live in a global village, I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising, but I really thought that given the history of this country, the administrative style of a school would be highly structured and authoritative.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The principal here, who speaks very little English, greets me with a smile every day.  She took about 5 pages of notes when I gave a 15-minute collegial training after school this past Wednesday.  (It was mostly about letting kids draw pictures to go with their vocabulary words, to help them remember the word better.)  My co-teachers are marvelous – all proficient teachers in their own right, but willing to listen to new ideas and try new approaches.  And because of their openness, schedules are heavy, obligations are strong, and meetings are frequent – and can turn on a dime. So here, too, everything is written in Jell-O.

 

For example, this week we should have taught about 24 hours of classes.  I think I taught 12, because students were obligated for baseline assessments (a test that can show what they already know).  But I didn’t know about the students being tested until I was physically in the room.  Oh well, it’s time to be flexible!

I am also supposed to plan with 7 other teachers, so that we are all teaching the same skill and lesson objective during the same week.  Well, we met today and figured out a project that would start next Monday and last for two weeks, and then at the very end of our meeting, one teacher said she had to wait two weeks – more Jell-O!  The rest of us will go ahead without her.

Other things which seem capricious have taken me by surprise, but in a good way.  I did jump out of my chair here at my desk at home the other night, when someone set off about 30 firecrackers in the parking lot just outside my window.  Some really nice screamers and spinners – and then we laughed because all the car alarms started up.  I had never been that close to fireworks before – LOUD.  The empty box of rocket casings was still on the ground the next morning – I guess the box was too hot to handle right after the rockets went off!  We’ve had fireworks about four times in the four weeks we’ve been here – weekend, weeknight, doesn’t matter – just when someone feels good.  Jell-O.

  

Walt Disney’s “Mickey and the Beanstalk” has a scene in which Goofy dives into a plate of Jell-O and just enjoys himself.  I have decided that’s a good lesson for me.  Just hold my breath, dive in, and enjoy the flavors!  Save some Jell-O for me!

AN ANGEL'S MARIONETTE

The first night we spent in Kazakhstan, Jim and I sat down on the edge of our bed and looked at each other in horror – the bed was rock-hard.  Seriously.  Think dining room chair seat with a sponge on top.  Though we didn’t say it that night, both of us feared that we would be on a return flight to the US within a few days.

You see, Jim’s got back issues, including deteriorating disks and arthritis.  For the last fifteen years, he has sought out softer and softer mattresses, and has even slept on half-inflated air mattresses, in order to get the rest he needs.  And now we were expected to sleep on a really hard bed?  Might as well ask him to sleep on the floor – a definite no-go.

Except that has not turned out to be the case.  On our third day in Kazakhstan, Jim agreed to go for a walk, and we toured the park near our hotel (see the blog with the memorial, " A Capital Place" dated August 19th).  We came back, climbed the stairs to our hotel, and he didn’t need any extra pain pills.

A day later we walked probably a total of 2 miles.  And on ONE pain pill.

Since then, we  have walked to and from school (takes about 20 minutes), climbed up and down 4½ flights of stairs to our apartment, and climbed the three stories at school, all on a maximum of two pain pills a day, not four to six, as was needed in the past. Is it just a hard bed?  We don't think so.  

We have acknowledged the hand of God in getting us this job – the circumstances of “just happening” to notice an invitation in LinkedIn, the ease of emailing a resumé and participating in a phone interview, and the fact that our assignment matches exactly the duties of our voluntary missionary service in Tonga – too many “coincidences” to be coincidence.  We know the Lord led us here.  But we didn’t expect the gift of healing. Jim has had fewer issues since we arrived here than he has had in perhaps ten years.  It’s like he has a personal angel lifting his legs and supporting his back, as if he's a marionette. He’s not totally healed – we don’t need that.  And we credit the bed, but it can't be just the bed.  He’s healed enough to be able to do this job, and we are grateful. 

We know we are in the right place.  We have been blessed in order to fulfill our responsibilities.   My wish for you is that you will notice the hand of the Lord in your own life. 

FIRST BELL

The first of September is the first day of school, no matter what, here in K-stan.  So, Sunday morning we had a wonderful "welcome everyone" ceremony called First Bell, then a couple hours of assemblies and classes led by the school counselors, before winding down for the day.   Here is a slide show of some of the students and families performing at the ceremony, and the ringing of the "first bell."  Enjoy.

INFINITE DIVERSITY IN INFINITE COMBINATIONS

Kazakhstan is the definition of diversity.  Over the last two hundred years, Germans, Jews, Slavs, and others have joined the Mongol-influenced ethnicities here, and with the egalitarian treatment of the Soviet Union and the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms granted by the independent Kazakh government since 1991, there is a great deal of individualism and personal freedom, a rarity in a country ruled by a strong central government.  One of those guaranteed freedoms is freedom of religion.

One of the first surprises for me was the discovery of this lovely Jewish Synagogue.  I wasn’t sure how far away it was, and for a moment I thought it was a lot larger than it really is, but if you look carefully, you can see pigeons resting on the Star of David on the top of the building.  Sorry about the blobs on the lens – didn’t realize they were there until I had left the scene.

This beautiful mosque, called the Mosque of the Holy Sultan, is truly huge.  The mosque and the grounds around it fill a city block.  And the work is exquisite – inlaid turquoise and gold, and lots of marble work.  The heavenward reach of the towers and the eastward facing of the main gate to the mosque remind worshippers to lift their arms and their faces to heaven in all their works.  A worthy reminder.

This pyramid is called the Palace of Peace.  Once a year representatives from all religions in Kazakhstan are called to attend a conference, to help construct harmony between faiths.  The rest of the time the building is used as a conference center, a museum and a concert hall.  The building is complete, the construction crane is really a block or two in front of the property of the Palace of Peace.

Other churches include Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic  - when I find them, you'll see them!

I have no pictures of an LDS chapel either, for we are three and half hours from the nearest branch (congregation) of the Mormon church.  Oh well.  We are in the process of finding out what the mission president here wants to do (the Mormon mission headquarters for Kazakhstan is actually in Russia).  But we can hold out for a while!

One of the nicest things we have had is an introduction to classic Kazakh culture, including dress, dance, song, food, and the interior look of a traditional yurt, the old-style home made from skins and lined with wool and rugs.

A couple poses in traditional formal dress, in front of
and interior view of a yurt.

A British Citizen from Africa now living in
Kazakhstan sings a traditional song and
wears a traditional coat and hat.

With all the variety of life here, we can't possibly get bored.  The adventure continues!!!

A CAPITAL PLACE

This is a war memorial - that little light spot to the left of the 
base of the column is a full-grown man - that's how big this is.

We are spending a few days in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.  This  city is similar to Brasilia and Canberra in that it is a chosen site for a national capital that was designed intentionally and built purposefully. Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union until the Union's collapse in 1991, when it became an independent republic.  Some of the statues in this capital city reflect the heroic scale of Soviet monuments, while others reflect the history, cultural touchpoints, and humor of the people of this region.

The war memorial is called Mother Motherland.  Here she holds an empty amber bowl, symbolizing the suffering caused by war. 

Walk around behind the column and you see that the globe includes a representation 
of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route which runs through Kazakhstan.  

Obviously the dates in this sundial-themed statue are significant - I haven't found an answer 
as to why 2012 is on the statue. I have lots of questions, but can't ask them in Russian yet, 
much less understand the answers!

The Bayterek Tower connects the new and the old.  There is an old Kazakh story about a bird laying its egg in the sacred tree of life.  This 97-meter tall tower symbolizes the tree and the sphere is the egg,which represents both happiness and new beginnings.  Visitors can ride elevators to the top of the tower and explore from inside the egg, viewing the promises of the new city being established in all directions, honoring the past, cherishing the present, and looking forward to the future.

Sitting in the middle of a patch of petunias, a stylized camel and rider.  

A mare and foal, on a streetcorner.  Signs of wear and tear, but still beautiful.

Painted topiary horses, too, along the sidewalk.

Fanciful dromedary and bactrian camels - baby camel symbols are everywhere here, much as baby rabbits in the US.

The statues are for touching, as well as looking, and who wouldn't want a ride
 on a painted pony?

IT'S STILL NICE

Wow.  Four weeks in the US has gone by quickly.  But the "it's been nice" list has grown.  We have been released as full-time missionaries, but the benefits have not diminished at all.  We have been counting our blessings as we travel, and though there are too many to share here, we need to acknowledge some of the categories, at least.

1. The blessing of loved ones.  During these short weeks, we have spent time with over one hundred people whom we love.  Blood ties or not, we are connected by time and experience, and the influence you have had on our lives is clear in our desire to keep improving ourselves.  Thank you for your love, your support, your encouragement – you have no clue to your influence.  

2.  The blessing of trials.  We know many of you are enduring hardships of economics, physical or emotional health, loss of family members, or the other struggles that are part of the learning of this life.  And we have been awed by the determination you demonstrate in meeting and dealing with these struggles.  We all have good days and bad days, but thank you for strengthening us by your words and your examples.  And we thank God every day that you are able to persist, to endure, to remain true.  We hope our poor service has provided you some of the blessings you have needed. 

One portion of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles.  

3.  The blessings of modern living.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Our belongings are surviving very well without us, in climate-controlled storage.  We were gifted with a cell phone, the cremated remains of a dearly beloved pet who passed while we were in Tonga, family cars, hotels, and chauffeurs while we traveled.  We were able to ship suitcases ahead of us, rather than lugging our entire lives with us to every stop across the U.S.  Life in this country is nothing short of amazing.  And if you haven’t gotten there yet, the new Air and Space Museum “wing” at Dulles Airport is very cool – the Enola Gay, the French Concorde, the supersonic “stealth” Blackbird, and the Space Shuttle Discovery all under one roof, along with about 500 other planes, gliders, satellites, and assorted flying machines.  All within about 100 years for a time frame – amazing.

Kudzu overtaking an old farm silo.

4.  The blessings of beauty, created by God and by man.  The variety of life we have seen in these last four weeks is nothing short of a marvel.  From the vistas of the Rocky Mountains to the hot sands along the Gulf coast of Texas, to the lush green of Virginia  and North Carolina - this world is a beautiful place.  

We came out of a restaurant the other night and a young man stopped us and pointed to the sky.  "I was just looking at those white puffy clouds, and that particular color of light blue in the sky," he said, "and I've decided that God must be a Tarheels fan!" That man just might have a point!

"The Golden Warrior" in front of the Kazakh
Embassy in D.C.

The man-made beauty that impressed me was the city of Washington, D.C.  Now, I admit, I'm partial to that town, but the cleanliness, the abundance of plant life and of families, the variety of glass and stone, of old and new construction, and the increased efficiency of the city is just impressive.  Metrobuses have come a long way since I was in town last, in appearance and function.  And it only took us 45 minutes to drive from 16th and P Streets inside DC to Manassas, Virginia - I can remember when that took a couple of hours.  The high-speed highways in, around and through the DC area are truly a wonder – especially the parts framed by green vines, bushes and trees. 


To those of you staying behind in these United States:  count your blessings.  Be a blessing to someone else today, and strengthen the bonds between you and someone else.  Be aware of your part in your trials, and continue to teach those of us around you through your trials.  Be conscious of the abundance of advantages in your own life – not just the physical and economic advantages, but the advantages that come because you are living in the United States of America.  You are blessed beyond compare – I know that from first-hand experience.  Enjoy your blessings - and more importantly, make use of them.  Go BE a blessing to someone else, and seize the opportunities that your own blessings bring you.  

A TRUE GENTLEWOMAN

I recently met a woman who left a remarkable imprint on my mind and heart.  Zarrah was my hair stylist at a randomly-chosen salon in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.  If I could sum up Zarrah in one word, that word would be mild.  She epitomizes womanhood in many ways – humble, gentle, constantly serving, and serving happily.

This might not be information that carries any weight until I tell you that Zarrah spent her childhood in Afghanistan.  I tried not to pry into her personal background, but anyone who has paid any kind of attention to the news in the last 40 years knows what conditions are like for girls and women in Afghanistan.  Yet I could not sense one drop of bitterness in Zarrah.  She busied herself in the salon in a happy, calm manner, and demonstrated a kindness and gentleness that I marveled in watching.

  During the two quick hours that we spent together, I watched her.  These are some of the things I witnessed:

1. She supported her fellow workers in their efforts, thanking them for small kindnesses they did for her (like sweeping up the cuttings of my hair) and quickly moving to help a colleague fold freshly-dried towels.

2. She held my hair in her hand like it was valuable, and used the lightest touch I have ever experienced in preparing my hair for a color and cut. (And I thank those of you who actually thought my color was not straight out of a bottle.)

3. She took care of other customers while the color set on my hair, making the most of her time (and that of her other customers).

4. She not only shampooed and conditioned my hair, she took the time to give me the most relaxing scalp massage I have ever had. When I joked that she was going to put me to sleep, she joined right in and promised to wake me before she went home that evening – haha.

5. Because of her gentle ways, people treated her kindly. She responded to every kindness with a melodic “awww” or a word of thanks, and a genuine, warm smile.

There were other demonstrations, but you get the idea. Zarrah, a woman who has seen great hardship, has chosen to live with joy, kindness and service. And because of her choices, I was drawn to love her in a very short time.  (We even hugged each other when I left.)  I don’t know if I will ever learn to be as meek and accepting as she was that day, but I can certainly learn to be mild, by remembering her example. When I grow up, I want to be like Zarrah.