Friday, December 4, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hello to All from Jane, Kazakhstani Participant!
Photo of the American & Kazakhstani participants on the last day in KazakhstanHello from Jane!
I would like to tell you that I'm very glad to have participated in the project. During this time I had many friends, and I have learned a lot of new things.
Though in small houses where we lived it was very cold, it did not prevent us from having fun and interestingly spend time.
For all time of the project, we had time to learn opinions of each other and about many questions, which was so exciting to us.
And also for seven days we have visited so many places, and even spent Shabbat together, during which I played for the first time such interesting games with threads! After which all of us have really felt communication between us as friends, and I have felt myself as part of one Jewish family.
And on Saturday night we have very beautifully spent Havdala, during which time we sang songs, it was very cheerful.
Week of the project has passed very quickly, cheerfully and interestingly. And on the day when it was necessary to say goodbye, it was very difficult and touching moment. In time spent together we have very much made friends and have rallied together.
I hope that we will continue to communicate and share news. Also I hope there can be a way we will find to meet the next year.
Thanks!!!
Bye!
-By Jane
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sharing Memories
A triumphant, successful cross-cultural human pyramid!
Our last day with all the kids from the JCC Summer Camp
Our visit to an Almaty Rose Garden
Finishing up our 6 Days of Creation Mural with children from the JCC
Checking out traditional hats during a trip to the market!
A Kazakhstan and American participant strike a serious pose in their Shabbat outfitsThursday, August 13, 2009
End of Trip, But Connection Remains
Privyet/Hello!
I was sad to leave Almaty early on Tuesday morning.
It was incredibly nice of the Kazakhstanis to pull all-nighters to see us off before dawn -- Delina (who led us on a city tour and translated), DJ Romanyo (who told me to check out Russian rapper Guf and Kazakhstani rapper Everest), Arthur (our awesome roommate), Garry (who danced Tektonik better than the French), Roman (even on crutches!), Yakov (nicest beard in KZ) and Vova & Anna (who sang amazingly).
I felt like I fit in with the Kazakhstani Jews. Since I was not raised very religiously, I am in a similar position to them -- though I don't know Russian, I don't keep kosher, I eat meat and only recently have I been exploring and embracing my Jewish identity. It's good to know that even halfway around the world, there are other people my age who are also learning more about Jewish history, culture and religion.
Earlier in the week we shopped in Almaty's bazaar, basically an outdoor Pennsauken Mart for you Philly-area/South Jersey folks. It had tons of stalls, selling cheap clothes, toys and $2 döner kebab. I went with my roommate Yair, his friend JP and we were led by Rosa, a Kazakhstani. After they got awesome singing bear dolls from an older Russian cartoon, I passed on an "I [Heart] Almaty" t-shirt to get a Kazakhstan soccer jersey in turquoise-and-yellow. Though we passed on mullet wigs, we picked up some fancy felt products including a whip!
To answer my initial questions: the cultural references are both Russian and American (there are Russian billboards for American movies and yes, Spongebob Squarepants) and they have newspapers, magazines (like Yes!), Web sites and probably blogs.
Kazakhstan is a country with a lot of poverty and corruption but also views itself as a regional leader -- it is a secular, stable semi-Democratic country despite having 120+ ethnicities, it has a lot of natural resources and plays itself between Russia, China and America. Overall, a fascinating and important country, and it's a shame that Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for Borat.
On our last night, we brainstormed about how we can continue this amazing connection between the Jewish communities of New York and Almaty. While nothing is set in stone, we may send them gifts for the High Holidays or language material so the youth can learn English and Hebrew. There may also be a photo exhibition at the Bronfman Center and watch for Alex's short film about the trip.
Spasiba/Thanks for following us! Dasvidaniya!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Leaving Kazakhstan
Receiving gifts from the community on our last day in Kazakhstan
Hello
This blog post is intended to be completely read in a Russian accent or Borat’s inaccurate Kazakhstani accent.
We are in the Ukrainian airport on a stop-over on our way back to the glorious US and A. This trip has been very nice and we are excited to head back to the motherland. The airport has the cleanest bathroom we’ve used in 10 days! Hooray!
Leaving K-Stan is bittersweet. Leaving our new friends from NYU – bitter. Real showers – sweet. Leaving Kazakhstani friends – bitter. Eating American food – sweet! Overall, we will not miss
Well, by the time the four people who read this blog get to see this post, we will be back in the
Okay, well that’s all for now!
Sincerely,
– and with all our love [pause for three seconds…] NOT,
Snap (Liat), Crackle (Sarah) and Pop (Abe)
AKA the three stooges
AKA the three amigos
AKA the shalosh regalim (Pesach – Abe), (Shavuot – Sarah), (Sukkot – Liat)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Nature in Kazakhstan
Photos: Enjoying nature at our hotel, in the hills outside of the city,on a short hike, and during our outdoor Makabiadah sports competitions
We loved spending time outside together with our Kazakhstani peers on our program!
JCC Photos!
Over the course of our time in Almaty, many of us helped out at the JCC children's summer camp. Check out photos of us dancing, singing and playing with kids in Almaty!
Service Work Photos!
Tea and conversation during Home Visits with elderly Hesed welfare clients
(Above) A fresh coat of paint both inside and outside the Hesed Welfare Center
Shavuah Tov Virtual World
Shavua tov virtual world! And shabbat shalom!
We spent Shabbat with our Kazakhstani peers at our woodsy “hotel,” singing songs and thinking about what Judaism means to all of us. It wasn’t quite the traditional American Shabbat we were used to, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t any less spiritual.
Something I’ve learned after spending a week here and talking to some new friends is that Judaism in Kazakhstan is seen in an entirely different light than Judaism in America. After years of Communism and religious suppression, Judaism is just beginning to emerge in the mainstream. Additionally, many of our Kazakhstani peers have only recently found out that they are Jewish, something almost every American Jew knows immediately from birth. Our parents are Jewish, our grandparents are Jewish, and our great-grandparents are Jewish. But in Kazakhstan, it is an entirely new ballgame. One girl in my work group found out she was Jewish two years ago — and she’s 18 years old. Because of this, they don’t have the same foundation in Jewish tradition. But their desire to learn about their world and their religion is inspiring. It has shown me that I may be taking my Jewish upbringing for granted and Judaism isn’t just what I see in the American movement.
On Friday afternoon my work group went to the JCC here and watched the children in the daycare program celebrate Shabbat; they lit candles, blessed the wine, and ate challah. Then they sang traditional Shabbat songs, songs I too sing at home. On a trip where we hadn’t had too much of a Jewish connection to our Kazakhstani peers, it was refreshing to see the future of the Almaty Jewish community interested in their religion and expressing it. This was only continued back at the hotel where we celebrated Shabbat as a group. We didn’t do traditional Friday night services, but I still had the same Shabbat feeling that I get at home. We taught each other songs and talked about Shabbat. We also went around the room and said what our favorite part of our week had been so far, all the while throwing a string around the room to create a giant web connecting each of us to each other. Rachel talked about how we all came here as individual people completely separate but now we sat there connected and intertwined through our experiences.
On Saturday morning, we read the Torah portion in Russian and English and talked a little about what it meant and how it related to us as Jews. What does Israel mean to us? Should every Jew go there? Why or why not? What is our responsibility to Israel? Later on in the day we had a small Maccabiah, with sack races, relays, darts, and a tug-o-war. There was a final match of Kazakhstanis vs. Americans in volleyball, with Kazakhstan emerging triumphantly, 3-0.
We concluded our day with havdalah, standing in a group, saying the brachot, passing the spices, and putting out the candle. It was the end to a day that cemented us as friends and brought us together. Again, we had come here as separate groups but had emerged as friends. We might not always be able to speak the same language, but we can get past that roadblock and connect through laughing, simple words, and common activities. And if we can learn from each other while doing it, even better.
-Sarah
Photos!
Smiling in our finest Shabbat clothes before candlelighting Friday night
A getting-to-know-you activity with our new Kazakhstani peers
Privyet from James
My name is James Sukharev and I am going to be a junior at New York University next fall. While most of my American peers have come here to Almaty in order to volunteer, explore their Judaism, meet foreigners, etc., it has been my immersion into the Kazakhstani/Russian culture that has defined this trip for me so far. Prior to my arrival I assumed that my Russian heritage would only benefit me culturally through knowing certain customs. Considering that I only had an elementary understanding of the Russian language from my childhood I assumed that I would only have a small advantage in communicating with our Kazakhstani peers.
As the days passed I observed my friends, some more than others, struggle to overcome the language barrier. But my experience has been nothing short of a personal triumph in re-learning the Russian language. After only a few days my Russian has progressed to the point where some people have actually mistaken me for a Kazakhstani. And that’s when it really hit me that the only real difference between us and them is our language and location.
We share common interests in music, movies, books, sports, and fashion. To think it was only recently that Sasha Baron Cohen ridiculed the Kazakhstani people in his movie “Borat”. It just goes to show how naïve we can be. If I, a “jappy” NYU student from suburban New Jersey, could be mistaken for a Kazakhstani, then perhaps we should reconsider all of our stereotypes – not just of the Kazakhstanis. As Dr. Evil of Austin Powers once said: “We’re not so different, you and I.”
Dear Mom and Dad, by Liat
Dear Mom and Dad,
Camp has been great! I can’t believe I’m coming home tomorrow! The girls in my bunk are super fun and our division is sooooo the coolest division in camp! We totally rock! My division heads are really helpful and the head of camp, is so sweet! Not to mention our camp Mom, who totally stayed up with me and comforted me my first night sleeping somewhere new. I was so homesick, but she totally understood.
Our activities are really cool. Instead of arts and crafts and woodworking, in our camp, we cleaned the homes of the elderly, renovated a community center, and worked with the young kids at camp. Our night activities were also cool. We had crazy disco parties, barbeques, and more. Some programs were a hit and some were a miss, but what can you do? It sucks when it sucks. But I guess poopy programs happen sometimes. (Like – omg! We went to an animal sanctuary, and the animals were caged and trying to climb out! Mom and Dad, is that a sign that they love it there and are getting good exercise?? They were crying and starving but maybe they were crying from happiness and starving because they have such fast metabolisms! I wish I had a fast metabolism!) But most of the activities were totally amazing and lots of hard work went in to them, so overall, I enjoyed everything! :]
Hmmm… what else? Oh food! Yikes food. I am going to come home and run to a pizza store! And a shower! And my bed! I wonder if I could manage to do all 3 at once? I don’t think so, but by golly, that would be cool.
I’ve made so many good friends here. And a lot of whom I intend to keep in touch with once middle school starts again! I even have class with one of them! :D But I’ll be sure to facebook everyone so we can keep in touch. (Now, I know what you’re thinking Mom and Dad: ‘What’s facebook?!’ But gosh, you guys need to catch up with the times!)
Anyway, it’s sad to be heading home so soon but I’ll be sure to bring you great camp paraphernalia. Will see you when I get back and I’ll miss you till then!
Love always,
Your daughter,
Liat
PS – Not coming up for visiting day?? SOOO not cool Mom and Dad!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Videos!
Check out some performances from our trip! Our Kazakhstani peers sang a medley of Jewish songs for us, and the JCC Children's Summer Camp participants danced!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Hello America! By Liat
Just a quick blog to update you on things I’ve learned since I’ve been at our campsite (yes, MOST are specific to our camp-site, but I know you in America are interested!)…
(PS - It’s meant to be read with a dose of humor and a spoonful of smile! )
1) Thank your lord for indoor plumbing! In Kazakhstan toilet paper isn’t thrown in the toilet, it’s thrown in the garbage.
2) In Kazakhstan, it’s traditional to take off your shoes before entering the room. This shows respect for the owner and the cleanliness of their property. In America, it’s traditional to ignore cleanliness and tell those who disapprove to “screw off.”
3) Like privacy? Go and kiss your shower curtain. In Kazakhstan, you can kiss your shower curtain goodbye.
4) You don’t know what fresh fruit is until you’ve had it. Trust me. Start importing from Kazakhstan.
5) Scared of spiders? Scared of Kazakhstan.
6) Dill. Yummy. It’s the top food accessory in Kazakhstan.
7) Overall, the one thing Borat got right is: Kazakhstan is “very nice!” :D
See ya’ll soon and be sure to come visit! It’s a pretty rockin country! ;)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Privet, While we enjoy our cream of wheat:
While we enjoy our cream of wheat:
Initially I was met with a brief wave of culture shock when we arrived in Almaty. The locals seemed brusque and jolly, and as we groggily ascended into the mountains we learned a bunch of interesting facts from Perry, a peace-corps volunteer who came to Almaty to help out with our trip. He served as a bridge into the culture of Kazakhstani youth and provided a bunch of useful cultural information about Kazakhstan. Most interestingly, he told us that downtown Almaty was built along a fault line and that an earthquake could completely decimate all of its structures. The last time that this occurred was in 1911 (just an interesting tidbit).
My initial awkwardness toward our Kazakhstani peers wore away as the night went on and our roommates made a dance party, a mountain-cabin discoteca. Through an activity that knows no language barrier we were able to properly acquaint ourselves with our Kazakhstani counterparts and found a bond that will hopefully grow throughout the rest of our trip.
We had a layover in Kiev and arrived in Almaty 36 hours after departing from JFK. We’ll write more about this later—Dos vidania.
-Yair
