So, the flight here wasn't bad. I can't really say the journey here was good, however, because for some reason the travel agent put one of us on a different flight from KC and he missed our flight to Amsterdam. He's had a really rough time--he finally came in, a day later and pretty ticked off. Thinngs haven't gone his way here either, his internship place apparently expected him to be more fluent in Russian and to be more familiar with finances and business stuff. So yesterday he worked it out with our trip superviser that he wasn't going to go back to that internship and they're looking for a new one for him, but he had a mini breakdown over this whole awful experience. He's not in a happy place right now.
Everyone else is doing OK I think. They're having a rough time adjusting to some of the idiosyncracies of Kazakhstan though--the beauracracy and some of the "mehy" aspects of our living conditions are getting to them I think.
Work is ironically, probably the best part of our program here for me. The classes are really tough because they are all in Russian and we're not allowed to speak English at all. I feel lost about 85% of the time and I think the class will either cure or kill me. Work is a little tough just because I don't really know what they expect or want exactly since I'm not a journalism major, but the people we've worked with--Juliana and Kakim are very friendly and very helpful. It does appear that at least one of the other guys working intership has also really gotten a good group of people to work with in his time, so I think that will at least help him enjoy his time here.
I was planning on seeing Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, but my feet are pretty blistered from all the walking we do--1.7 miles or so each way to work--wearing my dress shoes on day one was a big mistake. I realized why I don't wear them often--they cut badly into my heels and make me bleed.
I am about to start my reading for Dr. Chrenestky's class, but honestly it's so intimidating right now thinking about all the language issues and how I'll get a research paper done here. I feel so helpless with my Russian and I think most of the guys in the group don't really care for my company, so it kind of feels like this is going to be a long summer. I'm really starting to regret starting my MA more and more.
Glad to see you're back blogging. Stick with the classes and I'm sure it'll work out - in the end, there is no substitute for simply getting on and doing something.
ReplyDeleteI moved back to the UK last year, and my wife, who is Polish, found work as a specialist doctor. At the start it was really tough for her as, although she speaks English very well, nothing had prepared her for all the new terminology, accents, and the simple fact of using a language you have never used outside of an academic or social setting professionally. After some months of struggle she is gained confidence and everything became much easier. I had a similar experience when I went from studying Chinese academically to working in a Chinese company.
Get through it, and you'll be able to honestly describe yourself as fluent in the language - and that would be quite an acheivement.
PS - out of interest, how have people locally in Kazakhstan been talking about the situation in Russia with the Ukraine? Any nervousness on their part that they might be next?
Glad to see you're back blogging. Stick with the classes and I'm sure it'll work out - in the end, there is no substitute for simply getting on and doing something.
ReplyDeleteI moved back to the UK last year, and my wife, who is Polish, found work as a specialist doctor. At the start it was really tough for her as, although she speaks English very well, nothing had prepared her for all the new terminology, accents, and the simple fact of using a language you have never used outside of an academic or social setting professionally. After some months of struggle she is gained confidence and everything became much easier. I had a similar experience when I went from studying Chinese academically to working in a Chinese company.
Get through it, and you'll be able to honestly describe yourself as fluent in the language - and that would be quite an acheivement.
PS - out of interest, how have people locally in Kazakhstan been talking about the situation in Russia with the Ukraine? Any nervousness on their part that they might be next?
Hey, sorry I never quite replied directly to this. This summer was a bit stressful. This semester's going to be rough too because I'm an editorial assistant with the Russian Review http://www.russianreview.org/
ReplyDeleteI think I did at least kind of answer the last question in a later post.