The Peace Corps, Kazakstan and Interpersonal Relationships

October 5, 2007

Today we found out where we are going to be permanently placed for the next two years. I have been assigned to teach at the Humanitarian College in the small city of Kizilorda. The College is responsible for teaching secondary school teachers and is located in the southern desert part of the country. For the most part I was thrilled to get the assignment. The school sounds like the perfect place for me, and they are waiting for someone to begin doing secondary projects in community service, right up my alley. Also, I will have a site mate, a fellow Kazak Sspeaker who has become a good friend over the last several weeks. Still parts of the day were bittersweet, a volunteer that I have been dating for the last couple of weeks has been assigned to the far north of the country, a two day trip by train away. We have been having a great time, and get along really well, but it is hard to tell whether it is worth attempting to continue the relationship over such a long distance, especially given how hard the Peace Corps and Kazakhstan make having a relationship when both people are in the same place. Most of our time is spent at our respective schools, either learning Kazak or teaching English, and when we are not there, we are usually too exhausted to hang out or planning lessons. Furthermore, dating in Kazakhstan makes me feel like I am in middle school again. Public displays of affection, even hand-holding are a definite no-no, and if you bring someone of the opposite sex home, you are under constant surveillance by your parents. It really makes me wonder how so many PCVs end up married or in serious relationships in Kazakhstan, because between cultural norms and site assignments, I’m finding it difficult to just have a personal life.