My first Kazakh host family was in Kapchagay during the Peace Corps Pre-Service Training. Their job was to teach me Kazakh and learn about
Kazakh food and culture. They were a unique family but nothing like my Kazakh host family in
Karatau.
Kazakhs in the south are very different from their counterparts in the Almaty area. When I
met the Orazimbetovs for the first, they had prepared an apartment for me. But by the late
afternoon, I had moved in with the Orazimbetovs. Azan, the School Director, thought it would
be easier for me to live with a family. He was right. I could not cook any meals from
scratch.
The first night was memorable. I can still remember the palau (pilaf) my host sisters made.
It was very delicious. I had eight host sisters and one host brother. You can guess it the
youngest was the son aptly named Shurik or "Thank God" in Kazakh.
It was just like a real family. I miss the meals we had together. I miss Kazakh culture.
My first Kazakh host family was in Kapchagay, Kazakhstan. They tried to convince the
Peace Corps to let me stay in Kapchagay. The Peace Corps said no. I have no regrets.
Here is Gulzhan, my Kazakh host sister, on the right. It was the anniversary of the
Karatau Lyceum. It was nice and warm during the day. Then it froze and snowed the next
day.
Karatau hosted a Talas Region event at the Palace of Culture. The competition was
between schools in the local region. My host mother (Adigul), two host sisters (Aizhan
and Gulzhan), host brother (Shurek), and host father (Asan) are in the picture.
I took this photo of my Kazakh host family photo with four of my Kazakh host sisters. I
took this photo the day I left Karatau in June 1999.
One of my last photos with my Kazakh host family in June, 1999.One of my last photos with my Kazakh host family was in June 1999. I wrote a farewell
speech to the people of Karatau. Aizhan helped me write this speech.
When I was working for ACCELS
in Kyrgyzstan, I was able to make a side trip to Karatau in November 1999. On our way to
Talas, I spent a night in Karatau. It was the last time I got to see my host father, Asan.
We did get to speak again in May 2015, when I visited Gulzhan and Aizhan in
Aktau. Unfortunately he passed away in 2019.
With Gulzhan's help, I visited her and Aizhan in May 2015. They lived in Aktau, a seaside city on the Caspian Sea. Aizhan and Gulzhan picked me up at the airport. It
had been nearly 16 years since we last met. In this photo, we are all at the Caspian
Sea.
Amazing! Look how 16 years makes in photo quality. My old Fuji camera took the
last photo in November 1999. My iPhone 6S+ took these photos.
In the sixteen years since I last saw Gulzhan, she learned to cook. I still remember the
last meal she made for me in Karatau back in 1999. She made some great lagman.
I am with my Kazakh host sisters after 16 years.I am with my Kazakh host sisters.
