Wednesday was pretty much like any other day when we go out to make a humanitarian visit....we never really know what is going to happen. Do you remember that we had a project with the Kazakhstan Society of the Blind where we provided them with a fancy mixer console, two speakers on stands, and two wireless microphones. They'd called us and said they had all the equipment and invited us to come and see it all and to hear them--maybe a concert??. Sounded great to us!.....they would even come to our apartment to pick us up in their van. At 10:30, we left the apartment with six inches of new snow on the ground, and, in a howling wind, climbed into the van....and there were two guys in the front that we recognized from our previous visits....and they were wearing suits - - why are they in suits???? And, in the back two seats there was a woman (we did not recognize her, and she was not blind) and three little kids - - hmmm....something was going on. We're driving away and suddenly we realize that the van has turned left - - not to the right which would have been the correct way. We look at each other and said, "where are we going!" Two of the YVs were supposed to meet us at the office and translate for us, but obviously, we were not going to the office! Dad quickly called them and said, "Here - talk to this woman and find out what is happening!"
Ahhh ha, mystery solved - we were on our way to the Kazakhstan National Library where there would be a concert. We figured it'd be a concert put on by the blind choir, and they'd be using the musical production equipment that'd been donated by LDS Charities. That was close........ as in horseshoes. We were actually going to a New Year's Party for children whose parents are disabled, and the program was being organized by the Blind Society, and the musical equipment was the sound system for the event.
Here is the library, the interior stairway (which was really neat looking, but the photo doesn't show how grand it is), a hallway, and the children's room full of kids in costume!
I know, I said it was a New Year's Party, and you're wondering why it looks like a Christmas Party. Here's the explanation.....when the communists won the Russian Revolution, they decided that there was no God....so they made the evil Christmas celebration into the new and wonderful New Year's celebration and replaced Christ (and Santa) with Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden. And since Kazakhstan was one of the soviet republics, New Year's began to be celebrated here too. So now, everywhere there are Christmas decorations, and Christmas music with English lyrics being played in the shopping malls everywhere. We've heard Rudolphs, and Chestnuts, and have been Dreaming of a White Christmas (which is silly here in Astana because it is always a white blizzard in the city.
The kids were so cute!
This is Leonardo the Kazakh Mutant Turtle whose mother forced him to sit between us while she took his picture.. with the Americans.
And a nice grandmother in her Christmas festive attire
Finally things got started. There was some singing and more singing, and more. The kids all grabbed hands and circled the tree and sang...I knew they only wanted to get a present and/or candy, but they were patient. Since this was a New Year's celebration, the old was wished a pleasant good-bye. 2017 was the Year of the Chicken, and here is the chicken. She is a wonderful older woman who is blind and full of love (I want her costume!) What you see on her chin is not a goat-tee but her beak which she didn't want to wear.
And, 2018 is the Year of the Dog, so a dog was there too circling the tree, and then they stood together. Dad and I were there as Americans.
Then the boring part began. Some adult male (the Director of the Kaz Society of the Blind) spoke to them and said how grateful they were to the Religious Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Astana City for the new equipment, and he gave the humanitarian volunteers a letter of thanks.
Then, more music and magically the lights on the tree blinked on....and...and....and Grandfather Frost enter the room with his Snow Maiden close at hand.
Santa (no, Grandfather Frost) sat down, and the children gathered around. These poor little kids couldn't just get a gift (which was what they wanted), they each had to either recite a poem, or sing a song, or do a dance) . Then the Snow Maiden would hand the child a gift.
This incredibly cute snowman (maybe a penguin, I'm not sure) recited a poem in English!!!! and then repeated it in Russia/maybe Kazakh. That was cool.
After the last recitation and gift, it was time for pictures. Everybody wants pictures of everyone! I could even tell that people were surreptitiously taking pictures of us - so I tried to look friendly (Dad is always friendly) and sucked my gut in.
And it was over. We retrieved our bulky coats from the coat check, went to lunch at a food court at a nearby shopping mall, and then headed cross town to our Russian language classes.
Back in November, in our Week 36 post, we introduced you all to a potential project with a government charity. We met with the leaders and reported our findings with our superiors in Moscow. Since then we received instructions to visit with one of our previous partners, the Center for Independent Living. These are the people who have a wheelchair repair shop and had asked previously for 'official' and 'credible' training in how to properly fit wheelchairs to those who need them. So we did, and they are very interested in working with us and in cooperating with the government charity. We reported back to Moscow, and now we are waiting for the next step. Here we are - looking very official around a conference table.
Remember that we've told you there are snow trucks constantly removing snow. I was at the sister's apartment which is on the thirteenth floor, and I saw the trucks doing their thing. They came from the right, turned around at the intersection and went back toward the right. It's pretty efficient.
Friday, on our way home from District Meeting, we decided to try to find a little store in Astana Mall where we'd heard that they have tasty doughnuts. Instead we found a Christmas Bazaar.
How weird is this to find a Christmas (I mean. New Year's) Bazaar, but here it is.
And Santa too (or Grandfather Frost).....In the time of the late Russian Empire, Snowmaiden was part of the Christmas celebration. Figures of the Snowmaiden were used to decorate the fir tree and was a character in children's stories. In the early Soviet Union, the tradition of Christmas was banned, together with other Christian traditions. However, in 1935 the celebration of the New Year was allowed, which included, in part, the fir tree and Grandfather Frost. At that time, the Snowmaiden acquired a role of the granddaughter of Grandfather Frost and his helper.
Christmas Day was very peaceful. The elders came over in the morning to make their phone calls home. They all needed to call at slightly differently times, so Dad and I fed them breakfast- really good pancakes (think thick Swedish pancakes), cottage fries, fried eggs, corn meal mush, fruit juice, etc.
Then we watched It's a Wonderful Life, and I realized I had never seen the whole movie before. Then, by a 100% unanimous decision we went to play pool - which is a very popular leisure activity here.
We did a lot of things with the young volunteers this week
We had a birthday party for Elder Topham. Everybody brought the makings for tacos. We ended up making the equivalent of Kazakh taco doners.
Elder Topham with his favorite apple pie from his Mom's recipe for a candied pecan topped apple pie.
Elder Lowry opening a Christmas package from his dad
We had so much food left over that our Sunday dinner the next day was made of taco leftovers. Then we 'hung out' until it was time to go to sing some Christmas Carols at the home of a less active member.
Sister Berry examining our Nativity set.
Our final event of the week was to go Christmas Caroling at the home of Natasha who is the wife of one of our local members. There were eight of us and we filled up the living room!
This is New Year's Eve. We've been told it can get pretty crazy here with lots of locals celebrating with vodka - or whatever. We hear lots of fireworks now and expect they will be exploding all night long. I'm gong to start out the night with some ear plugs....
Happy New Year!
С Новом Годом!
