Favourite Bits

It’s such a relief to have finally finished blogging about GX. Not that I didn’t enjoy recounting my experiences but it had been dragging on a while. Normal shallow blogging about fashion and sewing shall resume shortly. I have quite a back log now of charity shop finds and outfit posts. Until then here are a few of my favourite pictures of GX.

GX Week 24: The Last Week

Monday 31st August

As my last day in Shymkent draws to a close I can’t report that I have done anything particularly special. I awoke lateish ate breakfast then went with Dinara to buy eggs and cake, after which I used said eggs to bake another cake fro Dinara’s 24th birthday which is today. For lunch Dinara, Nassima and I ate cake, drank red wine and toasted to Dinara’s birthday, health, future etc. I had an hours nap to sleep off some of the wine then went with Dinara and Gulnara to the Dinara café opposite Mega to celebrate her birthday with the rest of the team. For the first time in what seemed a very long while the whole team were together for a social event. We had rinks, tea, coke, sprite, beer and juice, a few had food, salad and chips, everyone got a chance to have some of my cake for once, we presented Dinara with her present, a Kazakh phrase book and a card and the whole evening was wrapped up by 7:30. Dinara and I went with Beth to the blue and yellow shop for her to buy the essential Kazakhstan chocolate and then the three of us walked back to Imram to get a box of chocolates for Nassima. As we walked I thought about how this would be the last time I would be walking these streets and seeing Shymkent. I have developed a certain affection for Shymkent despite its flaws in the same way I did for Harlow. I won’t be missing the pervy men who today decided to cluck, yes cluck, at Dinara and me as we passed their road works or the drunks, one of which was wearing a very short tight green zip up top today that exposed his stomach as he almost stumbled into me on the way home. But when I think on it I experience the same things in England. I am merely less threatened by it there because I know the language and social norms. I hoe to return to Kazakhstan and Shymkent one day though it won’t be for a number of years; maybe 2030. It would be nice to come in winter. There are things that I didn’t get to do. Visit all the bazaars, walk from себер to a park filled with giant sculptures covered in mosaic and onto a very soviet statue of a worker with a shovel triumphantly hoisting a book above his head which I had wanted to get a picture of and I never got to horse riding in the mountains. That I feel may be one of the greatest pulls. Our bus broke down on the way home so our money was returned and we flagged down a passing mashurtka.

Dinara cutting her birthday cake

Gulnara, Dinara and me with Nassima and her grandson

Tuesday 1st September

Leaving Nassima’s apartment was more emotional than I expected. I guess because it was all wrapped up in the end of the programme as well. It was worse leaving in the afternoon rather than the morning as we had done at Ilma’s. After packing I spent the rest of the day just reading, thinking about my life and friends back home and acutely worrying. Joe came to see us off at the station and there was a moments panic as Malika turned up late with the tickets just as the train was leaving. We are now on our way to Almaty. The train security guards are playing Ben’s guitar in the next cabin and Grace, Kate and I are working our way through a bottle of cognac.

Outside Nassima's apartment building waiting for the taxi

At the train station

Drinking cognac from improvised glasses

Wednesday 2nd September

Despite my good cognac induced sleep on the train I arrived at the казжол (Kazhol) hotel this morning feeling tried and hungry. The rest of the team appeared to be in a similar state. At first I didn’t like the hotel with their seeming lack of organisation placing Olga, Sarah and I in a twin room then solving the problem by adding a camp bed (we later discovered that all the girls had been placed in rooms like this. Probably a money saving move by the British Council), pretentious coffee break tiny little appetisers of ham, fish and cheese on bread which did nothing to satisfy our hunger compared to the pastries we received during coffee breaks at the last place we stayed in Almaty and feeling out of place next to business men in their suits. However they redeemed themselves with lunch; greek salad, followed by Kazakh noodle soup and then chicken in a red wine and mushroom sauce with fried potatoes. We spent the day on our community debrief discussing the community of Shymkent, volunteer placements and CADs. The most interesting part for me was when we discussed impressions we had about Shymkent before we arrived that turned out to be myth. It was interesting because before we arrived the Kazakh volunteers had some very negative impressions, mostly relating to crime, which turned out to be myth whereas the UK volunteers had focused ore on the heat and their impression that Shymkent would be a desert with no greenery. Actually I can’t be sure of this Kazakh/UK divide as the comments were anonymous. I am just forming it from the few commentators who identified themselves and those that needed translation from Russian. Despite our tiredness after dinner which was not so enjoyable being apple, cheese and horsemeat salad followed by fish (which I did eat some of despite not liking fish. I am becoming a much less fussy eater as I age), we all walked the 15 minutes or so from the hotel to Nina’s home to celebrate our last night together. Dinara’s train is leaving tomorrow night and we UK people have to leave the hotel at 6am on Friday. We met Nina’s mum who is absolutely lovely and an amazing hostess providing us with compote to drink and a range of cooked dishes including plov that no one could eat because we were all so full. I managed to sample a little though. We played Sarah’s pub quiz then had to leave as soon as it finished, it being 11:30pm and we being very tired with more debriefing and a reception to face the next day. I was starting to get pretty grumpy. Sarah and I couldn’t be bothered to wait for everyone to stop faffing around and so we left for the hotel alone. We both commentated on how we felt so much more comfortable in Almaty. There is more street lighting for a start anxd we got much less, if any, attention for speaking English. Nonetheless we still encountered a couple of drunk Russian businessmen on our way who invited us back to their room to drink whiskey and still water.

Shymkent community map

Thursday 3rd September

Program debriefing today focusing on community development, counterparts and the future… My counterpart was mysteriously absent from the counterparts session which was both an annoyance, slightly sad and something of a relief as everyone knows we have not been the best of friends. I shared my fears during ‘the future’ session that I would not have the reunion that I hoped of with my friends. They have not stood still these six months. They have finished masters, got new jobs, left Essex and moved around the country; even left the country and we are all famously lazy and bad at keeping in touch. This bothers me as I think that through the programme I have learnt to value friendship more. Early evening was taken up by a reception with the British Council. I delivered a speech designed for the press about our CADs full of the facts and figures they had demanded at our initial press conference in Almaty. Unfortunately by the time I got around to delivering it, which was delayed by the arrival of several courses of food, I had had several glasses of red wine pressed on me by the British Council Director and the majority of the press had got bored and left. At 8:30pm we all said goodbye to Dinara while a frustrated ‘taxi’ driver looked on. Beth cried as they were close counterparts despite Dinara living with Gulnara and me for the last few weeks and Sarah cried as well, probably because Beth was crying. We then spent ages hanging around in the venue long after all the guests had left and another delicious Kazakh buffet cleared away, signing each others certificates, writing nice things about each other and generally prating about. Ben and Anne-Marie composed some new songs and a hench Russian security guard smelling of vodka joined in a game of slaps. At 11pm we retreated to one of the girls bedrooms to give Grace her birthday present. It was an hour early but we all have to be up stupidly early to be at the airport.

Friday 4th September

Said goodbye to the remaining Kazakhstani volunteers outside the hotel this morning. No one cried as I recall which was strange given the emotional sensitivity of our team although Nina nearly set everyone off with her extra long hugs. We arrived at Almaty airport around 6:30am where upon Kassym who had accompanied us announced that our plane had been delayed. As it was Kassym we all happily assumed that he was joking. Unfortunately this time he was not. The next 13 hours at Almaty airport were spent trying to sleep and being interrupted in this pursuit by a live band, complaining to BMI about not being given food or drink, searching for food we could buy with the vouchers they eventually gave us, finding we could only use them in the burger bar, then trying to vary our two meals of burgers and waiting while the one woman who was working there cooked our food. We read, called various parents, listened to music and Ben and Anne-Marie composed another song. Even when our flight was finally ready to check in the process was slow due to the luggage conveyor breaking down but after that everything happened in a hurry. We were rushed through passport control and boarding to save those that boarded the plane in Kyrgyzstan waiting around any longer. I hardly had any time to purchase duty free vodka with my remaining tenge. It was all very dramatic. A man from BMI came and found us in the boarding lounge to tell us that we should go straight to the gate to board the plane. When we departed from the lift at the gate we found it jammed with people but someone shouted “London?” at us and we pushed through the crowd waving our boarding passes above our heads shouting “London” in reply. We ran for the waiting bus and jumped aboard but Sarah was seconds too late and the bus doors closed before her. Our shouting and her hammering on the door finally persuaded the driver to reopen the doors and we headed for the plane. Once on board we waited nervously to see if Ali and Rory would make it onto the plane, delayed as they were by Rory’s refusal to jump the queue at passport control. They were the last to board. The flight was uneventful. We were served breakfast and lunch despite it being evening due to the planes delay and I got annoyed that despite my request the pilot did not say happy birthday to Grace who spent most of her 20th birthday in Almaty airport. We said our goodbyes to each other in the airport before heading through customs and greeting waiting friends and family or mum in my case.

Almaty airport

London!

And so was the end of Global Xchange. Though not truly. I can’t say that I always enjoyed myself there were a lot of good times. It is an experience I will certainly never forget. Nor will it let me go; with obligations to talk to Rotary Clubs, attend the returned volunteers weekend, promote Global Xchange and take action on a global issue I shall be thinking about GX for some time to come. I also sincerely hope to keep in touch with all the wonderful friends I have made. This sounds like a cheesy significant change story.

GX Week 23

Monday 24th August

I was going to write about the inventive ways in which children earn there pocket money here as today I witnessed two small boys jump on a bus sing in front of a middle aged man who gave them a few tenge before raising their hands in blessing and jumping off at the next stop. However tonight when the door of our apartment opened onto some very loud singing and the playing of a musical instrument I learnt that this was not pocket money gathering but a tradition among Muslims here at Ramadan, rather like carol singing. There are however many other children asking for money ion various ways almost always within the parks. There are the smartly dressed little boys who sell roses, who have given up coming to Ben. This business is apparently run by two well dressed rather scary looking older ladies. Some children put on impromptu break dancing shows with a cap on the floor and others simply beg in the cafes until the staff send them away. Unlike the disabled men on the streets these children always look too well fed and well dressed for me to give them any money but what do I really know? Today was the penultimate day of my placement. I like that big word. I have a feeling it might have been one of the first bog words I ever learnt. We played quietly with the toys until Nina began chasing them around. Clearly not a good idea as they did not settle to farewell decoration making at all. Preferring to fight, cry, steal things and randomly cut up pieces of paper then throw the rubbish all over the floor. I had noticed it last week but Nina commentated today that the children are getting annoying. I think they are too familiar with us now. We are no longer slightly scary new people. It is also very difficult to reason with them or explain to them why they shouldn’t fight, for example, as they mostly only speak Kazakh. We did not return to the hospital after lunch as seems to have become our habit. Nina went to the business womens association to work on the farewell invitations and I did a little more souvenir shopping before deciding that I couldn’t be bothered to hang around for hours until 6 and headed home. I dropped in at the internet café on the way where I finished a blog post and informed any readers I might have not expect any more posts for some time. With 5 minutes to go I checked my best friend’s facebook profile and learned that she was in hospital. I was in the process of trying to find out why she was there when my connection timed out. In a bit of a panic I decided to call her before I realised that it was a pretty inconvenient time back in the UK. At home I did some washing and had a nap before using Nassima’s computer to check facebook again and discovered that she has had her appendix out. I’m still pretty worried about the amount of time she seems to have been in hospital though.

Tuesday 25th August

Today started as many mornings in England do raining, windy and slightly chilly. I wore jeans and a cardigan today. However it was also a unique day for several reasons. A number of strangers decided to talk to me. Most of who were pleasant enough. One woman on the way to the bus stop was clearly commentating on the weather and seemed satisfied with my answers of laughter and lots of да’s (yes’s). A man at Mega expressed understanding and returned to his table to eat ice cream with his daughter when I couldn’t answer whatever question he was asking and two men at a small side entrance to the bazaar, where I had found, long after I had stopped looking for them, a small row of fortune tellers, and was hanging back to capture them with my camera phone, appeared to be commentating on the amount of stuff I was lagging around. Again more да’s and laughing seemed to satisfy them. The man on the bus however was not so pleasant. I guess he was drunk and/or high and would not leave me alone until we reached his stop, which was thankfully several before mine, despite my obvious discomfort. He seemed to be suggesting that we run away together. I have become somewhat accustomed to this however something about this man made me feel particularly uncomfortable, leaving me with an unsettled feeling many stops after he departed. The day was also unique in that we managed an entire farewell meeting without a single argument or aggressive silence, probably because most of the decisions had already been made. The day was most unique however because it was the last day of our placements. Nina and I started slightly late having been sorting out our various materials which were stacked in boxes and bags behind the armchairs in Ulbossyn’s office. We played with the toys for a while before painting then handing out balloons brought by Nina as presents and finished with a rendition of the hokey kokey. They particularly liked rushing toward the centre of the circle going woooah! We said our goodbyes though apparently the children still asked if we were coming back tomorrow and it was left to the parents to explain. It was heartbreaking in its way, having brought an element of fun and activity to hospital life only to take it away again.

The elusive fortune tellers

Wednesday 26th August

Spent this morning reading, hand washing, writing up Ben and Misha’s GCD and cooking a sponge cake. This was more of a challenge that I expected in the absence of self raising flour and caster sugar. I had to substitute with plain flour and baking soda and granulated sugar. All this effort was in honour of a Korean/English food party organised by Nina and Aleria. It had never been a terribly popular idea but instead of telling them so we secretly hoped that the idea would quietly die after the first couple of failed attempts at organising it. However we underestimated the Young Koreans’ determination and so found ourselves obliged to cook English food and think of some English traditions to present. The party itself was not terribly exciting, despite the free beer, excellent Korean food and some good offers from the UK team, especially Sarah’s apple crumble and Anne-Marie’s carrot and coriander soup. It was quite cold and a game of strip musical chairs left a Korean guy in his underwear and a member of our team topless. Not something that I ever wanted to see. Moreover although the Koreans clearly enjoyed our food and we theirs there was limited talking and mixing so we feel into our familiar little groups. Plus I felt ill.

Thursday 27th August

I’m feeling pretty stupid and ashamed of myself. Normally a religious applier of sun cream today I got rather blasé about the whole business. Having given up wearing sun cream on a day to day basis in Shymkent over a month ago I declined to apply any during our trip to the water park stupidly thinking that Shymkent’s polluted skies and slight cloud cover would protect me combined with a desire to return home with a tan. I am now quite spectacularly burnt and will probably peel rendering the whole process completely counterproductive. I am currently on my second application of moisturiser and intend to apply a third before going to bed. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The sunbathing, reading, chatting and occasionally venturing into the clear, cool waters of the empty pool combined to give the feeling of being on a mini holiday.

Friday 28th August

The team met at the Business Womens Association this morning to write our significant change stories. A piece of potential global xchange propaganda to which they own the rights and may show to funders or use in promotional material. I somewhat resented this approach though I understand that GX needs to show its effects in order to continue. I wrote about how working at Catch 22 had changed my perceptions of young people, making me want to continue to work or volunteer with them and apply to Teach First. A part of the afternoon was spent decorating a banner for the farewell while I got stressed with some volunteers sudden loss of ability and/or desire to cook as I tried to organise who was bringing what dish to the farewell. I then lugged said banner and 10 bars of Kazakhstan chocolate (gifts for friends and relatives) home before heading out again with Dinara for a cocktail party at Joe’s. The party was more vodka and mixers than cocktails, seems that was all we had, and it finished at the dreadfully early hour of half past nine as many in attendance were counterpart less and anxious to catch buses. Still it was a hilarious evening. After the usual debate over the rules we played ring of fire where being slightly tipsy I was repeated caught out by the question master. Ben and Anne-Marie sung ‘the root song’ which they made in honour of Kate’s long battle with a giant deeply rooted root nicknamed Alfred during the gardening CAD at Interlink. The chorus goes something like this, ‘root, root, mother***ing, root, root, Alfred, Alfred’ (the last two words sung in a high pitched orgasmic voice) just to give you an idea. Grace and Joe then compared how well they could shake their rears before admiring the choreography of the Beyonce Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) video and attempting to copy it. The best thing is that I have all of this on video.

Our спасибо шымкент (thank you Shymkent) banner

Vodka and mixers party with all manner of drinking instruments

Saturday 29th August

I left the house at 12:45 to meetthose who didn’t know where the venue for our farewell was, leaving Dinara in charge of my now rather expensive fairy cakes as I had to buy the cake cases from my host home for 500 tenge. Apparently she imports them from abroad. I ended up waiting around in Ken Baba for quite a while during which time a woman came and sat down beside me to eat some grapes. She asked me the time and after some effort we agreed that it was 1:45pm. She then gave me a bunch of grapes and after trying to tell me something I didn’t understand we sat in silence together eating our grapes until the others arrived. The farewell came off okay. As in Harlow there were less people in attendance than at the welcome (we must be such a disappointment) though the turnout was not as dismal as before. It was just as haphazard as all our other public events but through my organisers eyes it seemed awful, not matching up to how I knew it should have gone. We were handing out piece of paper as Nina and Misha presented Malika and Ali with a present and forgot to appoint a translator for when everyone said what they had contributed to and what they were taking away from Shymkent. Maybe we should have done a sketch! After the farewell Grace and I went to Mega and bought some kira plastinina shoes. Then my bank sent me a text saying that my card had been used in Kazakhstan.

Sunday 30th August

It is constitution day in celebration of well writing Kazakhstan’s first constitution. I slept through the parade in Shymkent which started at 10am but we watched some of the parade in Astana on the television. It wasn’t my idea of a parade. If you wanted to attack Kazakhstan today would be the day to do it with a good proportion of tehri military equipment engaged in parading along the streets of the capital. Some soliders marched, followed by tanks, followed by some trucks pulling big guns, followed by some trucks with tanks on, followed by a mini air display. Nazarbayev looks suitability impressed. The end. Dinara said she thinks it was just a big waste of money and I agree. I don’t know if all the celebrations are like that. Dinara says in her town they usually have a concert, but children doing dance routines, singing, and playing music in home made costumes is more fun and cheaper. Around mid day I headed into town to get myself out the house, meeting Sarah, Grace, Ben, Anne-Marie, Aigera, and Olga. We ate in Mega and did some last bits of shopping, realising how little money we have left.

GX Week 22

Monday 17th August

I do not enjoy community farewell meetings. Maybe I go in psyching myself up for an argument and that’s why they happen but I think not. Despite the farewell being less than two weeks away we have yet to decide anything concrete as some members of the committee don’t like the ideas that have been put forward so want to wait until next week’s meeting before which they plan to have some fantastic idea. Urgg I hate committee work, so frustrating. I am not a good team player. Anyway apart from aforementioned meeting it was actually quite a good day. Our art camp got off to a good start. No one was stopped from entering the hospital by security and the general doctor did not suddenly change his mind about letting us do it. I think all the children in the hospital (14) were there and we occupied them for two hours with potato printing, creating a hand tree, face painting, making chocolate cornflake cakes and having a mini party at the end. While we cleaned up and set up for the next activity we entertained them with games. We took a long lunch in the park and then after Nina went home Ben, Anne-Marie and I tried to change my travellers cheques at the bank named on the American Express website with no success except being given directions to another branch of the bank and convincing the security guard not to hail me a taxi as I would go tomorrow. We then browsed the Soviet souvenir shop, a place no larger than an under stairs cupboard crammed with ‘antiques’ with a huge metal door and barred windows slotted into the side of a building down an alleyway. The oddest place, but lovely people. There I got a medal and saw a lovely watch on a long gold chain that I intend to return for. I then went to Mega to use the internet but upon arriving was told it wasn’t working and so decided to give the other bank a shot. I met Grace along the way who informed me that she had successfully changed her cheques so we went together and changed mine, yay! I forgot to mention that Dinara moved into Nassima’s with Gulnara and me last night after an argument with her volunteer placement, who also happened to be her host home.

In case anyone was wondering what a 'hand tree' is

Anne-Marie and Nina making chocolate cornflake cakes

Tuesday 18th August

Superbly frustrated today. The hospital had some visitors so we were cleared out of the playroom and told by the nurses, who just shout and point at me like I’m stupid, that we could start until they had gone. I don’t feel that I get any respect from the majority of the staff in that place. It turned out that the visitors were from unicef. Surely what we are doing is the sort of thing they would want to see. I don’t understand the mentality at all and neither seemingly does Nina. I almost ran into the hospital to tell unicef what we are doing myself. Later Nina told me that Ulbosyn said to her that the parents might as well take home the materials that we have gathered as no one is going to carry on our sessions after we leave. It’s so disheartening leaving these kids with nothing. Then after work Nina and I went to check out farewell venues only to find that both our potential venues are unusable. One has installed rows of conference chairs that can not be moved and the other is in the grip of the infamous remont (renovations) or so they say. It seems impossible to organise anything here. At least a lot of the team turned up to the pub quiz that we held in a café in technopark. I couldn’t skype with mum this evening as Nassima had gone out and turned the computer off but we spoke on the phone and she made me feel a little better. She told me not to feel so disheartened as what we are trying to do is change attitudes and that may take several teams, several years but at least we have started something.

Rockets


The bus Nina and I took today

Wednesday 19th August

Had my exit interview with Ali this evening. Not sure that I gave the best impression of myself. Ali is always telling me that I’m a very honest person but perhaps I took it too far. He didn’t really need to know everything that I told him. Nevertheless I think the reference created was fair and we agreed on the majority of the points. He thinks I’ve become a better team player since the start of the programme. Apparently I said something ‘sharp’ to someone back in Stratford that he remembers but I have improved since. My mother has always said I am sharp so I can believe it but I didn’t think I’d gotten any more tolerant or patient with the team. Perhaps I have just mellowed as I’ve got used to the way things work and have not noticed it. I can’t remember all the ins and outs of the conversation but it is interesting that since the mid phase review I have been totally honest with Ali, any little or bug thing that’s bugging me, even if it doesn’t reflect well on me has come out. It’s strange for me. The question I found hardest asked me to give my ‘key skills, knowledge, attitudes and values developed in learning about global citizenship’. The problem is that other than as a tool for teaching others, for GCDs and a possible career as a citizenship teacher, I haven’t found the global citizenship framework all that useful. I have dutifully kept a learning journal anyway, mostly for something to do and because I like paperwork but the whole framework didn’t go deep enough for me. I suppose I could have researched some issues in greater detail but I’ve hardly had the time. I don’t feel like I wasn’t aware of the issues covered before GX and the facts and figures I’ve learner I could have just looked up myself at any point. I suppose I am just used to looking at things in more detail because of my degree. As for my attitudes and values I feel that they were already pretty much in line with the global citizenship framework as a result of the people and support services I was involved with at university. The things I have learnt are how frustrated I get when things aren’t organised. That there are faces behind the HIV and AIDS statistics and that they are the faces of smiling innocent children unaware as yet that these statistics have anything to do with them. That young people leaving care in the UK are cut loose and effectively abandoned by the state at just 18. That it is hard to take someone saying ‘give me’ without and please or thank you even though you know that it is just the way of their language. These things can not be written out into a box on a form. Ali has left me to think about the question. I am sure that given time I will be able to bullshit a paragraph or two of the stuff GX want to hear. The earlier part of the day went pretty well. At art camp we made feely boxes, pasta jewellery and mosaics from glue, grass, petals, oats and buckwheat which was extremely messy. We were prevented from making musical instruments as lunch was prepared 20 minutes early today for some reason. For our lunch we went with Britney, a peace corp. volunteer, to Madelen’s. I miss this lifestyle of long lunches and meeting with friends.

Feely box

Making pasta jewellery

Thursday 20th August

It’s a shame that our last day of art camp didn’t go as well as the others. The kids just didn’t engage well with today’s activities of making masks, costumes and musical instruments. They also seemed to be pretty over excited which I didn’t help by pretending to be a dragon and chasing them around the room then picking them up and swinging them round when I caught them. One little brat thought this was a great excuse to hit and pinch me and god he was strong. After I managed to detach him he started doing it to the other kids. Moreover at the end a normally sweet little girl decided it would be hilarious to keep stealing our materials and running off with them. I was not amused. I don’t know what got into them today. After work we headed to the park for another long lunch and then onto the bazaar where Nina helped me to buy a selection of sweets as gifts. Then I hung around for a while before heading to the internet café after 6 to spend nearly two hours writing my newsletter article, a summary of my placement, my answer to the exit interview question I had trouble with yesterday and updating my blog, which is woefully behind.

Masks

Ben and I dressed up even though the children wouldn't. Witness the birth of sick pirate cat

Friday 21st August

The last GCD of the exchange was led today by Rory, Baur and Kassym on the subject of corruption. Of course first we looked at the definition; when an official gives an individual (or group) a benefit to which they may or may not be entitled in exchange for an illegal payment (not necessarily) cash. An official is anyone in a position of power. I wondered whether the payment part of this definition was essential. What about those who give people benefits as a personal favour? The boys then asked the group to brain storm their ideas about corruption; arms deals, education, medical, employment, judicial, business, aid programs, foundations (although this does not fit our definition of corruption. It is not a benefit given in exchange for payment but misuse of funds), money laundering (ditto), tax evasion, politics – expenses, cash for questions/honours, police, property, electoral system, queue jumping, immigration, financial market, fixed television/radio competitions (again this does not fit the definition as the winning individuals did not give payment). It became clear from this brainstorm that the teams ideas about corruption go beyond the narrow definition provided to include all illegal and dishonest use of money or benefits, such as fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. A better definition to use perhaps is the one from Merriam Webster online dictionary ‘impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle.’ Rory asked the team to change seats if they had ever taken or given a bribe. Most, if not all, of the Kazakh volunteers moved. Corruption is rife in Kazakhstan. We were then asked if we had ever used our connections e.g. in getting a job. Then almost everyone moved. Next we looked at a presentation Kassym made on the causes of corruption. I didn’t get it all down at the time and now the Wikipedia article he got the information from seems to have vanished so you’ll have to do with what I’ve got.

Low level of salary in government sector compared to private sector

Dependence of the common people on officials’ monopoly of the government in some spheres

Alienation of bureaucratic elite from common people. Can be a rich/poor divide or in some countries a caste system

Lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of the laws by people which gives opportunity to the officials to impede the bureaucratic procedures and raise too high the appropriate payments. This cause is particularly relevant to Kazakhstan where many people, even officials, are not familiar with the numerous new laws passed since independence

Economic instability

Unstable political system

Low level of economic development

Religious traditions

Culture in Kazakhstan this applies to the legacy left from the Soviet period

Lack of government transparency

Lack of freedom of information legislation

Lack of investigative reporting by local media

Contempt for or negligence in exercising freedom of speech and/or the press

After we played a game designed by Rory which made us all residents of the new country the Republic of Jumbalaya in which it was cheaper and in the end I believe necessary to depend on bribing officials to ensure your families survival. I was married to Dinara who got really into the game and sold our daughter to the police officer in order to get our jobs back. Next we took part in a quiz because what CAD would be complete without a quiz? I’m afraid that being a cynical kinda girl I do doubt the reliability of many of the ‘facts’ we have looked at in our GCDs throughout the programme especially when those delivering them can’t name their source. However they are unlikely to be total fantasy I just wouldn’t suggest using many of them to look clever in front of your friends. You may be caught out.

Q1: When and where in history was corruption first recorded?
A: Lagash 24th century BC

Q2: Which was the least corrupt country in the world in 2008?
A: Denmark
Baur didn’t actually know where this ‘fact’ was from which I wanted to know as corruption is due to its nature notoriously difficult to measure. Who has done the measuring and how it was measured is very important. I guess this came from the 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index complied by Transparency International which is one of the most common datasets used.

Q3: In 1996 how much money in dollars was given by German corporations to foreign partners and governments in bribes?
A: $5.6 billion

Q4: In 2005 how much money in US dollars was estimated to have passed through the Kazakh black market (anything you are not given a receipt for including brides)
A: $32 billion

Q5: When is international anti-corruption day?
A: 9th December

Q6: According to the barometer of corruption in the world 2007 which Kazakh organisations took the most money in bribes?
A: Traffic police, customs, courts

Q7: How much does the average Kazakh citizen spend each year in bribes?
A: $129

Q8: Who holds the record for the world’s most corrupt politician and how much did he embezzle?
A: Suharto, The President of Indonesia from 1967-1998
Somewhere between $15 to $35 billion

Q9: According to the corruption perceptions index which country was recognised as the most corrupt in 2008?
A: Somalia

Q10: According to Christian Aid how much tax are transnational corporations estimated to avoid annually?
A: $160 billion

Q11: With this amount of money how many children who are predicted to perish between 2000 and 2015 could be saved?
A: 5.6 million

Q12: How did Spanish officials use Francis Drake as a cover for corruption?
A: All monies missing from the Spanish treasury was attributed to Drake.

After the excitement of the quiz we settled down to view a slideshow the boys made about the efforts made by the governments of Kazakhstan and the UK and International efforts to tackle corruption. A 1998 law in Kazakhstan bars individuals convicted of corruption for working again for the government, however sometimes their family members also lose their jobs. In Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2008 1581 corruption crimes were registered. Of these 520 were condemned and 990 received disciplinary actions. According to Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index the Uk is the world’s 14th least corrupt country. However few anti-corruption laws exist; those that do often allow individual organisations to deal with individuals as they see fit. The 2006 Money Laundering Directive requires a police check of the financial history of anyone wishing to set up trust funds, off-shore companies and casinos etc. Transparency International UK lobbies the government and has created the NGO, UK Anti-Corruption Forum, run by and for companies and corporations such as Lloyds TSB. In 2006 Transparency criticised the UK government doing “the barest minimum” to meet recommendations and that its anti-corruption legislation was “unsatisfactory.” In response to the recent expenses scandal the government passed the Parliamentary Expenses Bill 2009. The new law requires regular checks on expenses, the following provisions, however, were removed in debate; a statutory code of conduct, enforcement or disciplinary powers and a means to regulate the House of Lords. The media branded the bill as “rushed” and a “publicity stunt.” Nevertheless corruption in the UK is low, partly due to the high wages of public officials and a historical tradition of trust. On the other hand public investigations are rare and very little information is available. Internationally organisations tackling corruption include the UN Governance and Public Investigation Department, the Commonwealth and Transparency International. In Africa and other countries lacking infrastructure the local media is often used to tackle corruption, by setting up anonymous hotlines for example. In the afternoon we watched The Constant Gardener. It was a harrowing film and difficult to watch but one that for me showcased a lot of the issues that Global Xchange attempts to deal with, not just corruption. It is a film that I would certainly recommend. After the GCD we met at 7 in Mega, although Ben, Sarah and I had managed to be there since we left the Business Womens Association, to go to the Italian restaurant mozzarella. We thought it would be a nice celebration of the last GCD, although clearly not everyone agreed. All the UK volunteers were there and Nina. Apparently 7 was too late to go. It was an extravagant evening in terms of tenge expenditure. I spent just under 2000 tenge but still that is only £8 for a large pizza and a small glass of wine. The waitress in me got very frustrated waiting for my large pizza which took over 45 minutes while everyone with small pizzas received and ate theirs. Apparently it is somehow more difficult to make a large pizza. Even then they had the order wrong. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza when it came, having duck breast for the same price as a margarita. We didn’t get out until half 9. Perhaps we should have gone earlier after all.

Saturday 22nd August

Dinara and I departed the host home at half one this afternoon having spent the morning reading. Gulnara had left earlier in the morning for some location unknown to me. We met the others, that beingNina, Anne-Marie, Aigera, Grace, Beth, Ben and Kate, at Ima bazaar and took a marshrutka (or minibus) to Sayram. Well first we spent some time persuading the driver and the Kazakhs that we could find the town’s mausolea ourselves and did not need to pay him 500 tenge each for a guided tour. Sayram is one of the oldest settlements in Kazakhstan and a place of pilgrimage due to its associations with the sufi mystic Ahmed Yassawi, whose mausoleum we visited in Turkestan, and was born in Sayram in the early 10th century. The marshrutka dropped us off at the central crossroads and towns bazaar from where we found the mausolea of Karashash Ana, Yassaui’s mother, Botbay Ata, Mirali Bobo, a 10th century Islamic preacher and Abd Al Aziz Baba who either accompanied Iskak-Bab in his mission to convert the local people or led the conversion depending on which guide book you read. We then made the sensible decision, it already being 5:30 to head back to the centre of town rather than walk another km or so to the mausoleum of Ibragim Ata, Yassawi’s father. Back in the centre we tok a turn about the bazaar, meeting there a girl who spoke English. She hoped to take some kind of test soon in order to study in London and America to become a surgeon. It was interesting to me that she described herself as Uzbek despite the fact that she was born in Sayram and all her family were in Kazakhstan. Although she still described Kazakhstan as “our country.” The Uzbeks do seem to form a more distinct and discriminated against minority in Kazakhstan. Ethnic Russians and Koreans etc will tell you their ethnic background yet generally still describe themselves as Kazakhstani. Sayram is dominated by Uzbeks. The street signs were in Uzbek and there were absolutely no Russians. Unlike in Shymkent we stuck out like sore thumbs. Still people were friendly enough apart from one woman in a shop where Grace and I wanted to buy some Uzbek patterned fabric who was far more interested in having a conversation with her friend than actually selling anything and another woman outside a mosque who berated us for our fakery in only wearing a headscarf to visit the mausolea which we would remove afterwards and for not covering our arms and shoulders which should be done permanently. So much for trying to respect others beliefs. You will never please everybody. By 6pm we headed to a couple of cafes in search of the celebrated Uzbek plov but were disappointed to find it only served at lunch time or needing to be ordered two hours in advance. A rather bad mood descended over our group as we decided to go home though it improved once we were heading back to Shymkent in another equally crowded marshrutka with the realisation that we had actually managed to get out of Shymkent and see somewhere different for the first time in a while.


The mausoleum of Karashash Ana


Botbay Ata


Mirali Bobo


And Abd Al Aziz Baba with ferris wheel in the background

A stall at the Sayram bazaar

Our group at the modern town gates

Sunday 23rd August

Met at 2 at Mega today for another trip to Bekjan bazaar. Dinara decided to come along with me. I really value her for making the effort as I don’t suppose she thought the bazaar would be terribly interesting and knew that she would be called upon to translate prices and bargaining, although we are getting a lot better at distinguishing Russian numbers and I managed to bargain just by writing my proposed price into my phone. The seller accepted it straight away. I totally could have got more off. Everyone got more or less what they wanted. I purchased a Kazakh hat for Matt and then a Kazakh waistcoat, sheepskin boots and some Uzbek patterned material all for myself. It seems that I can’t resist a material stall even in Kazakhstan. Rory called a last minute debrief meeting in the evening which Dinara had to attend while I went to Caravan in Ken Baba with Grace and Ben to enjoy beer and some delicious fat greasy noodles. Something felt very strange tonight though I don’t know what it was. Perhaps the sudden darkness as sunset has been creeping slowly ever earlier. It took Grace and I ages to get a bus from the strangely empty bus stop despite it being only 9pm and never having had a problem at that time before. We have begun to suspect that the buses operate according to daylight hours not their supposed finishing times. Back at our apartment block I found the main door closed and no way in. I had to call Dinara who sent Gulnara down to let me know. The door has a code which no one had bothered to tell me.

My Kazakh waistcoat...


...Sheepskin boots...


And the fabrics. No idea what I am going to do with them yet