these survey things are really making their way around. and i got tagged for this as well.

the countries that i've been to overseas are south korea, kazakhstan, italy, france, germany, and switzerland. kazakhstan is the only place that i've been to recently and for a substantial amount of time so most of the stuff will be about kazakhstan.

1. spontaneity. if you know me, you'd know that i am not a spontaneous person. but something about being removed from my comfort zone and being displaced makes me more free.

2. the people. especially in karaganda where everyone spoke their native language and didn't understand a single drop of english. seems more real that way. but anyway, take away the fact that you can speak the same language and it all comes down to body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, etc. Work on these because it will help your everyday conversation as well.

3. seeing kazakh women wear tight, bright yellow pants in 3.5inch red heels.

4. lack of humidity in kazakhstan. oh, how i abhor humidity.

5. freedom to wander. i still feel like i have a freedom to wander here in the u.s. like when i explore downtown chicago, i don't mind walking around by myself (during daylight, of course) and finding myself at odd places. but something inherent says that i shouldn't be doing that and do something "productive" intsead.

6. sloooooooooooooow down. esp. in kazakhstan, we walked everywhere. we didn't have a car. we had to wait for the bus. we had to carry our groceries. we didn't always have the internet. the pace of life was so slow. but i loved it. my life wasn't "cluttered" with a things-to-do list. it wasn't jammed with places to be and meetings to attend. i could take my time shopping, reading the Word in the morning, even sleeping!

7. Confusing Kazakh with Russian or the other way around rather.

8. Not being afraid to use the camera. People look at me funny when I take out my camera on campus or around my house. like i'm being creepy or something. but it's not that! i just like to document, i suppose.

9. hearing "meess oh-duh-ree"

10. going to the bazaaaaaaaaaar

11. not knowing. this, similar to #1 is the beauty of being outside the comfort zone. just freedom. altho i don't want too much of not knowing, being in kazakhstan esp. had just the right dose of the unknown.

12. the FOOD. not american processed food. i even tried horsemilk and horse jerky while i was in kazakhstan. the cheese and chocolates just tasted richer. or maybe it's all in my head. i lovvvve french bread. gelato. the plov. blinis. flat pizzas with just tomato sauce and sprinkled cheese. fresh fruit from the market. tiny strawberries the size of your toes.

13. lonnnng summer nights in kazakhstan. if you didn't know, the sun doesn't fully set in kazakhstan until about 10:30pm or 11:00pm. it's so awesome. because if the lights go out around 9pm don't worry about it! there's still daylight for another hour or so.

14. electricity and water going out. the first time was around 8pm i think. it was actually good because i realized how much i depended on it. i remember looking out the window to the center of the apartment complex and there were so many children playing around. even w.o electricity, they could have fun. why couldn't we? i remember a second time the lights went out, the other two teachers and i went for a walk around the neighboring apartment buildings and watched the sun set. it was quite memorable. and by the time we got back, the electricity was still out.. but none of us seemed to mind.

15. partaking in their customs/traditions: whether it be cultural/religious rituals, drinking tea and eating cookies between classes, carrying brightly colored bags, etc.

16. marveling at God's creation and thanking Him for the opportunity to experience it.