Kazakhstan Volunteer Erica Ivans makes Peace Corps job higher art form
Read and comment on this story from the San Angelo Standard Times about Volunteer Erica Ivans who has been in Kazakhstan since Oct. 14. When she arrived at her three-month training site, she said the number one priority was to learn to speak Russian. She and the two other corps trainees went through Russian classes 40 hours a week for 12 weeks before they were moved to their permanent villages. In a normal day, Ivans gets up about 7 a.m. and teaches a group of older children from 8 a.m.-noon. After a break, Ivans goes back to the classroom at 2 p.m. and teaches a younger group of children until 8 p.m. Teaching, she said, is what she loves to do the most. Read the story at:
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Angeloan makes Peace Corps job higher art form
By ALEHSHIA CLAUNCH, Staff Writer August 5, 2003
San Angelo, California - Last Christmas, Erica Ivans' grandparents asked her what she wanted them to get her. Normally, this would be an easy question, but for Ivans, who is in her first year of a Peace Corps mission in Kazakhstan, it took a while to come up with an answer.
She finally decided she would like some art supplies for the children she teaches in the small village of Kamenka, near Oral.
When Ivans handed the children the art supplies, she said the only word to describe their reaction was, ''incredible.''
''They just freaked out,'' she aid. ''They never get to use art supplies. It is incredible to incorporate them into the lessons. I mean, I can talk all I want, but I think that when they are learning and doing assignments with the art supplies, they really absorb what I am teaching and their natural talent is great.''
Ivans came home to San Angelo two weeks ago for her only trip back to the states to find that friends and family had arranged a formal reception for her to collect donated art supplies to take back to Kamenka.
''The theme of the reception is Color Your World,'' said Ivans' mother, Kim Ivans. ''Anyone can stop by during the reception and drop off any art supplies: clay, markers, pencils and paper - anything would help.''
Ivans graduated from Texas A&M University last spring with a bachelor's degree in bio-medical science and the dream of getting out in the world. Peace Corps workers visited A&M and Ivans said her sophomore year in college is when she really started thinking about joining the corps.
''I was fortunate that when I grew up my parents liked to travel a lot so I got to travel a lot with them and I pondered the idea then,'' she said. ''When I started seriously thinking about it in college, I thought right after graduation would be a good time for me to do it.''
Ivans's mother said it takes a great person to join the Peace Corps and when her daughter expressed some interest in it, the family was completely supportive.
''It's not everybody's choice in living,'' Kim Ivans said. ''It takes a special kind of person because it is a sacrifice, but she never complains about that. She does like getting a bath though.''
A bath is not as much of a daily ritual as it is here at home, Ivans said.
''In the winter, they bathe about once every 10 days and in the summertime about once a week,'' she said. ''It is just not as important there. It hasn't been that bad though - it could be worse.''
Ivans has been in Kazakhstan since Oct. 14. When she arrived at her three-month training site, she said the number one priority was to learn to speak Russian. She and the two other corps trainees went through Russian classes 40 hours a week for 12 weeks before they were moved to their permanent villages.
''It was pretty crazy for awhile,'' she said. ''It's hard when you can't communicate with people. I am still learning, but it's coming along. Knowing I had to teach in it was a definite motivator.''
In a normal day, Ivans gets up about 7 a.m. and teaches a group of older children from 8 a.m.-noon. After a break, Ivans goes back to the classroom at 2 p.m. and teaches a younger group of children until 8 p.m. Teaching, she said, is what she loves to do the most.
''I teach the older kids about ecology,'' she said. ''The whole country has a long way to go when it comes to the environment. They burn everything there including plastic. There are only a few public trash cans and those that are there aren't used.''
In the afternoons, Ivans said she teaches the younger children English. Because the children have different first languages, Russian and Kazak, the class dynamics are interesting.
''I teach in English then I translate into Russian,'' she said. ''Some of the kids then translate from Russian to Kazakh for those who don't know Russian, so its fun. We have all of these languages going on in class and it sounds pretty funny, but they learn.''
The government, Ivans said, has set a goal for the country to learn Kazak, Russian and English by 2030.
''They have signs up everywhere,'' she said. ''I don't know if they will be able to do it, but they are very focused and proud. Everyone there talks about 1/8the goal3/8.''
The village has 7,500 people and Ivans is only the second American they have ever seen. Each day after class, Ivans's mother said, about 15 kids wait for Ivans to walk her home as a sign of respect.
''Everyone there is just so nice,'' Ivans said. ''They still look at me funny sometimes because I am American, but I love walking down the street because people will come up and talk to me in whatever English they know and they are very friendly.''
Ivans said the goals of a Peace Corps worker include helping interested countries by providing trained workers, learning about other cultures and helping them to learn about America.
''It is working really well,'' she said. ''I am learning so much from them and I am having so much fun teaching. They are so grateful for what I am teaching them and the exchange of our cultures is priceless.''
Ivans said she hopes to start an art club after school with the collected items from the reception.
''I want to do a weekly club for those who are really interested,'' she said. ''I think it would really be good for them.''
By the end of her two-year stint in Kazakhstan, Ivans said she hopes to come out with a new understanding for other cultures.
''I think this is the best way to live and experience the people of this culture - I feel like a citizen there,'' she said. ''I just wanted to get out and live with people from another culture and this has been great.''
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Kazakhstan; Art Education; PCVs in the Field - Kazakhstan
