July 17, 2004: Headlines: COS - Uzbekistan: Kansas City Star: Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Laura Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Central Asia

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Uzbekistan: Peace Corps Uzbekistan : The Peace Corps in Uzbekistan: July 17, 2004: Headlines: COS - Uzbekistan: Kansas City Star: Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Laura Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Central Asia

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-22-73.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.22.73) on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 4:42 pm: Edit Post

Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Laura Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Central Asia

Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Laura Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Central Asia

Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Laura Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Central Asia

Making peace with Uzbekistan

By LINDA CRUSE

Special to The Star

Caption: Laura Paul displays a map, fabric and a traditional teapot from Uzbekistan. Paul has spent the past year there, teaching English as a volunteer for the Peace Corps.

“Congratulations, you're going to Uzbekistan!”

Laura Paul of Olathe heard those words a year ago after signing up to work for the Peace Corps.

Although she had no idea where Uzbekistan was, Paul left Olathe last August for a two-year assignment in Central Asia. She came home in July to visit her mother, Kathy Paul, before returning next week to Uzbekistan for the remaining 14 months of her assignment.

“I didn't have any expectations,” she said. “I really didn't know what to expect of the people and the culture. So I learned a lot.”

Paul, a 1999 graduate of Olathe East High School, spent the past year teaching English to fifth- through 10th-graders in a public school in Uzbekistan, which borders the country of Afghanistan.

In addition to starting an English club at her school and teaching seminars, Paul and another Peace Corps volunteer started a new organization called the Uzbekistan Teaching English Association.

“It's a way to unite people in Uzbekistan who are teaching English,” she said. “We can learn from each other.”

Once part of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan has been an independent country since 1991, said Paul, who turns 24 next week.

“I have been living with a host family in the town of Kitob, which is in the Qashqudaryo region,” she said. “I'm one of 170 Peace Corps volunteers in that country.”

Paul's mother, Kathy, said she wasn't surprised when Paul joined the Peace Corps.

“She always told me that everyone couldn't be raised in a place like Johnson County,” she said. “I knew she wanted an opportunity to help others.”

Paul said her interest in the Peace Corps was sparked when she studied abroad in Egypt during her junior year at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

“When I graduated, the job market wasn't that great because Sept. 11 had occurred while I was in Egypt,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to travel, but couldn't really afford to. So I joined the Peace Corps.”

Paul said she was interested in the “raw cultural experience” the Peace Corps would provide.

“I knew it would be a way to travel, experience a foreign country and be paid,” she said.

She originally requested assignment to Morocco, but following Sept. 11, Peace Corps volunteers from that country were evacuated. That's when the opportunity came to go to Uzbekistan.

“I didn't know where it was located,” she said. “I didn't know anything about the country. But it's been a great experience.”

Paul is a member of the 16th group of Peace Corps volunteers to work in Uzbekistan. There are 44 American volunteers working in the “Uze 16” group.

The Peace Corps' mission is world peace and friendship, she said.

“The three primary areas of service in Uzbekistan include teaching English as a foreign language, which is what I'm involved with, health education and non-government organizations.”

Natives of Uzbekistan speak Uzbek as their primary language and Russian as a second language, she said. Paul attended Uzbek school to learn the language and culture.

Her host family is made up of a mother, father and three children ages 21, 19 and 15.

“My host family has been great,” she said. “They really respect me and have given me my space.”

While the country's cultural differences have taken some adjusting, Paul said the biggest challenge has been the isolation.

“I'm isolated intellectually, socially and linguistically,” she said. “I really didn't expect that. It's hard to get together with any of the American volunteers, so I haven't spent much time with them.”

Communication has been a challenge for Paul and her mother, Kathy said.

“At first, we tried to communicate by e-mail, but finding an Internet cafe was a challenge for her,” Kathy said. “Lately, I've been calling her every Sunday night, which is Monday morning in Uzbekistan.”

Calling regularly has been helpful to both mother and daughter, she said.

“I think Laura has been rather isolated, so it's helped that we stay in touch,” she said. “Also, I was talking to her one day when a bombing took place, so I knew that she was all right.”

Paul said that besides her friends and family, what she missed the most about her life in America was “taking showers, having toilets and eating Mexican and barbecue food. There isn't much variety in the food there,” she said.

Paul returns to Uzbekistan on July 22 for 14 months. Once her two-year Peace Corps assignment is complete, she plans to seek a position in the State Department with the U.S. government, working in international relations.

“My hope is that my experience with the Peace Corps will make me stand out among job applicants,” she said. “It's given me an international perspective.”




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Story Source: Kansas City Star

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Uzbekistan

PCOL12366
60

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By Beautifuljoy (202.72.241.29) on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 5:57 am: Edit Post

hello i would like to go as a peace corps volunteer in other countries

i could work here as a (U2 robot) interpreter of peace volunteer Who does't know language(learning)
i'm at east104 north49gradus

You should send me letter to
PO. box94
Darkhan uul provience
Mongolia


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