She wanted to travel and help people but would not have been able to do it if not for the corps. She said it was her opportunity to show people in other countries the real Americans, not the ones people see and read from the media. McGee made 25,000 Tenge, a little more than $200 a month to teach in Kazakhstan. She said that was normal pay for a teacher in Kazakhstan. The peace corps wants their volunteers to live in the same way the people of the country, she said. While overseas McGee had the experience of a lifetime, living with both Kazakhs and Russians. Kazakhs are the indigenous people of Kazakhstan, and were originally nomadic people and were highly dependant on horses. On their New Year's Day, Kazakhs play traditional games with horses in which a man on a horse chases a woman on a horse and if he catches her, he gets to kiss her, if not the man is chased by the woman and she gets to whip him, McGee said. This is just one way the people of Kazakhstan differ greatly from Americans, she said. They are far different than Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen character from Kazakhstan, in the movie "Borat."
Meghan McGee, a member of the Peace Corps, has recently returned from two years of service in Khazakstahn
Woman visits Ridge after time in peace corps
By Paul Wellersdick
Article Launched: 07/28/2007 01:00:00 AM PDT
An American woman with two days language training in the Russian language hopped in a car with a Kazakh family to live with them in Kazakhstan while she taught English to Russian and Kazakh children in fourth through eleventh grades.
Meghan McGee joined the Peace Corps two years ago, after graduating college with a degree in English. She is in Paradise visiting her mother and grandfather until mid to late August when she leaves for another year to teach English again in Kazakhstan.
The Peace Corps requires volunteers to give two years of their life to the Corps volunteers can serve again for another two years if they wish. The Corps pays their volunteers a monthly and pay for plane tickets to and from the destination Volunteers accrue holiday time two days per month of work.
She wanted to travel and help people but would not have been able to do it if not for the corps. She said it was her opportunity to show people in other countries the real Americans, not the ones people see and read from the media.
McGee made 25,000 Tenge, a little more than $200 a month to teach in Kazakhstan. She said that was normal pay for a teacher in Kazakhstan. The peace corps wants their volunteers to live in the same way the people of the country, she said.
While overseas McGee had the experience of a lifetime, living with both Kazakhs and Russians. Kazakhs are the indigenous people of Kazakhstan, and were originally nomadic people and were highly dependant on horses.
On their New Year's Day, Kazakhs play traditional games with horses in which a man on a horse chases a woman on a horse and if he catches her, he gets to kiss her, if not the man is chased by the woman and she gets to whip him, McGee said.
This is just one way the people of Kazakhstan differ greatly from Americans, she said.
They are far different than Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen character from Kazakhstan, in the movie "Borat."
While there, she lived for a time in a house that didn't have running water in it and had an outdoor bathroom. When she returns she'll endure a winter with negative 20 degree temperatures and have to use the bathroom outside, she said. Besides stoking a coal fire for heat, one of the first things she learned in Kazakhstan was how to purify water because of the high metal content of the water.
"I relish the fact that I can turn on the tap and drink it without doing anything to it," she said. "I put ice in a cup and turn on the tap."
One of her most memorable experiences was being invited to a party her friend threw for 20 English race car drivers in derby cars, she said. "Everyone there is Kazakh or Russian," she said. "And here are two Americans and 20 guys from England with funny accents."
The race car drivers found her friend, also and American teaching in a nearby village, by the blog she kept. They happened to be racing through her village and stopped by to party, she said.
The culture in Kazakhstan is radical because it is a new country and is the ninth largest in the world, about four times the size of Texas, but has a population of only 17 million people. Add to that their recent wealth from oil and you get odd results, McGee said.
"I thought, I'm joining the Peace Corps, I'll be dirty and grungy for two years, but everyone there always dressed well," she said.
Not only is their clothing different, but hair color is also sometimes wild due to the qualities of dyes. Often hair turns out pink or purple instead of the color they wanted, she said.
"I spent five hours in a salon just to get my hair somewhat normal when I got back," she said. "I had pink hair for a while there." She took advantage of her vacation time to visit India and other Kazakh villages while overseas. Her mother also visited her for a while she said. It's not always fun and games though. Another requirement of the Corps is volunteers have to do a project while overseas. She chose to write a grant for $2,500 for her school there which she said is under funded. She also had a hard time learning the Russian language, taking private lessons from other volunteers and three months classes with the corps Hospital care is poor there too she said, and the nearest hospital for any major work was six hours away, by taxi or bus, because few people have cars. Despite seemingly impoverished conditions in comparison to American life, the people of Kazakhstan, both Russian and Kazakh are beautiful people who are accepting, hospitable and curious people, she said. She had no idea that she would establish The Corps is not just for young people. She volunteered with people from 21 to 54 years-old. "It's also for older, possibly retired people who want to do something different," she said. For people interested a relationship with a recruiter helps. And starting ahead of time helps, because the application process can take up to a year, she said. *** The writer can be reached at pwellersdick@paradisepost.com.
