Pre-Departure

With less than a week left until my departure, the next few days are being devoted to getting ready for my upcoming AIESEC Internship in Almaty, Kazakhstan. As part of this program (and for my family's peace of mind), I'll be keeping this blog regularly updated with my experiences.

Here is a summary of my plans so far:

I'll be arriving in Almaty at 2:00AM local time on the 13th of June after a 19 hour flight (with a 2 hour stop in Amsterdam) from Atlanta.

Starting on the 16th of June, I'll be teaching English at school camps from 10am - 1pm. After lunch, I will be working with "Шарапат", a Youth Organization of Disabled People, teaching professional skills and English until 5pm.

After about 3 weeks, following the 5th of July I'll be joining the other interns assisting the orphanage houses (below).

A room in the Regional Orphanage #1

After another three weeks, my internship will be concluded and I will fly back to the United States, arriving July 28th.

As of the last time I asked, AIESEC Almaty is expecting interns from a variety of places including China, Hong Kong, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Switzerland, and Mexico. I'm extremely excited to work with such an international group and learn more not only about Kazakhstan but also each of the interns' countries.

The countries of the AIESEC Almaty interns

As for the current state of affairs, I'm mainly preparing everything for the trip. This has included preparing my computer to be wiped, preparing my guitar for travel, and setting up rough drafts of presentations on the United States (I'm also adding some side information about Puerto Rico, as with other interns from the United States, my own background in Puerto Rico might help for me to stand out and offer something unique).

I've also been reviewing my work on Russian from the past two years, but given my limited capabilities and the fact that AIESEC is run in English, I might not use it much. Still, I hope to improve my capabilities while I'm there. 

Overall, I'm hoping to return from this trip with a better understanding of Kazakhstan and Central Asia while having contributed a meaningful impact for the individuals involved. Additionally, I plan to be able to share more of what I learn about the country and region with others in the USA, and help dispel generalizations about formerly Soviet countries.

This blog will share what I learn about the country while also documenting my own personal thoughts and experiences.

Stay tuned!