Being a countrygirl, it was good for me to get away from the glitz of the city of Astana and see what a Peace Corps volunteer might experience in the surrounding rural area. We saw worn out gardens, perky chickens, yappy dogs, laconic geese, a sad funeral procession, gravesites, traintracks, wide expressway, Soviet tractors, pipes ABOVE ground carrying heat and much more. The overall landscape looked like Kansas or North Dakota.
Funny thing happened when three little girls met up with us in Akmol, a village just outside of Astana, where the ALZHIR museum is. They asked if we knew Angie. Apparently, since we were American, to their grade school minds they were certain we would know the one and only American they knew. If you are among my reading audience, Angie, your dear grade school pupils miss you in Akmol!!!
