Today was another early morning. Sara would be driving me to Shymkent, where we would be visiting the Interlink Resources center there. Originally we had planned to spend a couple of days there, but accommodation could not be arranged. Also, Beth had developed a cold, so everyone thought it best just to do a day trip.
The morning was cool and bright, and I was relieved that the ultra hot temperatures that I had been told to expect had not materialized. The three hour journey was made a bit more interesting by the narrow, winding roads, which meant that we had to pass quite frequently. We also made a couple of stops, including one to see a lonely camel who seemed to be guarding a holy place. He didn't mind at all that I was invading his space and cooperated for some quick picture-taking. Much of the journey took place in the foothills of the mountains and made for some spectacular scenery from time to time. I was surprised at how quickly the time went.
The Shymkent center was bigger than I expected and was composed of several large buildings. While the exterior was a bit rough, the interior was very neat and clean. The center hosted many English classes and housed a nice library. It was fun to speak English with most of the staff and to sense their enthusiasm for chatting with native English speakers such as Sara and I. We went from room to room videotaping and doing interviews with the staff. We also visited a cerebral palsy unit and videotaped an emotional appeal from one of the patient's mothers. Afterwards, we had lunch with the director of the center, a very kind man with a name that I cannot spell! In a somewhat amusing fashion, he kept hinting that he wanted me to come to work with him in Shymkent. I wondered if someday I would. After lunch, we did a bit more taping, coming across some Americans who had come to Kazakhstan to adopt children. They were speaking with some students who clearly loved practicing their English and chatting with the foreigners. After leaving the center, we stopped at the home of Dr. Laurie, who had an office at Interlink but was at home that day. She had been in Kazakhstan for seven years and I marveled what grace God must have extended to this kind woman. I felt a bit guilty that my visit was only two weeks. We said goodbye and headed back to Taraz.
We stopped at a couple of villages along the way, and I enjoyed the spectacle of seeing the cows come home. Their respective owners would meet them at an intersection and the cows would obediently turn down the road and go to the correct house. I had heard the expression many times, but until now I had never seen "the cows come home." Although long, it had been a good day. I thought about all the wonderful people that I had met. Would I ever see them again? I hoped so.
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