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    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir
    Unavailable
    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir
    Unavailable
    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir
    Ebook253 pages3 hours

    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir

    By Janet Givens

    5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    When a mid-fifties grandmother follows her husband of just three years into the Peace Corps, she leaves behind a promising new career, her home, two brand-new grandbabies, and her beloved dog.

    Assigned to Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country finding its own way after generations under Soviet rule, she too must find a way to be in a world different from what she knew.

    Feeling the stresses of a difficult new language, surprising cultural differences, and unexpected changes in her husband, Givens questions the loss of all she's given up.

    Will it be worth it?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnt Press
    Release dateAug 2, 2014
    ISBN9781501424977
    Unavailable
    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir

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    Reviews for At Home on the Kazakh Steppe

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    • 5/5
      The Peace Corps was always something I dreamed about doing but never did. I remember how JFK inspired my generation in the 1960s by encouraging us to contribute two years of our lives to helping people in developing countries. So I looked forward with a sense of curiosity and interest to reading Janet Givens’ Peace Corp memoir and learning more about what I had missed. I was not disappointed. Not only did I learn about Kazakhstan which I had never heard of but I experienced an intimate and realistic view of a stint in the Peace Corps. Janet has woven several narratives masterfully into this multilayered story to create an engaging and intriguing memoir about her two years in the Peace Corps. The first narrative is the story of a married couple who sell everything and strike out for a foreign land to teach English by joining the Peace Corps The second narrative is the changing dynamic between a husband and a wife who are placed in unknown territory and forced to cope with their own individual responses and the preservation of their relationship. The third narrative is a glimpse into the culture and politics of the Kazakhstan people. The fourth narrative is the transformation that occurs within the narrator as she adjusts to the cultural differences and develops a deep bond with the people and the country.Janet’s descriptions of the people and the country are so rich in detail that I feel I am right there with her. Her reflections and introspection bring her reader deep into her experience. Her writing is fluid and her voice is authentic and believable, laced with a delightful sense of humor which kept me turning the pages. Her love for the people shines through and I was captivated by their kindness and generosity. Reading this Peace Corps memoir was enriching, educational and enjoyable. I highly recommend it