Our spring university life.

One-third of the summer is gone, and I was sure we just barely stepped into it. Trying to catch up on our blogging is a bit overwhelming, so in this post I will try to hit some highlights from our spring 2018 at NU campus (I decided to do a separate post on our spring as a family).

In March and April, we attended end of the year concerts for the NU Orchestra and NU Choir. Somehow, we got on their VIP lists, so we had very nice seats reserved for us. Yay! Both events are always very well-attended, and it is almost impossible to get the tickets. Both Orchestra and the Choir did an amazing job as always. Spencer and I were talking about how it would be great for them to do a tour in America, showing Kazakh culture. One of my favorite pieces from orchestra was the Believer (Imagine Dragons) played on national Kazakh instruments. The choir did songs from famous musicals which was a lot of fun!

Waiting for the show to start (NU Orchestra)

NU Orchestra (some of the national instruments they play are very cool)

They even had a base guitar! If you want to see some of their pieces, just search on YouTube for NU Orchestra) 

NU Choir had in my opinion their best performance in all of the years we've been here!

Spencer was nominated for Professor of the Year Award (in total only 5 professors from the entire university were nominated), so we went to that fancy Award Ceremony where the students, clubs, and one professor get an award for being awesome. I mean they even rolled out the red carpet, how fancy is that?! And even though Spencer didn’t win the award, the students cheered the loudest for him when his name was read! Another positive outcome of this event was that I got myself a new dress and new shoes! 😊

 

Who are these two handsome people?

At the ceremony we had a front row seats!

We also had our annual award ceremony for our basketball team. As always it was held at our house with a lunch, laughter, and some tears (tears from saying goodbye to our two graduating basketball players). We love our basketball family!

Some of our second year girls

Aigerym  and Ayim, our two graduates this year.

Our basketball family minus Nika who is taking this picture.

NU does a year book (kind of like in any US high school), but this is the first year Spencer decided to get one. Maybe it was because this year was the first year his students that he led from the very first year, graduated. I don’t know, I should ask. But we made it into this year book (besides his picture on the list of the faculty). I think students like him!

Nazarbayev University Graduation 2017

This year was the third graduation from our university.  The first two years graduation was held in one of the halls in our new administration building.  It is a nice space, but not big enough.  This year, the university completed (and by completed, we mean finished enough to be functional) a new outdoor amphitheater to be used for larger events.  The president has attended all three graduations, but his schedule dictates things.

This year his schedule changed about two weeks before graduation and so the date was changed to a day earlier.  This meant that the families of many of the students could not attend.  That is unfortunately par for the course here.  The thought isn't about the students and their families.  It's a big reason why things here can only be scheduled at the last minute (two weeks' notice is an eternity) - because anything more and you are reliant on someone else's schedule and they may change their mind.

I was asked to be the marshal of the graduate students from our school (Econ, Eurasian studies and Political Science).  That meant that I had to be at graduation practice.  That took place on Friday, May 26. We did photos in the morning and practice in the afternoon.  The practice was very hot, and we went through every single name - meaning that we spent about 3 hours in the heat in our robes.

With colleagues waiting for pictures on Practice day.

My MA student, Madina.  She was our first MA student to defend her thesis this year.

Workers started re-doing brick sidewalk right when everyone came out for pictures.  Taken from our apartment.

Everyone lining up, but construction must go on!

New part of university. Two days before graduation and working like crazy to get it "done enough."

The students had an extra practice at the new amphitheater.  Lucky them!

Because the president was coming, we had to go through additional security.  We were told to bring our university identification, a copy of our passport, and a printed invitation saying we were faculty.  We had to be through security and lined up at 8:30 to start the ceremony at 9:00 (the processional began at 8:45).  I brought all the listed items and was grilled for not having an official identification.  I had extra security pat downs and was only reluctantly let through.  I don't imagine that many people would take the time to dress in academic regalia to crash the president's speech.... but what can you do?

The big excitement was the rain.  It started as a drizzle, but by the time we were all seated it was a downpour.  The university president gave his prepared 20-minute speech, and then they awarded the doctorate degrees (the first in the university) to 9 students from the school of education.

This was a photo from a local news site from the real graduation.... My face about sums up how I felt about being soaked through.

By this time everyone was soaked through to the bone and the decision was made to move the graduation inside for "plan B."  This plan had not been practiced, and so it was chaotic.  The president was going to cancel, but decided to come.  When that announcement came, they stopped giving diplomas, announced that we would have a brief pause, and then we all stood for over an hour while furious activity to spruce things up took place.  New podiums, new chairs, balloons, and flower arrangements were brought in.  Then we waited.

The president came and spoke for about twenty minutes.  The acoustics were awful, so even though I was within twenty feet I couldn't make out most of what he was saying (he spoke half in Kazakh and half in Russian.  He gave the diplomas to the PhD students, and then left.  Then we continued giving diplomas to the rest of the students.

It was a long day of standing.

A surreptitious photo of the president.  Shot through the press scrum while he awarded diplomas to PhD students.  I was about 20 feet from him.

Valentine's Day 2017

Valentine's Day is an interesting holiday for our family.  The 8th of March is the bigger holiday and it comes right before our wedding anniversary.  There are a lot of expectations for thoughtful gifts over a very short period of time.

This year I came through on Valentine's Day okay.  I bought some chocolates for the girls and Yulia, and made a nice card for Yulia as well.  I had those out on the table for when the girls woke up.

I invited Yulia to eat lunch with me at the La Tartine cafe at the university.  It's pricier than the cafeteria where I eat lunch most days, but they have some nice food and a nice atmosphere.  She came and met me at noon after I taught class and conducted office hours.  We had a nice meal. I had gotten an email from the choir that they were conducting an impromptu concert in the atrium at 1:00 p.m. so I took Yulia there on her way back to the house.

The first group starting.  Not much of a crowd yet.

The choir had three groups of students who each sang 3 different songs.  They did a good job of singing, as always, and we had a fun time with the crowd admiring them.

Yulia and I taking a selfie to prove we belong! :)

More and more people gathered to watch.

For dinner Yulia made a lovely meal of stuffed peppers.  We ended the day by watching an episode of Chuck (the show our family is watching together a few episodes a week).  All in all it was a lovely day, and a reminder that there is usually something nice happening in Astana if you just look for it.

Stevie Wonder; I just Called to Say I Love You

______________

The accoustics weren't the best, but up close it sounded nice.

Getting Around Campus in the Winter

Something that has been in the works since we've gotten here has been a system of above-ground walkways that move between the buildings.  They were on the plans the first year here, begun during our first summer, but unavailable for the first two winters we were here.  This year they opened them up in November for the walkways between the living areas for faculty and the university.  The walkways for the students were opened up in early January when the semester began.

 These walkways are still not complete, but they are done enough to be functional, and it has been a nice thing for getting to and from work this winter.

The winter.  This is why having the walkways is nice.

A view of the tunnel from our building.

Looking from our building into the new administration building.  The walkway leads there, and then there is an atrium connecting the rest of the university buildings.

Looking out at what I'm missing...or not missing!

Basketball Part III: I'm the Head Coach Going Forward

I have written a few times about my involvement with the NU Women's basketball team.  The opportunity to work with the girls has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my involvement at the university.  In this post I will detail some of the exciting developments from the spring, including our results from the two tournaments we played in, as well as the future going forward.

3 on 3 Tournament

In early March there was an announcement that there would be a student/staff 3 on 3 tournament on a Saturday morning and afternoon.  Brett and I, along with one staff member from Brett's school and one of our players, Dinara, decided to enter.  Our goal was to win the whole tournament.   Each team could have 4 players, but play 3 at a time.  Dinara had to leave after we played our first two teams, so we were playing every game with just the three of us.  We won all of our games - five - and then played in the championship.  The team we played used five players and played all five at some point during the game against us.  It was a bit of cheating that we were upset about, but it happened.  One of their players got really hot from the three point line and all of their points came from long 3s.  We lost by 1 point when he hit his last long 3.  It was a bitter pill.  You can see from the photo of Brett and I playing how much fun we had together.  Getting to know and work with Brett has been awesome!

Commiserating with Brett during or after a game.  What a great friend.

League Season and Tournament

Brett, who has been the coach for the past three years organized a league with four other teams.  The league included 3 other universities and the "B" team from NU.  The "B" team is new this year.  We had so many girls who wanted to play, that when we selected the team in September, they decided they wanted to practice.  They spent their own money to pay for sports passes and practiced twice a week, often with the help of one of the girls from the main team.  When one of the teams dropped out of the tournament, we gave them an opportunity to play.  They didn't win any games, but they had a good experience, which will help for next year.

Action shot of our girls playing against the Agrarian University team - this team ended up in 4th place in the tournament.

The season was arranged so that each team played each other.  Each week for four weeks we had two games a night on Thursday evenings.  Our girls won all four of our games, and so we received the top seed in the tournament.  In the first round of the tournament the 1 seed played the 4, and the 2 and 3 seeds played each other.  We also won the first game of the semi-final.  In the final game we played our main rival in the city: for the second time in the tournament.  We won the championship game in a hard-fought victory - which meant that we went undefeated in the season and the tournament.

League and tournament champions!

Top 3 teams.  The team on the left is our main rival!

That was the culmination of the years efforts.  A few weeks later we were told at the last minute that the Ministry of Education and or Sport would be holding a tournament at the university.  This is the tournament that our girls took third place in last year - a vast improvement over their previous results.  This tournament was very poorly organized, but our girls took part.  Our first game was against the team we had beat for the championship in our tournament.  The game was hard-fought again, but we won.

Our second game was against the 3rd place team from the tournament we played in.  That game was one of the ugliest games we played in all year.  Nothing that we shot went in, but in the end, we held on and won.  We played in the championship against a team that didn't participate in the league and tournament that we put on.  By the end of the tournament we were the bad guys - all of the girls and fans from the other teams were cheering against us.  It was a very different feeling from that of being underdogs in the previous years.  The team we played was strong, but we held on and won.  They scored 13 of their 17 points on free throws - we scored four of ours on free throws.  We were up by two points with a few seconds left to go and one of our girls hit a long two point shot at the buzzer to seal the victory.

Qualifying game during Ministry Tournament.

Champions again! With medals and certificates to prove it.

It was a fine way to end the season.  7 of the 13 players on the team are seniors and will graduate in June.  They started the team with nothing and worked hard for three years and were able to attain a degree of excellence.  One of the biggest compliments that we received is from the father (and coach) of the star of our main rivals.  He said that we are now the example of what a team should be and that we are helping to bring respectability and professionalism to women's sports.  That is what we are trying to do for sure.

Social and other Activities

Yulia and I hosted the team at our house for an end of year banquet and awards ceremony in between the two tournaments. Our most valuable player was going to Milan for a work internship before the school year ended.  It was a very emotional ceremony as Brett said goodbye to the girls as well.  He accepted a job in the States beginning in August.  I became the head coach officially after our tournament.

Handing out awards at the end of the season.

Notice how dressed up the girls get - much different from boys basketball in this respect!

A fine group.  It is bittersweet to be a part of the changes in the next year.

Besides the end of the year banquet, we had a dinner at a restaurant after our second tournament win. The next week we had a dinner and get together at the house of one of our players who had a birthday during the tournament.  Being a part of the team means a lot of extra fun social interaction as well.

Going Forward

This year has been one of the most rewarding of my life.  The opportunity to be a part of the team has been one that has been very good for me in a number of ways.  I am a bit apprehensive about the prospect of being in charge of the team next year, but am also looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding the team after 4 of our starters and our two main bench players graduate, and of carrying on the legacy of success that the team has built in a few short years.  I am also excited for my girls to have as role models these excellent scholar athletes who dedicate themselves to a game that they love while continuing to have great success in the classroom and in life.

Superhero for a Week!

During the fall semester I had a student approach me after class.  She asked if it would be okay if she took my picture so that she could paint me as Buzz LightYear for her art club project.  I didn't know anything about the art club, but she was a good student so I said sure.  I was not sure if the whole thing was a practical joke, or what, but I didn't think too much of it.  She brought her camera to office hours, took some pictures of me from various angles, and that was that. I also made her promise to show me when she was finished.

In January, another student of mine from a different class that I taught in the fall asked me if she could come and take a few more pictures of me.  I asked her why.  She said that she had traded with the other student and was going to do the Buzz LightYear picture of me instead.  I agreed, she came and took my picture, and the transaction was completed.

On Tuesday I received an email from the ArtStudio club at the school to attend the unveiling of the portraits in the main atrium of the university.  I invited Yulia to come over on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. for the grand unveiling.

Unveiling ceremony

The secret revealed!

Standing with the opening ceremony crowd.

What a pleasant and awesome surprise.  The painting that was done is very good. I don't know if I look like Buzz LightYear, but that Buzz Lightyear that she did of me definitely looks like me.  In the painting I have the beard that I grew over the winter.  The depiction of me is very realistic and looks good.  She captured a certain twinkle in my eye that makes the face really look alive.  The only thing that I could (but won't) complain about is the fact that my eyes are blue in the picture.

Buzz LightYear!

A closer look.

Missing my beard!

An isolated view.

The close up!

There were about seven other paintings of various figures in the university: the president and vice president, the dean of the engineering school, a chemistry professor, etc.  We think mine is the best.  We were offered the opportunity to purchase the painting to help the art club fund itself for supplies next year.  We are going to buy the picture to hang and keep.

The most fun thing that has come from this experience has been the reactions from students. "Professor Willardson, have you seen the painting of you as Buzz LightYear?" "It looks just like you!"  I have had a few students email me pictures of the painting since it is on display all this week in the atrium.  I asked, Ainur, my student to pose with me next to the picture and to sign it since we are going to buy it.

Ainur, a very talented artist and an economics student! 

This will definitely be a memento to cherish our time here in Kazakhstan. 

Children's New Year Celebrations

In Kazakhstan, just as in Russia, the biggest holiday of the year is the New Year. I'll do a different post about all the things people do here to get ready for the New Year but today I wanted to tell about Novogodny Utrennik (New Year's Celebration for the kids) they do around here. This is something I did as a kid growing up in Russia, so I was excited for our girls to have a similar experience.

At the end of December each of our girls’ classes went to a New Year’s Show.  Parents buy a ticket which cost about $10-25 and which gets you in to participate in a show and at the end you get a present from Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost). Kids can come dressed as different fairy tale characters, they sing songs, dance, and play games. Each show is different but they follow the same scenario. Usually some bad characters would try to stop Ded Moroz and his granddaughter Snegurocka (Snow Maiden) from delivering the presents to the kids by kidnapping them or stealing the presents. And then some good heroes try to save the day with the kids’ help.  It is a lot of fun for the kids!

 

Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and his granddaughter Snegurochka (Snow Maiden)

 Often these shows are done at the school but our kids’ school director (principal) decided that each class should go to performances that were taking place at different entertainment centers around the town.  Sophia and Lexa’s 1^st grade class and Polina’s 3^rd grade class decided to go to a New Year’s Celebration Show to the Children’s Palace on December 20^th and Veronika’s 4^th grade class decided to go to a big entertainment center with an indoor aquarium called “Duman” on December 24^th. Besides that Nazarbayev University had a show as well, so our girls had a lot of fun.

First Lina and the twins went to their show.

Alexandra (dressed up as Night Fairy), Polina (dressed up as Snegurocka or Snow Maiden), and Sophia (dressed up as a gypsy girl) are ready for their show to start.

All the kids dressed in costumes at the Children's Palace. You can see the parents watching from the balcony.

Sophia and Alexandra's classmates and their parents.

After that show was over we went home to have a quick snack and go to Nazarbayev University to see their show that they were doing for the kids of all of the professors and administrative staff. Most of the foreign professors flew home to their various destinations that same morning, so there was just a handful of expat families and a lot of local families.

Our girls running to the place where they had the show at NU

The show began with the appearance of some Disney characters. The kids and their parents made a big circle for them.

Some interesting selection of characters.

Then the villains showed up who tried to ruin New Year for the kids

But no matter how hard the villains tried to stop Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, they still made it to the kids and the fun had begun.

Ded Moroz and Snegurochka started their show

Sophia and Lexa

The kids solved riddles, sang songs and danced.

Kids dancing

With Ded Moroz

The last of the shows was Veronika's a few days later. Their teacher let them out of school a few hours early, so the kids could get ready. My mom made it here from Krasnoyarsk, Russia the day before. She brought with her Veronika's costume which she sewed herself. Our other girls' costumes we bought at the bazaar at the beginning of December. 

Veronika dressed up as Snegurochka (Snow Maiden)

The kids were first greeted by a magical talking stump.

Then they had a visit by this cool looking Dinosaur.

Then Ded Moroz came with his Granddaughter Snegurochka

When I was a kid they would arrive on a horse sleigh. Nowadays I guess they use trains!

Again, they played games and sang songs with the kids. Then the kids could go up and recite a poem about New Years for which they would get a little present.

Then they said some magical words and lit up the big Christmas Tree (here it is called New Year's Tree) and danced some more around it.

Here is Veronika with her friend and classmate Kate after the show with their presents. 

Our kids had a lot of fun at these shows, and I am glad they experienced a little piece of my childhood.