Jessica on Tour in Kazakhstan

For my last blog (but actually I think we should leave this blog up so we can all keep in touch together), I decided to copy Arad and write something about each cast member. Remember, Arad, mimicry is the greatest form of flattery:)

Okay, so I guess I shall begin with Arad…

Arad:

Personal sidenote… 

I am soooo sorry I left out my PERSIAN friend. It was a slip…or maybe subconsciously I was still hurt over you saying my IQ was -10 and I wanted to get you back!

                _______________

I said this on my first blog and I’ll say it again, because it remained true….he is one of the most sensitive guys (in a good way) I’ve ever met. He is constantly being offended and putting himself down and feeling as if nobody loves him….it’s because he feels everything– and deeply. He never hides how he is feeling. If he is sad or angry or wonderfully happy, he expresses it fully. I admire that in a guy. (Although…sometimes that sensitivity becomes a bit feminine late at night! As man turns warewolf at dark and grows hair, Arad turns gay and wears women’s underwear:)

 I can say what I said above, because Arad also has a thriving sense of humor. He made fun of me alot and took it well back….except when I called him a Mosquito:) It was always annoying, yet fun, when he would purposely walk right in front of me. I would try to walk by his side, but he kept blocking me by staying right in front of me whether i moved to the left or right.

 Arad is also extremely caring- always calling to make sure you are okay and making sure you will be safe. He looks out for his friends. Arad is going to make a wonderful husband one day.

p.s. I JUST remembered that Arad is not only feminine at nighttime- he once put on a dress in the middle of the day!!! Yikes.

p.s.s. He needs to cut his nails.

p.s.s.s. How is Yana??

p.s.s.s.s. Talking romantically to a cake seemed to come too natural to him!!

p.s.s.s.s. I read in a newspaper that there is a warrant out for Arad’s deportation. The gov’t in Azurbaijan found out what happened and has sent officials on a search for him.

Dias:

Nathan was so right when he said that Dias will do whatever is asked of him. Dias is always so willing to help. If you ask Dias to assist you with something, he’ll never complain, he will just pitch right in. He would never let the girls carry their stuff- it was very sweet.

 I can tell that Dias is a VERY loyal friend. When Arad was almost deported, he was a mess. You could tell how worried he was. For those two, long hours, ALL that was on Dias’ mind, was the safety of his friend. Same when Arad was sick–Dias was very concerned the whole time. Dias made fun of me alot- made faces that supposedly I made all the time (although I think HE made some of the same faces himself)…but he always made sure that I was okay and knew he was joking. He is always thinking about others.

 Another admirable thing about Dias is the fact that he did this tour. He was probably the least fluent in English, and here he was acting in a language that is not his own. There were several times we had to correct his grammar or whatnot, and it had to be frustrating for him.  Just the fact that he was participated in a production that wasn’t in a language he was completely fluent in was an    amazing accomplishment. So I just want to give cheers to Dias for doing the play with us. He did an awesome job.

p.s. He never has to say “THE” Prince again!

p.s.s. I have never seen someone who likes water as much as him. He will swim in any body of water, in any sort of condition.

p.s.s.s. He really cuts loose on the dance floor!

p.s.s.s. Don’t play cards with him. He is fierce. He either keeps track of every card played or he cheats!

Zhandos:

I had so much fun with Zhandos this summer! I gotta give him major props for the Russian joke he played on me.

He may think I’m weird, but I know he also thinks I’m funny… he also makes himself laugh… whenever he’d say something he thought was funny, his face would scrunch up, then immediately he’d get real wide-eyed. It was cute. But his sweating is NOT cute- whew I have never seen a boy sweat like Zhandos! Even the wig he wore would be WET:0

I was also incredibly impressed with his Capitano. His walk was….so ugly…it was GREAT!  The audiences loved him, I hope he continues to act.

I am really glad I got to meet and work with him this summer.

p.s. He’s not far off from Arad in the feminine department– he loves wearing scary makeup and he shakes his shoulders as though he had a large chest!

p.s.s. He does have a large badonka-donk.

p.s.s.s. I have NEVER seen a person sleep like he does–at any point in time, in any place! And it was so funny when he used the cape as a blanket.

p.s.s.s.s. He has major trouble getting out of character.

p.s.s.s.s.s. There were some nights he did really good at blitz. He played like a big boy. (that’s a comment from Tabitha)

Galina:

It has been undisputed that this tour would not be accomplished without her. Gala was always going to meetings, making phone calls, making reservations, dealing with money, etc, etc, etc… What is so cool about her is that she possesses a high proficiency in business aspects, but also enormous talent in the arts. She’s a girl who can do it all. She’s alot of things I wish I was…responsible, sensible….she just has it altogether. Even when I’m sure she felt she didn’t, she looked and acted as though she did. Gala NEVER once complained about anyone or anything!!!!! She is honestly THE nicest, most genuine and good-hearted girl I’ve ever met. EX: One night we played a card game called bulls*%$ and in the rules of the game, you were supposed to lie if you didn’t have a certain card. Gala could not even lie when the rules called for it. She refused! She was just always so encouraging and positive and forever had a smile on her face. She’s incredibly selfless and serving of others. She was the one who did most of the cleaning up after the rest of us. When we’d go eat at the grill, she would always wait till last to get her food; instead she’d sit and save the table for us while we went up to get our food. She has mastered the art of sacrificing. THANK YOU Gala, you are an amazingly talented, intelligent, and virtuous woman. I am so happy she was on this trip with us.

p.s.Thank you for being the only person who joined me with calling the cat Keisha!

p.s.s. Thank you for taking us to Ed’s awesome house. It was a fun night.

p.s.s.s. I wish she was there for our super-hero model night!

p.s.s.s.s. Her voice is better than Mariah Carey’s.

Tabitha:

I was so happy Tabitha was on this trip. It was nice to have someone to live with at the dorms, to go to the Three Oranges with, to have as a car-mate on the trains. It was comforting to have another foreigner on this trip with me. Because of Tabitha, I never felt alone. We had a lot of good conversations together about our faith and the Lord, and she proved to be a very good listener. 

 I want to thank Tabitha for keeping “taking care” of me this summer. She kept me from losing more things than I did (which was only two things- practically a record for me). She protected me from bugs and threatening cats. She put up with all my annoyances. So Thank you Tabitha.

p.s. I think Zhandos secretly likes her butt since he could never stop talking about it!

p.s.s. She won’t lie. (“I’m not gonna lie…”)

p.s.s.s. I’m still mad she beat me at Blitz that one time (it was just once, right??)

p.s.s.s.s. It turned out to be a good thing I brought those pepto-bismal tablets huh?……I’m sorry I gave my virus to her.

Nathan:

 Well, if it weren’t for Nathan, I wouldn’t have even had this opportunity this summer. So I thank him for being faithful to the Lord and listening to Him and advertising this trip. Nathan really provided alot for me this trip– he loyally asked how our sleep was, was generous enough to let us stay at his house the whole time (even when we had the dorms), fed us alot, shared his water and food, was always making sure we were okay. I appreciate that alot.

I admire Nathan for what he has done. He may not have some theater off-broadway or even one that is able to supply any incomes, but what he has done is truly revolutionary in the country of Kazakhstan. He has the only existing English theater company in the country. And yes, it’s small and the actors range from varying levels of experiences and it’s not included in Kazak lists of theatres and they have to call up to Sergei to put the lights on and there’s always people intruding on the stage in the middle of rehearsals and there’s always some sort of red tape to cut through just to do a production……………..BUT it is still a real theater company and productions are still happening and people are still coming to see them. It is a success in my eyes, and it was exciting to see how diverse his current and past actors have been. People seem to really enjoy watching each of his plays, and I think God is going to continue to bless and help KELT to flourish.

p.s. He’s got some real cute kids.

p.s.s. Soon he’ll need to attend MCA (Maxi-Chi’s Anonymous)

p.s.s.s. My friends and family were asking who the hitman in my pictures was.

p.s.s.s.s. Thank God I don’t have to kiss his foot anymore:)

p.s.s.s.s.s. I definitely approve of his chili.

Kate:

I only spent a few days with Kate, being that she filled in for only one show with us. But I just wanted to comment that from what I saw from her, she seemed like a great girl.

 She jumped into the part IMMEDIATELY. I was so impressed. We worked with her ONE day and when we all rehearsed together, she remembered everything. The girl is obviously very bright! She just also seemed to open up so easily to the group (I think Zhandos and Nathan were the only two she knew from before), but I felt completely comfortable around her, b/c she seemed very comfortable with all of us. When in Astana, she took us around town the whole evening and even spent the night with us. She was alot of fun and seems like a genuine nice and cool girl. I wish her God’s blessings as she goes to the UK!

Note to all the team members… 

I praise Jesus for meeting all of you. I am so grateful for my time with each of you this summer. I will never forget any of it. You all will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers frequently. You guys better keep in touch!

I just got back home in PA. It feels a little weird–I’m feeling a somewhat “time-confused”. I’m not as tired as I should be, I think. The night we took Tabitha to the airport, I got one hour sleep…and never caught up. I did not sleep very much on the plane. Watched a movie called “Stick It”. It was a gymnastics movie so that was cool, but otherwise it was quite awful. Stupid story, bad acting, pretty lame.

  HA- I gave the boys one last laugh just before I left. I was in the customs line with all my luggage- I was kinda wondering why no one else had as much stuff as I. After a few minutes, I decided to try to see if the guys were still there. And indeed they were- waving and yelling. At first I thought, “Wow, they must really not want to leave me.” Then as I interpreted their words and hand signals, I realized I was in the wrong line. I never checked in my luggage! Ahh, Jess.

 I want to thank the boys for all coming to take me to the airport. It was so…..nice. Really- I appreciated it SO much. It made my departure special– and sad. I’m really going to miss you all. It was cool spending so much concentrated time with a small group of people. I was very happy and content when I was there. I was so sad and depressed over leaving Iowa, and one thing God used this trip for, I believe, was to show me that I could be happy around other people and in other places (even across the world).

 I already got several pictures developed–almost 200- augh! And, even in America, things are a pain to accomplish sometimes. First, it took me quite awhile to go through selecting the pictures, then the machine broke while they were printing. Then when the lady was trying to ring me up, something went wrong, and she couldn’t fix it–neither could the manager. We ended up just leaving and coming back later to pick up the pictures.  I showed them to my Gram, brother, and sister-in-law. I also told them the Zhandos-alphabet story:)

 I’m not sure how it feels being home. Feels good, but just weird thinking how last time I was here I was getting ready to leave for KZ and had no idea what to expect. I’m gonna miss you guys. I am so happy that each one of you were put into two months of my life. I’ll never forget the experiences I shared with you all. It was a good summer. Dos Vidanya my Kazak, Russian, and American friends:) 

(I’m gonna write another blog in a few days too, soo keep checking this:)