TIM KIRBY, of Plymouth Township, who has been living in Kazakhstan and volunteering in the Peace Corps, has come home with many memories. Kirby was interested in the Kazakhstan and Russian region because of his Eastern Eurpean decent. DANIEL KRAUS / The Star Beacon
Local man returns from Kazakhstan
Star Beacon
Kirby said everything in the village was very brick, very industrial looking and very communist.
"During Soviet times, people had things," he said. "When the Soviet Union ended, they didnt."
Kirby said everything is broken and nothing is going to be fixed. Automatic heat is probably what is missed the most, he said. Last January, the temperature did not get above -35 degrees, he said.
Culturally, Kazakhstan is very rich, he said, but very different than America.
Hitch-hiking is a main form of transportation, he said.
"People hitch-hike to work every day," Kirby said.
One of the big differences he noticed is how helpful the people of Kazakhstan are.
"If you ask someone for directions, they will bring you there themselves," he said.
Kirby said Kazaks are big into hunting, but they have to make their own ammunition by hand.
"Most people use guns from Soviet times because new ones are too expensive," he said. "Most people are conservative on ammunition because they have to make it the hard way."
Tea is drank with every meal, he said, often with sour cream in it. Kirby said another thing he had to get used to was everyone puts mayonnaise in their soup.
"I have grown to like it," he said.
Kazakhstan has a lot of camels, he said.
"They eat them," he said. "They eat everything there - - camels, goats, everything."
Kirby said one of the most disturbing aspects of Kazakhstan is male behavior toward women.
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