Joe Ragan

I just returned home from running numerous errands. I turned on the TV to find that a major earthquake had hit China. After watching CNN for a while, I remembered that I receive a Chinese channel in English (CCTV 9).
So I turned over to the station. What were they showing? [...]

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Kazakh New Year is celebrated on March 22. I have been trying to learn more about this celebration and so have been reading about it via the internet.
As I understand it, it is a “new year” holiday that is celebrated at the same time as the beginning of spring. Out with the [...]

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This past Wednesday Max and Alex came over for practice their English.  After our time together, Max stated that he was going to his parent’s house for a Russian celebration called “Maslenitsa.”  I had never heard of this celebration so I found some information on the internet.
Here’s what I found:
Maslenitsa is a purely Russian holiday, [...]

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Saturday is International Women’s Day.  Never heard of it???  Most of us in the US haven’t.  However, I have been aware of it since 1994 during my first year in Lugansk, Ukraine.
It is a huge holiday in the former Soviet Union (fSU).  It was very evident today.  I went shopping to purchase something mentioned in [...]

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I went for a walk around the city this afternoon. The city is in full preparations for their BIG celebration on January 1. That is when most family and friends get together and exchange gifts.  America’s Christmas is the former Soviet Union’s New Year celebration.
It has been snowing off and on for the [...]

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President Vladimir Putin has been chosen as Time’s Person of the Year. I have just finished reading the online article here.
It gives some great insight into Putin, his presidency and the people of Russia. If you can’t purchase the magazine and read the article (something I can’t do since they don’t sell the [...]

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in Karaganda.  The weather.com site list the temp as 0 F.  In Kyiv, it is finally snowing so it will help get people in the mood for the Holy Days that are fast approaching.
A phenomena I have noticed this year is that so many shops have put their New Year trees up so early.  Normally [...]

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Wow, I just returned to Kyiv from one of the BEST conferences I have ever attended. While the conference was aimed at discovering ways to reach out and engage the post-modern generation, it was much more than that!
The original speaker had to have emergency surgery and had to cancel. So, Michael Frost from [...]

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The past few days have been incredibly beautiful.  I was scheduled to sing at church today right before the Lord’s Supper.  I sang “Broken and Spilled Out.”  I think it was good, just the monitor was so loud that I think my voice was drowned out at times.
After singing, I went to the 9-11 year [...]

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I cannot believe the incredible weather we have been enjoying here in Karaganda.  In Texas we would refer to this weather in October as “Indian Summer.”  However, here we call it “ba-ba letom”  (grandma summer).
I’m not sure where either expression came from, but I am sure enjoying the effects…

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