Day 10: The Weather Over Here

The telephone banter in my family is probably hardly unique for Americans from the West, but one pervasive question that I overheard as a kid when my grandparents or other relatives would call was "What's the weather like down/over/out/up there?" It's a question that has always come up when I call home - whether in a neighboring state or a continent away. As Kazakhstan may be even more difficult to conceive (let alone say), I thought that maybe if I gave you a run down of the weather over here, you'd feel as if the whole place was a bit more tangible. First of all, the weather is dry. When I normally visit Gillette from a normal, more humid sort of place, my skin starts to scale and flake off within the first couple of days at home. It's itchy and dry, right? Astana is much the same - my lips are chapped and skin is dry. I can see that lotion and chapstick are going to be serious investments. It's windy. There simply is nothing on the Steppe to slow it down. It races across the flat, dry lands and must pick up speed. It's difficult to sit outside and eat your lunch without it flying away, trees battle with it, and you can see the many Kazakh flags hung around town really clearly as they are mostly sticking straight out from the wind. The sun is bright and the days are long. The sun is well up when I wake up in the morning and it is just finally getting dark here now at 10:00 p.m. The blue skies and bright weather really make me happy! Temperatures have not been too extreme. Daytime temperatures have been in the 80s (around 30 Celsius), but nighttime temperatures quickly cool off so I've often needed a sweater when heading out in the evening. With the wind and dry heat, it is very comfortable. To make it short, the weather over here is pleasant for the time being. Winter may bring a very different story!

Day 9: Baking Powder

Another consumer report, my apologies. Today, my gifted cake-baking husband wanted to make a cake out of some sour mystery berries (barberry?) a friend brought to our house. We headed to the store to buy more flour and some baking powder. All the usual suspects were present on the shelves - sugar, soda, spices, but no baking powder. Flexible shoppers, we went to the larger supermarket that has fancy imported goods a bit farther from our home. We scoured shelves in multiple sections of the store. Dr. Oetker pudding and other products galore(good news for the gifted cake-baking husband!). No baking powder. Who knew? The end result involved a delicious cake made with a mixture of baking soda and lemon to substitute in his new Gugelhopf pan (fancy German bundt pan form). Even if it was a bit of a workaround adventure to create, the final result was simply "вкусно"!

Day 8: A Walk in the Park

Today, we joined many Kazakhs in a Sunday afternoon pastime: strolling. We meandered along the river and through the park in some lovely, sunny summer weather. Highlights of note include the number of young families and children out walking, amusement rides inside the city park, fishermen alongside the bank, and gorgeous beds of petunias blooming everywhere. Take a look for yourself.

Day 7: Sticker Shock

To celebrate our one-week anniversary, we did what any self-respecting American should. We went shopping. We even managed to properly go shopping at a big box store, the German chain, Metro. It has been interesting to shop around the last week and to take inventory at grocery and convenience stores. We were told before we arrived that goods would be expensive, and, admittedly, they are much pricier than the American equivalents. However, when broken down, the individual sums actually don't seem half bad.

To give you a sense, here are some items from our grocery run today:

• 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) laundry detergent = $9.00
• 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) store-brand coffee = $20.00
• 1 bottle of lower-priced red wine (Georgian) = $12.00
• 1 bottle of lower-priced French wine = $22.00
• 1 liter of milk (.25 liters) = $1.20
• 1 kilo(2.2 lbs) ground beef = $9.50 
• .6 kilo (1.3 lbs) of Old Amsterdam Gouda cheese = $14.00

As expected, imported goods are more expensive than local ones, but almost everything is shipped in from somewhere. Fresh vegetables and fruits are slim picking, even in the middle of summer. I'm told we should buy while we can and freeze/can for the winter.

For the moment, we're enjoying setting up our kitchen and discovering what we can make out of what we've found. Nothing to worry about back home - we definitely won't starve! 

Day 6: Astana Day

Following the American celebration of Independence Day, we celebrated a local holiday, Astana Day. Concerts, festivals, outdoor fairs, and celebration in honor of the capital and also the birthday of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Although the city is only 15 years old (Nazarbayev relocated the capital here from Almaty in 1997), the celebrations were elaborate and ubiquitous. We didn't fight the crowds to be in the middle, but we did manage to take a stroll in one of the parks and stop by the Bayterek for a shashlik before catching city views and some fireworks at a friend's home.

Festivities in central Astana yesterday included concerts and food vendors and lots and lots of families.

A look at Astana's youthful faces - the average age of the cities is reputed to be only 38!

Our first whiff told us that we needed to try some shashlik fresh off of the grill!

Restaurants here are often fancy and expensive, so this was our first taste of something authentically from Central Asia... Tasty, tasty, tasty. 

The skyline at night in Astana is something to behold as nearly everything is lit  -- and often with sparkles!

The Bayterek lights the night sky in the center of new Astana

The first 100 days

Being in a new place is exciting--if not overwhelming at times. When you arrive, you have fresh eyes and the gift to see things as they are without personal experiences or prejudices to cloud your impression. I would like to capture my first 100 days in Astana by sharing a tidbit of life with you each day. However large or small, I hope that my postings allow you to take part in our adventures. Enjoy!

First Impressions

Привет из Казахстана! Greetings from Kazakhstan!

We've made it to the other side of the planet. Literally, I believe that you could drill a hole in the earth and if you dug long enough from here so that you poked up on the other side, you would find yourself somewhere in Wyoming.

Not only are we safe and sound but we are in a fascinating place. Here are a few impressions from our first day exploring the city.

The UFO-shaped building is a circus (currently showing performances of  Cirque du Soleil

A view towards the river (from the flag monument pictured, above). There is a lot of greenery, although much of it is dwarfed by the scale of the architecture surrounding it.

Mega shopping center and cinema, where you can find all kinds of European and even American goods

Khan Shatyr is an enormous tent and shopping center that may outdo any American mall I've visited recently. Stores range from the GAP to Baskin Robbins to Monsoon to  L'Occitane. Curious? Check it out here. The yurts are for up-coming cultural festival going on the end of this week.

A view from inside the shopping center where you can find a monorail,  a carnival ride (see center) and even a beach with imported sand.

A view from Khan Shatyr towards the Mall

Everything is in grand proportions! Here all roads lead to the  Bayterek or  Tree of Life Tower .

Grandiose modern buildings surrounding the mall from the Bayterek to the Presidential Palace

President Nazarbayev's residence sits on the opposite stretch of squares and promenades from the Khan Shatyr  (tent-shaped shopping mall). The Bayterek is half-way between the two buildings.

Summertime

...and the livin' is easy...the fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high...

Bright blue skies, the shining sun, and a few lazy moments in between travels and visits have made the season come alive.

A few summer highlights (as I've been a remiss blogger in the last year):

• Travel fiasco and overnight near the baggage claim in the Colorado Springs airport.
• Pinochle, Wyoming motorcycle rides, silly niece and nephews, long chats with old friends and relatives, quality time with Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-Law, aunts, uncles, Grandma, and Skip, the wonderdog, too.
• Spur-of-the-moment visits to old Baltimore friends and PowerGrid with newer DC friends.
• Swiss cows with bells, spectacular views of Lucerne, new friends, and Swiss cheese.
• Elegant weddings, wanderings, hanging out with in-laws, German cake-time, butterbrot and champagne.
• Climbing the Eiffel Tower, strolling the Seine, visiting sites and taking in the smells and tastes of Paris.

Summertime sure is sweet...

Lucerne

Swiss Cow with Bell

The Eiffel Tower

An American in Paris

Reporting from Southern Latvia

Just a quick note and update from Daugavpils where it is snowing the most beautiful fluff -- Big, white clusters are haphazardly floating outside of my host family's apartment as I begin to get my bearings this morning.

I'm here as part of an immersion program with a colleague - living and breathing Russian for a few weeks. So far, I have managed (perhaps not gracefully, but still) small exchanges with the bus driver, in the station, and with my host family. It feels great to hear Russian everywhere -- and to understand something!

Class starts in about an hour... and I need to get ready. In the meantime, here are a couple of views from the balcony this morning. Unfortunately, the snow doesn't show as well as I might have liked, but you get the idea.

P.S. If interested, I am maintaining a Russian language blog about my experiences. Just drop me an email and I'll happily send you the other link.

New Hats New Year

Just wanted to share some gifts I've been knitting this winter in pretty white and avocado. And, while doing so, wish everyone a wonderful 2012!