Kazakhstan at First Sight Pt. 1

I made it.  I am finally here!  Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure this isn't a dream.  I may not have moved to a dream world, but I'm with my husband and it couldn't be better than this.  Heath had no expectations coming to Kazakhstan.  He knew it was going to be a little different, but didn't expect it to be this rural.  I had no expectations whatsoever other than that I wanted to go be with my husband!  I got in really late Tuesday night so I wasn't able to see anything yet because it was so dark.  I couldn't wait to wake up the next day to see my new environment.  It's very different from Bedford, TX, but we have to realize we are no longer in America!  And trust me, it didn't take me too long once I stepped outside.  Let me tell you about my experiences in pictures.  There will be commentary on some of the photos.  Enjoy!

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Most of the apartments in Kapshagay all look the same from the outside.  The great thing is it's true not to judge a book by its cover!  The inside of our apartment is actually pretty "nice" for this area.  I will show pics of that once I am settled in more.

I think this is a school. 

Many people sell fresh produce.  This wasn't anywhere near downtown like the main Farmer's Market.

Heath and I are on the way to the "corner" store because the Farmer's Market and local restaurants weren't open downtown yet.  This was at about 930 AM.  I was hungry so I needed a snack to last me over to lunch.  Heath said people start the day here very late.  Lunch is usually between 1 to 2 PM, and many restaurants don't begin serving until noon.

THE CORNER STORE

The outside of the "corner" store.

Everything in the store was in its right place.  It seemed like anywhere there was space, something was there.  The store was very small, but housed many items.  This is beer!

Sausage and whole chicken.

Liquor and juice. 

Cheese.

Pastries.  No sausage rolls here! :(

So much chocolate!

The other small side of the store had toiletries, household items and MANY toys!

THE TOWN

After we got a little morning nap in, we made the walk to downtown for lunch.  This was my first sight of downtown.   The people in the town walk everywhere.  This will be good for my exercise!

More apartments.

So many kids walking around to go to school!  I literally see school-aged children from noon to 3 PM just walking around.  Nate said he thinks they go to school at different times.  Their uniforms are ADORABLE!  These bows must be mandatory too because all of the little girls wear them. 

This must be their "classifieds".... there are tons of tear offs and advertisements.  It gives me a headache every time I walk by it because I don't know how people can even make out what they're looking for.  It also causes for a lot of debris because papers will fall on the floor.  I laugh when I see people stop to look at these papers.

The outskirts of downtown.  Along the main street is a Farmer's Market and then little shops and small stores surrounding it.  Heath said it is much cheaper to buy items "off the street" than at the main grocery store in town. 

My money maker getting some tenge (their currency) out for the day!

THE FARMERS MARKET

The beginning of the "market".  They sell everything from produce to rugs to shoes and kitchen stuff.

A clothing shop. 

I noticed many of the older women wear prints and wrap their hair, such as this lady in the photo.

I didn't buy anything from the market this day, but couldn't wait to come back. 

There's an ice cream stand right next to the bus stop, where many school children will buy a snack before or after school. 

Many of the young women here wear heels!  I didn't see it so much in the city we live in, but definitely in the main city in Almaty.  They walk around like it's nothing!  Heath said he noticed women wearing it in the snow when he was here last March.  Heels are only a fancy occasion for me.

FIRST LOCAL LUNCH

This is the name of the restaurant Heath and Nate frequent.  Their teammate who is fluent in Russian and English have helped them tremendously in translating.  

That red thing is the local bus!

Heath got what is translated into "thai chicken with rice". 

This is what Kazakhs are known for- "lagman".  It's noodles with veggies and beef.  I didn't like the beef as much, and will probably ask for chicken next time.  They are very flavorful once you forget they used so much oil in the sauce!

This was our check.  The tip is already included.  When converted, this bill for 4 people (3 of them being hungry athletes) was only $24.  The food is very cheap here, which is a great thing!

Heath is so relieved I'm finally here, as he mentioned it will make his experience here a lot better too.  I've been mistaken for a local many times here.  It's hard to make out what a Kazakh actually looks like because the locals are so diverse.  They look Russian, Asian and some even appear Middle Eastern... you just never know who is Kazakh.  They are surprised when I say I'm American and can only speak English.

Overall, I am so glad I get to kiss this face anytime I want to now.  Thank you everyone for your sweet words and prayers!  We had an overwhelming support for our reunion, and we are so thankful for you all.  Check out Part 2 to see pictures from my trip to Almaty!

Until next time,