Central Eurasian Mission - Week 18 - July 17-23, 2017

The finale of the Mission President and Sister President's (yes, I still know that is not correct title) visit was on Monday, and the decision was made to go to EXPO 2017 as the Davis' had not been there (course, they'd only been in the mission for two weeks at this time).  The goal of this trip, at least for Dad and me, was to visit the Death Star (oops), the Kazakhstan Pavilion.

First we had to visit the mascots of EXPO 2017



Then to the Kaz pavilion - here's a picture from our July 4th visit, in case you don't remember it.



It's eight floors high so you take an elevator up and then walk on a spiral ramp all the way down. Here's what it looks like from the top as you look back down into the shaft where the elevator functions.



The elevated spiral walkway with a glass floor.  It was creepy walking on it.



My feet, on the left side, on the glass floor.



Great views of the city from the top. (keep in mind that most of Kaz does not look like this capitol city).





There were very nice displays and models and video presentations, all of which are difficult to photograph - so no photos except this one which was a video display of Kaz countryside that kept "magically" changing right in front of one's eyes.



One of the American volunteers at the USA Pavilion is Paul, also a church member who has helped a lot at English Club.  He promised us a visit to the VIP section of the USA Pavilion.  Basically it was a nice lounge with really comfy seats and cold drinks - all a luxurious luxury after spending the morning in the big black globe of the Kaz Pav.

Here is a picture of the ground level entrance area of the USA Pav



And here are the very important people.



Then we went to the second floor of the Food Court, found and grabbed enough tables to sit as a group, ordered double cheeseburgers and frys, and got the obligatory selfie.



Remember when I told you about going to the Wheelchair Repair Shop to 'visit' and to see if the shipping container we'd provided to them had been delivered?  Well, we went again because our partner wanted to show us the 'delivered' container and to also talk about two new projects.  The way to get to the workshop is to walk down an alley located behind  old houses that were probably built years and years ago.  There is a fence between the alley and the houses.  Actually, wherever there is something old or in need of major remodeling, there is a fence so nothing can be seen from the street. I had to use my ninja tactics to take these photos.









Here's the shipping container-not yet set up as a welding shop because there is no electricity hookup, so old chairs and parts are stored in it now.







Inside we met up with our partners, Аная on the left and Дина on the right

They want to do two projects (only one will probably be approved because the 'love' has to be shared with other NGO's in Kaz).  Because I know you're dying to hear about the projects, here is a brief description.

The first is for the group of singers and entertainers which we described in a previous post.  All of their equipment is old or crummy or borrowed or.........They want new musical performance equipment (think of amplifier, mixer, speakers, etc).  This group does travel to outlying villages and towns and performs for disabled groups and, well, anybody who wants to come and enjoy.  They want to show the public that, "even disabled citizens have talent and desires and dreams.  If we can do this, you can too! If you're disabled, come, join us and improve your life."

The second project is a plan to expand and improve the wheelchair repair shop.  They told us that the government gives free wheelchairs to disabled citizens which last from 4 to 7 years, depending on the model you want/get.  Well, they are of poor quality and don't last.  Repairs are needed, adjustments, fitting....and so on.  They say there is no one in Astana really qualified who can determine what kind of chair you need, what size, how to fit to the person, and so on.  What they want is for us to send three of their guys to Germany or the US to attend a wheelchair certification course.  We found one in Iowa that takes 6-12 months to complete and is 4,000 per person.  That's not going to work.  We've contacted Moscow and asked what kind of training is available..  We're going to need to be creative to figure out how to help this partner.

After discussing business, voila!!--the work table suddenly changed into a lunch table or snack table, and we found ourselves eating.  There was the flat bread which we've shown before, little pancakes filled with jelly, bowls of wrapped candy (I saved the foil wrapper of my favorite one so we can find some and buy hands-full).  See the samovar at the end of the table?  That was really a functional wood (and paper) burning samovar.  On the tippy top they put a special tea pot that just fits perfectly. Heat water up, pour into a bowl (not a cup), add concentrated liquid tea, sugar and milk.





We had yummy bowls of (not tea) hot water!  Fortunately we had another appointment at 2:00 so we had to excuse ourselves.

And then we went to the Arizona Restaurant.  We told you about this before.  The Arizona is owned by Yergan who comes to English Club.  He's the one who helped Dad get his phalaenopsis.  Anyway, he wants us to translate his menu into English.  Right now, someone has used computer software and the translations are just wonderfuly awful to read.

Here we are perusing the menu (a many paged menu.......) in a private dining room.



We are just about the worst possible choice of people to ask to edit and elaborate on a menu.  We don't go to fancy restaurants like this and order  a Veal Roll stuffed with vegetables and herbs, or a Veal and Chicken combo with a broiled cheese sauce.  We are really burrito people, or maybe 'cowboy hamburger' people (with a side of fries).  The fun part was that we got to change the names of the entrees to whatever we wanted.  For instance, there was a 'Knoxville" steak -whhhatttt--a Knoxville steak in Arizona?  We changed that to the 'Phoenix' steak.  And now, there is Tuscon Chicken and the Flagstaff, and Snowflake steaks  There is no 'Gilbert' nothing - I don't even know who this Gilbert guy is. In the salad section there was a salad they were calling, The Hennessey. What, I asked them, is Hennessey? They admitted they got the name off the internet.  That salad is now the 'Oregon Salad',----not exactly in Arizona, but we took the liberty.

About half way through they said, what do you want to eat?  We'd just finished discussing veal so I said, "I want the 'Rodeo', and Dad wanted the 'Kathrine Fright' (no, I don't know Kathrine).  The food was really good, you'd love it.

My Rodeo



The "Kathrine Fright"




Then in the menu we got to "Meat Jelly'.  Hmmmm, I thought, what is meat jelly?, and I asked.  A quick word to the waitress who was in our room, and we got this and a side of bread.



Yes - it is the,meat gelatin that is left over in your crock pot which has been in the refrigerator overnight. Actually, it was quite tasty when spread on bread.  We told them that we didn't think any Arizonian would order this, but I may be wrong.  We brought it home in a doggie plastic bag, and I'm going to add potatoes and onions and carrots and make a beef soup.  They told us it is very popular here in Astana.

Then they said, "please try the new addition to our appetizer selection, the "American Chicken Pot Pie".  Dad and I love chicken pot pie! It came,  They were so excited.  We were kinda stunned, so stunned that we didn't even get a picture.  It was tasty - small chicken bits, diced potatoes, and diced carrots, but the crust....it was not a chicken pot pie crust made with flour and shortening.  The crust was a cheese topping melted under the broiler.  We said, this is really tasty, but you can't offer it as an American chicken pot pie because........ it isn't one (that would be like calling a waffle a pancake).  We told them it needed a crust.  Lots of discussion and translating--- then they said, "what is crust?"  Okay, try to say that in limited russo-enlisho.  We explained that it was made with flour and shortening.  Discussion, "what is shortening."  We came to a blank wall here.  We said, 'like lard but made of vegetable oil"  Blank wall.  Dictionary says lard is made from pork fat.  Gasp!! Can't do that in a Muslim country.  So then they asked if I could make one for them, and Dad quickly agreed for me!

And so began the next quest in Kazakhstan - a chicken pot pie.  Chicken, potatoes, carrots, frozen peas, white sauce  - no problem.  But the crust - how to do the crust?  There is no Crisco shortening at the Anvar grocery store next door.  I thought I'd just make a crust with butter - butter has been around a lot longer than hydrogenated vegetable oil, hasn't it?  Here is a peach pie.  Yes, tasty, but too buttery and the crust was stiff - not fluffy - I couldn't put my name to it.



So Dad goes on online to the "Ex-pat in Astana" Facebook page  and asks where can I find vegetable shortening in Astana?  We got a reply right away (there must be a lot of bored expats in town) and the store is a short bus ride away.  Here it is.  See the happy baker man?



Dad opened it, expectantly, and.....it was liquidish....kinda like bacon drippings poured into a tin can set alongside your stove-top.  This won't work!  But dad thought we should put it in the refrigerator and let it get cold.  That worked.  The next day we had a product that rivaled Crisco!



And I made this pie.  You may think it is in a pie plate but it is in the lid of one of my 8-in casserole bowls.  I made a second small one for us, and it was good.

We took it to English Club where we would be meeting Yergen and gifted it to him.  He sent it to his restaurant with his driver.....we haven't heard anything about it yet.  Perhaps they have been translated to pot pie heaven and are still there, or they don't like it and don't want to break the truth to us.  Will keep you posted and maybe send pictures if I am called upon to teach the kitchen staff on how to make this delicacy.

Speaking of English Club and the church building --Previously, we showed you a photo of the sign outside the church's door.  Over time, the plastic sign had one of the corners break off, and there was a black worn spot on it, and the wording was not officially correct.  When the Mission President was here and when we walked up the church steps to enter the building, he looked at the sign and said, "Elder Gray, you need to get a new sign!  Get one in Russian, and one in Kazakh."  Yes - as you wish. Now, where to get a sign made in Astana?  So we asked our friend from The Arizona, Yergen, to help us.  We gave him a photo, and the dimensions, and two days later he had both signs and brought two of his workmen to install them on the building!  Gotta love English Club and friends.  We need to wash off the chalk graffiti.



I think I've mentioned our Kazakh friends at our favorite fruit stand (our only fruit stand).  We went by to get more peaches and the fifteen year old wanted to take a selfie of us.  We are semi celebrities in our neighborhood.



Zhanabai is fifteen.  I told him I'd help him with his English homework when school starts again in September.



And to end this post with more food pictures....we went to our favorite auto market restaurant.  In an attempt to order something besides kebabs, we ordered two sides in addition to the kebabs---
grechka, which I thought might be the Greek salad but is actually boiled/fried buckwheat which is a staple Central Eurasian food---and macaroni which should be labeled simply as pasta.