Jessica, Beverly, and Natalie have come to Kazakhstan! After months of anticipation, let the food and excitement begin!
It is so exciting to have these wonderful girls here with us! They are perfect examples of what's it's like to have a happy family. We spent our time hanging out in the apartment and catching up on everything that's happened in the last 18 months - and then we walked and walked around the city. Our goal was to give them an idea of what we've been doing for the last year and a half.
MONDAY - their plane was only three hours late. Considering that they spent the last 48 hours either walking around New York City and Paris and sitting in an airport or on an airplane, they were in good condition. First thing we did was take them the the shopping mall directly across from us - to get money and check out the food. They didn't like the meat market (I think it was too warm in the big room and the meat just flopped out on tables didn't instill confidence) but the little shops with all sorts of goodies was fun.
Bakery products and dairy
Dad and I had received a phone call from WAQYP, our wheelchair partner, requesting a notarized translation of a letter stating that all of the wheelchairs LDS Charities is providing are for charitable purposes only and not for resale. This was so annoying - on so many levels...and I don't want to vent about it here. So, taking a big breath ....we quickly asked our translator to translate the Letter of Donation into English. There was so much confusion as to who would sign this letter (no one in our Moscow headquarters would), and did it need to be notarized or would an emailed copy work - it was a classic example of something that needed to be done, but no one knowing what to do. Finally we just decided to get it notarized. There are notaries EVERYWHERE in Astana. The signs for a notary are ubiquitous - like this one - and they are found on almost every building.
We went across the street and found the first sign and went into the basement of the building and found the office. There were people in there already! The lady looked at me but made no sign that she would "be with me in just a few moments". I waited for five, and then we left to try another one-
which we did in the very next building.
Down the stairs, turn left, to the end of the corridor and into the office. The notary was there and he was alone! It was an intereting encounter. In my most basic Russian we introduced ourselves, said, "We have letter in Russian. We have letter in English. We need stamp on this." To say the we need stamp part, I moved into charade mode and brought my fist down onto the table with a firm thud. He understood perfectly and led us to understand that his translator would have to translate the letter. We both got on phones and called our translators - mine didn't answer but his did! I talked to him and he said he would tell the notary to copy my letter onto his letterhead (which, conveniently already has his signature) and then the notary would sign and stamp it, and, voila, we'd be "good". The notary did his thing - he actually took a big needle and sring and sewed the Russian and English letter together along the margin, then put a seal over the string, and stamped everything. So we then had our notaried copy of the translation stating that it was an accurate translation, but on one had even read either letter - oh well, we had what we needed! It was a perfect way to show the girls how we often do things and that we have very little idea of what we're doing.
Then we continued on our afternoon adventure - we were on our way to meet up with the Young Volunteers to have lunch.
But first we walked through the "outdoor Home Depot" store so the girls could see this interesting bazaar
And on to the cafe and delicious sashlik
On our way home we stopped to get some gelato, but the booth was closed. The girls crashed into bed, totally exhauseted and jet laged.
TUEDAY - the weather forecast was terrible - rain and thunderstorms all day long. So we decided to do a bus tour, of sorts, and go to a big seven story mall.
The 'old' train station is in the old part of Astana - before the new capitol was build on the south side of the river. This was the city of Tselinograd, a soviet style city. So the bus route took us through this older city where there are no skycrapers or big malls - a comfortable older city. Our goal was the train station.
It is a cool place - kinda old and dingy.
We looked at the trains on the platform, bought little tiny cups of hot chocolate of=ut of a vending machine - you'd thought we'd never seen a vending machine before.
We tried out the cafeteria - this was a first for the girls.
Morning snack time - a sausage thing (tasted just like a big hot dog), manti (spiced hamburger meat in a noodle wrap) and a samsa filled with pureed potato.
The girls practiced buying their first juck food in the little store
And then we headed for the bus stop to go to Artyom which is the big mall
Everybody loves the bus. The ride today was pretty good. There weren't many people because it was raining so hard, and the windows weren't fogged up or splattered with mud, so we could see out the windows.
We kinda sorta got on the wrong bus and had to unexpectedly get off and walk a ways to get to the mall. But is was serendipidous because we got to walk through unusual areas.
And, we came on an inverted sheep skin lying on the sidewalk. Granted, it was very, very close to a row of dumptsters. Now, how many of you happen on a sheep skin in the middle of a big city.? What we hadn't realized that this very Tuesday was one of two sacred Islamic holidays - this was the Day of Sacrifice which commemorates when Abraham was obedient and willing to sacrifice his son Issac but who at the last minute for a ram and sacrificed it instead.
Walking further on we had to negotiate through a construction site and somehow ended up in the fenced in yard of a mosque ....where there were a lot of people. That explained the proximity of the sheep skin , the animal thereof which may have met its end at a ceremony at the mosque.
And on the the bazaar! We've been to this place many times and so it is difficult to take pictures of things that are 'normal' for us. The bulk spices, though, are amazing.
Bev bought some curry and salted pistacios.
The very top floor has furniture, beauty salons, and manicure stations,,,,many stations.
We then went to our favorite doner cafe, but it was closed,
In the evening we went to English Club. Jess, Bev, and Nat were our special Mystery Guests. We all split up into three groups which then intervied each of the Mstery Guests to find out as much as they could. At the end, each group had one group member who presented the findings. At the very end, Natalie told a Story to the whole group - she told about how she and her room killed a mouse that had been harassing them in their apartment.
This is a photo with Aika who is a great friend of English Club. This was her last night for ten months because she is going to Indonesia to study the language and Indonesian culture.
WEDNESDAY - the weather this day was absolutely perfect.
We started out the day by taking a cross city walk to a big fancy mosque
Walking down the street and passing a little mini-market
Inside the quarters are a bit cramped, but the selection is pretty good.
We passed this construction site. Apparently there was a "fail" in either design, execution, or quality.
This photo is only because we have an English Club friend who who works here.
Our destination was this mosque - which is indeed beautiful.
For whatever reason, women have to wear these robes, but men just go in with street clothes. We look like Razhnishees dressed in blue.
the person who is different is Dad
we wanted to eat in the cafeteria but.......yep..it was closed. Maybe because the day was the second of the three day holiday of the Day of Sacrifice.
So we went across the street to Korean Chicken!!
It is as tasty as it looks
These guys are evaluating the ice cream bars they bought after lunch in the Korean Mini market.
Margoofieness
In the afternoon we went to visit the Women's Crisis Center - it was the best - a great way to show the girls the results of some of the humanitarian work we have done. This project has also been the most fulfilling for us. We feel that we really helped, in a significant, people who have been marginalized by society and who, without this help, have not rights or a future.
First we went to the business office which was cool because it is on the ground floor of a big tall building. The business office has taken over, maybe, the space of three apartment. But all the salls and doorways and hallways are in place, so it is like a big raze to walk around. We were shown all of the rooms and received quite a long description (which was a bit much, really).
We met the nurse who does initial health exams. She has a super tiny office.
LDS Charities donated a gynecological exam chair - no explanation necessary.
We then drove out the the hostel where the women and men stay for up to three months. The women usually have been abused by their husbands or were abandoned or had been sex slaves. The men usually were enticed to come to Kaz from another country, then gave their documents to their employer who would not return them.....and they became modern slaves.
When we were here previously, it was winter but now their flowers and vegetable gardens are being fruitful. Their flocks of chickens and ducks and turkeys are destined for the freezer (which, by the way, was supplied by LDS Charities)
These are the men's new beds. "The men express their thanks - especially for the longer length beds/"
Inside the women's area - new beds
No - that is Natalie - not one of the women taking refuge here.
Look at the new kitchen stuff!!!!!!!!!
There used to be just two basins hooked on to the wall.
A big stove WITH and oven
Counter tops
Their new refrigerator = the one on the right - to accompany their old one
A new freezer!!!! for all those chickens, ducks, and turkeys out in the yard
After showing us everything, Anna and her assistants had prepared some snacks for us. There was a red velvet cake, cookies, service berries, tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden, and hot water.....because we don't drink tea.
THURSDAY - this was our day to go Downtown, and the weather was perfect!!
We took the bus and miraculously got off right in front of the bakery called Tam Tammi - we'd heard a lot about it. Of course, the girls headed fro this place on their own volition.
Decisions---decisions!!!
We ended up getting a piece of Milky Maid Cake that we'd heard a lot about (ummm vanilla with vanilla cream filling - this was good). Carrot cake which was delicious. A chocolaty tear drop shaped thing - no good, and two chocolate chip cookies (definitely no good).
It was super hot inside, but outside we found a bench in the shade where we nibbled with pleasure. We were getting dripped on from the air conditioners above us.
I took a picture of the Ministries Building which was across the street which caused a security guard to approach and told us to delete....which we didn't, but we left anyway and took our presence to a friendlier place.
The friendlier place was just in the next block and was the beginning of the downtown mall.
You can see the Baiterek Tower behind 'thesisterswhoeateverything'
and behind us
Inside the tower
The hand of the President. You can place you hand in the depression
We're in the top part
Now were under a cover that's made out of red and purple plastic
and.. We love Astana too
Our goal, Khan Shatar, in the distance
]Approaching the underpass
We tried the thrill ride inside. The name of is is
FRIDAY
Our destination on Friday was the Central Bazaar which is actually on the outer edge of the town.
We took the bus which turned out to be a very long ride on a very crowded bus - I was kinda covered by people.
We ate lunch in a little restaurant
Dad got some sashlik for dinner
I bought a mink hat!!!!!! I couldn't stand not having one. It is brownish and beautiful. The only sad thing is tht Jessica, Bev, and Natalie all look better in it than I do I'm going to wear it when I get home and take the kids to the bus stop.
Friday night we went to English Club
SATURDAY - the weather was terrible on Saturday - it rained and hailed. The streets and intersections were flooded. We actually walked through puddles that completely covered our shoes.
We went to the outdoor market first - bought thirty more eggs.
Then we waited under the eve of a building - - for a long time
Inside Evrasia we decided to spring for some fresh squeezed fruit juice. We got a mix of grapefruit, apple and carrot. It was really good.
Jessica and Bev were mesmerized by this candy store, and they bought a lot.
And this French Bakery. They bought a chocolate croissant which was good!
It finally stopped raining and we went to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
We all bought a ring (not Dad) in the basement icon shop.
Lunch at the cafe at 5 Minut Mart
SUNDAY
We had a new family join our Branch - and they have Primary age children. In a manner of two weeks Primary attendance and jumped from two to four and the to seven today. It was fun having more in class. It is kinda weird - we will only be going to the Astana Branch two more times.
Zhanna who is our chorister and a long long time local member always dresses up for special photo opportunities. Having J, B, and N here constituted a special occasion.
Sunday dinner
Brother Holm tried his first kort after dinner. Kort is a disgusting dried sour cheese curd thing that lasts forever. It was probably the very first backpacking food that nomads used. It is hard and salty.
He eventually spit it out.
Sunday night - right now - we are heading to the train station to take the overnight train to Pavlodar. We'll wander around the city all day on Monday, spend the night in a hotel. Then Tuesday morning we'll catch the day train back to Astana. Why are we doing this??? To see a different city besides Astana....and to see the countryside out on the great steppe.
