Lesson: In Almaty, when pulled over, act stupid and pretend that you don't know any Russian. Just before we left for the U.S., Joe and I had our third run in with the "law" in Kazakhstan. We've been pulled over a few times by traffic cops. On Friday, we were having a terrible day. After we left work after an early release we drove through awful traffic while our car overheated several times. Just when we were a block from home, one of Kazakhstan's fine traffic police officers pulled us over.
Apparently, Joe was about to go straight on a right turn only. While he was waiting for the traffic to [ass, the cop told him through the window that he couldn't go straight. He had to go right. Joe went right, but the traffic cop motioned him over anyway. Joe got out of the car to go talk to him.
In Kazakhstan, when you get pulled over, you get out of your car and meet them halfway since they are on foot. They are supposed to take your i.d. Then you go to the local police station, pay a fine, and get your i.d. back.
The first thing we learned was not to speak too much Russian. The cop pointed out to Joe the right-turn-only sign he had missed. Then Joe said, "I didn't go straight, I went right."
The cop answered, "You would have gone straight if I hadn't stopped you, so I'll have to take your license."
So Joe's true and obvious answer was, "But I didn't go straight, I went right."
It didn't matter. Joe was about to go get some bribe money, but the cop told him that money wasn't necessary. Now, Joe thought he was really in trouble. Images of the Kazakh jail floated in his mind. He had hit upon the one Kazakh policeman who couldn't be bribed. Joe never let on that he understood that he'd have to go to the police station. He just kept acting like he didn't understand and finally the cop just gave up. With a look of frustration, he told Joe to just go. In Russian, he said to Joe, "I cannot make you understand." With that, he let Joe go.
So, if you are ever in Kazakhstan and you get pulled over, have some cash handy or play the stupid foreigner who can't speak Russian. We've heard that they always threaten to take you to the police station, but never actually do.
That was our last day of school. It was a great end since we had a big "kindness" carnival at school where the secondary students set up games and activities for the elementary students. All we had to do for a half day was walk around and watch our students play. It was lots of fun and an easy end before the break.
We are back in America. Yeah! Sophia made it through all three flights with only one little fuss session. We drove back last night from Chicago, spent the night in a hotel, and continued on this morning. As usual, we are wandering around with our mouths hanging open. What great products there are in America. I went to get my hair cut and the stylist asked what I miss in America. It's the little things, brewed coffee, good chips, vegetarian food, all the new and convenient products. Joe said if anyone was watching the security tape in Target, they'd wonder what was wrong with me, wondering around with a stupified look on my face.
Right now, it's 4 a.m. and Sophia has decided that it's 8 a.m. She's ready to go, and lucky for her daddy and mommy are up too. We are looking forward to the days ahead, Christmas parties and my friend Janie is coming to visit. Now, if we can just get adjusted to the time.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Mama vs. Dada
Sophia has become a motor mouth. All in the course of a day. It's amazing how all of a sudden one day she wakes up doing something new. We came home yesterday and the nanny told me Sophia was saying "da-da." She wouldn't stop babbling away, "da-da-da-da..." on and on. Today I looked right at her and said, "Ma-ma." "Da-da," she promptly responded. Oh well, looks like I lose on this one. After all the times I've repeated mama to her!
Joe and I realized that our blog has become devoted to Sophia. There are only pictures of Sophia! Hopefully, no one minds. I wish there were more interesting pictures to be taken in Kazakhstan. We definitely need to get out of the city to see more of the small town life.
I had an interesting chat with my cooperating teacher yesterday. She's Russian and has lived here all her life. She was telling me how there's a lot of anamosity towards Russians here. She says it comes mainly from people in smaller towns. She said she's been harrassed a couple of times by Kazakhs.
I guess the president is trying to make the country very Kazakh. They are trying to switch the national language to Kazakh. The funny thing is that no one knows it. She told me that very few people actually know the language. Everyone knows Russian. She also said that it's so hard to live here now. In the last five years, prices have shot up dramatically. Just today some local teachers were discussing this. They were saying how expensive everything is from fruits to clothes. The local people can't afford anything. Joe and I think it's expensive, and the locals are only making 200-300 dollars a month. I have no idea how they can live off this. Not to mention homes. There's very little chance that an everyday person can afford a flat. Joe and I were told that the rent on a 3-bedreoom flat like ours costs about 2000 dollars a month. It's crazy.
My cooperating teacher said that her sister scored very well on her tests, but couldn't afford to go to university here. She ended up going to Italy and still lives there. From Italy, she sent home money for my cooperating teacher to go to school.
It's going to be very interesting how this country progresses. It's also interesting to see how the people react to the idea of some people having so much money while others have so little. This is how it is in America. One difference I would say is that you can find cheap items in America. Not so in Kazakhstan. So many things are so expensive. We'll have to see how it all plays out.
Joe and I realized that our blog has become devoted to Sophia. There are only pictures of Sophia! Hopefully, no one minds. I wish there were more interesting pictures to be taken in Kazakhstan. We definitely need to get out of the city to see more of the small town life.
I had an interesting chat with my cooperating teacher yesterday. She's Russian and has lived here all her life. She was telling me how there's a lot of anamosity towards Russians here. She says it comes mainly from people in smaller towns. She said she's been harrassed a couple of times by Kazakhs.
I guess the president is trying to make the country very Kazakh. They are trying to switch the national language to Kazakh. The funny thing is that no one knows it. She told me that very few people actually know the language. Everyone knows Russian. She also said that it's so hard to live here now. In the last five years, prices have shot up dramatically. Just today some local teachers were discussing this. They were saying how expensive everything is from fruits to clothes. The local people can't afford anything. Joe and I think it's expensive, and the locals are only making 200-300 dollars a month. I have no idea how they can live off this. Not to mention homes. There's very little chance that an everyday person can afford a flat. Joe and I were told that the rent on a 3-bedreoom flat like ours costs about 2000 dollars a month. It's crazy.
My cooperating teacher said that her sister scored very well on her tests, but couldn't afford to go to university here. She ended up going to Italy and still lives there. From Italy, she sent home money for my cooperating teacher to go to school.
It's going to be very interesting how this country progresses. It's also interesting to see how the people react to the idea of some people having so much money while others have so little. This is how it is in America. One difference I would say is that you can find cheap items in America. Not so in Kazakhstan. So many things are so expensive. We'll have to see how it all plays out.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
I can't believe I haven't written since Thanksgiving! That's just how busy we've been. That and I haven't had pictures to post since our camera was stolen. I don't know why we don't listen to ourselves. Joe and I would always lock our doors at school and people started giving us a hard time for it, asking why we always locked our doors. Well, we stopped, and guess what - our camera was stolen from Joe's room. It's a shame, especially with so much snow around. I want to take winter pictures.
What's new here? Not a lot really. We are counting the days for our first Christmas back in the U.S. with family in a couple of years. The best part will be seeing grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends enjoying time with Sophia and Sophia enjoying time with them. I can't believe we're traveling in just over a week. How will Sophia be during the flights and airport time? Oh, we shall see. Keep your fingers crossed for us. She does like being around people and crowds, so maybe it will work for us.
School has kept us so busy lately, between committees and concerts and meetings. It takes us so long to get home at night since we live on the opposite side of town. Our apartment is near the center and our school is out on the edge of town. Traffic is horrible in this town, our number one complaint. (Joe's more than mine since he does all the driving.) The city hasn't handled its expansion well. In just a few years the number of cars on the road have doubled, but the streets definitely have not. I told Joe I will do all the driving in the U.S. since I think he has become a total Kazakh driver. He'll get arrested if he pulls some of the stunts in the U.S. that he does here.
It is nice to be in a country where Christmas is celebrated. They have lights up around town. They don't seem as nice as at home, but it helps. The snow really gets us in the mood too. You can even find Christmas decorations at the supermarkets. I remember how difficult it was to find anything decent in Egypt.
Speaking of Egypt, I've started teaching my kids about Egypt. It really makes me nostalgic. I was showing the students pictures of Egypt the other day, and there really are things we miss about it. Egypt was so exotic, so new and interesting. We miss that thrill of the unknown. Kazakhstan is normal by comparison! We definitely like it here, but as always there are positives and negatives wherever you live.
We had our Christmas party at work last weekend. It was very nice. They hosted a formal dinner at the Hyatt Hotel. We figured we'd have to pay when we got there or something, but it was a full buffet. They even served wine all night. Since then I've learned that there are students at our school whose parents work for the Hyatt, so maybe that's where it all came from. It was really nice, though. The Korean ambassador even graced us with his presence and a member of the American embassy staff. Big wigs at our school, let me tell you. I teach ambassador's children. How weird. I guess I taught one ambassador's child in Egypt too.
Tonight we went to "It's a Wonderful Life" presented by an English speaking university here. It was a community production and our computer teacher (who happens to be from Iowa and has a house in Panora) was the star role. It was nice to get a little bit of the Christmas spirit that way.
The week ahead should be a good one. We have one week before the holiday and the week ends with a carnival at our school. Should be fun. I know my students are going to be bouncing off the walls just waiting for it all week. Ahh...nine year olds :) They take such pleasure in the simple things. It never ceases to amaze me and it makes me appreciate the small things more.
We can't wait to get home, and I guess I can say, we'll be seeing everyone soon!
What's new here? Not a lot really. We are counting the days for our first Christmas back in the U.S. with family in a couple of years. The best part will be seeing grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends enjoying time with Sophia and Sophia enjoying time with them. I can't believe we're traveling in just over a week. How will Sophia be during the flights and airport time? Oh, we shall see. Keep your fingers crossed for us. She does like being around people and crowds, so maybe it will work for us.
School has kept us so busy lately, between committees and concerts and meetings. It takes us so long to get home at night since we live on the opposite side of town. Our apartment is near the center and our school is out on the edge of town. Traffic is horrible in this town, our number one complaint. (Joe's more than mine since he does all the driving.) The city hasn't handled its expansion well. In just a few years the number of cars on the road have doubled, but the streets definitely have not. I told Joe I will do all the driving in the U.S. since I think he has become a total Kazakh driver. He'll get arrested if he pulls some of the stunts in the U.S. that he does here.
It is nice to be in a country where Christmas is celebrated. They have lights up around town. They don't seem as nice as at home, but it helps. The snow really gets us in the mood too. You can even find Christmas decorations at the supermarkets. I remember how difficult it was to find anything decent in Egypt.
Speaking of Egypt, I've started teaching my kids about Egypt. It really makes me nostalgic. I was showing the students pictures of Egypt the other day, and there really are things we miss about it. Egypt was so exotic, so new and interesting. We miss that thrill of the unknown. Kazakhstan is normal by comparison! We definitely like it here, but as always there are positives and negatives wherever you live.
We had our Christmas party at work last weekend. It was very nice. They hosted a formal dinner at the Hyatt Hotel. We figured we'd have to pay when we got there or something, but it was a full buffet. They even served wine all night. Since then I've learned that there are students at our school whose parents work for the Hyatt, so maybe that's where it all came from. It was really nice, though. The Korean ambassador even graced us with his presence and a member of the American embassy staff. Big wigs at our school, let me tell you. I teach ambassador's children. How weird. I guess I taught one ambassador's child in Egypt too.
Tonight we went to "It's a Wonderful Life" presented by an English speaking university here. It was a community production and our computer teacher (who happens to be from Iowa and has a house in Panora) was the star role. It was nice to get a little bit of the Christmas spirit that way.
The week ahead should be a good one. We have one week before the holiday and the week ends with a carnival at our school. Should be fun. I know my students are going to be bouncing off the walls just waiting for it all week. Ahh...nine year olds :) They take such pleasure in the simple things. It never ceases to amaze me and it makes me appreciate the small things more.
We can't wait to get home, and I guess I can say, we'll be seeing everyone soon!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Thanksgiving...Improvised
Thanksgiving again in a foreign country. You just never know what you're going to get. Joe and I decided not to go to the school's potluck for Thanksgiving today. It's our anniversary so we wanted to spend a little time together. Plus, we wanted our Thanksgiving meal hot off the stove and out of the oven.
Of course, nothing is perfect, so I couldn't find the ingredients for stuffing and pumpkin pie. Okay, I could have made pumpkin pie fresh from a pumpkin, but I'm way too lazy for that. So, we didn't have my favorites, but we had Joe's. Well, that is, he had chicken instead of turkey and we had mashed potatoes. It was good, all in all.
We did a little shopping today at an Uzbek craft fair. It was kind of nice. There's not a lot of great stuff to buy over here, but we did find a handpainted Uzbek plate which is really pretty. A lot of the stuff here is made from felt. The yurts, or traditional round-shaped houses, are even made from felt, I believe. Joe and I ordered a rug of handmade felt from a woman who makes them in Kyrgystan. We are waiting for it to be delivered in December.
And I almost forgot! It snowed! And snowed and snowed and snowed. Ever since the first snow began to fall a couple of days ago it has definitely been winter. It's really beautiful. Everything is covered with it. The evergreens look very Christmasy. When you can see the mountains in the background it's really nice. Of course, neither Joe nor I are prepared for this weather. I have no gloves, no hat, no scarf, no boots. It's getting cold, so I'd better get around to getting them. Thankfully, the traffic slowed down with the snow, but that means it takes us forever to get back and forth to school. They don't really remove a lot of the snow. The sidewalks just get trampled down so that they're covered with compacted snow. They must clear the main roadways because driving hasn't been that bad. Our parking lot is pure ice, covered by the second layer of snow.
Joe keeps saying, I love the winter. I've decided I've had my fill. I have the feeling I'd better get used to it. Ah well, it is lovely to have such a change.
Of course, nothing is perfect, so I couldn't find the ingredients for stuffing and pumpkin pie. Okay, I could have made pumpkin pie fresh from a pumpkin, but I'm way too lazy for that. So, we didn't have my favorites, but we had Joe's. Well, that is, he had chicken instead of turkey and we had mashed potatoes. It was good, all in all.
We did a little shopping today at an Uzbek craft fair. It was kind of nice. There's not a lot of great stuff to buy over here, but we did find a handpainted Uzbek plate which is really pretty. A lot of the stuff here is made from felt. The yurts, or traditional round-shaped houses, are even made from felt, I believe. Joe and I ordered a rug of handmade felt from a woman who makes them in Kyrgystan. We are waiting for it to be delivered in December.
And I almost forgot! It snowed! And snowed and snowed and snowed. Ever since the first snow began to fall a couple of days ago it has definitely been winter. It's really beautiful. Everything is covered with it. The evergreens look very Christmasy. When you can see the mountains in the background it's really nice. Of course, neither Joe nor I are prepared for this weather. I have no gloves, no hat, no scarf, no boots. It's getting cold, so I'd better get around to getting them. Thankfully, the traffic slowed down with the snow, but that means it takes us forever to get back and forth to school. They don't really remove a lot of the snow. The sidewalks just get trampled down so that they're covered with compacted snow. They must clear the main roadways because driving hasn't been that bad. Our parking lot is pure ice, covered by the second layer of snow.
Joe keeps saying, I love the winter. I've decided I've had my fill. I have the feeling I'd better get used to it. Ah well, it is lovely to have such a change.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The good news is, Kazakhstan is not nearly as cold as I thought it would be...yet. I thought it would be snowing by now, but it has been really nice during the days. Today we only needed a sweater and light jacket. The sun is still shining and no snow yet.
This week brought a few things. I had a change in job position. They needed me to switch over and teach a couple of intensive English classes. Now I'm teaching 9-year-old math and cultural studies, intensive English, and yearbook. You just never now what might come up next. Joe took on a new geography class instead of his own 13-year-old cultural studies. Things change so much in overseas schools. Staffing, especially in the middle of the year, is always a problem. We keep trying to be flexible. Too bad I spent extra time during our fall break planning for classes I no longer have.
Sophia is a big giggler these days. She laughs when I pretend to eat her fingers or when I blow on her tummy. She's really getting more expressive. She always lights up when she sees her daddy, especially when we get home from work. Her newest discovery is bath toys. She kicks as hard as she can at the little purple hippos floating at the end of her tub. Today she giggled when I sang "Do Your Ears Hang Low."
Still, people can only comment on how big she is. Today we went to a "craft" fair at the other international school in town. (I say "craft" because there weren't many crafts.) A lot of our own students and their parents were there. One parent came up to me because she hadn't seen Sophia. The first thing she said was, "She's a big one." That's my girl. That's pretty much what everyone says about her.
I was proud of myself today. I actually drove the car all the way to school. It's been really annoying because I can't drive stick shift. I've been practicing out at school, taking laps around and around the building. Today was the first day I hit the road. Driving in Kazakhstan is like the simulators we used to have in driver's ed. People dart out across the road. Traffic swerves into your lane. It's crazy, so I had to get up really early and drive when there wasn't any traffic. I made it all the way, only stalling once in an intersection.
Only four weeks until we take-off for home. We can't wait. We went and got a tiny little Christmas tree just to get us in the mood. I know, Thanksgiving hasn't come yet, but we're almost there.
This week brought a few things. I had a change in job position. They needed me to switch over and teach a couple of intensive English classes. Now I'm teaching 9-year-old math and cultural studies, intensive English, and yearbook. You just never now what might come up next. Joe took on a new geography class instead of his own 13-year-old cultural studies. Things change so much in overseas schools. Staffing, especially in the middle of the year, is always a problem. We keep trying to be flexible. Too bad I spent extra time during our fall break planning for classes I no longer have.
Sophia is a big giggler these days. She laughs when I pretend to eat her fingers or when I blow on her tummy. She's really getting more expressive. She always lights up when she sees her daddy, especially when we get home from work. Her newest discovery is bath toys. She kicks as hard as she can at the little purple hippos floating at the end of her tub. Today she giggled when I sang "Do Your Ears Hang Low."
Still, people can only comment on how big she is. Today we went to a "craft" fair at the other international school in town. (I say "craft" because there weren't many crafts.) A lot of our own students and their parents were there. One parent came up to me because she hadn't seen Sophia. The first thing she said was, "She's a big one." That's my girl. That's pretty much what everyone says about her.
I was proud of myself today. I actually drove the car all the way to school. It's been really annoying because I can't drive stick shift. I've been practicing out at school, taking laps around and around the building. Today was the first day I hit the road. Driving in Kazakhstan is like the simulators we used to have in driver's ed. People dart out across the road. Traffic swerves into your lane. It's crazy, so I had to get up really early and drive when there wasn't any traffic. I made it all the way, only stalling once in an intersection.
Only four weeks until we take-off for home. We can't wait. We went and got a tiny little Christmas tree just to get us in the mood. I know, Thanksgiving hasn't come yet, but we're almost there.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Lost in Translation
We've had a pretty normal week. We had parent conferences this week. Most of our parents came and things went smoothly. Joe had an interesting conference with one student's parents. They're Korean, so they brought a translator. The translator didn't speak English, only Russian. So the parents spoke Korean, their translator spoke Russian, and then an additional translator translated the Russian to English for Joe. I wonder if anything got lost between all those languages.
Last night we went for a pseudo-slumber party for all the November birthdays at our school. Basically, we wore our pajamas (well, I did, Joe didn't), ate junk food, and played games. It was a pretty good time. Sophia loves all the get-togethers we have with other people. She's a real party-girl. At home she fusses a ton, but around other people she's entertained and happy.
That's pretty much all that's going on. The weather is finally getting a little colder. Maybe winter will come yet.
Last night we went for a pseudo-slumber party for all the November birthdays at our school. Basically, we wore our pajamas (well, I did, Joe didn't), ate junk food, and played games. It was a pretty good time. Sophia loves all the get-togethers we have with other people. She's a real party-girl. At home she fusses a ton, but around other people she's entertained and happy.
That's pretty much all that's going on. The weather is finally getting a little colder. Maybe winter will come yet.
We've had a pretty normal week. We had parent conferences this week. Most of our parents came and things went smoothly. Joe had an interesting conference with one student's parents. They're Korean, so they brought a translator. The translator didn't speak English, only Russian. So the parents spoke Korean, their translator spoke Russian, and then an additional translator translated the Russian to English for Joe. I wonder if anything got lost between all those languages.
Last night we went for a pseudo-slumber party for all the November birthdays at our school. Basically, we wore our pajamas (well, I did, Joe didn't), ate junk food, and played games. It was a pretty good time. Sophia loves all the get-togethers we have with other people. She's a real party-girl. At home she fusses a ton, but around other people she's entertained and happy.
That's pretty much all that's going on. The weather is finally getting a little colder. Maybe winter will come yet.
Last night we went for a pseudo-slumber party for all the November birthdays at our school. Basically, we wore our pajamas (well, I did, Joe didn't), ate junk food, and played games. It was a pretty good time. Sophia loves all the get-togethers we have with other people. She's a real party-girl. At home she fusses a ton, but around other people she's entertained and happy.
That's pretty much all that's going on. The weather is finally getting a little colder. Maybe winter will come yet.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Who Says Black Cats Are Unlucky?
Halloween has come and gone. I did have a couple of students dress up, and one brought me a jack-o-lantern. It's presently attracting flies in my classroom. This weekend we will probably go to the village near our school for trick-or-treating and a potluck, probably just the potluck since Sophia can't trick-or-treat anyway.
It's strange, but I don't feel that I have that much to talk about when it comes to the culture here. I guess part of it is that Kazakhstan feels more familiar. It's not like we face something interesting and different around every corner. Also, we spend so much time at school in an environment with people who are a lot like us. The most cultural thing I do every day is trying to speak in Russian to our nanny.
Can I paint a picture of the people here? Hmmm... Joe and I were trying to define this the other day. I said they are kind of closed. It seems a little hard to get to know them. After I said this, though, I realized I work with Kazakhs and talk to them every day. They just seem very similar to us. It could also be that we live in the city and Almaty is very cosmopolitan. I've mentioned all the designer stores and there are tons of BMWs and luxury cars. I'm sure outside of the city, the rural people are much more traditional. If we ever find the time, perhaps we'll get more experiences with the traditional side of Kazakhstan.
What are some images we see on a daily basis? Women in high, wait, not high, mountainous high heels. Every woman has her high boots on these days, and I've been assured that they will be wearing them when the snow comes. Babies. There are babies and little ones everywhere, due to the push for Kazakhs to have kids. Old people rummaging through our dumpster. Joe says they are probably pensioners who were promised a lot by communism. Kids out playing on Soviet-style bare playground equipment. Think rickety seesaw in the middle of a sandlot. Big, Soviet-style buildings. The mountains in the background. Unkempt yards, the grassy areas of the buildings are left to grow tall grass in some areas. Tree-lined streets. Big, impressive fountains. People flagging down gypsy cabs. They just point down and anyone who feels like it pulls over to pick them up. Pelmayni - a Russian food, I believe, little dumplings stuffed with meat.
Those are just a few of the things we see on a daily basis. It's hard to remember to describe the small things, but I remember when Joe was overseas these were sometimes the most interesting things, and they helped me get a picture of where he was at.
I'm off to get Sophia started on her bedtime ritual. We'll see how that goes. Bath, eat, listen to and sing Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" three times, read a book, listen to her "Jesus Loves Me" sheep three times, cuddle with a soft animal, rock with mommy, lay in bed and suck pacifier, grab at Mommy's hand, finally succumb..... Nothing to it! All-in-all, an hour and 15 minutes will go by. Thank goodness she's started sleeping longer at night. It probably has to do with the fact that we moved her into the study/office. A little distance has helped improve the bags under my eyes.
It's strange, but I don't feel that I have that much to talk about when it comes to the culture here. I guess part of it is that Kazakhstan feels more familiar. It's not like we face something interesting and different around every corner. Also, we spend so much time at school in an environment with people who are a lot like us. The most cultural thing I do every day is trying to speak in Russian to our nanny.
Can I paint a picture of the people here? Hmmm... Joe and I were trying to define this the other day. I said they are kind of closed. It seems a little hard to get to know them. After I said this, though, I realized I work with Kazakhs and talk to them every day. They just seem very similar to us. It could also be that we live in the city and Almaty is very cosmopolitan. I've mentioned all the designer stores and there are tons of BMWs and luxury cars. I'm sure outside of the city, the rural people are much more traditional. If we ever find the time, perhaps we'll get more experiences with the traditional side of Kazakhstan.
What are some images we see on a daily basis? Women in high, wait, not high, mountainous high heels. Every woman has her high boots on these days, and I've been assured that they will be wearing them when the snow comes. Babies. There are babies and little ones everywhere, due to the push for Kazakhs to have kids. Old people rummaging through our dumpster. Joe says they are probably pensioners who were promised a lot by communism. Kids out playing on Soviet-style bare playground equipment. Think rickety seesaw in the middle of a sandlot. Big, Soviet-style buildings. The mountains in the background. Unkempt yards, the grassy areas of the buildings are left to grow tall grass in some areas. Tree-lined streets. Big, impressive fountains. People flagging down gypsy cabs. They just point down and anyone who feels like it pulls over to pick them up. Pelmayni - a Russian food, I believe, little dumplings stuffed with meat.
Those are just a few of the things we see on a daily basis. It's hard to remember to describe the small things, but I remember when Joe was overseas these were sometimes the most interesting things, and they helped me get a picture of where he was at.
I'm off to get Sophia started on her bedtime ritual. We'll see how that goes. Bath, eat, listen to and sing Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" three times, read a book, listen to her "Jesus Loves Me" sheep three times, cuddle with a soft animal, rock with mommy, lay in bed and suck pacifier, grab at Mommy's hand, finally succumb..... Nothing to it! All-in-all, an hour and 15 minutes will go by. Thank goodness she's started sleeping longer at night. It probably has to do with the fact that we moved her into the study/office. A little distance has helped improve the bags under my eyes.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
One Long Weekend
Our week-long vacation has come and gone. It felt like one long weekend. That was okay, though. We got a lot of work done early in the week, and spent the rest of the week relaxing. We went up to the mountain and grilled shashlik (kabobs) with some teachers who also stayed in town. Joe had a small guys' night on Friday, and I got to go out to eat with the female teachers on Saturday. We've just enjoyed spending a little extra time with Sophia this week.
She's full of smiles lately, and we've gotten some really great giggles out of her. She likes peek-a-boo these days and having her belly tickled. She feels so proud of herself when Daddy holds her up on legs and tells her she's standing. We went to get her four-month shots on Thursday, and she was very brave, until she acually got the shots that is. Then she wailed like she never has before. There were moments of suspended breathing! We checked with the doctor and he assures us that her 18 pound weight is okay. I have been concerned about her ever-growing Buddha belly. We make 'em big, I guess!
We can't wait to post pictures of Sophia in her Halloween costume. We probably won't do anything for Halloween since they obviously don't celebrate here. It will still be fun to dress her up even if we don't go anywhere. Let's just hope Sophia still fits into her costume. You never know when she seems to grow overnight.
She's full of smiles lately, and we've gotten some really great giggles out of her. She likes peek-a-boo these days and having her belly tickled. She feels so proud of herself when Daddy holds her up on legs and tells her she's standing. We went to get her four-month shots on Thursday, and she was very brave, until she acually got the shots that is. Then she wailed like she never has before. There were moments of suspended breathing! We checked with the doctor and he assures us that her 18 pound weight is okay. I have been concerned about her ever-growing Buddha belly. We make 'em big, I guess!
We can't wait to post pictures of Sophia in her Halloween costume. We probably won't do anything for Halloween since they obviously don't celebrate here. It will still be fun to dress her up even if we don't go anywhere. Let's just hope Sophia still fits into her costume. You never know when she seems to grow overnight.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
A Little Mountain Air
Joe and I are enjoying our first day of Fall Break. We get a whole week off. Of course, we have absolutely nothing to do, so we'll have to spend a little time just exploring Almaty. It's been hard finding the time to go out into the city. We have our nanny coming in for a couple of days, so one day, sadly, we'll go to school and get some planning done. The other day we are going to have a Joe and Emily day all to ourselves. We will actually go out to eat sans baby.
Today, we had to get a little exploring out of our system, so we drove up into the mountains looking for Big Almaty Lake. We didn't find it because all of a sudden the road ended. The road was really more of a four-wheel drive kind of road, (think huge potholes and rocky spots) but our car made it up and back down. Joe likes to treat our cars like SUVS, but I let him have his fun. At least we got out for a drive. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.
Today, we had to get a little exploring out of our system, so we drove up into the mountains looking for Big Almaty Lake. We didn't find it because all of a sudden the road ended. The road was really more of a four-wheel drive kind of road, (think huge potholes and rocky spots) but our car made it up and back down. Joe likes to treat our cars like SUVS, but I let him have his fun. At least we got out for a drive. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
What's For Dinner?
So, Joe is sitting here next to me, translating a menu from Santa Claus Pizza, the pizza joint just around the corner. (Named Santa Claus for the delivery aspect perhaps?) He has come across "This is Wonderful" pizza, "Farm on the Highway" pizza, "Love Like Flowers" pizza, "Predator" or "Bird of Prey" pizza, and "Puff (or Breath) Windmill" pizza. Now, we're not exactly sure his translations are correct. We are, afterall, just using our mini-dictionary, but hey, they are good for a laugh. He has just said to me, "Here's a good one - Welcome in the Car pizza." Interesting.... The last one, a little more tame, "Six Friends." Yep, this is the most interesting thing we have to blog about.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
An Autumn Day at the Falcon Farm
We went on a school "social" trip to the falcon farm yesterday. It was a really nice day, cool, but comfortable. It ended up just being a few teachers and their kids. We drove just a short way up into the mountains to the small farm. It's basically a bunch of huge birds tethered to the ground. You can walk right up to them if you want. They had vultures, golden eagles, owls, and falcons, of course. Apparently, they train the birds and then sell them. We had a nice time walking around a bit, and the kids got to play and go on horse rides. Sophia, in her classic style, slept. Thank goodness for that, actually.
Fall is definitely here, but everyone assures us that it will be short. They say there are really only two seasons here, the cold winter followed almost immediately by the hot summer. I am just so excited to see the leaves changing color since it's been about five years since I've had a true fall.
Last night we went to a potluck at another teacher's apartment. It's funny because whenever we are out and it's loud and crowded, Sophia sleeps perfectly. People are always commenting on what a good baby she is. I try to tell them that it isn't the case at home, but I'm not sure they believe me. I think she had a good time being held a lot and being entertained by the children there.
I'm having a good morning since Sophia slept from 10 pm last night until 5 am! Something she probably will not repeat for a long time. She just wants to get my hopes up. Oh, and I weighed her yesterday. I think she's about 16 1/2 pounds. She is like a sack of potatoes, even more so when I put her in her sleepsack at night. I think she carries a couple of pounds in those cheeks alone.
Hopefully, the week ahead will be a good one. The school weeks have been slipping by quickly which is great. We have a week-long break at the end of October. It should be here in no time.
Fall is definitely here, but everyone assures us that it will be short. They say there are really only two seasons here, the cold winter followed almost immediately by the hot summer. I am just so excited to see the leaves changing color since it's been about five years since I've had a true fall.
Last night we went to a potluck at another teacher's apartment. It's funny because whenever we are out and it's loud and crowded, Sophia sleeps perfectly. People are always commenting on what a good baby she is. I try to tell them that it isn't the case at home, but I'm not sure they believe me. I think she had a good time being held a lot and being entertained by the children there.
I'm having a good morning since Sophia slept from 10 pm last night until 5 am! Something she probably will not repeat for a long time. She just wants to get my hopes up. Oh, and I weighed her yesterday. I think she's about 16 1/2 pounds. She is like a sack of potatoes, even more so when I put her in her sleepsack at night. I think she carries a couple of pounds in those cheeks alone.
Hopefully, the week ahead will be a good one. The school weeks have been slipping by quickly which is great. We have a week-long break at the end of October. It should be here in no time.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Locked-in
Joe spent last night at a middle school lock-in. He apparently slept on his desk with a room full of 13-year-olds. It sounds like it went pretty well, a little capture-the-flag, dodgeball, a movie or two. It's interesting that you can do different things in this environment. I'm not sure that you could have a lock-in in the U.S. I know you can't play dodgeball. When I think of all our life-threatening dodgeball games back in the old, tiny St. Pat's gym, I wouldn't have it any other way. I guess Joe's kids used softer balls and there was more room to escape the onslaught of balls.
Other than that, we had a day of walking. I attempted to go to the post office, only to find that it had closed an hour earlier than the sign said it would. We walked for a couple of hours to find a cafe to eat at. They are not as plentiful as in Egypt. In Egypt there are two of everything on every block. Here, you actually have to look for things. We did find a cafe and had a nice dinner. On the way back we stopped at our favorite huge park and got a couple of pictures near the fountain and flowers. Maybe today we'll do a little school work. Maybe.
Other than that, we had a day of walking. I attempted to go to the post office, only to find that it had closed an hour earlier than the sign said it would. We walked for a couple of hours to find a cafe to eat at. They are not as plentiful as in Egypt. In Egypt there are two of everything on every block. Here, you actually have to look for things. We did find a cafe and had a nice dinner. On the way back we stopped at our favorite huge park and got a couple of pictures near the fountain and flowers. Maybe today we'll do a little school work. Maybe.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Three apples a day...
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what about three a day? Joe and I are eating apples left and right. Sophia's nanny goes to her "dacha" or country home every weekend and returns with bags bulging with fresh apples, straight off what we presume are her trees. She brought us fresh pressed apple juice and fresh honey this week too. Yum. Joe and I dutifully eat almost three apples a day just to use them up. Luckily, it's just about the only fruit Joe likes.
We've been internet deprived since we didn't know we had an internet bill and had to wait awhile to get it sorted out. It's been a pretty busy week. We had our international brunch at school, which was truly international. Families brought food from all over the world. The Korean food was very popular since we have a large population of Koreans at our school. We had a good turn out and it was really interesting to meet the parents of our students with their varied backgrounds.
Before I forget, we have just purchased tickets home for Christmas, so we're really excited because it's not that far away. What a luxury to get to come home twice a year. It's really only a few months away.
Joe coerced me into getting on the cable car this weekend. I actually went voluntarily since I wanted to get it over with. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, and it was worth it since they had a nicely developed area at the top. We strolled around, went to a super expensive local art store and had a nice dinner at a grill with a view of the mountains. Sophia let us enjoy most of our meal. Well, until she decided to go the bathroom all over herself, but even that didn't ruin the day.
School is going really very well. Our students are so good. We had an assembly today. The people presenting didn't have a microphone, so you could barely hear them. Even though they couldn't hear and most probably couldn't understand, the students were quiet and respectful. I even saw older high school students correcting the little elementary kids and telling them to be quiet. It was kind of weird! In a good way.
The biggest challenge is that the students may come to us with little or no English. I have a new student whose parents are from Kazakhstan and Argentina, but he's lived in Russia and Italy. Maybe he's part Italian. I don't know, but we are really toughing it out together. Yesterday, I had to get out my little electronic translator (thank you for the gift!) and translate a word for him. I called him James accidentally for a whole day because of a miscommunication. I did a whole lot of re-labeling the next day. There are so many students who arrive speaking no English. Thankfully, we have a great intensive English program which helps them during reading and language arts.
Joe is one happy man here. Let's just say there is meat-a-plenty. He's been eating sausage to his heart's content. I, on-the-other-hand, am hard spent to find a decent vegetarian dish. Sigh... If only I could find tofu. (I know what you are thinking, just eat meat. That's what Joe says too!) We're going to ask some Korean students tomorrow if they know where to find it. I will prevail!
Other than that, things are good. Sophia is doing really well. She has completely discovered her hands. We find her just playing with them sometimes. She's chewing and gnawing away at them, and she's really into her toys now too. She's just huge now. What will she look like at Christmas time?
We've been internet deprived since we didn't know we had an internet bill and had to wait awhile to get it sorted out. It's been a pretty busy week. We had our international brunch at school, which was truly international. Families brought food from all over the world. The Korean food was very popular since we have a large population of Koreans at our school. We had a good turn out and it was really interesting to meet the parents of our students with their varied backgrounds.
Before I forget, we have just purchased tickets home for Christmas, so we're really excited because it's not that far away. What a luxury to get to come home twice a year. It's really only a few months away.
Joe coerced me into getting on the cable car this weekend. I actually went voluntarily since I wanted to get it over with. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, and it was worth it since they had a nicely developed area at the top. We strolled around, went to a super expensive local art store and had a nice dinner at a grill with a view of the mountains. Sophia let us enjoy most of our meal. Well, until she decided to go the bathroom all over herself, but even that didn't ruin the day.
School is going really very well. Our students are so good. We had an assembly today. The people presenting didn't have a microphone, so you could barely hear them. Even though they couldn't hear and most probably couldn't understand, the students were quiet and respectful. I even saw older high school students correcting the little elementary kids and telling them to be quiet. It was kind of weird! In a good way.
The biggest challenge is that the students may come to us with little or no English. I have a new student whose parents are from Kazakhstan and Argentina, but he's lived in Russia and Italy. Maybe he's part Italian. I don't know, but we are really toughing it out together. Yesterday, I had to get out my little electronic translator (thank you for the gift!) and translate a word for him. I called him James accidentally for a whole day because of a miscommunication. I did a whole lot of re-labeling the next day. There are so many students who arrive speaking no English. Thankfully, we have a great intensive English program which helps them during reading and language arts.
Joe is one happy man here. Let's just say there is meat-a-plenty. He's been eating sausage to his heart's content. I, on-the-other-hand, am hard spent to find a decent vegetarian dish. Sigh... If only I could find tofu. (I know what you are thinking, just eat meat. That's what Joe says too!) We're going to ask some Korean students tomorrow if they know where to find it. I will prevail!
Other than that, things are good. Sophia is doing really well. She has completely discovered her hands. We find her just playing with them sometimes. She's chewing and gnawing away at them, and she's really into her toys now too. She's just huge now. What will she look like at Christmas time?
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