Almaty

Our Return

2005-09-18T21:23:00.000+06:00

Amy: So we're back in KZ and back into school. Trying to fit back into old rhythms in the midst of new students and increased traffic is proving difficult. I have such a great group of students and parents this year, but I didn't realize how used I had gotten to last year's group and how unprepared I was for a transition to a new class. It just takes some readjusting, and I feel it coming. It's going to be a good year. But the traffic...maybe I just got used to Indiana traffic over the summer, but it seems worse this year...probably because of all the construction on the roads around the school...rumor has it that the local golf course is holding a European PGA tournament. That's why all the road maintenance. One night we left the school at 8pm and normally a drive home that takes us only 10-15 minutes took us two hours. We were detoured South towards the mountains, however when you're detoured in Almaty, there are no bright orange and black signs telling you which way to go every few feet. You just have to follow the traffic and hope everyone else knows where they are going. It just so happened that we were in front this time, and by the number of cars that were following us, we gathered that nobody really knew where they were going. So we wound through dirty, heavily cratered roads for the next two hours, frantically trying to use the type and size of the potholes as landmarks for the roads we already went down. For the first 15 minutes or so it was funny, we actually led a few locals into a deadend, I'm not sure why they all decided to follow the foreigners. But after awhile, it just wasn't funny anymore. We finally ended up back at the school, and found our way home by a different route. Travis, my hero, seems to have taken to the spirit of the roads here rather quickly. Me, I've driven maybe twice since we've been back. I'm in no rush. Anyway, we're settling in, enjoying the neighbor kids again (they often help us carry our things up to our apartment some evenings when we come home in exchange for cookies) and making progress with our Russian. And here it is only September.

2005-09-18T14:50:00.000+06:00

On Saturday we went hiking to a waterfall at a place called Butakovka. It was so good to get away from the city and into fresher air for the day. I do believe we'll live longer for it.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:46:00.000+06:00

A traditional yurt on the way to the waterfall with Bigfoot in the foreground.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:44:00.000+06:00

The leaves are starting to change.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:43:00.000+06:00

At the waterfall.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:41:00.000+06:00

Bride and her entourage making their way to some photo-op location. On the wedding day, the wedding party and many of the guests drive all over the city to get their picture taken at many different monuments and quintessential Almaty destinations.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:39:00.000+06:00

First week of school, Travis' class: Bonding and getting to know one another.
Amy/Travis

2005-09-18T14:37:00.000+06:00

First week of school, Amy's class: I have to admit, this one was staged.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:42:00.000+06:00

Today is Victory Day here in Kazakhstan. It's a major holiday, which gave us the day off and a long 3-day weekend. So we headed to the canyons of eastern Kazakhstan, about four hours outside of Almaty. This is Travis' Victory Day monument he made on a stop outside of the canyon.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:36:00.000+06:00

A village on the way to the canyon.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:34:00.000+06:00

The road to Charyn Canyon
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:32:00.000+06:00

This is Charyn Canyon, beautiful but extremely touristy. It's not to be missed though.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:31:00.000+06:00

Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:28:00.000+06:00

Because of the amount of people at Charyn, we chose to camp a little ways down the road at a less populated spot. This is overlooking our campsite from the road. From this perspective, we settled down and to the left of the river.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:26:00.000+06:00

At the campsite, damming up a refridgerator to get our drinks cold in the freezing river.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:23:00.000+06:00

Amy, Mick, Patty and Cassie making dinner.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:21:00.000+06:00

Travis' mud castle on the shores of the canyon river.
Amy/Travis

2005-05-09T10:17:00.000+06:00

Our hike through the canyon
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T09:25:00.000+07:00

Russ and Travis at Murphy's
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T09:24:00.000+07:00

On Wednesday we went with Russ and Cassie to Mad Murphy's Irish Pub, a local expat favorite. All of my (Amy) nine-year olds were shocked to learn I had not been there, and strongly urged me to go. So we did. A bit pricey, but we actually got thick-crusted pizza, rather than the dry, paper-thin stuff everywhere else in town that we've been to.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T08:52:00.000+07:00

Cassie and I at the spa.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T08:49:00.000+07:00

Travis and I at Thomi's coffee shop downtown.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T08:48:00.000+07:00

Three large apartment buildings in the city.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-29T08:39:00.000+07:00

On Tuesday we spent more time in the city and then went up into the mountains to a spa/sauna. Bath houses/saunas are commonly frequented by the locals here. The spa was incredible, boasting Finnish, Russian and Turkish baths, complete with two salt water pools, indoor/outdoor hot tubs, steam room, sauna and ice pool. I got a massage (Amy) and then Travis and I and friends soaked in the pools, ate a fine dinner, and then soaked some more for the rest of the night.

2004-10-26T13:31:00.000+07:00

Today we walked along a street named Zhibek Zholy (I think) where there were many vendors selling art and food. Today was a national holiday, so they were having a big program on the street. Lots of people were out. We had a great day...walking and watching people, eating, and spending time together.

2004-10-25T23:39:00.000+07:00

My favorite local dish so far (Amy) is called Plov. They sell it in big bowls like this on the street or in local restaurants. It's a rice dish with meat and carrots and, unfortunately, lots of oil. It's still so good though.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-25T23:36:00.000+07:00

Zhibek Zholy
Amy/Travis

2004-10-25T23:35:00.000+07:00

This is a typcial Shashlik stand (traditional Kazakh cuisine, a meat kebab). You see these stands all over the city, at almost all of the local restaurants.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-18T00:09:00.000+07:00

Last weekend I went with some friends to the Big Almaty Lake up in the mountains while Travis had time with the boys. We drove up the mountain to about 10,000 feet. It's a popular get-away spot, but as with any developing country, the mountain roads are the last to be cared for. The road up was treacherous and snowy, with no guard rails, and I spent most of the ride praying that I would see Travis again. And people follow the same rules of the road up in the mountains as they do in the city. It's no matter that you both meet on a narrow bridge that drops off on either side into icy waters below, you must play chicken in order to beat him to the bridge and across, and naturally he will do the same. Here are some pictures (not of chicken on the bridge unfortunately, just of other stuff).

2004-10-18T00:00:00.004+07:00

A weather station at 10,000 feet.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-18T00:00:00.003+07:00

Around 9,000 feet sits an observatory complex. This is where we used the bathroom.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-18T00:00:00.002+07:00

Me lounging in the sun at 10,000 feet.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-18T00:00:00.001+07:00

Big Almaty Lake. This picture doesn't even capture its true color...it was the brightest turquoise water I had ever seen. The lake is created by run-off from a glacier.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-18T00:00:00.000+07:00

Friends from school. The kid doesn't belong to any of us. But he's a friend.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-03T21:12:00.000+07:00

Finally, this is a shot of Travis coaching girls' football. Of course, it's what we Americans call soccer. In fact, most of the staff at school call it that too, but I'm trying to get us to be more international.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-03T21:10:00.001+07:00

This is our bathroom. An old shot of the first night we arrived. Thus the empty shelves.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-03T21:10:00.000+07:00

This is a view of the bedroom. I'm realizing that none of these shots will give a very good idea of what it feels like to be here.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-03T21:09:00.000+07:00

Here's the livingroom the first night we moved in. The picture is taken from where the tv and window is.
Amy/Travis

2004-10-03T21:07:00.000+07:00

Many of you wanted to see more pictures of our apartment. Let's start with the kitchen.
Amy/Travis

Dya Dya Boris

2004-09-26T22:43:00.000+07:00

Amy: We have friends in our neighborhood now. We met this guy at a church we went to. He's living in Washington state, but is from Almaty. His parents just happen to live a couple of buildings over from us, they are of Russian origin, not Kazakh. So he called us up last night (he's here visiting) and invited us over for tea after dinner, which is a common practice for people around here, they often have people in their homes to visit in the evenings to have tea. It was a joy to get out of our completely westernized apartment, and visit a true Russian home. Their apartment was smaller than ours, and filled with five people, three dogs, and a cat. It was worn and simple, well lived in, and smelled of dust from the outside and gas from the tea heating on the stove. We only met Papa, Mama, and brother Misha, all Russian blond with plump faces. They speak little if no English at all, so their son from Washington had to translate. We all crowded in the tiny kitchen (six humans and two dogs), around the tiny kitchen table that was covered with food and tea cups. The mother, Alla, served us tea, chocolate cake, traditional Russian pastries, fresh plums and pears, and some kind of nuts. They completely welcomed us in, and shared everything from what scenic places to visit to how to deal with the police if we get pulled over. The papa insists now that we call him Dya Dya Boris, which means "Uncle Boris". Alla simply wanted to be called Alla. They're taking us to a lookout place tonight where we can see the lights of the city.

2004-09-26T15:15:00.000+07:00

The water rushed in foamy white peaks and blue/brown pools in this river. A deafening sound.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T15:13:00.000+07:00

The sheep on the hillside. Moving, they looked like ants in an anthill. The hillside was itself crawling.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T15:10:00.000+07:00

The shepherds' caravan.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T15:08:00.000+07:00

Travis: Shepherds of Kazakhstan. When I showed these ladies their picture in the LCD display, they were a bit shocked at their own appearance. Must have been a while since they'd last seen themselves. They were so sweet, though. Smiled and smiled.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T14:56:00.000+07:00

Last weekend we went on another school trip to a trout farm in the mountains. Talk about instant gratification. You take a stick with a hook on it, attach a piece of corn, stick it in the water, and instantly you have a fish.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T14:48:00.000+07:00

We caught six trout total. They clean em', slice em' and barbecue em' right there for you. Bones and all.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-26T14:40:00.000+07:00

Starting to snow in the mountains
Amy/Travis

2004-09-19T21:08:00.000+07:00

Travis here. Finally.

I haven't added to the blog yet. Amy did all the grunt work setting it up. Thanks, Amy.

School:

I'm coaching girl's soccer, football. I teach reading, language arts, and cultural studies to 13-year-olds. I've got 12 of them. I also teach math to 12-year-olds and high school geography. My schedule is pretty easy. We go to school around 7:30 and school starts at 8:45. Gives us plenty of time to get things ready. In the eight-period day, I teach the first three, have the fourth free, then lunch is free. Then I teach two classes in the afternoon and have 7th and 8th periods free again. Except Monday and Wednesday I have my 13s for study hall. Still, you can't beat 13 preparation periods a week. There is a lot of work to be done, though. I am constantly preparing lessons or tests or projects or something. It's fun and the kids are so well-disciplined. Good attitudes and they really enjoy learning. Learning is fun to them, like a hobby. I feel like it almost needs explaining it is so unusual to me.

Here's a little about life:

Everything is cheap here. Did I tell you that? I took a shirt to a seamstress I located the other day. In broken Russian I showed her the problem. She said it would cost 100 tenge. about 75 cents. I said "Kak Dolga," When will it be ready. (I had just gotten it out of my Russian at a Glance book.) She said, "Zavtra," tomorrow.

We enjoy fresh, chemically untainted (and cheap) produce and meat on a daily basis too.

2004-09-05T21:38:00.000+07:00

Our mailboxes. No one uses them. Not even the locals.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:36:00.000+07:00

Our stairwell. I'm glad they warned us not to judge our apartment by the hallways.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:35:00.000+07:00

Infrastructure.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:34:00.000+07:00

The front of our building. Thanks to old Soviet housing, now that you've seen ours, you've seen everyone else's in town.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:32:00.000+07:00

Our kitchen window with attached clothesline. No more dryer soft freshness for us. To get our clothes anywhere near soft, we have to shake them for a good minute. Travis made a bird feeder to put on the line. No birds have come. In fact, the ones we had went away.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:19:00.000+07:00

Amy: So we went for a walk up a new street today. There are tiny markets on almost every corner selling the basics. They sell a little bit of milk and a lot of Vodka. The basics. Fruit/vegetable stands are aplenty, and we've gotten to know one of the ladies at a stand on a corner near us. She laughs at our dreadful Russian but then does something other vendors don't do: she helps us. We like her. She sells the best red peppers. On our way home we took pictures of our building.

2004-09-05T21:15:00.000+07:00

To catch you up...last weekend our director and his assistant took us to the Medeo ice skating rink up in the mountains, and then out for a meal of meat kebabs, otherwise known as Shashlik, a traditional Kazakh food. So traditional and popular in fact that there's actually a button on our microwave that says "Shashlik".

2004-09-05T21:04:00.000+07:00

A skater on the Kazakh national team practicing at the Medeo.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T21:03:00.000+07:00

We hiked up about 400 steps above the Medeo skating rink.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T20:59:00.000+07:00

Our director Dave and his assisstant Natasha.
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T17:55:00.000+07:00

Our modest but ever busy playground outside of our apartment
Amy/Travis

2004-09-05T17:52:00.000+07:00

The view out of our kitchen window
Amy/Travis

2004-08-24T23:12:00.000+07:00

What we saw when we first entered our new home...
Amy/Travis

2004-08-24T23:04:00.000+07:00

So, we've landed. Got into the airport at 11:15pm. and after a few, seemingly purposeful long minutes, we were handed our visas and we were off to collect our bags. All eleven of them arrived on time, what a relief.
Amy/Travis