Michael Jackson?!? Where?

I now have a tortoise named Michael Jackson. I thought a tortoise would be a great way to start conversations with the car-cleaning guys outside my apartment, and also to invite them in to see him sometimes. I asked all of them for name ideas to give them a sense of owning the tortoise, and “Michael Jackson” was the winner. I still grin at the contrast between my tortoise and his namesake; I can't picture little Michael ever doing the moonwalk (or anything very fast)! My 3 year old host sister has also become attached to him, and takes care of him when I'm at the farm.

I've Seen Some Pontiacs- Feels Like Home :-)

I've now seen about 5 Pontiac Vibes on the roads of Almaty, which makes me happy and reminds me of home. Our family has owned Pontiac Bonnevilles and Grand Prix for a long time, so I feel a special tie to Pontiacs. I've just heard that the Pontiac brand will be axed at the end of 2010 because of GM's restructuring, so that makes seeing a Pontiac a little more special. I've also seen Chevy trucks and SUVs here that are made in partnership with a Russian carmaker, and some Fords, Chryslers and Dodges that were brought into the country.

The Blue of Kazakhstan

Many families in this area of Kazakhstan paint their fences, houses, and other things (as seen below) a shade of blue very similar to the Kazakhstan flag. I asked someone why they paint many objects this color, and she simply replied, "Because we like that color." Good enough for me. I think it would be difficult for a person to find their house, since many houses on a street are painted this color, but I guess some suburban houses in America all seem the same, also.

I copied this explanation of Kazakhstan's flag from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kazakhstan):

The pattern represents the art and cultural traditions of the old khanate and the Kazakh people. The light blue background stands for the various Turkic peoples that make up the present-day population of the country, including the Kazakhs, Tatars, Mongols, Uyghurs and others. Among these people blue has a religious significance, representing the sky god Tengri, "the eternal wide blue sky", and water as well.^[2] The light blue color also symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity of Kazakhstani people.

The sun represents the source of life and energy. It is also a symbol of wealth and abundance; the sun's rays are like grain which is the basis of abundance and prosperity.

People of different Kazakh tribes had the golden eagle on their flags for centuries. The eagle symbolizes the power of the state. For the modern nation of Kazakhstan the eagle is a symbol of independence, freedom and flight to future.^[3]

Inside the Corner Store

At least one magazine (small grocery store) is in each neighborhood, and there are often more. This magazine is about 200 yards from my house, and is pretty popular because of its variety of products and reasonable prices. Most of the food is on shelves or in glass cases behind the counter, which allows customers to move through the store without breaking anything.

Everyone who works here knows me by sight as "the American agronome" now, since I stop about once a week to buy a pop or ice cream. I talk with the cashier using some newly learned Russian words if they're not busy, and am very happy that I can now ask in Russian for what I want!

Still Don't Understand Host Sister, but that's OK :-)

My 3 year-old host sister walks into my room at random times to talk, look at my stuff, and look out my window. Since I had my camera close at hand a few weeks ago, I tried to capture her silliness on film. She insisted on taking pictures of me, but I didn't know when she was going to push the button, hence my weird facial expressions. She's having an imaginary conversation on my phone in the video. I think she says something about vegetables at the beginning, and says goodbye at the end. In between, I don't know....

Bus Stops

Nearly all of the bus stops along major city streets have 'magazines' attached to them, small stores selling soft drinks and snacks. At smaller magazines, everything is displayed in the front window, and the customer requests what they want.

I've also seen second-hand clothing stores at bus stops, which I think is a great idea- very convenient to shop and then hop back on the bus and go home!


This is "my" bus stop- Nava Stroika. A large winter ice skating scene covers the back wall, and it has a green plastic overhang to shade people on the bench.

Buses of All Sizes

The photo below this caption shows the usual size of the larger buses in Almaty. Not many are decorated with ads like this one, which advertises dairy products. I've ridden buses from South Korea, Germany, and Russia that have been bought secondhand from those countries. The next photo shows the same bus, which runs on overhead electrical lines. The remaining photos show interiors of other buses.

Ridin' the Bus

I really enjoy riding these mini-buses- they take me on direct routes across the city to language lessons a few days a week, to the office, and places to shop. These are converted vans with manual transmissions. Some are big enough for passengers to enter through a sliding door on the side, but smaller vans have passengers enter through the front door. I plan to write more about the buses later, but I also enjoy them because each one is decorated a little bit differently, giving them their own unique 'flavor' :-D

Host Mom's Rose Garden

My host mother's roses were in full bloom a few weeks ago, so I snapped a few photos.

Um... Have any Tide?

Don't think this Iranian laundry detergent would sell very well in the States... For the record, this is the first time I've seen such a big difference between the message intended and what would be received by an English speaker.

A Night at the Performance Hall

I bought very reasonably priced tickets from a woman singing in a classical music group last Sunday and was able to enjoy beautiful music performed in a beautiful music hall! Musicians performed two Beethoven pieces, one Chopin, a choral arrangement of music from Great Britain, and two traditional Kazakh pieces. (Details for those who know composers. For those who don't, think piano, violin, French horn and clarinet music) I recorded a video of one Kazakh piece below, and also one Beethoven piece. I've enjoyed classical music since college, and it's a great treat when the intricacy of the surroundings matches the music. I couldn't come close to capturing all of the details of this music hall with my camera, but I tried in the photos below.The entire hall was sparkling clean, and I kept thinking how much effort it must take to keep the place so clean!

Clockwise from top left: Close-up of the emblems decorating the perimeter of the stage; Large light fixture in the middle of auditorium ceiling; Stage with brass organ pipes along back wall; Side of auditorium showing balcony and musicians' portraits.


Left: The full ensemble of choir + musical accompaniment. Right: Kazakh musicians in traditional costumes.


(I think these videos are choppy when first played, even with a fast internet connection. To watch the whole video smoothly at one time, click the 'play' button, then pause the video until the bar running across the bottom of the video is solid. The bar will probably grow slowly, also, so come back to the video after you've handled other internet tasks :-)

Almaty Scenery

Hi, everyone! I'm currently living and studying Russian in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a city of 1.3 million people. My language study here prepares me to play a role on the team helping area farmers to grow fruit such as apples and apricots. We hope that whole communities will benefit as farmers grow higher quality fruit and receive a premium price for it in the marketplace.

Since the inside of a classroom isn't very scenic, I've posted these photos of times that I have been able to sightsee in Almaty. I'd enjoy hearing your comments!

Almaty citizens love their trees, and I do, too! The trees help to cool the roads and sidewalks during the city's hot, dry summers. I don't exaggerate to say that this photo represents almost all Almaty city sidewalks- like walking in a cool, green tunnel. I'm a little nervous about the descriptions I've heard from locals about the baking summer sun, but I'm sure the trees will still give some relief!

This is the median (!) of a divided four-lane roadway through the city's downtown. Long stretches of city streets have medians like this one. The medians not wide enough for a walkway have large beds of roses or other types of flowers.

The sweet smell of black locust flowers (left) is filling the air right now! These trees line the median walkway of the previous photo, so maybe you can scents(e) what it's like to walk under them.
I'd never seen tulips like these red and orange quadruple flowers in a park.

The Green Bazaar is an Almaty landmark where hundreds of vendors each day sell shoes, clothes, flowers, meat, fruits and vegetables, and almost any other item you can imagine! These photos show most of the main floor of the bazaar, which I'd guess is big enough to hold four basketball courts. The left photo shows flowers, vegetables and fruit vendors, while the right photo shows meat vendors. Customers wind along aisles of small booths in the outdoor and lower floor areas, which are at least twice as large as the main floor.








This Green Bazaar vendor insisted on taking my photo after I'd taken his! I love how all of the nut and dried fruit vendors lay their varieties out in neat squares- they really make eye-catching displays.


The Panfilov War Memorial commemorates the 28 Almaty soldiers of the Panfilov Division who died in a 1941 WWII battle against Nazi tanks near Moscow. Almaty couples stop here on their wedding day to lay flowers in front of the memorial and take photos to honor the men and women who died for them.




This beautiful Russian Orthodox church is built entirely of wood, including the pegs holding the building together.



I was able to take in a blend of city and country when my host family joined others for a picnic on the edge of Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Note the skyscrapers in the background) A few men on horseback steadily moved the cows along the stream in the valley as we ate.


I just had to get my picture taken against this green backdrop!