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.
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 godTengri, "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]
