Stacey's First Day @ Work

The boys and I surprised Stacey with flowers on her first day at work. (The boys picked the colors red and pink since red is Stacey's favorite color and I like her in pink.) All the local women there loved to bring the boys around to meet everyone and all gave them candy. Do you think the boys want to go back? You already know that answer.

Food

Obviously the food with be different. From the way it is prepared to the different language that is on the packages. We have not tried anything too far off the beaten path although we did try sushi with our new Australian friends. The main shockers so far are the $5 Pringles, the $180 turkey that weighed 15lbs (there was only 2 in the store), and the $20 small bottle of Teriyaki sauce. The people here live for the day so the shopping carts are small and almost no one fills them up. The government regulates the price of staples such as bread and that is very cheap. Vodka and cigarettes are cheap too. You can get vodka cheaper than water and cigarettes for under a $1.

An experience I had a market recently was a pack of little boys followed us to the car asking for money. The older boy was very persistent. He kept asking even when we got into the car. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He then decided to jump onto the floor board of the SUV and ride along. The local driver tried to use words to get him off the car and him even road with him through the parking lot and onto the main street. Once on the main street the driver would take his seat belt off as if to get out of the car and the boy would jump off and start running away, but as soon as the driver would put his seat belt back on the boy would jump back on the car. This happened 3 times before the boy finally stopped. We were not in fear for ourselves, but for this boy. I don't know if his parents put him up to this or if we was really in need. We are discouraged from doing anything since it will only intensify the situation.

TV in KZ

When we arrived it was nice to know that we had a settling in kit which had some food, linens, TV, vacuum cleaner, etc. It is weird to eat cheese for the first time out of a bag you put your groceries in, but you get over it fast. When I turned on the TV for the first time it was funny to see Jerry Springer and TV shows about 5 years old. I guess if I ever missed a show I may be able to catch it now. They have lots of soccer or futbol and or course rugby. Man those guys can hit.

Preparing to move

Moving overseas is quite a challenge. I believe we all get accustomed to having our things, but don't realize it until we have to do without them. We thought we would get to bring most of them until the end of the first day the movers were packing and they told us we were going to be over the 7,500 lbs we are allotted. Needless to say we were a little depressed because for the past 3 months we have been buying new things and getting used to the idea of taking certain items with us. It all worked out in the end, but we had to go to the warehouse where they store our items and off load 1,000 lbs. NOT FUN. We learned from this experience and will not make the same mistake twice.

First Impressions of Kazakhstan

On my first visit to Atyrau, Kazakhstan I had some unforgettable experiences. One of them was when we went to an outdoor market where there was fresh fruit and vegetables. There were also different types of meat and fish. When I ventured into the meat area, I was mesmerized by the sight of what looked like a barn. As I got closer, I noticed blood on the ground. As I got to the entrance a wheel barrow went right beside me carrying different parts on a cow. There was cow heads everywhere you looked. There were also full slabs of beef hanging on the walls. It took me back that these things still existed. At least we never have to see how things are cut back home. In the back of this room was a man cutting the meat with an ancient looking axe on a 2 foot wooden block. I just had to take a picture even though it does not fully capture the experience. After I took a few pictures I was greeted by a worker with a firmly raised middle finger. That was my sign to leave. I walked out thinking it could have been a sight in a movie, but not real life. All the other experiences I had that trip put me in the right mindset to lower all expectations. See the pictures and look closely.