Happy New Years, Kazakhstan!

Yesterday was New Year's Day according to the Kazakhstan calendar. On Monday, I watched the festival preparations from our window. My the end of the day my yurt count was at nine.

Marty and I both worked Tuesday morning up until lunch. By this time the celebrations were in full swing. Techno music, mixed over traditional Kazakh songs, was blasting from speakers all over the long street. We are staying in Kazakhstan Street and luckily, that is where the action for the festival was.

We got dressed to go outside - this time I over-layered, not wanting to feel the cold at all - and headed out into the street to check out the festivities.

We started taking a stroll along the street, admiring the Yurts. When I was watching them being assembled the day before, I thought for sure you could go inside and view a traditional setup. But, as we peeked inside, the yurts were empty except for the occasional box or table, left over from the stalls setup outside the yurt.


The first stage we stopped at was small but surrounded by people. The show that was playing out on the stage when we stopped by was a strong man/boy contest. Strong men were doing weights for the crowd. Some of the contestants were very serious, wearing weight-lifting belts. The MC had the job of introducing the contestant and counting their lifting attempts. He was good at detecting when the lifter had had enough and would quickly call them off - 'Dasvidanya!' One older man, however, didn't know when enough was enough. He got to the point where his face was red and looked like it would explode under any more pressure. He wasn't breathing right and every time he lifted a weight, his legs would wobble under the strain and we were just waiting for him to buckle under the pressure. The MC kept trying to call him off, but the man was insistent that he still had what it took to be a champion. One more lift away from either a heart attack or a broken back, the man retired from the competition, the relief of everyone.

We started walking towards the main stage, where were heard loud music blasting. When we got there another major competition had started up. It was now time for the annual new years day festival ... SHOUTING COMPETITION! Men who wanted to complete were simply ask to come onto the stage and show the massive crowd their yelling talents. The first man was up, the MCs asked for silence. An expectant, excited hush fell over the crowd. A burly man stepped forward in his heavy jacket and furry hat. He bent forward, then threw his head back, sucking in as much air as his lungs would hold and then ... after a dramatic pause ... he shouted!!!! The crowd went wild! By wild, I mean nodding at each other in quiet agreement that yes, that man did shout very loudly.

After a few more contestants showed the crowd what they were made of, a winner was declared. To celebrate his victorious win, the loud man gave the crowd one final, parting shot - "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhh". the crowd went wild, quietly. The proud man walked off the stage carrying his new television - old style, big backed, massive TV.

Following this amazing display of sheer volume, we were entertained by a variety of singers and dancers.
 The performances varied from traditional dancing to hip hop dudes with self styled bowl cuts.

All in all, a very fun day out :)

Lila
xx

P.S. the very dejected bugs bunny was probably the funniest dress up character I have ever seen. I haven't seen someone wearing a giant bunny suit look so depressed!

best lazy meal ever!

All ingredients picked up from the local supermarket by Marty on his way home from work. YUM!

The Hunter's Lodge - a vegetarian's delight ...

On Monday night we went out for dinner to celebrate Marty's work mate's birthday. Because it was a public holiday, restaurants all over town were packed to capacity. This restaurant was recommended as maybe being the least full ... probably should have thought about that a bit more before we left.

We all met out the front of the apartment complex we are staying in. It was a particularly freezing evening. I had 'acclimatised' to the indoor temperature and was thoroughly warmed through as I was getting dressed to go outside. I casually threw on a short sleeved shirt and a cardigan. This was a mistake. As soon as we stepped outside, the cold cut through my massive eskimo jacket and hit me hard in the chest with a frozen whack!

When it is this cold, the solution would normally be to move faster, get the blood going, warm the body up ... but because the day had been relatively warm (just above 0), the snow had melted and gone slushy. As soon as the temperature drops at night, the slush/water turns to hard ice. So, all we could do that night, was slide very slowly towards the restaurant. The trick seems to be that if you walk arm in arm, the chances of both people falling over on their ass is slim, so at least one steady person can catch the other.

So, we continue our slow, skate to the Hunter's Lodge - both sure that we will be eating a real dinner when we finally get home.

As soon as we approach the Lodge, mix wild tiger and leopard printed walls explode out of the grey buildings beside it. There is a massive wooden door that swings open to reveal the authentically recreated Hunter's Lodge. As we step in we are greeted with a thick wall of smoke. As an act of courtesy to non smoking patrons, a smokers area has been established ... three feet from the rest of the restaurant and in the same room.

Walking through the smokers haze, we emerge into the Lodge itself. The room is a mix of rustic wood, old brick and dead native animal. To my left I see what looks like a giant otter, skinned, to my right, a massive bird, stuffed and mounted with its wings in full flight. As the evening goes on, I spot more and more catches proudly on display. 'Friends of the Lodge' have also contributed to the ruggedly real decor - their is a wall of glory, displaying proud men and their catches. One photo takes my fancy. The man is posed dressed in his best camouflage gear, holding a giant fish, squatting next to his cat. Hilarious! The cat looks just as serious as his owner.

The staff is dressed in appropriately themed hunting gear. The female waitstaff wear a creatively redesigned hunting vest, with animal print trim. The barman, and possibly owner, looks like he has literally just stepped back inside after shooting something. Opening the menu confirms my belief that this man is the owner - on the front page of the menu he stands, photographed in his best hunting outfit, holding a massive black gun. His face is stern and focused - he is ready for anything.

We order beer and start looking through the menu. We come across 'home made potatoes'. The Germans at our table tell us they are the most delicious potatoes they have ever had. How can we say no to that?

We order the potatoes, some 'salted cucumber' (turns out to be pickles) and buttered rice.

We wait for a while, having a chat with each other and the Germans who also work at the plant. Everyone seems pretty disgruntled at the projects progress. Marty has had a particularly bad day and drinks his beer with a sigh, and then orders another.

The potatoes turn out to be the savior of the evening - they are in fact genuine Russian potatoes - Dejenko style! They are amazing. We dive into our meals and all agree to come back to the Hunter's Lodge soon.

Once dinner is over, we head home. Our heads swimming from the beer, the cold and the decor. On the slow way home we can still taste the amazing potatoes on our lips. We'll be back hunting lodge.

"You're gonna miss it for sure!"

On Friday night we went bowling with Marty's team and some translators.

In true Australian fashion, the supportive theme of the night was "Loser!".

I think it is how Australian men show love for one another :)

There was beer, bowling and supposedly the best chips in Kazakhstan! This claim was later downgraded to best in Oskemen...

"don't be so lazy ... hatha yoga, hatha yoga, hatha yoga!!!!"

I wasn't sure what image to start this post off with... I went to an Oskemen yoga class last night on the other side of town. It cost 45 tenge to get there by tram (about 30c Australian) and the class was 400 tenge ($3??). So I thought I would show you what the currency here looks like :)

Where to start ...

Marty had been talking to one of the interpreters working for Kazzinc, Kate. He  told her how he enjoyed yoga and that he had been doing some home practice. Kate told him that yoga in Kazakhstan is not really something men usually do :) She said that she was going to take me to a class when I got here, but that Marty shouldn't really go.

So last night was the night. And I now know why Marty shouldn't go...

Kate met me outside of the apartment at about 7:15pm and we decided to catch the tram to class. It was super slippery yesterday because it was a little warmer, which meant the snow started to melt, but then we had some serious cold snaps that froze the melted water and turned it into slick ice. So we ended up walking arm in arm to catch each other when we slipped. I have to admit I did slip a lot more than she did. But, knock on wood, I haven't ended up on my butt yet :)

So we walked over to the tram tracks to wait for the next one. As we were standing there I was chatting like crazy because I had been at home all day by myself, so it was time to catch up in chatter. I even said at one point that the cold made my mouth feel like when you get a shot at the dentist and you feel like you can't talk properly anymore, to which Kate replied "maybe you should stop talking then." Oh. That didn't stop me for too long though.

The tram arrived - an old soviet relic that was still running in Oskemen peak hour - I paid my 45 tenge, and hopped on. We were on the tram for quite a while, with a lot of people giving me funny looks because I was speaking in English to Kate. When we finally reached our destination, I hopped off the tram, went for a massive slide and was luckily caught by Kate.

Continuing to make conversation, I asked what in retrospect was a stupid question, "will the class be in Russian?" ... "but of course!" ...

We walked a few blocks through a suburban neighbourhood, went around the back of what looked like an apartment block, and walked up the front steps of what looked like the back door of a speakeasy - nondescript building, no signage, padded door. I went in first and was greated by at least 20 Kazakh women, crowded into a room no larger than my small bedroom at home (that also had a large reception desk in it), sipping herbal tea from large ceramic bowls. A class had just ended and drinking tea is the final ritual. Kate gave the women sitting at the crowded front desk my name and told her I was Australian ... I think. The lady smiled at me and said...very...slowly...400. I paid and then struggled to take my knee high boots of inside the packed sardine room, hopping around on one foot - I think I knocked into quite a few people trying to enjoy their tea in peace. All I could think to say was "sorry, sorry, sorry". I haven't quite mastered the Russian for sorry yet. No one really understood the profuse apologies I was making. Once my tight boots were off, we made our way up a narrow hall way into another room full of women in their underwear getting changed. Again, in another sardine tin, I hopped about trying to take my tight jeans, socks, gloves, jacket etc off. The class had already started by the time we got inside. I had brought my yoga mat with me, but when we got inside, no one was using mats. Women were just standing on the room's carpet.

Once we were finally in the room, Kate was standing next to me so I was relieved that I could just lean over and ask her any questions I had throughout the class. Within two minutes the instruction came over, grabbed Kate, and moved her to the front of the room. I'm on my own, at the back of the class, I've taken my glasses off and can only see the three women around me clearly - three very well built/robust Russian women in gray tracksuits - and the instructor is yelling in Russian.

The class had started with a warm up - we were standing with our feet wide apart and raising our arms above our head with an inhale, bringing our arms down on the exhale. All I could get from the teacher was tone, thrown over the russian language. So I hear "blahdeblahdeblah HATTA YOGA blahdeblahdeblah". She occasionally whacks her thighs and points aggressively at people in the class or whacks her stomach and says "blahdeblahdeblah HATTA YOGA!!!!!". We continued warming up, eventually standing in a deep goddess pose that was half Utkatasana. We stayed in the pose for a long time - women around me were moaning in pain. As it was, I was sweating and fogging up my glasses. Amongst the moans and gasps of pain, the instructor was keeping us motivated "blahdeblahdeblah HATTA YOGA!!!!! blahdeblahdeblah blahdeblahdeblah!!!!!!!!!!!" (Kate told me after class the our instructor was saying that 'being lazy is easy, don't be easy!!!!!!! You can do it!!!'

But language difficulties and a strange approach to yoga aside, I know a collective female bonding experience when I see it. As the instructor counts us down, gasps increase, she says something to make a joke of the pain, and then we all collectively laugh at how hard we are all finding it together. We finally get to stand up and all look around at each other, with a look on our face that says "We did it!!!" SMILE :)

After some 'stretching', which is what they call the actual yoga part of the session, we move into some join massage/stretching. I am grateful that Kate comes rushing over to stand by me before I even realise what we are doing. I didn't think I could partner with the 'robust' ladies. The first activity is a leg stretch/back massage. I lie on my stomach, Kate grabs my legs and pulls it UP! Then she has to push into my back with her foot. At first, this practice reminds me a bit of Okido Yoga. But with a soviet twist! I nearly felt like I was winded! I must have been making some doubtful noises because Kate said, "You can get revenge next." The next 'massage' focused on the thyroid area near the groin. I was so grateful (again) that Kate was my partner because she could actually explain what on earth was going on. The instructor was demonstrating on another women is class. The impression I got from her actions was that the pelvis would be pushed on very hard until she gave the signal to let go and then "Whooshka!", the blood would flow again into that area. Kate said that apparently it was very good for the womb ... Good news I guess considering my baby clocks' a tickin'... The instructor gave the signal - Kate pushed - HARD - my pelvis felt like it was going to crack! And then "Whooshka!" Womb treated!

It was then my turn to exact my "revenge". I just don't have that rough soviet in me. I always though I was a tough Russian women, but I just couldn't do it as hard as Kate seemed to want me to do it, "Go on! I'm tough woman!"

The next partner stretch was against the wall, lifting legs in the air - pretty straight forward. I was chatting to Kate with my leg in the air when the instructor started talking to Kate and then I heard Kate say "Afstrali" - Australian!

"Ah - I love Australia!" The instructor was now very excited to have me in the class.

We did a bit more of a warm down, I guess you could call it, and then all of a sudden the instructor was clapping and everyone in the class followed. Every face was happy, relieved and relaxed. We then got to out for our post-class tea. It was a delicious chamomile tea served in a large asian styled ceramic bowl. The instructor started asking me what I thought and I told her I thought it was really fun (which it was) and that she was a tough instructor. She liked that. She said that some people are very lazy and is her job to keep them motivated!

All in all - it was a fantastic experience :) I was so happy to get out of the apartment, talk to people and bond with a class full of women.

Marty got to have a boys night out with pizza, pool and beer.

We are going bowling tonight which will be fun. Marty just got home from a very busy day and we have to get ready to go out.

Chat soon!

Lila
xx

PS Below is another picture of the awesome, dark, bohemian coffee shop that I went to yesterday.

lomo fun time

I popped outside today to get a latte from up the road at Cafeeiro. They also have free wifi :)

I was playing with my lomo app on my iPhone and took some pictures inside. They have a beautiful mural on the wall of a butterfly and winter tree.

It was pretty cold and slippery outside. Walking to the cafe was like skating on ice. I was carrying my laptop and camera, and walking slowly with fingers crossed that I wouldn't slip over!

When I went in to the cafe I said in my best Russian - "Strasviche - Kof-fe?" And then the waitress said "English?". Blast! My accent is obviously atrocious!

I did manage to order lunch, two coffees and a cinnamon croissant :)

After drinking the two coffees, however, on my walk home I realised I was busting! It was a slow, painful walk home - making sure not to slip over, but busting to go!

When I got home, the cleaner was in the apartment. I said hello and then to make conversation I said "auchin holodno". Thank you word of the day. She said "da! Holodno". And then she asked "Af-stra-li?" And I said "da". These conversations may seem very simple, but it doesn't mean they aren't totally exciting!!!!! It is great trying to chat in Russian. They only problem is when the native Russian speaker starts getting excited and rambles away in Russian ... they are quickly met by "ya ni pu-ni-mayo Paruski". I don't understand Russian!


Here is my delicious Kof-fe Latte :) It came in quite a large mug. It was delicious!!!


Here is a quick snap I took of our window view using my lomo app.

I am going to an Oskemen yoga class tonight! I am excited and nervous. I'm not sure what to expect. I'll let you know how I go.

Lila

xx

Word of the day: Kho-lad-na (cold)

I'm dreaming of a white ...

It is actually snowing today!!! I was sitting at my work desk and glanced out of the window and the picture above is what I saw. I can't believe the snow is actually collecting on the window sill! It is so white Christmas :)

It is amazing that in a matter of minutes the streets are transformed from grey, wet and dirty to crisp, white and fluffy!


Having never really seen snow before (real snow anyway - when I went to Thredbo on my year 10 ski trip, they were actually using snow machines to pump out "snow"), I have been absolutely amazed that the illustrated interpretations of it are actually acurate. I always thought the beautiful snow flake shapes were just creative ideals rather than the real thing!

When we were sitting on the plane waiting to take off from Almaty, flying to Oskemen, snow flakes were falling on the plane and catching on the window. You could actually see all of the different shapes. While we were sitting on the plane, the snow was getting thicker and thicker. It was eventually covering the wings - Marty leans over and says that snow can actually bring planes down! Apparently it disables the plane's ability to lift up... So I started worrying a bit, but as I am having a quiet freak out, two trucks park on either side of the plane. Then a man sitting in a completely sealed glass box attached to the top of the truck, starts getting raised up - like in a cherry picker. Then we see a hose poking out of the box, and an orange liquid starts squirting all over the wings. The wings are a bright orange and steam is rising up. The liquid changes colour - to a bright, kermit green. Once the wings are covered in 'green', the plane is ready to take off. At least the snow is gone :)

 

Marty and I went to the supermarket the other night and I bought these beautiful biscuits. They are too delicious. I am trying to limit myself to one a day ... it is a struggle :)

There is an aisle in the supermarket that reminds me of my Babushka and Yaiyai's bedrooms. Their rooms were always mysteriously overstocked with lollies, biscuits, cakes, you name it - it was in there! It must be a European thing. If I had any lollies in my room, we would either eat them in our sleep, or the giant cockroaches would find them! The aisle at the supermarket is jam packed with mysterious but delicious looking sweets. Marty and I lingered in this aisle for quite a few minutes, mesmerised, before we snapped out of it and got out of there with just what we came for - toilet paper, a colander and detergent ... and maybe a packet of biscuits ...

I stepped outside on Monday to get a coffee from the local coffee shop before I started work - I wanted to be properly caffeinated. I changed out of my shorts and t-shirt (it is very hot inside the apartment) and put on socks, thermals, jeans, two shirts, a cardigan, a scarf, gloves, my eskimo jacket and knee high boots. I went down the seven flights in the lift, out the three massive metal doors, slipped and slided across the ice covered ground. I was practicing my Russian on my way - "Mozhna kof-fe prazhalsta" ... "spasiba". I arrived at the shop - walked through the Pizza Hut style restaurant on the ground floor, walked up a flight of stairs. I arrived in Cafe Blues, greeted the waitress "Stras-viche", went through my rehearsed order ... "Nyiet"... "what? Ko-fe," I say pointing at the picture in case my poor Russian was worse than I thought ... "Nyiet Ko-fe".

Apparently they don't make coffee until 11:30am ...

So, I have bought some (shudder) instant coffee and a giant coffee mug. I know it says 'I heart chocolate', but it was either this mug or another one that had sexy Russian ladies in suggestive poses all over it.

So I am now enjoying Nescafe in my giant mug with my delicious biscuits ... I mean single biscuit ....

I miss black star coffee ...

Lila
xx

just because we can ...

Missing you Little Puss :) xx

our ashtanga space ...

I enjoyed a full practice yesterday. The view outside the window is amazing. Just above the apartment buildings, you can see snow covered hills. It really helped my focus in Utthita Hasta Padangustasana.

As part of my regular practice, I also did my first Vrkasana (handstand) in Kazakhstan. I felt a little nervous on my first attempt. As I kicked up, I actually managed to hold the pose, unassisted by the wall for about 3 seconds!!! That has never happened before. I definitely felt like celebrating that small victory.

Staying on the subject of yoga, I have been invited to try out the local yoga class on Thursday night. I will let you know how it goes. It was described as an aerobic-fitness yoga class. I am being collected and taken to the class ... I always enjoy trying a new style. It is great to test your confidence and knowledge in your own practice. I will always practice ashtanga, but I love trying a style that other people find so much joy in as well.

Along with the Russian word of the day, I will also have the asana of the day. Today is: Utthita Hasta Padangustasana.

Lila xx

Word of the day: mu-ka

Flour :)

a bit more info ...

I thought I should probably give you a bit more information about myself and the adventure I am on with my husband, Marty.

My husband is currently working in Kazakhstan and I decided to join him. It was never going to be a country on my list of places to see - but having this opportunity is very exciting.

There are language difficulties (Russian is a common language spoken), dietry issues (I am a life-long vegetarian and these are a meat-loving people) and extreme weather conditions (I've come from a very hot Australian summer and have just seen real snow for the first time ever!).

... just to interrupt - our cleaner just arrived and I tried out some Russian. I think she understood ya zhinh-na (I'm wife) and ya ne punimayo paruski (I don't understand Russian). Very exciting! ...

So - we are in a foreign country and are excited about this amazing once in a lifetime adventure.

I am looking forward to deepening my ashtanga practice, learning a new language, cooking up a storm (I feel a bit like a vegetarian Bear Grills - creatively making use of any ingredient I can get my hands on to ensure gourmet survival) and staying creative in my position as Art Director - remote.

I will keep you posted on our adventures.

Lila xx

Hello from Oskemen

I have officially landed in Kazakhstan!

I decided to set up this blog to tell you what far north Kazakhstan was like from an Australian perspective.

I have just left a hot drawn-out summer and arrived in a long drawn-out winter. I have never experienced temperatures like this before. It was -17 degrees yesterday!

I am trying to learn to speak Russian (at least enough to be able to buy food at the supermarket) and will give you my word of the day, each day.

So, on this blog you will learn what Kazakhstan is really like, how a life-long vegetarian/ashtanga practioner survives and a Russian word each day.

Enjoy :)

PS word for today is zhinh-na (wife)