


Tuesday, March 23 - Random Things: 3 T of Corley’s Market ground coffee in Starbuck’s coffee press (bought at home) makes a really good cup of coffee (John gets the first cup since he likes it stronger, and I run water back through press a second time and it is just right for me; especially with the 1.5% milk in it and NOT the 3,2% milk or whatever that was we bought that can sit up all by itself – oh the joy of a good cup of coffee. If you want to fit in here, or blend in, wear black (boots, coats, hats) and not the royal blue jacket and bright red coats that John and I are wearing. Do you think they can tell we are foreigners?? I decided to leave a long warmer BROWN coat home at the last minute since Karaganda temperatures (found on the internet) were rising last week. Zhanat (corrected spelling for our facilitator) says that Kazaks wear brighter colors in the spring. When walking on ice – shuffle and slide (can be done very gracefully) rather than picking up your feet. To blend in with the Kazak’s, wear smaller more fitted shoes and boots. If you want to have warm feet, wear the klunkers with lots of lining and rubber like we have. Zhanat thinks all Americans have big feet – ha! Who needs a thermostat for temperature control? When it’s too warm in the apartment you tilt open the window to outdoors. If you’re still to warm you swing it wide from side hinges. I pity our apartment neighbors who are not as fortunate as we are to have newer windows that actually open. Not sure who decides how warm the building is to stay. Just grateful for the warmth. Kazaks do want to help you work through the language barrier. We have not been laughed at yet for our efforts of speaking Russian (at least not to our faces). Before going into the market, I wrote on my hand Yah tohl-kah smart you –the phoenetic way to say “I am just looking” so that I wouldn’t feel like a moron when a store clerk spoke to me (even though I haven’t a clue if she was asking if I needed help finding something.) Still struggling to remember how to say Ya ne poinimayu which means “I don’t understand.” Saying anything to them in English seems to work just the same.
We did not see Gulnara today. Went to Café Karagandy by ourselves and had chicken and rice and soup and Fanta orange (sometimes it is easier to ask for a product we are familiar with) while we checked e-mails, ect. Zhanat joined us there at 1 and we talked him into letting us ride the city bus (30 tenge per person, approx. 20 each) instead of taxi (a taxi is any car with a plastic taxi sign stuck on it’s top OR anyone who pulls over and stops when you stick out your arm, as Gulnara did yesterday). It felt more like “being in the bubble” with Kazak people while riding on bus and walking through the bazaar (or sliding over ice through outdoor bazaar). Only bought a washcloth at the market. Not too into shopping right now since 1) don’t know if we’ll even be staying if our meeting on Thursday at babyhouse does not go well and 2) if we do stay we may be here longer than expected and thus need our money to last.
6:10PM (8:10AM at home) we were finally abl able to talk with Cooper and Connie on skype. Poor Cooper had just woken up (or was woken up to talk to us). Thank you Connie for all your troubles. Also had success in talking with Kelly and Tucker on skype. Will get to “see” Brady on skype this week as he heads to Alabama to stay with the Malones and they can skype.
Ended the evening with 2 episodes of King of Queens and reading. I’m working through reading Russian for Dummies, something that would have been better to have invested time with over past several months BEFORE coming here. Just didn’t have it in us (nor not a lot of time) to learn a new language since we invested in weekly Spanish classes for 3 months (in fall of 07) when we thought we were adopting a 4yo from Guatemala.
We did not see Gulnara today. Went to Café Karagandy by ourselves and had chicken and rice and soup and Fanta orange (sometimes it is easier to ask for a product we are familiar with) while we checked e-mails, ect. Zhanat joined us there at 1 and we talked him into letting us ride the city bus (30 tenge per person, approx. 20 each) instead of taxi (a taxi is any car with a plastic taxi sign stuck on it’s top OR anyone who pulls over and stops when you stick out your arm, as Gulnara did yesterday). It felt more like “being in the bubble” with Kazak people while riding on bus and walking through the bazaar (or sliding over ice through outdoor bazaar). Only bought a washcloth at the market. Not too into shopping right now since 1) don’t know if we’ll even be staying if our meeting on Thursday at babyhouse does not go well and 2) if we do stay we may be here longer than expected and thus need our money to last.
6:10PM (8:10AM at home) we were finally abl able to talk with Cooper and Connie on skype. Poor Cooper had just woken up (or was woken up to talk to us). Thank you Connie for all your troubles. Also had success in talking with Kelly and Tucker on skype. Will get to “see” Brady on skype this week as he heads to Alabama to stay with the Malones and they can skype.
Ended the evening with 2 episodes of King of Queens and reading. I’m working through reading Russian for Dummies, something that would have been better to have invested time with over past several months BEFORE coming here. Just didn’t have it in us (nor not a lot of time) to learn a new language since we invested in weekly Spanish classes for 3 months (in fall of 07) when we thought we were adopting a 4yo from Guatemala.
No comments:
Post a Comment