Bringing It Home: Family, SCATing, and Translating Basics

The Magical Marvelous Mysterious City: Astana

Our planned early morning flight to Astana was rescheduled to the afternoon as of two days before.  We still decided to get to the airport with solid cushion just in case it was changed again.  All of our other flights were on Air Astana, a comfortable airline that I prefer over any American company.  This flight was on SCAT.  SCAT operates like it sounds.  They fly what look like old Soviet planes, the listed time schedule is in erasable marker, and no one at the airport really seemed to have a good idea what exactly was going on.

I asked the cashier at the airport (as the “Help” counter was closed), when the plane would be arriving.  She said it might be coming at 1:30, with a notable lack of confidence in her voice.  Apparently, no one knew exactly when it would be arriving or where it was, but that hopefully it would arrive in the afternoon.  Good.  It got there eventually and once we boarded at around 2:30, the flight was fine.  The company is clearly not as warm as Air Astana, but we got there and the wings only slightly flapped.

We stepped up to a nice hotel in Astana, the Grand Park Esil, right in the center of the old side of town and near the river.  We relaxed in our fresh A/C and then met another friend for dinner at a fun Kazakh restaurant down the street.  The next morning, we again took a trip out into the steppe, this time for a much flatter experience.  The road to Korghalzhin, the site of another PCV, Jessica, starts out smooth but as soon as the Astana city limit ends, reverts to traditional Kazakhstani road.  We did another home stay at a certified “guest house”.  This woman’s house was very nice and comfortable, with a nice indoor banya.

After getting settled, our guide into the steppe arrived for a day of bird watching, fishing, and steppe immersion.  This area is the northern-most habitat for flamingos.  We saw pink and white flamingos in Kazakhstan.  Then, when fishing later, we saw pelicans.  All of the birds were beautiful and this area contains a huge variety of species that flew right next to the car.  Our guide only spoke Russian and it was just he and my family.  As a result, I was the translator.  Unfortunately, my vocabulary of bird and nature knowledge is limited.  As my family later told me, he would talk for 5 or 10 minutes.  Then, I would turn around and say something like, “There are a great variety of bird species here”.  Presumably understanding I didn’t fully translate what he said, our guide would turn back to me and list the bird species in Russian.  I would then relate those names to my family – in Russian.  Apparently, that wasn’t incredibly helpful.  I found his information really interesting, it was simply finding the right words in English that was the problem, not the initial understanding.  Overall, however, I think I was able to impart a good amount of what he said and we all got something out of it.

After our bird tour, we arrived at the fishery.  The original plan was apparently to have arrived at noon.  When we got there at 2:30, the fishery men were not so amused.  After some argument between them and our guide, a friend of theirs, they made new fresh fried fish and we had the most tastiest lunch yet.  Then, an afternoon of fishing and a small motorboat ride through the river and lakes.  From there, back to the village, dinner at our guesthouse, and sleep.

The next morning, Jessica took us on a tour of her small town.  Years ago, it had a rather large population, particularly being the regional center.  However, after the Soviet Union fell and collective and government supported farming was dropped from the national repertoire, about 60% of the population left.  As a result, the floor plan of the town is rather large.  Sadly, a large portion of the buildings are abandoned, falling down, and the town has the feeling of a young boy wearing his father’s much-to-large old suit.  However, the government is investing a lot of money in the nature reserves and museums in their “host” towns.  So, a huge and beautiful office and museum is almost completed.  Hopefully, this building will be a draw for tourists and start to rejuvenate the local economy.  After our tour, we traveled back to Astana for an afternoon of big city touring in the magical mystery world of Kazakhstan’s capital and dinner at a tasty Russian restaurant near the hotel.

Home Sweet Home: Aktobe

The next morning we jumped on an early flight to Aktobe.  The time change is great, as we departed Astana at 8:10 and arrived in Aktobe at 8:50.  We stayed with my host family, which was absolutely wonderful.  It was very nice to have my two families under one roof and getting to know each other.  My host family has been so important to me over these past months that the opportunity for my family and my host family to spend time together meant a lot.

The first day was spent walking around the city, going to the city museum (and getting not subtly trailed by an older woman docent after my sister tried to slyly take a few pictures), and doing laundry.  We passed out pretty early that night, after a wonderful welcome dinner with my host family and Jennie, the other PCV in Aktobe.

The next day went horseback riding in the morning and then to visit my office in the afternoon.  We rode at Tau, where we have been doing the hippotherapy for disabled children.  Instead of riding in the arena, however, we went up into the mountains.  Due to my father’s broken shoulder, only my mom, sister, and I rode.  While Tau had enough horses for us, they did not have enough saddles.  So, I rode bareback on a horse that only wanted to run.  My thighs were still sore three days later.  After not falling off, though almost sliding off when trying to go downhill after our quick upward climb, we switched the saddles.  I took the smaller horse bareback, and my runner got a saddle and Zara rode him.  After a while, my mom and I switched, she rode back bareback on the small horse, Boy, and Zara and I galloped up into the mountains on our horses.

My organization completely surprised all of us by having a welcome show prepared.  They had invited a dombra player and singer, a newspaper reporter, photographer, and a number of people I have worked with to meet my family.  It was beautiful.  After our interview, we went to lunch at Kurulai’s apartment, then to the American Corner for English Club, and then to an early dinner at a traditional Kazakh restaurant behind the mosque with Kurulai and a few co-workers (for more beshparmak, though with cutlery for all this time, and shubat, camel milk).  English Club was a scavenger hunt that day.  But, before the students went on the prowl, they sang “Happy Birthday” to my father in English and Russian.  After dinner number one, we joined my host family for a later birthday dinner for my father at home.

The next day we decided to take it easy.  Instead of our original idea of another steppe excursion, we walked around, went to the bazaar with some local friends, and relaxed in the afternoon.  We then went to a very tasty (and only) Japanese restaurant in Aktobe with my host family for one last dinner.  It was particularly meaningful as this was the restaurant where we went for my birthday this past year.  After a tearful chai and goodbye, we had a last good night’s sleep in Aktobe.

Return to the Beginning: Almaty Remix

The next morning, Saturday, we all headed back to Almaty.  Since it’s so hard to say goodbye, I joined my family in Almaty for the day and then returned back to Aktobe on Monday morning in time to get back to work after so long away.  For our last night, we stepped up to a nice hotel in the center, the Tien Shan Grand Hotel.  When I booked the hotel a few days earlier, the reservation desk was startled that we wanted to fit four people in one Deluxe Queen room.  We thought that there would be enough space, thinking there was a couch, space for a cot, and a queen size bed; how could that not be enough space for four people?  When we arrived to our room, we realized the reason for their exclamation: no couch in the room.  Regardless, we stuck with the room, and there was still more than enough space for four of us, as we had extra linens and made up a makeshift bed with the futon and comfy chairs for me.  It was a better bed than a lot of other Kazakhstani sleeping arrangements.

Earlier in the day, we went to the Museum of Musical Instruments and had a private concert on a number of traditional Kazakh instruments.  Saturday was wedding day.  In the big park, in front of the Orthodox Church and Memorial for Fallen Soldiers, were probably over 15 wedding parties.  They took pictures, played some games, and placed flowers at the eternal flame.  It was really pretty, though there were definitely some brides and grooms who were not as comfortable with the public photography as others.

4 AM the next morning we woke-up and headed to the airport at 5.  It was really sad to say goodbye to my family after spending a very full two weeks together.  After saying goodbye, hugging, and kissing, I left the airport quickly to not start crying a puddle in the middle of the large crowd of people there.  Thank you family for coming, it was amazing.

For anyone interested in their own tour of Kazakhstan, please be in touch, while it’s tough to get here, trips are fun.  Pictures are on my facebook page.