The $2000 Mistake

So we left Almaty on Sunday morning, 22 December, headed for New York City. Thankfully our flight was not delayed as several co-workers coming from Shymkent the previous night had been delayed in a storm. The itenerary was to fly to St. Petersburg, Russia, transfer to Moscow, then fly on to New York City's JFK airport. We bought the tickets with Aeroflot Airlines because they were one of the cheapest airlines to allow Lulu to travel with us. So, out of Almaty without a hitch, headed to "Amrika."

Upon landing in St. Petersberg everyone was herded onto transport buses that took us to the terminal. When we entered the terminal there was just a lady at a desk directing people to where they needed to be. Levi fought his way through the crowd to ask where we should go. He was told to go to Passport Control. We were confused because we just needed to catch a connecting flight, but we stood in line anyway because there was no where else to go. After about 3 minutes a passport agent approached us from behind and asked about our situation. He told us that if we did not have a visa that we would be fined and sent back to Almaty. Panic began to set in for me - there is no way I wanted to go back, 5.5 hours, to Almaty to start this whole thing over again. We discussed the issue a bit and found that there is no way for Americans to apply for a transit visa right there in the airport, so we had two options. One, pay the fine and fly back to Almaty, or, two, buy tickets to fly out of St. Petersberg to another country.

We were taken back to the entrance of the passport control area to wait for an Aeroflot representative to meet with us about the issue. Neither one of us could figure out how to get internet on our phones, and free internet was not available in the area we were sitting. The rep. came by and we chatted a bit. He told us there was a flight to Paris, Nice, or Prague that we could take; we asked for prices to Paris (I figured it was closer to NYC than the other two). He gave us a quote in Rubles, which didn't help since we had no idea of the exhange. He did bad math in his head and said it would be a total of $6,600 for us to get to Paris!!! I told him that we didn't have that much money. Levi and I tried to discuss it, but after a few minutes he interupted and said he couldn't stay with us all day because he had other work to do. I fiddled around with my phone for a minute and finally got the internet to work over the network (no 3G service here, I used my minutes per MB). I pulled up Orbitz and started a search. Luckily, the representative received a phone call and had to run off. I had enough time to find a flight for $667 a person through Warsaw, Poland [with a 21 hour layover] and onto NYC. It put us a day behind schedule, but it was definetely cheaper than $6,600 for us to just get to Paris.

The original passport control agent that had approached us continued to check in to see what was happening. We were finally able to tell him we were booking the flight to Warsaw. He was awesome - really if it hadn't been for him we would have been flying back to Almaty. We gave him our baggage tags and he hunted down our bags. He came back the first time and told us my bag was lost. I kept it together until he walked away and then I broke down crying, that was the "straw that broke the camel's back." Five minutes later another agent approached to say that he had tracked down my bag and it was in the airport. He went off to retrieve it; that was a relief. So, fully contained, we trekked off with our bags to a different terminal, ready to settle in and wait the extra 4 hours until our flight to Warsaw. We flew with LOT Polish Airlines and they were so understanding and helpful through the whole process.

The terminal had free internet so we were able to do some research on whether or not we could take a dog into the country. Fortunately, their policies covered what we had on her, basically they needed her shot records and to be sure she had a rabies shot. We did a bit of research on the city to figure out some things to check out since we'd be stuck there so long.

The manager for LOT airlines came to visit us closer to check-in time to help us figure out tickets, seats, and checking our luggage. He seemed to bend over backwards for us! It was incredible and I highly recommed using LOT if you're traveling through Europe. He was sure to get us a whole row of seats on the way to Warsaw (so 4 seats to ourselves and the dog); and, to our surprise, he gave us a set of 3 seats together on the way to NYC (in a packed plane nonetheless). The service on both planes was great and the flight attendants were very friendly. Although I never wish to be stuck in Russia like that again, I am very thankful to all the players that helped us to "escape" and made it as bearable as possible.

Overall, we learned our lesson about flying through Russia - GET A VISA!!!

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Winter break at school started at 5 pm on Friday December 20th, and Levi and I had big plans. We had set up a great schedule to spend Saturday in Almaty (the former capital of Kazakhstan), then fly to New York City to spend Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday morning, then fly home to Denver just in time for Christmas. Friday night we took the short, one-hour flight to Almaty and checked into a nice bed and breakfast we discovered on Booking.com, called the Guest House on Sadovaya. I highly recommend this place if you need somewhere to stay in Almaty!

We landed in Almaty around 11:30pm, and the owner of the Guest House picked us up at the airport and whisked us to the BNB for bed time. After a HUGE breakfast in the morning we went in search of a dog crate because Lulu, our pug, would have to fly in cargo during one of the flights home. Once that was taken care of we took a stroll through Panfilov Park.

In the center of the park is a monument to The Civil War (World War  I) and to the Patriotic War (World War II). On the left side of the above picture is a statue honoring the first and on the right is the statue honoring the latter.

This eternal flame sits among the statues as a constant reminder.

This is the main statue that pays tribute to the people that took part in both wars from all 15 of the Soviet republics. Hopefully, it's easy to see the scale of this statue based on the people standing in front. That little girl in the pink coat is only about 3 feet (1 m) tall. Once you stand underneath it, the full scale is hard to believe. Unfortunately, all of the writings around the tributes were in Kazakh or Russian so it's difficult for us to discern the true meaning of everything. But overall, it's an amazing reminder.

This man was sitting in the park (on quite a chilly day) playing for money. As we approached he started playing "Let it Be" by The Beatles, this became our theme for the day as you'll see below.

At the far end of the park there was a group of people feeding the pigeons. It was fascinating to watch them fly towards whomever had the food. One little girl was repeatedly taking bits of dry bread out of a sack, stomping on them to break them into crumbs, and bending down to try to pet the birds as they ate the crumbs. Others would stand still and then a flock would fly around them towards the next group of people with food. I don't know why but we stood staring at this scene for quite some time.

 At the far end of the park is Zenkov Cathedral. It may be the only wooden cathedral in the world and was built without using any nails. Amazingly, it survived a huge earthquake in 1911, and has been used as a museum at one point. It is an active Russian Orthodox church so we were unable to take pictures inside, which contained different areas dedicated to saints. Each saint had a candle stand in front of it and candles were available for lighting. The elaborate decorations and paintings on the walls were overwhelming. Intense scenes of hell and heaven, people waiting in line to see Jesus, small scenes of Jesus with the 12 apostles, and other various scenes from the Bible were depicted throughout. The back wall and alter were covered in pictures of Jesus and various saints framed in gold. It was a solemn and beautiful place.

Our next stop in Almaty was Kok-Tobe, a mountain-top overlooking the city. You hop into a cable car from the city center and travel upwards from there, over neighborhoods and highways. 

This is the building you go into and come out of after riding the cable car. They are ready for Christmas!

Almaty from Kok-Tobe.

The famous Apple Fountain at Kok-Tobe.

We ate at a cafe at the top of Kok-Tobe. Inside was shaped like a traditional Yurt. The seating along the wall was filled with pillows and cushions, and the decor was "fancy" looking! They are ready for Christmas here too.

The main attraction, and the whole purpose I wanted to go up Kok-Tobe was to see the statue of The Beatles!!! We were so excited (I think we took at least 20 pictures of this statue with us standing around it). John Lennon is sitting with the guitar, Paul McCartney is standing behind John and to the left. Ringo Starr is standing behind the bench, while George Harrison has his leg up on the bench. It looks as if people have spent a lot of time carving their names and phrases into the bronze bench the group is hovering around.

On our walk back from the cable cars we saw this awesome Christmas tree. The city is full of lighted scenes. As we left the airport the day before we saw a whole scene consisting of a yurt, horses, and people. I would have loved to spend time touring around at night just taking pictures of their Christmas decorations!

At the end of the day we decided to eat at a popular expat hangout - The Guns & Roses Pub. It's a rock and roll themed place, so the menu has pictures of Guns 'n' Roses, Nirvana, Ozzy Osborne, and other various rock bands. We were excited to see more "western" food offered on the menu, so we tried some nachos and hamburgers. It made a great end to an interesting day.

Independence Day is Approaching

This week at school we are celebrating Kazakhstan history. December 16 and 17 are Independence Days, so leading up to it we are treated to information about Kazakhstan and its presence in history and today. Several times a day, students come over the intercom system and give us information about Kazakhstan, in Kazakh, Russian, and, sometimes, English. One of the tidbits I remember is the fact that Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, and that English is an increasingly important language to learn.

 To kick off the week, students created a presentation in the auditorium. There was dancing, poems, informative quotes, and even dombra  playing! It was very entertaining.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Shymkent has in store as far as celebrations for Monday and Tuesday. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

The First Real Snow Day in Shymkent!

            Today was the first real snowy day in Shymkent. We’ve had a dusting of snow that did not stick to the ground, especially the streets, for long, but last night we had an accumulation of snow. Of course, I thought that I would come here and buy boots for winter, but come to find out my feet are too big for the shoes they offer, so I’ve been stuck. It would have been handy to have those boots today because I walked through quite a bit of slushy snow to get around my building and to the street to find a taxi. Thankfully, the taxi driver we’ve been using quite frequently was there waiting for me. I walked right up and got in his toasty warm car (bonus to not having to warm up my own car!).

Those tiny dots just above the light post are people.

            The roads were thick with slushy snow and we started on our way. Along the sides of the streets is a ditch about half a meter (1.5 feet) deep. As we were driving I kept thinking, “I can’t really see that ditch and it is pretty slick out here. I wonder if anyone ever slides right into one.” The taxi driver took his time along the roads and didn’t rush up on anyone and even let someone merge from the side of the road, so I knew that I would make it to school safely. Just like at home, there is no one to shovel off sidewalks, so a lot of people were walking along side the road. Several of them looked as if they’d been splashed by the mud and snow. Also, I think this is true for most days, but there were a lot of cars just parked on the side of the road. It’s more noticeable when two lanes become one and everyone is squeezing around those parked awkwardly on the side.

            The windshield wiper on my side didn’t quite clear the whole windshield so I was left with blurry snow vision all the way, but I tried to squint out to see where we were headed. It’s still pitch black here at 7:30 am, so that was a trial too. Half way to school I saw three plows going along the other side of the road; I can only imagine those guys have been out all night!

Out the window of my office.

            As we approached one stop light the taxi slide a little bit and the driver made the classic mistake of NOT turning into the slide. He quickly corrected the wheel and by the time we were done sliding the car was still facing the right way. At the bottom of the hill from school I could see a group of people huddled around a car. Once we were close enough I could see that the front passenger wheel of the car was in one of those huge ditches, well, that answers my previous quandary! It is difficult to discern what happened but I can assume that the driver was attempting to turn from one street to the next and under estimated the location of the ditch. Bummer!

            The road in front of the school was jammed packed with cars going up and down. Two cars sat facing the same way but on opposite sides of the road and directly across from each other, thereby creating a one-way street between them. As we turned onto the road we got stuck behind a line of cars waiting to pass through the one-way. I could see the road was very slick here. Our line began to move and we crept passed the two cars and up the hill. About half-way up we had to stop again, but this time the car wasn’t having it and we were stuck. The driver tried with all his might – uh, pushing the gas pedal as hard as he could – but our tires just spun like crazy with no traction. I figured he would try to back up and start again, but he just looked at me and raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders. That means it’s time for me to get out. I paid the fare, stepped out into a snow bank, and trekked the rest of the way up the hill to school. No complaints here, at least I made it that far without incident!

The school courtyard.

            The hillside trek wasn’t too bad, even in my sneakers. There was a nice path right up the middle of the sidewalk carefully carved out by all the walkers before me. I stepped into line with several other people and tried to keep pace. I survived and have lived to tell this tale, and that’s the story of my first snow day in Kazakhstan.

(PS Through the weekend it will be in the 40s and by Monday it will be back in the 50s again, so pretty much just like Denver!)

That's a chilly jungle gym!

Doctor, doctor give me the news!

Getting sick in a country where you don’t speak the language proves it’s own challenges! Over the past 2 weeks I’ve been to the doctor twice. This is not typical for me, if fact I didn’t expect to see the doctor here at all, but things happen and plans change.

            Two weeks ago I had a terrible cold, coughing, sore throat, headache, the works; I woke one morning and could barely breathe. I decided it best to stay home and rest. By that evening I had not recovered and knew that I wouldn’t make it to work the next day. My contract states that I am required to visit the doctor and get a certificate for being sick more than one day. The next day I showed up at our provider’s door asking for services. Interteach is a health provider located in Kazakhstan, Germany, and several other Central Asian locations. The people are great, but no one seems to speak English (not surprising, just challenging).

            I went in prepared with Google Translate and screen shots already of certain phrases I knew I would need. The man at the front was a bit exasperated to begin with and once he found out that I didn’t speak English he became frustrated. He was able to use Translate to get the basics out of the way and got me set up with a new file. Then onto the doctor, who, I was told, did not speak any English either and asked if I could provide a translator (um, no?!?! I just need to talk to him I feel like crap!). I convinced them that we could communicate using Google Translate too. This seemed to satiate their needs and I was allowed into his office.

            I sat in a chair next to his desk and Levi sat on the medical bed behind me. The assistant set him up on the website and we were off. He was a great doctor, asking all the right questions and getting me what I needed. We had to wait for the certificate to be filled out so we sat chatting a bit. He was excited to use the Translate service and ask a lot of questions about America. At the end, when we stood to leave, the doctor stood up with his fist on his heart and proclaimed loudly, “viva America!” We smiled, thanked him and left the office.

            Last week I started having stomach issues and by Wednesday I was unable to stand for longer than a few minutes due to the cramping. I went back to the doctor to figure out this new problem. The man at the front recognized me right away, and tried to help those around me first and then scurried off to find my file. The filing system in the office seems a bit chaotic with folders stuck randomly in letter labeled boxes. The assistant pulls the right box with someone’s last initial but then spends five minutes scouring the pile of folders to find the right one. My file must have wandered off because I’m pretty sure the guy left the building to find it! (maybe they had it in a billing section since I had just been there?!?!). Once he had the file he led me right into the doctor’s office – no questions, no waiting, no paperwork.

            The doctor was glad to see me and immediately stopped what he was doing to talk with me. He couldn’t remember how to get to the Google Translate page, so he called someone in to help him out. Once that was up we were on a roll. I gave him my symptoms and he starting asking a lot of questions. There was no examination, no looking at my tongue or taking my temperature, just questions.  He hit the nail on the head with every question though, and easily diagnosed me with acute intestinal inflammation. I had denied a prescription the week before because there’s not much that can be done for a viral cold, but this time I knew drugs would help. He wrote out a prescription for 3 different medicines, gave me the directions for each and sent me on my way. Again with the “viva America!”

            The pharmacy is only a few blocks away and even though I was feeling like crud I made the walk. Half way there I remembered that I had hung up my coat on the coat rack inside the door and had left it there. Levi volunteered to return later and pick it up. Upon arriving at the pharmacy, we went in, handed the lady the prescription, she filled it and we were done (what? No paying?!?!? Crazy!). I spent the next 4 days in bed and by Sunday evening I was feeling better and ready to venture away from the flat.

            Even though I had to visit twice to that place I am thankful for Google Translate and the willingness of the doctor to see me. It’s been almost a week and I’m feeling so much better and I’m back at work. It’s good to know that I can get the help I need when I need it.