Friday, September 26, 2003
The Daily Grind
Many of you have asked about our typical day while here in Astana.
Well, after hitting the snooze button three times, we usually hurry to get ready for when our interpreter and driver pick us up at 8 a.m.
Here is Freedja our talented driver (no joke- this man drives like I've never even dreamed of driving).
Our limo has tinted windows and backseat speakers that play a wide spectrum of music...from classical to rap to Russian rock to, yes, Abba "Dancing Queen.
Russian d.j.s are a riot...just wish we understood what they were saying.
Okay, buckle up...here we go. Well, forget the buckle part....there are no seatbelts.
Here's just one of the sunrises we've met along the way.
The ride to AkKol is just under 2 hours one way. The road is fairly narrow...mostly empty, but with spurts of traffic.
Oncoming traffic can be frighteningly close...passing can be terrifying (for suzy, at least). I wonder if there is a law in Kaz that says if there is a car on the horizon you must catch up to it and pass it.......?
Sometimes it looks like we are going nowhere.
The typical terrain on the road to AkKol.
There is often herdsmans with their herds of cattle, sheep or goats grazing near the highway...sometimes right next to it. Still haven't caught a snapshot of that yet.
A roadside cafe.
A roadside mosque.
Another common site on the road to AkKol.
Feedja's great. Funny how he says he doesn't understand English, but often when I say something to him in English he responds appropriately. Hmmmm..... The other day I (Suzy) was alone in the car with Feedja for a few minutes, so I questioned him on this (in English, of course). I told him that I thought the he was just fooling us...that he actually COULD speak English and that he was just pretending he couldn't.....that he was understanding everything we said...that perhaps he wasn't even Russian. To this he laughed (with a twinkle in his eye) and said, "yani pani my-you" (I don't understand)..."no compren-day!" Hmmmm.....
Today when we were entering AkKol, a small flock of sheep decided to cross the road in front of us. As I was fumbling for the camera I noticed that Feedja was not slowing down. Just before he got to the sheep he came to a screeching slow-down (not halt), beeped his horn, and literally "bumped" a sheep . At this, the sheep got the point and made their way off the road and we continued on our way to the orphanage. Perhaps Freedja wanted lamb soup today?
After visiting Tommy at the orphanage, we make the long drive back to Astana, with Jon and I usually napping in the back. We will spend the rest of the afternoon either shopping or working on our website. Then out to dinner. We are getting spoiled in that the food here is incredibly inexpensive AND FABULOUSLY DELICIOUS !
Then to bed around 11 pm ...and the start of another day.
Above is a photo of the apartment complex where we are staying. We are fortunate to be staying in the nicest part of Astana, with the riverwalk directly behind our apartment, and excellant dining and shopping within walking distance.
It's been a great time here in Astana, but we are both feeling ready now to go home. We miss Mikel and Mia and Zachary incredibly and are eager to bring Tommy home to them.
Here's another Kaz driver....
....on his way to America before you know it!
ps- I know, I know.....your wanting to see more pictures of Tommy and the other cuties. Just hang on. Our journal wouldn't be complete without photos of Astana, AkKol, and our daily commute .... would it?
I promise the next two days will be exclusively the cuties of Kaz.....I promise.
Well, after hitting the snooze button three times, we usually hurry to get ready for when our interpreter and driver pick us up at 8 a.m.
Here is Freedja our talented driver (no joke- this man drives like I've never even dreamed of driving).
Our limo has tinted windows and backseat speakers that play a wide spectrum of music...from classical to rap to Russian rock to, yes, Abba "Dancing Queen.
Russian d.j.s are a riot...just wish we understood what they were saying.
Okay, buckle up...here we go. Well, forget the buckle part....there are no seatbelts.
Here's just one of the sunrises we've met along the way.
The ride to AkKol is just under 2 hours one way. The road is fairly narrow...mostly empty, but with spurts of traffic.
Oncoming traffic can be frighteningly close...passing can be terrifying (for suzy, at least). I wonder if there is a law in Kaz that says if there is a car on the horizon you must catch up to it and pass it.......?
Sometimes it looks like we are going nowhere.
The typical terrain on the road to AkKol.
There is often herdsmans with their herds of cattle, sheep or goats grazing near the highway...sometimes right next to it. Still haven't caught a snapshot of that yet.
A roadside cafe.
A roadside mosque.
Another common site on the road to AkKol.
Feedja's great. Funny how he says he doesn't understand English, but often when I say something to him in English he responds appropriately. Hmmmm..... The other day I (Suzy) was alone in the car with Feedja for a few minutes, so I questioned him on this (in English, of course). I told him that I thought the he was just fooling us...that he actually COULD speak English and that he was just pretending he couldn't.....that he was understanding everything we said...that perhaps he wasn't even Russian. To this he laughed (with a twinkle in his eye) and said, "yani pani my-you" (I don't understand)..."no compren-day!" Hmmmm.....
Today when we were entering AkKol, a small flock of sheep decided to cross the road in front of us. As I was fumbling for the camera I noticed that Feedja was not slowing down. Just before he got to the sheep he came to a screeching slow-down (not halt), beeped his horn, and literally "bumped" a sheep . At this, the sheep got the point and made their way off the road and we continued on our way to the orphanage. Perhaps Freedja wanted lamb soup today?
After visiting Tommy at the orphanage, we make the long drive back to Astana, with Jon and I usually napping in the back. We will spend the rest of the afternoon either shopping or working on our website. Then out to dinner. We are getting spoiled in that the food here is incredibly inexpensive AND FABULOUSLY DELICIOUS !
Then to bed around 11 pm ...and the start of another day.
Above is a photo of the apartment complex where we are staying. We are fortunate to be staying in the nicest part of Astana, with the riverwalk directly behind our apartment, and excellant dining and shopping within walking distance.
It's been a great time here in Astana, but we are both feeling ready now to go home. We miss Mikel and Mia and Zachary incredibly and are eager to bring Tommy home to them.
Here's another Kaz driver....
....on his way to America before you know it!
ps- I know, I know.....your wanting to see more pictures of Tommy and the other cuties. Just hang on. Our journal wouldn't be complete without photos of Astana, AkKol, and our daily commute .... would it?
I promise the next two days will be exclusively the cuties of Kaz.....I promise.
