KZBlog is going down (2)
After some thought, I have decided not to renew KZBLog’s lease. As you may have noticed, I don’t do a lot of posting here anymore. I don’t have time to blog regularly. Thus I am taking the site down–it does generate some ad revenue but not as much as it costs to keep it up. […]
Culture
- Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
2011-12-05 - Apples, Sure. But THC is from Kazakhstan too?
2011-10-05 - Naked Man Pot
2011-09-23
- Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
Resources
- Oh, CNN
2012-07-21 - What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
2012-07-19 - Books for Kazakh Students
2011-11-06
- Oh, CNN
Politics
- Image
2011-07-28 - Sub Rosa Endorsement
2011-07-26 - The Naked Truth
2011-06-12
- Image
News
- KZBlog is going down
2013-09-10 - Oh, CNN
2012-07-21 - Repentence
2012-07-15
- KZBlog is going down
Fun
- What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
2012-07-19 - Yurts Are High Fashion and Slum Fashion Too
2011-12-05 - House Hunters Bishkek
2011-12-02
- What Do You Know About Kazakhstan?
Tourism
- Asian Games Torch
2011-01-12 - Wikitravel
2010-08-07 - ALZHIR, the Soviets and Democracy
2010-07-30
- Asian Games Torch
Life in KZ
- Photo Gallery: Almaty Subway
2011-12-07 - Healthcare and the Private Sector
2011-11-30 - Naked Man Pot
2011-09-23
- Photo Gallery: Almaty Subway
Redbubble
Kazakhstan Fashion Week (Comments Off on Kazakhstan Fashion Week)
Apparently the big news in the upcoming Kazakhstan fashion week is that Extyn, an Italian brand, will be debuting it’s Nine to Ten, street-wise fashion line in Central Asia. I’m not really sure if this picture is the right line or not, but it’s all that came up looking for pics of Exytn in Kazakhstan. The Lady Gaga/Princess Amidala lipstick thing doesn’t really do it for me.
It’s not exactly Beyonce’s dereon
Worse Than 3-0? (Comments Off on Worse Than 3-0?)
Saturday is the big game. Kazakhstan and Germany for the World Cup qualifiers. It’s probably not much of a surprise that the ESPN Preview doesn’t look good for Kazakhstan. So far Kazakhstan hasn’t a won a game in their group (Germany, Austria, Turkey, Belgium and Azerbaijan) and Germany hasn’t lost a game.
I was surprised that the named Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev the player to watch:
An attacking midfielder and the creative heartbeat of the national team, Zhumaskaliyev is the top international scorer in Kazakhstan’s ranks, with six goals from 53 caps over the past ten years. Last season, he was named the Kazakhstan Premier League’s Player of the Year after captaining FC Torbol to a first ever title, netting 15 goals along the way. He netted the biggest goal in his country’s history when, in 2007, his header handed the side a shock 2-1 victory over Serbia.
I always keep my eye on Ostepenko personally.
Odds are 1.02 for a Germany win and they’re predicting a worse score than the (quite respectable) 3-0 defeat last time they met in Astana.
The Transition for Ordinary People (1)
Someone stole my idea. A documentary is coming out called My Perestroika, which follows five Russians who lived through the transition from socialism to capitalism. It seems like a really interesting film. I’m always interested to hear stories about what transition was like, not in terms of economic statistics but in personal stories. And also not vague platitudes about how life was better then or life is better now. But concrete stories.
I remember a friend of mine telling a story about how his father came home once with books by Nabokov and Bugalkov that were now available. And another friend who said he had dreamed his whole life of being a Pioneer. Finally, the day came to take the oath. Two days later, the USSR was dissolved!
This film looks like it gets very in-depth and personal and avoids any kind of expert testimony. As of now, it seems to be only playing in the US. The screening times and dates are here.
Medicine Continued (Comments Off on Medicine Continued)
Already got an email about my last post on medical care in Kazakhstan. I thought the question might be of interest to everyone: Is home-care equipment like crutches, wheelchairs, medical step stools, or safety bars in toilets and showers widely available in Kazakhstan?
The answer is yes and no. Vital equipment like wheelchairs or crutches or walkers can be found, at least in the cities, as can less necessary things like blood pressure monitors, electronic thermometers. You might even be able to find hospital beds for home. But other stuff to make life easier like low benches for people in wheelchairs or handrails and commodes for toilets are a bit harder to find. I suspect, though I don’t know, that most people either do without them or jerry rig something. Usually disabled people or older people aren’t left alone so a live-in family member is usually the substitute for home medical supplies.
Don’t know if anyone has had experience with this and has suggestions.
Kazakhstan Wheat is the Most Expensive in the World (1)
According to Kazakh-Zerno, an analytical site, wheat from Kazakhstan rose to US$329.8 a tonne on 10 March, making it the most expensive wheat in the country. How much this is linked to Russia’s wheat export ban, I don’t know.
The article ends by asking, “Should we be proud of this or what?” Now I’m no economist but it seems to me that high wheat prices means a rise in the price of food. Also farmers will be tempted to export their wheat instead of selling it abroad, meaning a wheat shortage inside Kazakhstan, which will also drive up prices. On the other hand, the government may chose to ban the export of wheat or limit it. That will annoy local producers who see potential profits drifting away. There’s also the question of whether the price will be driven so high that importers won’t want to buy Kazakhstan wheat.
Certainly the local population is much more concerned with the problem of prices of bread and flour inside Kazakhstan if the comments on the Kazakh-Zerno article are any indication.
Wedding Rings in Kazakhstan (Comments Off on Wedding Rings in Kazakhstan)
Recently, I’ve been going through my photos of Kazakhstan, organizing, editing, looking for duplicates and also looking for things I want photos of, but haven’t actually shot yet. Like for example, these giant Kazakh wedding rings:
Photo by Leroy and Anne Welling
Actually when you see these rings in the museums, they are referred to as matchmaker rings. I assume that’s a bad translation of marriage rings. But possibly these are given to matchmakers upon completion of a successful job well done?
In either case, nothing like the typical Western scott kay engagement rings.
From Akmola to Astana (Comments Off on From Akmola to Astana)
Ran across a great series of photographs by Manuel Capurso called From Akmola to Astana, which documents Astana capturing both the old and the new.
It’s an interesting set. Anyone who has lived in Astana for some time will have noticed the sharp contrasts between the two cities and the surrealism of new modern buildings being constructed in the middle of the steppe. He’s captured a lot of that as well as some faces of Astana.
I have no idea if the pictures are being exhibited anywhere but there are a few on his site and more on Capurso’s blog.
Healthcare in Kazakhstan (5)
Now I’ve got my mind on living in Kazakhstan, one issue that people contact me about quite a bit is healthcare and medicine in Kazakhstan. What is it like, how much does it cost, how does it work?
First of all, healthcare is a lot cheaper in Kazakhstan than it is in the US. Visiting a doctor can cost around $10-20 dollars. Compare that to the $250 my doctor in the US charges.
Most people do not have any kind of insurance. They didn’t know what to do with my Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Advantage card, for example. A lot of foreign companies do provide some kind of insurance plan but I’ve never used private insurance so I can’t make recommendations. Local businesses usually don’t provide any kind of insurance, but some companies (and a lot of government agencies) have a deal with a local clinic or hospital where you are treated for free.
One issue that you will probably run into at any clinic, especially the public ones, is that most doctors don’t make appointments. That means that you have to show up and wait in line. That can be a very long wait. Some private clinics do let you make appointments which is always nice.
Another issue is that Kazakhstan doctors tend to order a lot more tests than American doctors and will often want to treat every imperfection they find. I once went into a clinic with a pain in my side, and after a series of X-rays and inspections, they discovered that I had a stomach problem. After treating that, I still had the pain. I asked the doctor about it and she said, “Oh, no that had nothing to do with the pain. OK, let’s do some more tests to find the cause of that pain.” On the one hand, I’m glad they treated the problem with my stomach. On the other hand, they never were able to treat me for the pain and eventually it went away on its own.
Finally, Westerners might be surprised at how much medicine Kazakhstan doctors prescribe, including often shots. Where a Western doctor would prescribe an antibiotic, a Kazakh doctor will prescribe two antibiotics to be taken one after the other, a homeopathic remedy, vitamin shots and some other medicine. And yes, medical doctors often assign homeopathic remedies and sometimes they are dressed up like proper medicine. So it’s worth checking online what things are, if like me you don’t really believe in homeopathic treatments. It’s not unusual for them to send you to an acupuncturist, or a massage therapist or chiropractor too.
Other than these caveats, Kazakh medical staff in the cities is not very different from going to the doctor in the US.
I realize I’m opening up commenters to post horror stories left and right about going to the doctor in Kazakhstan, but so be it.
Love in the USSR (Comments Off on Love in the USSR)
Great post by a Peace Corps Volunteer about how her host grandmother and grandfather fell in love. In case you wondered about love and romance among the Soviets.
Updated my Redbubble portfolio… (Comments Off on Updated my Redbubble portfolio…)
Updated my Redbubble portfolio: http://bit.ly/geDCfc
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