KZBlog

An American expat living in Astana, Kazakhstan

Tag archive for ‘Астана’

  • Lightning Kills Woman

    Two days ago during a flash thunderstorm, a woman was killed by lightning when she was swimming in the river. Lightning hit the water and injured another 5 to 10 people, depending on which news source you read. By the way, the emergency call was responded to very quickly. I was home when the rain […]

    8/07/10 • (4)

  • Astana Water to Be Shut Off

    This is a Public Service Announcement. Just got this email from the US Embassy: The Astana city water authority has announced that the water supply for the entire city will be shut off for maintenance from 10pm tonight until 4pm tomorrow (Wednesday, August 4th). The actual outage may be shorter, however it would be prudent […]

    8/03/10 • (4)

  • The Unstylish Need Not Apply

    Two weeks ago, the President announced that, “Residents of Astana should look like residents of the capital. The inhabitants of Astana themselves agree the capital should be at the level of world capitals, including in fashion. There are many stylish clothes in the shops However, by their own admission, not all residents try to take […]

    4/20/10 • (Comments Off on The Unstylish Need Not Apply)

  • Igor Larra

    Two Attacks on Journalists

    Another article that got lost in the to-post-on files: Two reporters Attacked. The first was Igor Larra who works for the independent newspaper Svoboda Slova (Freedom of Speech) on the 24th of March in Aktobe, Kazakhstan near his home. The attackers, three men, allegedly said “Greetings from Zhanaozen” before beating him. At the time, there […]

    4/10/10 • (Comments Off on Two Attacks on Journalists)

  • Fruit at a Small Store in Astana

    Shopping in Astana

    So I get a lot of emails from people planning to move here, or doing weird things like doing a role playing game, who want very specific information on living here. As a PSA, I try to tackle the most frequent questions here every now and again. The topic today is doing the shopping and […]

    4/06/10 • (19)

  • If You Make 70 Gifts for 70 Years, I’ll Fire You

    In another part of the President’s speech yesterday he noted that gift-giving is something that has to stop. Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that there is no budget item for gifts for fellow civil servants and threatened to report people who give too many gifts:
    Gazeta.kz quotes the President, “Accounts Committee, regularly reports to me about the most serious violations. People buy expensive cars, expensive electronic devices and begin to furnish their offices, buying expensive furniture. It’s a waste of everything.”

    3/13/10 • (1)

  • Breaking News: Out with the Old Ministries, In with the New

    Today, speaking at a meeting with the local governors (akimats) on the Industrial Innovation Strategy 2014, President Nursultan Nazarbayev introduced a number of large changes to the Ministries [RUS] of Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Tourism, Information and Communication will be split into two Ministries, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communication. […]

    3/12/10 • (Comments Off on Breaking News: Out with the Old Ministries, In with the New)

  • Learn How to Drive Like a Kazakh

    Learn How to Drive Like a Kazakh

    Kazakhstan has its first video game! Astana Racer is a racing game set in Astana and apparently features a variety of cars from the Mitsubishi Lancer to a BMW. You can race all over the city from the Left Bank to the old center of town. The game is for sale at Meloman stores and […]

    12/28/09 • (3)

  • Ice Village

    Ice Village

    One of the things I am looking forward to for New Years is the Ice Town. Although I hear that they do this in Scandinavian countries, I have never seen it anywhere but Astana so I like to think of it as a unique attraction in Kazakhstan. They’ve probably already started digging ice up out […]

    12/18/09 • (1)

  • A Beach 30 Minutes from Astana

    A Beach 30 Minutes from Astana

    Another comment I’m reposting from the Tourism page–leave a comment there on your recommendations of what to do in Kazakhstan and I’ll repost it on my blog, plus give you a credit/link of your choice. Bozaigyr: A small beach next to a lake north of Astana. There’s a cafe that serves food–shashlik and so on. […]

    12/15/09 • (Comments Off on A Beach 30 Minutes from Astana)