Just a little further up Sary Arka (the street we live on) from ‘Mega’, the shopping centre that opened up a few months ago, we now have another one. This one appears not to have a supermarket in it, though it does have (another) multi-screen cinema. The thing that surprised me (thanks to Walton for pointing it out) is that both Mega, and this newer one, have a cinema from the same chain. So that within 5 minutes walking distance, we have a 6 screen and an 8 screen cinema, apparently competing with each other, but both from the same company.
Anyway, Irina popped over this afternoon to check it out with her mum, so should there be anything particular interesting about it, I’ll post further details later.
Feb 16 2008
Another Shopping Mall Opens
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Dec 04 2007
No Internet At Home
As I mentioned yesterday, we are changing our ISP to Megaline. Right now, there is no connection at home, so I am posting this from the office at work. If anyone needs to get in contact, telephone or texting would be best. David, if you are reading this, I hope you arrived safely in Almaty, and look forward to meeting you soon. Assel, just in case I don’t meet Walton in time, have a safe journey.
Megaline, in the 1 in a billion chance you read this, I am not picking up an IP address from your hardware, all other settings are OK (VPI, VCI, LLC, PPPoE etc.)
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Oct 26 2007
Started A New Job This Week…
Thanks to our friend Walton, I started a new job this week, teaching English to Russians and Kazakhs that want to improve their language skills.
Before people start spitting coke/tea/coffee all over their monitors, I should point out that I am really just there to provide conversational practice, rather than drill the intricacies of grammar rules into the victims pupils. So far I have one student four times a week, and another just once. As they don’t know this blog exists I am obviously not about to post their names, but the first is a retired man who used to work in the airline industry, and wants to improve his English for speaking to foreigners when he travels, and the other is still at school. The first person will have their lessons at 11.30am, which is good for me, as I don’t need to worry about getting to bed before 3am the preceding night, however as the 2nd pupil is still at school, I will need to be at the office by 9am once a week! Don’t go expecting too many blog posts on a Monday night for a while 🙂
Although this blog earns me more money per hour of work than this ‘real’ job, any extra certainly helps, as Ira and I will be travelling to Britain this Christmas for Mum & John’s wedding. Hopefully either Ira’s Mum or both parents will be coming as well, with Balzhan and Ildar another possibility. Anyway, I hope to make a proper post on the planned happy events this Yule tide a little later.
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Sep 13 2007
What I Will Miss…
Although I’m obviously hyped up over going back to Amsterdam and Britain next Friday, my mind can not help dwelling on just how much I am going to miss some things over here in Kazakhstan
Obviously my wife, Ira, comes first. I will be away for just under a month, which will be the longest we have been apart, at least since we got married, possibly since we met. (I can’t remember the longest she ever returned to Kazakhstan without me before).
Our friends and family in this country. Although my communication with Ira’s family is still at a pretty basic level, I feel as though they have got to know me a little better at least. Not spending Saturday evenings with Walton and Asel will be strange, though I hope to make up for lost time (and steak, chips and vodka 😉 ) when I return.
Our kittens. As I work from home, Karra and Muska have someone in the flat with them nearly all day everyday, apart from Sunday’s when we visit the in laws. I recently mentioned just how much I’ve changed when it comes to cats – before moving to Kazakhstan, cats were something to look at from a distance – past a certain comfort zone, I always felt like they were liable to claw me without warning. Since we have our own cats, I have learned how to read them a little better, and when they mis-behave, I feel comfortable telling them off – not something I felt able to do with other people’s cats.
Taxis – or rather the fact that almost any ‘normal’ (read not rich) driver would consider stopping to pick up a pedestrian to earn a little extra cash. In Britain, walking everywhere is a lot cheaper than the taxis there, and other than long distance hitch hiking, your options are limited.
Irina – I know I’ve mentioned her already, but I’m not sure what life will be like without her being next to me…
Sep 13 2007
Met With Dan
Earlier this year, someone contacted me, having read 2006’s posts on the fun and frollocks involved when we sorted out my resident’s permit. Although he (Dan) had been visiting Kazakhstan (Shymkent specifically) since the early 90s, he was actually moving over here with Kazakh wife (sound familiar 🙂 ), and wanted to check if there were anything matters he should get sorted before leaving Britain. Anyway, skip forward a few months, and I heard back from him, that all was well, he had a job, and his wife seemed happy. Earlier this month, he discovered he would be driving his sister-in-law’s car to Astana, as she had moved, and wanted the freedom that a motor vehicle afforded her. We decided to use this opportunity to actually meet in the real world.
After a minutes thinking, Ira and I decided to take him to an Argentinian / Mexican / American / Italian restaurant that we had previously visited with Walton and his lovely wife. When I phoned Dan, we discovered that his journey over had been mostly uneventful, especially the sections of mile after mile of featureless steppe. Having arrived a little later than intended, he had spent the evening and early night at one restaurant, and then they had moved onto a 24hr place (actually Cafe Shymkent, weird coincidence!) and stayed there eating and drinking until 7am!
However, when we met Dan, it turned out that the restaurant he had started the previous night’s celebrations in was the same one we were heading to! It can’t have been a bad steak the night before, as he and his sister-in-law were both happy to return there. I took a long my camera to try and create another visual record of the courses we ordered, but as this was the first time Dan and I had met, I forgot all about it until the end. Anyway, Ira and I can not have made too bad an impression of your average Cheltonian and Astanite, as he repeated his offer of entertaining us should we manage to make it down to Shymkent 🙂
I couldn’t decide which of Dan’s photos to use – the smiling one with a blurry hand in concealing his face, or the clearer, less joyful expression, so have both 🙂
Now we have his wife’s sister (I forgot to write down her name, I’m sure he’ll remind me soon enough ;)), Ira and a plate of free water melon the restaurant supplied 🙂
After that we went for a drive around an area of Astana that his wife’s sister had not yet familiarised herself with yet. We both look forward to meeting up with Dan et al in the future.
Sep 10 2007
Happy Birthday Tom…
Today Tom, of LifeOf2Me fame has his birthday. I don’t know how old he will be, so lets be nice, and assume 32? I hope today brings you the company of many friends, and that they all remind you what a great person you are to have around.
For newer readers to this blog, Tom spent some time in Astana this and last year, before moving back to America, and then taking some Afghan kids to Kyrgyzstan on a summer camp, with Walton.
I hope we manage to meet up again some time soon, in any case, don’t work too hard, and keep on being your brilliant self 🙂
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Sep 07 2007
Walton At Chelsea
Last night we went to the ‘English Pub’ Chelsea, to celebrate Walton’s birthday last Sunday. It was relatively quiet, and not much had really changed in there. The prices are definitely set at foreigners and ex-pats prices, but they do good (cheese) burgers, the service is friendly, and the birthday boy wanted a nice burger, so we were happy to be there.
The starter of bread-crumbed fried cheese was good, though once again all the food arrived at the same time, so it was soon ignored due to the arrival of the…
The garlic bread was tasty enough, once the tomatoes were removed 🙂
Although not in any way a traditional Russian or Kazakh meal, cheeseburger with chips is occasionally nice to bring back the tastes of home 🙂
Ira thought she was ordering a starter with this meat, though it looked more like a generously sized main course dish really…
Her actual main course of ‘Chipped fish’ turned out not to be a translation error (we assumed it would be like the traditional English fare of Fish & Chips), and Irina’s “starter” turned out to be more of a main course sized affair, but I think she liked it. As Walton had work the next day, he stuck to beer, as did Ira, but as my boss is a little more understanding, I had a little vodka.
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Sep 07 2007
Language Differences
We went out tonight with Walton, as a belated birthday celebration for him. (I will post up some pictures when I get round to emptying the memory card again, hopefully tomorrow). One topic of conversation was the difference between UK English spelling, and how the Americans can not spell properly. OK, to be fair, I am pretty sure he defended his nation well, explaining that they know how to spell, it is just that UK English has too many un-necessary letters.
Seriously, I discovered tonight that I did not know the UK English spelling of some words, and that in fact he occasionally spells some words in UK English. For example, he would write arguement, where as the American spelling is in fact argument. It looks as though all these years of not bothering to change the default language of my spell checker has effected me, as I did not realise I had been spelling it in American English myself. In fact FireFox’s spell checker is set to UK English, and even it does not like arguement! Sometimes though, different words entirely are used, for example, in Britain, estate agents ‘help’ (sometimes) with the process of buying and selling houses, whereas in America the same job is performed by a person called a realtor. (Assuming they belong to the official realtor association).
OK, well I need to help organize my neighbor’s aluminum gray colored jewelry in the center of his apartment.
Or if you prefer to spell that as an English person…
I need to help organise my neighbour’s aluminium grey coloured jewellery in the centre of his flat.
Sep 02 2007
HaPpY BiRtHdAy WaLtOn !!!
Hope you do not have a too busy day, and that this coming year is a good one for you…
from,
Chris, Ira, Karra and Muska
PS Please say hello to your dearly beloved as well from all of us.
Sep 02 2007
Fresh Content over at the English Advantage Blog
As Walton, the author of the English Advantage blog, is now back in Kazakhstan, posts have resumed over there. He created a post on Slang used in American schools that I found useful, so check it, and the rest of the blog, out when you get a moment. If you happen to be based in Astana, you may also find his business very useful if you have an interest in learning English. Even more so, if you wish to visit America one day, to attend university for example. He has also recently joined up with PayPerPost, so can earn a little extra money informing his readers of useful sites and products.
Post NOT sponsored, the linked to blog’s author is a friend, this post was created for free. Unless his giving me ciggies when I run out count? LMAO
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