I've been trying to get this blog post for days...not much luck. So I'm behind and I hope I can catch you up.

We arrived on the 10th of August about 11:30 p.m. The director and two principals met us along with three other teachers at the airport. We were taken to our new apartment on the 6th floor of Orbita building.

On Friday we had the day to get settled and explore the neighborhood. Saturday the directors took the new teachers on a tour of Almaty. First we went to a park were there were beautiful flowers and trees.



The park included this beautiful Russian Orthodox Church. The building is made entirely of wood without any nails. There were numerous baptisms going. We weren't suppose to take pictures but everyone at the baptisms were, so I joined in and snapped a few without the flash on.





The city has a unique market called the Green Bazaar. Here the people sell meats: horse, pork, chicken, beef etc. There were rows of fruits and vegetables, spices, cheeses, milk, honey and jams.





We've learned much about driving in Almaty. Rule one...if they give you an inch they expect you to take it...pedestrian or automobile. No free rights. Stop on a blinking green. Do not go through a yellow. Don't look at the policemen on the corners...they may motion you over. If we get stopped, we pay the fine directly. It's best not to carry too much money as usually that is what the fine will end up being. Never cross a double white line. There are some expensive cars here. We saw a handsome Bentley, all kinds of Lexus, Mercedes, BMWs, Land Rovers, VWs, and such. We're going to go buy a car on Saturday. AIS (Almaty International School) takes us, has their mechanic check it out, then purchases it for us. We then in turn buy it from them. When we leave they buy it back and put it in their school car purchasing pool. They ran out of cars for us this year...oh ya...Terry wanted the last car they had, a BMW Z3, nope...too much $, not practical for the snow, and how would we get the mountains he so dearly wants to climb?! We hope to but a small SUV.

It's amazing that we've been able to survive without internet, cell phones, TV, or a car. Kind of nice actually except for not being able to communicate at will, with all of you. We haven't been able to talk to Jill. She doesn't have internet yet either. You can check out her blog at: jfinkbeiner.blogspot.blog

We have been walking to the Mega Mall everyday to use the Wi-Fi. The mall is upscale like Seattle or Bellevue would have. They have many American stores...GAP, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Apple, Tommy Hilfiger, Burger King, KFC, Gloria Jeans, and Hardies (Carl's Junior). Terry decided  to purchase a milkshake from Baskin Robins...we didn't really look at the price thinking it would be around $4-$5. Nope...$12 once we did the converting. Have to say that's the last milkshake we'll buy from there! The prices here are much like America or higher. I hope to find a place like Target to shop but that will be awhile I'm sure.

I asked the staff about unemployment. Everywhere I look there are rent-a-cops, custodial workers, numerous workers in one store (US has been downsizing so it seems odd to have so many clerks.) They said everyone is employed, just not for very much money. The people seem happy. We don't see crying children, angry parents, or sad faces. I wonder if they are happy with the direction their nation is going...more toward the Western influence?

Monday

Today we went on another excursion with our elementary director and secondary director. They took us to Medey to see the ice rink and climb a plethora of steps up the hillside. Alongside the stairs, we were thrilled to see this golden eagle tethered to a railing. Not too many more feet away stood a herd of wild horses.  

The rink is home to some of the Asian winter games and where they also play the game "Bandy." Bandy is somewhat like hockey but with a small orange ball instead. I guess it's a really cold sport to watch. A gondola takes people even further up into the mountain to ski lifts. After our climb we decided to forgo that path and visit our new school. On the way back we saw amazing buildings in their financial center. It's like we crossed into a different world from the Green Bazaar. We ate a rice pilaf type dish and a potatoes and meat dish at a restaurant across the street from the school. All for under $10.

The school is really great. It has a primary gym and secondary gyms, library, computer labs, etc. I even have my coveted white butcher paper to teach GLAD style! Terry and I are in the new wing of the school. His classroom is right above mine. There are three "6 year old" classes and only two "8 year old" classes. So Terry's classes will be a little larger at 20. They would add another class but they have already ran out of room. What's our first impression of the staff. Wonderful. They are kind, giving, and extremely helpful. They have gone above and beyond to help all of out. Again, not a frown in the bunch...including us!  It's been a long day again...tomorrow we're going to try and ride the bus to the school...YIKES!   

 

Tuesday

There are seven new teachers who live in our three apartment buildings. One family with three children live across the hall. Today all 10 of us decided to use the bus system and make our way to the school. That was an adventure! After about a half-hour trying to find out which bus to take we finally made it onto bus 67. The bus was packed without any open windows and a 90' day. It cost 80 tenge or around 60 cents to ride. It took about 35 minutes for us to arrive at our school. We took care of a few nuts and bolts and headed back to our apartments. After waiting for 15 minutes for our returning bus to arrive we gave up and took the 316 bus all the way back. What makes the 316 so different? It's a large van/bus. Mind you, it was already packed full...and we got on with 10 more. We estimate a total of 40 people on the bus! The driver started to take off with three of the men still on the street. I sat on the dashboard right above the stick shift, Terry stood hunched over in the window and everyone else stood in the aisle and hung on for dear life. All we needed were a few goats and chickens! I ended up taking money and handing it to the driver. You have to appreciate Almaty driving to understand how talented our driver was...he could drive, take money, make change, and stop appropriately all at the same time! Amazing!

Tomorrow we start work. The area teachers are assembling at our building for in-service. It will be good to get underway with what we came to do. Well, it's time for me to figure out the washer...our clothes are soaked through every day.