I have HEAT!!!

Yeah for HEAT!!! Yesterday, as I was doing some remodeling in my apartment, I felt a warmth coming from my radiator. I was shocked and thrilled at the same time! I touched the radiator just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. In Taraz heating for apartments is city-wide. At a certain point in October, they turn on heating for the entire ctiy. Water is heated in a couple central locations and then pumped, through large above ground pipes, throughout the entire city. The water is pumped through each radiator of each apartment before returning back to the central heating facility. The only way to individually regulate heat in an apartment is by opening and closing windows. What an adventure!

Circumcision Party

What! Yes, you read that right, a circumcision party! On Friday I got to attend a circumcision party for children at a local orphange. It is a pretty big deal (almost like a mini-wedding party). In Kazakh tradition, children that are between 5 and 7 years old are circumcised. To celebrate this step into manhood, they throw a big party. In the villages the boys often get paraded through the streets on horseback. At this party, they walked on a white cloth leading to their table at the head of the room. Everyone who attended the party had a chance to share his/her wishes with the children. Most people made some comment about these boys no longer being boys, but young men.

This Blog

I hope that this blog will make it possible for me to share stories and pictures of my life and work in Kazakhstan more easily. I have also included some links that I think you might find interesting. Enjoy!