Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country by landmass, which is going to mean a lot of weekends traveling to cover it all. It is bordered by China, Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Despite what some say Kazakhstan is not totally European or Asian. 10% of it lies in Europe, and 90% in Asia, divided by the Ural River (add it to the list.) Kazakhstan is known for its natural beauty, and has 10 national parks (add them to the list.)
The state language of Kazakhstan is Kazak, however only about 75% of the population speaks this language. Being part of the former USSR (freedom gained in 1991) almost everyone still speaks the second official language which is Russian. I have now set aside 15 minutes each day to practice, and even though I currently hear Russian everyday in my classroom, the language sounds foreign to me. I find myself feeling like I am speaking Chinese. So far I have learned about 5 words, but I'm working diligently on memorizing the alphabet as a way to figure out those sounds.
There is no official religion, however, Kazakhstan is mostly Muslim and secondly Russian Orthodox. The Kazakhstani currency, the tenge, means I'm going to get really good at dividing by 300-320. One of the things that really doesn't excite me much is the food culture of Kazakhstan. Primarily, Kazakhstani people rely on meat as their main food source, eating a lot of boiled mutton and horse.This main course is often served with some form of fermented milk (sheep, goat, etc.) When I look at the pictures of food all I want to do is scream "Where is the colour!" as everything appears brown and gray. I feel totally close minded about this, but who uses boiling as a main method to cook meat? Let's just say I'll be eating at home or expat restaurants quite often, given my tendency to stick to a vegetarian lifestyle.
That being said I have been told that Almaty has quite the plethora of restaurants, meeting a variety of cuisine types. I was also told that parts of the city can feel very "European" with their outdoor cafes lining the street. I'll get back to you on this one once I've explored more.
"Kazakhstan" means land of the wanderers, and though I've had a few second guesses about whether or not this is where I want to go, this small fact reassured me last night that I'm going somewhere I will thrive.
