I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the observations that I shared yesterday. The next three in the “Surprises” category are all tied to the country’s soviet past (FYI: Soviet rule lasted from 1920 to 1991). Allow me to explain the connections.
What’s Surprised Me:
- Centralized water/heaters: In Kazakhstan, centralized coal-burning power plants provide heat for all the buildings in the city. This is a carryover from Soviet times, when Communist culture encouraged collectivist practices in which everyone got the same thing. How does that impact us, you ask? Well, when we arrived, we found these old-school radiators all over the house. Imagine our surprise when last weekend the city flipped the switch and all-off-a-sudden they started pumping out heat. But here’s the crazy part. There’s no thermostat, so you control the temp by opening windows or turning off specific radiators. Hot water is also provided centrally. We were on city hot water at the beginning, but we found that at peak times of day, there’d be no hot water, even though no one in our house had used any up. Thankfully, we had the option to switch over to using an individual water heater from the Consulate (like what you’d have in the U.S.) and just opted to manage our water usage between the three of us. Most homes don’t have that option though.
- Clothing Colors: People predominantly dress in white, grey and black here (though you do see the occasional pop of color). It was so struck by this at first. Why did everyone like these muted colors? When I asked my new Kazakh acquaintances about it, they shared that it was a holdover from Communist times, when it wasn’t a good thing to stand out.
- Russian is more commonly spoken than Kazakh: During the decades of Communist rule, Russian was the language of instruction, and Kazakh language and culture were suppressed. It was only after gaining their independence in 1991 that laws were reformed to reintroduce Kazakh as a language of instruction. And while the Kazakh language is definitely gaining traction, Russian is still the predominant language spoken here.
What’s Disappointed Me:
- Produce: Almaty is supposedly where apples originated, so I had big expectations for apple quality (and produce in general) coming in. Sadly, I’ve been very disappointed, with the exception of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums). Apples have been mushy, with bruises and imperfections on the outside. Grocery store produce is very ragged-looking and while the street markets are a step up, I’ve had many a day when fruit that looked good on the outside turned out to be rotten. And berry prices are exorbitant (I have yet to live somewhere outside the U.S. that has reasonable berry prices). I guess I thought with all this land that there’d be an abundance of produce. Perhaps the climate or soil quality is not favorable for it.
- Lack of interpersonal interaction on the street: Almaty is more like D.C. than Minnesota when it comes to interpersonal interaction. Strangers don’t talk to or acknowledge each other. And there’s definitely no door holding. I’ve gotten used to it, but it does make me feel invisible at times. Perhaps it’s been hard because it’s such a stark contrast to India where I got TOO MUCH attention on the street, to the point of discomfort at times. That being said, once you’ve interacted with someone (say, at a shop) you’ll get a warm greeting next time they see you. The bus is deadly silent too, although I did make my first bus friend, so maybe I’ll win them over yet and have a bus full of friends. :)
- Vaping: I have seen very few regular cigarettes here, but my-oh-my do they like vaping. It is EVERYWHERE and vape shops can be found every few blocks. That wasn’t a big thing in India, and I guess I got used to not having it around.
- Late opening times for coffee shops: Kazakhs start later than other places I’ve lived. Most things don’t get going until 9:30/10 AM. What kills me is that I haven’t found a single coffee shop that opens before 8 AM! And many even open at 9! I just can’t help but think that they’re missing out on good business here with all the commuters.
Well there you have it. Thanks for reading!