I have touched on this one a little before talking about Birthdays and the Money post. So gift wrapping- like in the pic above I don’t think I have EVER seen tissue paper and hardly ribbons used. It’s totally fine for the gift to be seen (sometimes I tape the top together hah). I’ve rarely Read more about Gifts[…]
Well Andrew does most of our household shopping. (Since I don’t drive it’s easier for him to do it) First of all, the shopping carts do waver, lol. It’s like all 4 wheels sway everywhere. Actually most countries have shopping carts that do this. They have crazy big bulk sections (I remember bulk sections more Read more about What shopping is like[…]
It’s been fun learning Russian (mostly challenging!), and it’s been funny having Avinelle mix her words up in English and Russian to what is I call “Runglish”. Like she says english words with the accent on the wrong place such as “bAnana”. Also, after we first got here and said the Russian word for where Read more about Runglish[…]
Ever wondered what this beautiful “Elsa” blue flag (as Avi would put it) means?? It was created in 1992. The blue and gold are preserved (minus red) from the Soviet times. The sun represents life and energy. It is also a symbol of wealth and abundance. The sun’s rays are a symbol of the steppe’s Read more about The Kazakh Flag[…]
There is quite a few gyms here. We see runners, cyclists, and even fitness classes. I tried to join a gym but there isn’t a YMCA type place that offers childcare so that was a no go. It’s actually not terribly expensive to take fitness classes or join gyms. (for the most part) I even Read more about Sooooo Fit[…]
This oatmeal is one of the most ginormous bags I have seen to be able to buy in “bulk” here. 5 kilograms is about 11 pounds. We have noticed typically when buying things in stores you can’t buy large “bulk” of just about anything. There are a couple of stores where you can buy Read more about No “Supersize”[…]
Pronounced “Den-ge” like the fever. Isn’t the money here so beautiful, colorful and interesting??!? Almost anywhere in the world except the US has colorful money, and it is all an ugly green. 😝 It’s really funny how normal it is to ask how much things cost. This was a bit of a surprise when we first Read more about Talking About Money (деньге)[…]
I said I would blog about this…Last fall I started a little unofficial English “conversation” club for different Moms in our apartment complex. Basically it started with the Moms I was meeting at Avi’s preschool. I wanted to get to know more people in our neighborhood, inadvertently practice Russian, but create a space for ladies Read more about English Club[…]
Things are fairly advanced here in Almaty so I decided to get my eyes checked as they’ve been really bugging me lately with my current prescription. They told me to prepare for a 3 hour long appointment. I went to a highly recommended Optometrist office. Thankfully they had great staff that spoke English. (my Russian Read more about Eye Doctor AKA “Super Hero Status”[…]
Oh how I love the rain! 🌧💧💦☔️ Here in Almaty we get true four seasons of weather. I really really love it. Today is particularly cold, and the above pic is this morning where the clouds are hanging low over the mountains. Last night it was pouring rain (and already had been for a few hours), Read more about The Rainy Days…[…]