About life
I came to Almaty in August 2017 to work at the US Consulate. Every two or three years we have a chance to move to another country from the given a list of countries. My children's grandparents know Russian and their father also speaks Russian. Therefore, I purposefully looked for a place to learn Russian among the post-Soviet countries and considered Almaty the best option.
I'm glad to be here. My father is from Denver, Colorado, which is similar to Almaty by the weather and beauty around.
I moved here with my three children. I travel with them everywhere. At the time when my eldest daughter was one year old, she visited 11 countries.
During travelling, I do not investigate the country I'm going to because of lack of time. Sometimes I can read about the destination on the plane, on the way. But before coming to Almaty, I was looking for information about this part of the world. And I came across a page of Dennis Keen, where he wrote about Almaty, districts and architecture. I also watched documentaries from the series "Kazakhs in the USA" and "Americans in Kazakhstan".
About Almaty
When I first came to Almaty, it was dark. Therefore, the first I memorized bright Esentai Mall. I was impressed by the numbers of brands and how fashionable the city seemed to me.
I was lucky to have a free week after arrival, so I had time to explore the city. I remember we went to Kok-Tobe and saw animals and gorgeous panorama to the city. Then we went to Shymbulak, and all of this impressed me.
I like the Smart Point space in Almaty, where the American corner is located. I meet a lot of interesting people every time I go there. Interesting events are often held there. Smart Point attracts young people because there you can find information about modern technologies. I like the energy of that place.
I feel like the city has changed during my stay here, music is playing everywhere, even in winter which makes it wealthy. I love a lot of beautiful trees in the city.
About features of the cities
Children make life easier in a foreign country. For example, I lived in France, and it is difficult to make friends in the French community if you do not have a high level of language. Usually, people already have own companies, which are hard to join. In France having children is comparable to having a pet — you can meet other people only on playgrounds, as well as with the owners of pets in parks.
Most of all, the number of playgrounds and places for children in Almaty surprised me. I remember that before coming here I read about the family cafe in Almaty, and I thought how great it is to have a place where I can leave a child to play to drink coffee. This is rare in the world. People are tolerant of children here, not getting angry on me because I came with a little child.
About infrastructure
The city infrastructure is interesting. I don't often take the subway because I live far from the station. But because of different design, it's cool to show a subway to guests from the States.
Special application for foreigners and residents is convenient and makes it easy to navigate around the city. You can see when the bus arrives or make a route.
My two older children go to an international school. Once they ate beshbarmak in school and liked it. Now we often eat it and even though the Kazakh food is fatty for us it is natural and even useful. All products are fresh and tasty.
Once I tried horse meat steak in Astana, which turned out to be the most delicious steak in my life.
About purchasing
I love the Green Market and buy food there. In some countries, American diplomats cannot find flour or sugar, so I'm lucky to be in a country where I can find any food.
I like Kazakh fashion designers. Almaty sometimes hosts Almaty Pop Up Store, where I often buy interesting things.
About people
Thanks to my work, I often collaborate with people engaged in creative work, so my experience with local people may differ from the experience of others. I was impressed by how open and friendly people are here. In Almaty, you can easily make friends, and people invite you to different events.
Most of our work in Kazakhstan is related to teaching English and explaining opportunities related to the English language. Once I read a scientific paper on why Kazakhstanis learn English. People with English skills have more opportunities for work. So my guess was that people are learning English to earn more. But it turned out, the main reason for learning English in Kazakhstan is connected with the opportunity to meet new people from different parts of the world and travel.
In Kazakhstan, I do not worry about own safety and aggressiveness of people, as people here are friendly and hospitable.
After this business trip, I will fly to Uganda in summer. This was my last winter in Almaty, but I am sure I will come as often as I can.
