Experiencing new things - Trying Kazakh Kumis

Before coming to Kazakhstan we  decided that we wanted to try new things while we were here.  One of those things was to try the national drink of Kazakhstan, kumis.  Kumis is fermented mares' milk. Like horse milk.  That's been fermented.  We enjoy Russia's fermented drink, kvas, which is a drink made from fermented bread.  It has a slightly sour and sweet taste that is quite thirst quenching and has a bit of a carbonated feel with the fermented yeast.

Today we went down to the local mall to get new cell phones.  The one we had bought from a kiosk the day we arrived were cheap knockoffs (we found out later) and weren't working very well.  After we picked up our new phones we stopped to pick up a few groceries.  While in the dairy section we saw some kumis in a bottle.  What better time than now to try something new.

Our Kumis, at the table.

We decided to have it for dinner.  I poured a little into all of our cups.  We raised our glasses.

Lexa and Nika don't look too sure about this!

Drinking our Kumis

Then we drank.  Disaster!  It tasted like rotten kerosene.  It was awful.  I gagged, the girls spit it out.  Sophie could only cry.

Sophie did NOT like kumis

We all rinsed out our cups and then drank some juice to get the taste out of our mouth.  Some might say that we got a bad batch or a bad brand. Overall we don't plan on trying kumis again.

Pouring out the unused kumis.  Get it out of here!

School Days Part I

One of the attractive features of a job in Kazakhstan was the ability for us to immerse our children in the Russian language.  Our two oldest daughters got a pretty good foundation in Russian because their grandma (Babushka) spent extended time with us visiting when they were young and because Yulia was able to speak Russian at home with them.  Then our oldest went to school and started speaking to her mom in English.  That upset the carefully crafted dynamic that we had built.  The girls understand Russian, but need a lot of immersion and to be outside of their comfort zone in order to really start speaking it.

International schools in Kazakhstan are expensive - even with the generous education allowance that is part of our contract with NU.  This is especially true when you have four school-age children, and will have those children for the foreseeable future!  We had planned, since we took the job, on enrolling the girls in a local Russian-language school.  It would be a trial by fire, a sink or swim moment for them.  We talked to them a lot about this and they agreed that they would give it a try - they are young enough that they weren't too scared at the prospect of something new.

Then we arrived in Astana.  I had been in contact with the international scholars office about schools and they told me that there wouldn't be any problems with our children attending school.  They even contacted the school where the children should attend and told us that we could go and tour the school when we arrived.  Great!

A few days after arriving, I contacted the office about setting up a school visit and getting started on registration.  They set up an appointment for us to visit a school on Wednesday (August 6) and see about registration.  When we showed up at the school we were told that the first school that we had been told about was not accepting students from our area (schools attendance is based on geographic location here, too), but that our helper from the international office would take us to the correct school.  We got in the van and drove to the school.  It was a nice-looking school in a more established neighborhood on our side of the river/our side of town.  When we spoke to the ladies who were there taking care of registration we were told that NU was not part of the geographic region for their school and they would not accept us.

Our assigned school was a new school - No. 75 - that was still being built, but that would be ready for the school year to begin on 1 September.  We were also told that the school would be accepting students and that representatives from the school would come to do registration beginning later in the day.  They would also be there the next day.  We left, a bit disappointed, but not too discouraged.  We made a plan to go the next day with everyone in between some of my orientation meetings.

Hostility

When we arrived at the school the next day and walked into the reception room we were met with a great deal of hostility by the woman who was registering students. Here is the gist of the conversation we had with the woman.  (Her comments are red.  Ours are black.)

Where do you live?
At Nazarbayev University.
Where are you from?
America.
Your children can't study here. Go to the international schools. Our schools are only for Kazakhs.
We are legal residents of Kazakhstan and pay taxes.  Why can't our kids attend school?
Who told you that you could come here to register your kids (directed at our helper)?
That's not important (from our helper).  Why can't the children attend school?
The government pays a lot of money for each kid for their education.  This is an education for Kazakh kids.  I've been to America and you can't study there at public schools if you're not an American.
That's not right. Many non-US citizens study in US schools - especially if they are legal and pay taxes.
We've already turned away Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Russians who are here legally working.  Our schools are only for Kazakhs.  It's the law.
Tell us where to find that law.
Not until you tell me who said you could come here and register your children for school.

At this point we left - feeling quite upset and quite discouraged.  We decided to go and look at an international school that we had learned about online.  We went to the school and really liked it.  It was about half as much as the other international schools and the program was half in Russian and half in English, so it would have been a good fit.  We asked about getting spots, but were told that the registration was closed for the coming year because of the high demand.  We put our names on the waiting list for the next year and left.  Still discouraged.

Our helper from the international scholars office told us that he would call the Ministry of Education to find out about the law and that I should speak with my dean about the issue so that if pressure needed to be applied, we could start that process.  Yulia and I started talking about alternatives to schooling, including home-schooling for a year or just trying to find spots for the older girls in the other international school.  It was kind of a rough afternoon.

Hope
I got an email later in the day, towards evening.  Our helper had spoken with the director of the school and we could meet her the next day at the school - she may want to test your children's Russian ability.  That was good news, but we were still quite wary of what was going to happen.  We started drilling the children and warned them that they would have to be on their best behavior and best Russian.

We drove to the new school.  It was already Friday, and we were ending our first week in Kazakhstan.  We pulled up to the school - after having to pass through the construction of the apartment buildings that go around the entire block where the school is located - and saw that the school was still very much under construction. We got out and headed into the school where we asked a worker if anyone was in the school.  He pointed us down the hall and we went that way until we found the one room that looked like it was about ready.  In it was a long table, a couple of young women, and a number of chairs at the table and around the wall.

To be continued...

Getting to Kazakhstan

We flew out of the SLC International Airport with our route taking us from Salt Lake to New York to Istanbul to Astana.  Our first leg of the trip was on Delta Airlines and the last two legs were with Turkish Airlines.  Wednesday, July 30 was a busy day of finishing packing, picking up some last minute items, such as shoes for the twins.  We also were able to get a little walk in before it started raining.  The thing that we didn't get in the afternoon was a nap.

We needed to check Yuki (our dog) into Delta Cargo before our flight, so we planned on getting to the airport at around 8:00 p.m.  My older brother came with his van with the seats out to load our bags.  We had 22 bags total, including the girls' carry-on bags and the backpacks for Yulia and I.  The checked bags were all between 35 and 50 pounds in weight, which is okay on international flights, but heavier than you can take for free on domestic flights.

We pulled into the airport at around 7:45 p.m. and went straight to cargo.  It took us about 30 minutes to check in Yuki, and while Yulia and I did that the girls watched the airplanes taxi by, land, and take-off with Ben and with Oma. Our next hurdle was to stop, unload 22 bags curbside, and then park.  We unloaded the bags and Yulia and Oma stayed with them while Ben and I made a loop around the airport to return to the parking garage.  We parked and took the kids to the bags.  It took three trips and some coordination to get all the bags from curbside to check in.

Unloading our bags at SLC

Delta isn't Turkish

And they don't work together.  This meant that we could only check our bags (17 of them) from SLC to NYC.  We also had to pay $800 dollars in extra fees for the extra bags. The check in process went smoothly and we were checked in in no time at all.  That is when we hugged Ben and Oma goodbye and then headed for security.

Through Security and on to our Gate!

We had practiced going through security at home a few times, and that process went smoothly. This meant that we were checked in, at our gate, and waiting by 9:00 p.m.  Our flight was at 12:30.  Our itinerary (from the time our flight took off until we were scheduled to land) was 37 hours and 37 minutes of traveling. We started that 5 hours early.

New York

Our first leg on our adventure!

We arrived in New York on time at around 7:30 a.m.  We got off the plane and went to the luggage area.  We were wondering how we were going to handle the bags and the kids and the change of terminals.  It turns out that there are porters there waiting to help you out for a small fee.  Ours helped load the bags and also helped us get some cabs.  The cabs were not happy when we told them we were just going to a different terminal.  They thought they had hit pay dirt.  Another porter at Terminal 1 helped us move our bags inside to where they were still setting up the lines for the Turkish Airlines Check in.  It only cost us about $80 dollars to do things with help.  We like being independent and doing our own thing, but in this case the money was well-spent.

Waiting to Check into Turkish Airlines in NYC (JFK Terminal 1)

About the time we got everything piled up at the head of the line, I received a call from our dog courier.  Jim had picked up Yuki and was bringing her over.  I met him outside and he helped me cut the ties that were keeping Yuki's cage shut.  Then I walked her for a few minutes before taking her inside.  Check-in had started for Turkish, so when it was our turn we started the process.  They were not terribly efficient at check-in, but the agents were friendly and helpful.  For our extra bags and dog it cost us another $900, but it was cheaper to move from New York to Astana than to get the same things from SLC to NYC.  They told me that I couldn't check in Yuki until 11:30.  Our flight was scheduled for 12:30, and we were finished checking in at about 10:00.  I asked if I could leave her crate at the counter and bring her back, which they allowed me to do.

Yulia was brave and took the girls through security herself.  She said that she got very relaxed treatment and a lot of help because she had four very tired and unruly children all by herself.  She went to the gate and waited.  I walked all around the airport and Yuki got a good workout and took care of all of her necessary functions.  While I was at the bottom floor waiting for an elevator (I couldn't find any stairs) to go check in the dog I heard my name called to report immediately to Turkish airlines.  It was still 10 minutes until the agreed upon time, so I was worried something had happened with the flight or girls.  The elevator wait was interminable and my name was called three more times.  When I showed up, it was just them wanting me to check in the dog.  We had to get a special check from TSA for her crate and then we loaded her and they took her away. I got through security and met the family with about 10 minutes before we boarded.

Waiting for the flight to Istanbul

Turkey

The long one! Flight from NYC to Istanbul

Our flight to Turkey was long, but uneventful.  None of us slept a lot, maybe three or four hours. The entertainment options were good and the kids were well-behaved on the flight.  The food  was really quite good.  When we arrived at Ataturk Airport at 5:30 a.m. on 1 August, we felt like we were in a whole new world.  There were many groups of Muslim pilgrims there and the airport was very busy.  We arrived and found a bathroom.  Sometime in those first twenty or thirty minutes Lina was being naughty and Yulia had to reprimand her in public.  She started crying.  A man and his wife, who were either Chinese or Japanese, came right over and the man began to make a paper crane for Lina from a bunch that he had started.  By the time he was finished the girls had 6 or seven cranes of various sizes and a paper ball to boot.

Paper Cranes

The rest of the day in Turkey (from 5:30 until our flight at 7:45) was spent hanging out in as quiet of spot as we could find.  The girls slept.  Yulia and I took turns sleeping as well.  It had been a pretty grueling bit of travel up to that point and we still weren't finished.  We also did lunch and a little dinner snack before heading to our gate.  At the gate we met some of my new colleague who were on the same flight.

Tired Kids and a long wait in Istanbul

A long, long day for all!

Arrival in Astana

We arrived in time in Astana at around 2:30 a.m.  By the time we disembarked and got through passport control many people were already headed through customs.  We began getting our bags and putting them on carts.  Yuki's cage was also sitting off to the side of the luggage carousel so we picked her up as well.  She was happy to see us and was whining to get out, but we couldn't let her.  We got all of our bags, but two, and kept waiting and waiting.  Our flight was mostly gone and another one came in.  We had to fill out paperwork on our missing bags, and there were a few people who had the problem, so that took awhile.  Once that was done we went through customs.  They told us that because we had extra bags we had to fill out extra forms.  Eventually the riddle was solved with our contact at NU - the guards would let us through for a small unofficial payment ($200).  Otherwise we would have to fill out paperwork and our bags would be quarantined for days.  We paid the shakedown and as a bonus Yuki was able to come right with us without even waiting for the vet.

We loaded our bags onto a van and then loaded onto a bus with a group of individuals all coming to NU, many from the School of Humanities and Social Science.  We arrived on campus with our bags and filled out a few papers and received keys to our apartment.

Our apartment was just like the pictures we had seen, but it seemed bigger.  We got our bags in, and while Yulia bathed the girls and got settled in I took Yuki for a good walk around campus.  The air was cool, the sun was rising, and workmen were already starting work (on a Saturday morning) on the new buildings that are going up all around our apartment.  We were home.

Epilogue

Our two missing bags arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I was able to pick them up with no problem.  We settled in to our new digs just fine.  I will write more about that later.

Breakfast on day 2 - Settling in to our new home!

The Joys of Homelessness

Homelessness is a serious problem and we have empathy for those that find themselves in that situation unintentionally.  We are currently homeless, but this is a blessing in our lives - and entirely temporary.  This is the second time that our family has been "between homes" and both times have been a good experience.

The first time that we were homeless was in the summer of 2008.  We had a three year old, a two year old and twins  who were only about two and a half months old.  We sold our house in Logan at the beginning of July, but were not moving to Iowa City until the beginning of August.  We spent that month living mostly with my Aunt Kathi in her large house in South Ogden.  The basement of her house was larger than the house we were living in.  In addition, she cooked for us and we got to swim in her pool.  That was a great experience for all of us.

This round of homelessness is more meaningful for us because of our house in Iowa City.  We had it under contract to sell when we moved to Las Vegas last summer.  The financing for the buyers fell through, and by that time the market had slowed.  That meant that for the past year we've been paying for two houses.  The house in Iowa got an offer on it in June.  The offer was lower than what we were planning, but we went with it.  Then the house flooded.  We ended up getting some insurance money, and making some cash concessions to the buyers, but the house sold and we don't have to worry about it anymore.  The house sold on July 17th.  We moved out of our Las Vegas house on 21 July.  We are truly homeless, but not without a place to stay.  We've spent time staying with my mom and with my sister and her family.  We fly out to Kazakhstan in a few days and we know that we have an apartment there waiting for us.

Our Penske Truck Packed and Ready to Roll: Leaving Las Vegas

Until then, however, we are basking in the feeling of being freed from the burden of an unsold house - and free from paying rent for two weeks!

Traveling to Kazakhstan with a Dog Part I

We've traveled to Russia before with the whole family.  The first time we did this was in June 2009 when our twins were just 14 months old, Polina was 2 turning 3, and Nika was just a few months past 4.  Many people thought that was crazy.  It was quite a bit of hard work, but it was doable and fun once we arrived at Babushka's house in Krasnoyarsk.  The fact that we made our first trip with the kids so young made our second trip there with everyone 3 years later seem like a cake walk.  We learned a lot about packing, organizing, and traveling together as a family. Now we are moving to Kazakhstan with the crew - plus we've added our dog.

This seems a bit crazy for us because in addition to worrying about travel for the six of us, we are having to do quite a bit of work to figure out Yuki's travel plans.  Right now we are feeling pretty confident that we are where we need to be with things, but we still have some things to do.  Hopefully this post will contain some information that is helpful for anyone else that is planning on something similar with their own pet.  I would also like to add that we've gotten a lot of good help and advice from one of my colleagues at Nazarbayev University.  He and his wife have a couple of dogs and they have been our main source of information on what we should plan on as far as pet supplies and dog ownership in Astana.

Yulia putting boots on Yuki

Veterinarian

Kazakhstan doesn't have a lot of onerous regulations on importing pets, but traveling with dogs requires quite  a bit of veterinary preparation. We've gotten her shots updated and needed to do a new rabies shot for her because Kazakhstan requires that the rabies shot is given within the last year, but not less than 30 days before you enter the country.  

Yuki will also need a veterinary check up and pet passport that is done within 10 days of traveling.  We are working to schedule this in Utah since we will have moved from Vegas by then. In addition to vaccines and some documentation we picked up a year's supply of worm medication.  

The veterinary process has not been quite as onerous as we were expecting.

Transport

This has been our biggest issue.  We are flying on Delta from SLC to NYC, and from there we are on Turkish airlines the rest of the way.  Delta does not fly pets as luggage between April 15 and September 15.  They will fly her as cargo as long as the temperature at take-off is below 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  We are fairly confident we'll be okay because our flight leaves SLC at 12:30 a.m.  Flying Yuki as cargo adds a few wrinkles to the front end and NYC portions of our travel.

Because she is flying as cargo we need to check her in early at the cargo area.  Their office closes at 9:00 so we need to be at the airport by 8:00 p.m.  This isn't too bad since we'll have a lot of bags to check and our family that is dropping us at the airport can get home at a late hour instead of getting us to the airport late night and then not getting home until it's extremely late/early.  This is a minor, minor inconvenience.

The main complication with transport is that in NYC she will be transported to Delta's cargo facility rather than luggage.  That means a separate part of the airport instead of the terminal where we are landing.  We have a five-hour layover, but are not sure if we'll have to re-check our bags (Delta and Turkish are not alliance partners), and whether everything will be on time.  Our options are for me to get a cab, find the cargo area, get Yuki, and then get back to our terminal to check her as luggage - or - for us to hire a company to pick her up at cargo and bring her to us.  We have opted for the second option to allow for some wiggle room in case things are not 100% smooth.  Once she is dropped off to me at the terminal, I'll check her as luggage and we'll be set through Istanbul and on to Astana.

Supplies

I'll end this post with some fun.  It was suggested that we bring some dog boots for Yuki to help her walk in the snow and ice (ice especially).  My colleague even sent a link to some boots.  While Yulia was picking up other supplies she saw some boots at the pet store and got them to try.  The picture at the top of this post is Yulia putting those boots on to Yuki.  

It turns out that those boots were a bit big.  She was also REALLY bothered by the long "socks" that are built in.  The ones that were suggested are just little ankle boots.  We also measured her feet and got the right size.  We've ordered those and they are on their way.  

Packing, Decisions, and Sacrifice

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or in the case of our journey of 6,000 miles (as the crow flies), it begins with a series of interconnected and complex steps.  One of those steps is deciding what stays and goes in general, and then what goes to Kazakhstan with us, specifically.  We are packing up our household and the accumulated possessions of 12 1/2 years of marriage, 4 kids, and the accumulated goods that come from home ownership in temperate states.  In general we are in favor of downsizing our possessions, but there is also the idea that we are likely going to return to the United States within the next 5 years and there are things we would like to have when we come back.

So we are renting a storage shed near my Mom's house in Payson and keeping many of our possessions there.  All of our winnowing of stuff will not leave us empty-handed, just lighter for the future. The packing of our things requires a number of decisions to be made for each item.  If we are keeping it AND taking it with us, we need to set it aside to pack later.  If we are keeping it, but leaving it in Utah, we need to pack it.  Another category of items are those that we are leaving, but which we want to have access to for later - on our trips home - to bring back and forth.  We have a number of books for kids that we plan on rotating back and forth on our trips home, so those need to be packed, but kept accessible when we unload our truck in Utah at the storage shed.

When I (Spencer) was a kid, our family moved out of our large house in Ephraim, Utah to a trailer in Payson Utah.  We had to get rid of most of our things to make the move work.  That was a valuable exercise in learning about the true value of possessions in relation to the rest of life.  Our time in our single-wide trailer in Payson with 5 teenage kids was one of the best of our family. One of the appealing aspects of our move to Kazakhstan is that our kids will be able to learn some of those same lessons about what is important in life.

This morning (Friday July 11, 2014) the girls did just that as we packed up their toy room.  On our last move from Iowa City to Las Vegas the kids didn't need to really make any hard choices about what to leave behind.  We gave away a bunch of their kids toys, but not anything that they were really using.  We limited the four of the girls to one stuffed animal to take with them in their carry-on bag and to one large duffle bag of other toys for all four of them.

Lina helping to sort out the toys.

The Kid's Toy Bag

They all did a great job of making hard choices.  After we had gone through a few things, the kids voluntarily gave up a number of items to the Deseret Industries (thrift store) box and got rid of previous "treasures" that were little more than trinkets and garbage (the trash bag in the second picture above).  We are blessed to have great kids who are willing to embark on a grand family adventure and to make the tough choices along the way that make that journey possible.