Z is more amazing each day! I adore this child! Today we took a lot of really cute photos while we were playing with the blow up Pooh beach ball, she loves this thing. Davy deflated it a bit and she loved being able to hold on to it and toss it around……..I must add that she loved to try to bit and thus slobbered all over it too. Good thing for Pamper wipes!
Between visits today Bayana met all of us at the basement of the Business Center for some amazing Pizza! This place rocks! It is a very moody, dark restaurant with stellar pizza, really, it tastes just like home………if not better!
And then we all went to the Museum for the Aqtobe Region; the Museum is considered to be in the old section of Aqtobe, and this region still has an unusually Soviet feel. The building that is now the Museum was the oldest biggest Hotel in Aqtobe. We had a wonderful guide who did the entire presentation in English. Rock on! I don’t think that I would have enjoyed it quite as much had she spoken Russian. Hehe This lady was a wonderful story teller. She told us of the history of Kazakhstan, showed us some of the local protected animals and plants, & talked with us about Kazak traditions. She mentioned that there were many good things about being part of the former Soviet Union, but one of the negative aspects was that each country was not able to research their own personal heritage and culture. Kazakhstan is now really researching and celebrating their culture as they had lost that for so many years under Soviet rule. Kazaks believe strongly in color, so when they are creating rugs, tapestries, coverings for their homes, etc. they do so with color in mind. Red = Life, Green = Food, Brown = Earth, Yellow = Fire and white is most important of all, white = milk. White is so important because it is the color of the mother’s milk that gives life and health to the baby. The Aqtobe region is well known for their oil and gas fields. She also made mention of how stupid their people are, her words exactly, she said that they sell the hides of animals for $5 each to Turkey. Turkey then turns the hides into beautiful fur coats and sells them back to the Kazak people for $500. haha
Another amuzing & interesting tidbit of our tour was when our tour guide told us that Japan is the most brilliant country in the world. She insisted that Japan is just an island with no natural resources such as oil & gas, they didn't have any sheep, goats, horses or camels to hunt, eat, use their bones for weapons, jewelry and such, help them haul and build, etc. and yet they have really made something of their country; they are indeed the smartest people in the world. Very interesting thought.
The Kazak people also follow the Chinese Oriental Calendar. When we go shopping there are mice everywhere, so I knew something was up, and yes 2008 is the year of the mouse. Because this is the year of Zahri’s adoption, I picked up the cutest little cream mouse. I also purchased a kid’s book on the Oriental Calendar, and the year of the Mouse reads:
This year the Mouse proved
More resourceful than the Camel.
It stored enough this summer
For people and livestock to be full.
Last year, Zahri’s birth, was the year of the boar, and the year of the Boar reads:
The last year in the cycle
Is called the year of Boar.
It brings abundance,
So we’ll be prosperous ever more.
Last year was indeed prosperous as my daughter was brought into this great world!
No comments:
Post a Comment