Happy New Year from Aqtobe

Happy New Year! Today is one of Kazakhstan’s most celebrated holidays so the city is buzzing with people shopping in preparation for this evening’s festivities. From what I hear there will be much life in the city and many fireworks at midnight……..can’t say that I will be up that long, too old!

This morning I was able to see Z from 10-noon but was not able to see her this afternoon. Tomorrow is a total day off, so I will not be able to see her tomorrow either. Big Frown! Our morning was filled with some play, a bit of cuddling and a new little treat. This morning I brought Zahri in a pacifier looking treat holder; how is that for a description. This thing is shaped like a pacifier but where the nipple should be, there is instead a net where you put a treat for your teething babies. I put a piece of ripe banana in there this morning, and in Z’s not-picky-at-all-I-just-want-to-eat style, she ate it right up. She loved it!! Here is a photo of her with her banana filled pacifier looking net treat. hehe

The caregiver from Baby Room #2 also stopped up for just a bit to chat with us, and she let Bayana know that when Z was in her group, she used to cry a lot and always wanted to eat. Zahri, Cry? Z never really cries. I can only think that maybe she was teething, or hmmmmm possibly she was flippin’ hungry? I would cry too! I say this with a little laugh as she is such a wonderfully content baby that it surprised me to hear that she cried a lot. The being hungry comment didn’t surprise me at all, she is a growing girl for goodness sakes.

Well, it is official, I have switched hotels and am now slumbering at the Hotel Dastan. My translator said that she never knew of this single bed dormitory style room, so for all upcoming single travelers that prefer to stay in a hotel, but don’t want to pay hotel prices, this is a great fit! I think that I am paying about $50 a night! Rock on! I was paying $110 a night, so this is saving me huge. The location here is much better as well, I am now near the Mosque Mall and within walking distance to the indoor Market & several restaurants. I am sure I will be just fine here. My room is clean, I have internet, a TV and a fridge. As for the smoky smell that I was worried about, I must have been smelling something else when I viewed the room, the room is not smoky at all. Feweee! I even have an outside sitting deck, just in case I want to hang my laundry out to dry. Bonus! Hehe












Last night I was told something very interesting that I want to share, but please don’t take this as the Bible since I haven’t yet double checked the stats. I met a group of people that work with the Oil Fields, imagine that (the Amsterdam is the place where the higher ups with the Oil Fields tend to stay and hang out) and I was told that the ratio between men and women here is 5 women to every 1 man. I asked why this was??? And I was told that it is due to WWII. This gentleman had said that during WWII some approximately 1.2 million men left and nearly 875,000 never returned. In each city in Kazakhstan you will find a statue of sorts with a forever burning flame (a true flame that always burns) in remembrance of those killed in WWII, so I know there is a lot of truth in what I was told. I was also told that this imbalance between men and women has lead to the men being very dominant over the women, possibly the women have learned that there is little choice of men so they become submissive to the men they have? This would kill me! Hehe Now this is only my own thought, nothing of research or statistics, but might it be possible that this is why the women here are always dressed to the nines? This is how you find a man, to look the best and be the most attractive? I guess it is no different anywhere in the world, but it just surprises me so how these women are so darn cute and trendy and always dressed up, even in these insane temperatures and conditions. Just a thought. Hmmmmm to ponder it. Seriously, the women here are amazingly beautiful!!!!!!!!