Photo Credit: Matt Kane (thank you!)
On March 8th, we arrived to Astana, Kazakhstan, the largest land locked country in the world, and the 9th largest country in the world. It’s about 4x bigger than Texas and mostly flat and barren, however there are beautiful snow-capped mountains in the south commonly referred to as the Swiss Alps of Kazakhstan. Minerals and oil are plentiful, and the income it brings can be seen in the elaborate futuristic architecture throughout the Capital city.
5 Facts about Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan is believed to be the first to tame and ride horses. Kazakh means “free rider”.
- Beshbarmak, horse meat with pasta, and koumiss, fermented horse milk, are traditional food and drink.
- Kazakhstan ranked 4th in the world in the education category in the 2011 UNESCO EFA Development Index.
- In 2017 Kazakhstan hosted EXPO: Future’s Energy, an international recognized Exhibition.
- Kazakhstan is home to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world’s first and largest operational space launch center. It’s leased to Russia until 2050.
KHAN SHATYR ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
Photo Credit: Matt Kane
Tallest tensile structure according to the Guinness World Records
Photo Credit: Matt Kane
Nauryz Celebration, March 22nd
Kazakh New Year
Pilaf for everyone!!!
Kebabs!
Mini Yurt
Happy (belated) Easter!
What did we do in Kazakhstan?
The majority of our time was spent teaching English. It was very relaxed and largely conversational. I really enjoyed it because so much of traveling is about the people you meet, and when your “job” for the month is talking with people, it’s a pretty good gig.
We hosted an Easter Celebration in our home. A group of girls spent the evening dying eggs and chatting. We talked about everything: pop culture, Jesus and the meaning of Easter, movie stars, makeup, and the EXPO.
For more details on Kazakhstan, comment requesting an email 🙂
Much Love!
Catherine
