tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91924385657265978142024-02-06T19:41:45.389-08:00Becoming an Ex-Pat in Kazakhstannickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-46747134768306586842017-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:002017-08-03T22:12:25.049-07:00Winding down from Spanish vacation.Back in Astana now. Ended my vacation in Spain just three days ago. Wow. What an amazing adventure with great people, filled with tons of fun, good times, great weather, WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, and plenty of delicious drinks. I have about 500 pictures I'd love to show you, but I've included just a few from the trip.<br />
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I'm almost in disbelief at how laid back and easy life is in Spain. Mid afternoon siestas where the streets are literally empty and the metal roll down shutters are all locked, barring any business from taking place. Beautiful sunny beaches, full of tourists and locals, lined with the a cool calm ocean to dip in. Hikes on the coastal cliffs with postcard views, leading into a small fishing town with historical architecture. It was all so amazing.<br />
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My friends Jordan and Emily, along with my sister, Daniella, were such great travel companions. With easy going attitudes and an aversion to saying no, the trip was a total success. First Barcelona, then San Sebastian, and finally Madrid. From the people, to the food, to the architecture, to the beaches, on the trains, in the streets, sitting in the cafes, shopping at the markets, everything was such a rich and rewarding experience.<br />
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I arrived a day early, took the subway from the Barcelona airport to near my hostel, where i would stay for one night. I couldn't find the damn place, so I stopped in a cafe, had a beer, croquetas, and espresso. Perfect start to the trip! Luckily, every local I talked to was very kind and willing to help. As the waitress and myself looked outside for the hostel that I couldn't find, turns out it was literally next door! So I checked in, and wandered around Barcelona for an evening. It was a great feeling to just walk and walk and walk and get kinda lost in a new city before finally looking at a map to find your way back home. The next day, waited for Daniella before checking into the air bnb I had booked earlier. Jordan and Emily would arrive a day later, and so we had a night to ourselves before the debauchery began...<br />
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Here's a brief overview of how the trip went, according to the notes my sister took:<br />
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Barcelona - Day 1:<br />
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We walked along Las Ramblas, a touristy type of street, very beautiful, filled with people and shops and smells and markets. Ended up going to Boqueria market, an open air market with food and drinks and juices and fruits and meats and tapas and spices and... people! So many people. Daniella and I found two stools at one of the stalls serving food and drinks. We had some delicious seafood, tapas style, the way almost all of our food was consumed on this trip. Also a few drinks before heading into the Gothic Quarter. A beautiful neighborhood to say the least. The narrow alleyways crisscrossing and veering here and there. There were plenty of cafes, little shops, and random squares of open space and the occasional church. We walked along there for a bit before heading back to the air bnb.<br />
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I can't remember ALL of the details, but we eventually had some sangria and people watched near the Columbus monument before making our way to Tablao de Carmen for a flamenco show. It was definitely a bit touristy, but very very good entertainment. There were some tapas and wine included and we were very close to the stage. The intense dancing and dress twirling combined with guitar, clapping, and foot stomping was really an amazing dance to witness. There were two women and two men that danced all in all. I would highly recommend seeing at least one flamenco show if you're ever in Spain.<br />
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So, after the show, which was in a restaurant that was itself inside of a historical museum grounds, the Poble Espanyol, an open-air architectural museum, just a few hundred meters away from the fountains of Montjuic. We were about to leave, when we saw a large group of about 150 people watching some movie on a projector screen in an open area. Turns out the movie was Mama Mia. Turns out it was a sing along. Turns out, all of the movie was dubbed, except the songs were in English. There were actually dancers that came out on a stage in front of the screen every time a musical number came on in the movie. Every song saw the entire crowd of people up out of their folding chairs, dancing, waving their arms, singing along. It was a surprising and fun experience to say the least. Of course, Daniella absolutely LOVED it, and I enjoyed seeing it all play out the way it did as well. We left right before the end, and got a taxi back to the air bnb.<br />
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Barcelona - Day 2:<br />
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Daniella and I were awaiting Jordan and Emily's arrival, without a direct way to communicate with them, with the last communication being that they would just come meet us at the air bnb. So I went and got myself a local sim card, and then Daniella and I sauntered on down to the cafe across the street to await the arrival of our friends. We had some breakfast, coffee, waters, and eventually spotted our travel companions wandering the streets towards the apt. We caught up with them, had a little more breakfast, and got up to the apt. to unpack and unwind a little. But it didn't really take us long to decide to just go out and start this vacation for real!<br />
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That day, Jordan and Emily were really troopers when it came to staying active. They didn't sleep till that night! I did see Jordan nodding off at one of the cafes where we stopped for sangria, but that's about it. We walked to the Sagrada Familia, the Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona, through Ciutadella Park, and ended up at the Boqueria market again for some dinner and more drinks. All throughout, stopping for sangria or beer or coffee or water along the way, of course. By the time we got back from all this, Jordan and Emily were really just beat, so Daniella and I left them to sleep early while we visited the Montjuic magic fountain. A fountain with water and lights set to music as a spectacle show. There were literally hundreds of people crowded around this fountain! It actually felt really good to have some of the water spray hit you, and there were plenty of other visually appealing buildings with steps top sit on and places to loiter around. It was Saturday after all, and people just seemed to be hanging out mostly.<br />
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Barcelona - Day 3:<br />
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We all went to breakfast at this really amazing cafe, Bar Mostassa, where the food was crazy good. Unfortunately, Daniella's iPhone got stolen right from the table. It was some really slick trick with a map and this woman that just looked deranged. Luckily, Daniella had a really good attitude about it. Unfortunately, that meant my phone was in Daniella's hand most of the trip! After that, we all took a cable car ride to the Monjuic castle, a military fortress on the coast with nice views of Barcelona. We walked around there for a bit before taking the cable car back down and then we headed to Barceloneta beach. We sunbathed, swam, drank some wine that we had brought in a cooler bag, at some cheese, bread, and for some reason we had pink donuts that we got at a mini mart. ha ha.<br />
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The beach was a great rest activity, and we started to leave just as a quick and intense rain storm rolled in onto the beach. It was short lived, thankfully, and we headed to find a taxi in the light drizzle. We got back, all showered, and got ready to go out again. We ended up at Luzia restaurant, an Italian and American inspired place with really great setting. Of course, again, the food was soooo good, except mine which was spaghetti that tasted like a school cafeteria lunch. Kinda my own fault for ordering spaghetti! O well, I had plenty of Iberian ham, drinks, tapas, bites of other foods. We all had gotten tickets to another flamenco show in Placa Reial that night, and made our way there, arriving JUST on time to stand at the bar literally as the show was starting. Another amazing experience for all of us. Having a drink, watching these intense performers dance and clap and stomp in their beautiful dresses and suits.<br />
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The night continued on, wherein we continued bar hopping for a drink here and there, visiting bar Sincopa, Manchester Bar, (English dive bar), and Sub Rosa cocktail bar, which was a really cool little cave of a bar (literally) with amazing cash only drink menus.<br />
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Barcelona Day 4 - Wow we'd already done so much, and there was still so much ahead of us!<br />
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Daniella headed out a bit earlier than us, walked around looking at some of the Gaudi buildings, LaPedrera & Casa Batllo. She also visited the older market in Barcelona, Santa Caterina, having lunch of grilled squid there before heading to Vegetalia to meet up with the rest of us. We had made it there just a few minutes before Daniella, and we all had some amazing vegetarian brunch, looking out into an open square in the Gothic district. Then, we headed to the nearby Picasso Museum, being literally the last couple of people to be allowed entry before they closed in the afternoon.<br />
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Soon after we left, we went to 4 Gats, the restaurant and bar that Picasso actually hang out at and designed the menu for. Opened in 1897, it has really amazing and beautiful decor, and OF COURSE great cocktails and food. We only had some patatas bravas and chips, but they were really good. And the vermouth was muy declicioso. We left there after 2 drinks, and kinda just wandered in a general direction, ending up at the Palau de la Musica Catalana, a beautiful music hall, where we sat and had a bottle of cava (sparkling wine produced like champagne) in the atrium bar.<br />
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Finally, we made it to our destination of Cal Pep! We'd been informed that we HAD TO GO THERE based on Daniella's friends recommendation that it was her favorite place in Barcelona. Well, she was right. Cal Pep was an amazing place and a great experience. We got sat immediately, somehow miraculously, as this place is reallllly small. The dining room (another literal cave of a room) held 20 people at most. The waiter was great, as we told him that Jordan and Emily were vegetarian, and the we just want him to keep bringing food out as per his recommendation. The service was great, the food was amazing, and our glasses were always full. We really had fun and enjoyed ourselves immensely.<br />
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We started back towards the air bnb, stopping for a bottle of wine at a bar near Santa Maria del Mar, and then at a place called Maitea for drinks and tapas, before heading back to the air bnb.<br />
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Barcelona morning - Day 5.<br />
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We got up early this day to go see Park Guell, a beautiful wonderland of mosaics and architecture. It was really like a willy-wonka fantasy land of architecture. We walked around there for a bit and ended up at this amazing lookout over Barcelona called Tres Cruces (Three crosses) where you could see all of Barcelona. Luckily, the weather was cool and a bit cloudy for us, so it wasn't too hot to be outside that day.<br />
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It was still relatively early so we went and had breakfast at this place called Brunch & Cake. I don't know what it was, but the whole trip we had really good timing or karma or something because we would always get sat right away at all the places we went to. Brunch & Cake was this hip cafe where the food was more culinary artistry than your average bagel and cream cheese. My salmon eggs Benedict was served on a black charcoal waffle with a summer salad, loaded into a literal shovel spade. It was really awesome and delicious. Check out the pictures of some of our food.<br />
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We headed to the train station to depart for San Sebastian, but first we had some time to kill, so we locked up our baggage in a train station locker for 5 EUR, and went and hung out in nearby park for about an hour. Then we boarded that train with our few beers and light snacks we picked up from the train station. Even the little pre-made sandwiches from the train station were fresh and satisfying.<br />
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San Sebastian - Day 5:<br />
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We arrived around 9:30 p.m. Got the keys to the air bnb, which was reaaallllyyy an awesome spot. Nice and big, cool weather coming in through the windows, nice bathroom, clothes washer, kitchen, and pretty good location. We ate some dinner at the pintxos (PINCH-oh's) bar right next door to us, Oliyos. The drinks were great and the food was good, a common theme that we all just couldn't escape even if we tried. That night we walked down towards the beach and got our feet a little sandy before heading back to the apt. for some much needed sleep.<br />
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San Sebastian - Day 6:<br />
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We had a small little breakfast of pastries and pintxos at the close by cafe La Tahona and Bar Luis, sitting on the street side tables watching people walking by, starting their day.<br />
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This was the day where we made our way along a 5 mile coastal hike from San Sebastian to Puerto Pasajes de San Pedro, a small beautiful fishing village. The hike was actually a bit challenging for us, and halfway through we stopped atop a coastal boulder, having a little lunch of local fruits, goat cheese, and bread that we picked up before the hike. It was freakin amazing and beautiful. Somehow, we all decided to take a little off the marked trail shortcut, and it was really off the beaten path. We were almost trailblazing, coming to one point were the path became very steep downwards and then back up. But we did survive and conquered the off-trail path, finding our way back to the marked trail, and heading briskly to the end of the trail, as we were all getting hungry, and we were sober! for way too long!...<br />
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Upon arrival at Pasajes, you see a really large inlet channel where shipping boats arrive to unload the cargo holds. We took a small .70 EUR ferry across the channel to where there were restaurants and cafes. We had a few drinks at two different cafes, one with some small tapas. The language barrier here was more apparent, as the town was really small and mostly people only spoke Spanish or Basque, with a small amount of English. So we eventually took the bus back to San Sebastian, getting to more pintxos to eat on the way back to the air bnb. Baztam, Munto Restaurante, Casa Alcade, all for drink and pintxos. We had plenty of amazing food and good drinks that evening.<br />
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San Sebastian - Day 7:<br />
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I went with Jordan in the morning to grab some breakfast items so we could cook for ourselves in the apt. We got back and cooked some eggs, had apricot, some really thin Spanish bacon, and some OJ and coffee. It was a nice reprieve from always going out to eat.<br />
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Afterward, we got ready for the beach! La Concha was the beach we went to. Blazing sun, soft sand, chilly ocean water, all lined with a stone seawall backdrop and some scattered large boulders and small flysch formations jutting out from the stone walls carved into the beautiful beachfront town.<br />
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We spent hours at the beach, and yes, I got slightly burned on my back. But what a relaxing day it was.<br />
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Later that night, after showering and whatnot, we headed to Ganbara, a cafe/restaurant that we had been attempting to visit since we arrived in San Sebastian, but had always been closed. So we got there right as they opened, and once again got sat immediately in the downstairs restaurant area. Another cave of a room with stone walls and cozy interior. We chose this place because it was renowned for it's mushroom dishes. Turns out it was also a Michelin star restaurant, so knock that off the bucket list... :) The food was really so good. Daniella and I shared some tuna carpacio, and had charcoal grilled monk fish. The food was good, drinks were good, desert was good. Beyond good actually, it was stellar. Really a nice time with friends.<br />
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We continued to drink win in Constitution Plaza, and headed to another bar, Zibbibo, we decided would be a good spot to go, because it was open... Turns out it was a GREAT spot to go to. The bartender made Jordan and I some really good old fashioned cocktails that took 8 minutes of stirring to make. Worth the wait, and we sat outside at some tables in an open plaza area. Afterward, headed to another bar/cafe, Relojberri, where we shared a pitcher of Sangria before calling it a night again.<br />
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San Sebastian morning - Day 8:<br />
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Another light breakfast of eggs, toast, jam, fruit, grapes, and juice at the air bnb, before packing up and dropping our luggage at the train station. We walked around and shopped for a few hours, before visiting the Baztam bar again for more pintxos before departing to Madrid.<br />
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We arrived late in Madrid, got a taxi to the air bnb and met with the owner's mother for a quick overview of the city and neighborhood and what to do and where to go. The neighborhood we were in was really cool and hip. Plenty of young tattooed people, characters, sounds of evening fun, bars, cafes, etc. We had some wine at a place called La Falda and then La Playa Lavapies for vermouth drinks and tinto de verano. Also ended up at an Indian restaurant late night for some food, placed called Safaran. Actually was really delicious and perfect for late night food.<br />
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Madrid - Day 9:<br />
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We had breakfast at a great cafe called Pump Pum Cafe, fresh food, avocado toast, delicious coffee, perfect cozy atmosphere. Just really nice and easy and calm, just like all of Spain really. Walked into this Spanish comic book store called Al Coleccionista, where we found some funny adult Spanish vintage magazines and other interesting comics. We walked to a leather shop we had been planning to shop at, but alas, it was closed. So we walked to Almudena Cathedral, next to the royal palace and walked around inside for a bit, taking in the architecture, stained glass windows, and murals and statues. Then close-by, we walked outside of the Royal Palace of Madrid before walking along the Paseo del Pinto Rosales street and Parque del Oeste. Can't forget that we stopped for a minute so some of us could use that .10EUR public single occupant restroom that played some nice jazz music for you while you occupied it.<br />
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We took the Teleferico (cable cars) over Casa de Campo with a view fo the Madrid skyline and the Royal palace. At the top there was a little cafe where we had a beer and shared a mozzarella panini, before taking the cable cars back to the starting point. We stopped at El Estragon Vegetariano, a vegetarian cafe that was also very delicious. We decided to head back to the apt. for a little siesta and recharge for a few hours. It was much needed and I can see how this is a good idea on a regular basis.<br />
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We had some late night snacks and the Market de San Manuel. Olives, tapas, vermouth, chips, just some snacks really. Then we headed back because boy were we tired!<br />
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Madrid - Day 10:<br />
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We all had a nice late breakfast at Lap Cafe, then headed to the El Rastro outdoor flea market. It was a Sunday thing where one street is closed down for vendors to setup stalls. Daniella and Emily both got purses, but really nice ones actually for a decent price.<br />
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Ended up at Cascorro bar for beers and just to get off our feet for a minute, then back to Mercado de San Fernando for drinks and food again. Ended up again at the Playa Lavapies bar for about 5 rounds of drinks before we had dinner at Bar Barbieri and, once again, wonderful wonderful food and drinks.<br />
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The next day Daniella and I both had flights out of Madrid, hers being early and mine in the afternoon. So I'm sure I missed plenty of details about our trip but there was so much we did, I could never really explain or remember it all! I saw Daniella off that morning and then hung out with Jordan and Emily until about 12:30pm. Jordan got himself a pair of boots made from Spanish leather, really nice.<br />
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It was such a great trip I was kinda sad to end it, but at the same time I was SOOO happy I got to experience such an amazing trip with my great friends, my sister, and also that we managed to do so much in our short time in Spain. I'd definitely consider going back sometime and spending more time in some of the same places.<br />
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Now, I'm here in Astana, back at work. Yesterday I talked to my superior, and I'm giving my resignation today. I am just not satisfied with this job, with my life here, and with the future I would have with the company, or this industry for that matter. I figure I could have a job I don't like in the states just as easily, and have a much better quality of life at least. So I'll be heading back home soon, to Florida, before I eventually move to NYC with my sister sometime close to the beginning of next year. I'm really not sure what will happen, or where I'll end up, or what I'll do for work, but I'm okay with that and I'm glad that at least I've had this experience in Kazakhstan. I'm excited for the future still and can't wait to eat real chicken wings and have a Publix sub.<br />
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<br />nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-9820348079137818622017-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:002017-07-18T21:09:20.323-07:00Post Dubai, pre-SpainThe title says it all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgClJiZekipEliuevuP3nKG44MkihbII0hz0LMPgLjHQk52O1cDpkjUP6mSIvKmkYPMY5YA4qEwK-tyHHrnDP49CLCFYjoCo3-QSAijzFhRyDoNHhKLRQbtwQ5yo86E578v7xLMxBCv5k/s1600/20170620_140455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgClJiZekipEliuevuP3nKG44MkihbII0hz0LMPgLjHQk52O1cDpkjUP6mSIvKmkYPMY5YA4qEwK-tyHHrnDP49CLCFYjoCo3-QSAijzFhRyDoNHhKLRQbtwQ5yo86E578v7xLMxBCv5k/s320/20170620_140455.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">marronerosso, a really good cafe at one of the malls here in astana</td></tr>
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But first, I'll say that I had my 30th birthday here in Astana. I took the day of and the day after off from work because fuck it. I want them off. I went and had a relaxing lunch with some coffee and a chocolate croissant, before heading to the 2017 Expo and checking out a few of the pavilions setup by different countries. It was Korea, Japan, USA, and I think Cuba as well. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KQSca8B-WGLqpF-g1pH2a9MutSFc4t5uvtQkSDbGKkwX5hsputq6BHyFCoim-PpGmd1GGJCq38-It8AxcW2q_QyBsWeURgzYaXS-ABvgm4eye0IWsXQqmUTbFsDlf0oxENeUFyVmzzY/s1600/20170620_161308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KQSca8B-WGLqpF-g1pH2a9MutSFc4t5uvtQkSDbGKkwX5hsputq6BHyFCoim-PpGmd1GGJCq38-It8AxcW2q_QyBsWeURgzYaXS-ABvgm4eye0IWsXQqmUTbFsDlf0oxENeUFyVmzzY/s320/20170620_161308.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the expo, the Nur Alem is the large sphere centrally located.</td></tr>
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I was also there to see a concert, a classical rendition of Beatles music called "Beatles Go Baroque", performed by stringed instruments, in several styles, such as Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. It was good.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The architecture and art at the Expo was really something else. Very futuristic styles</td></tr>
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Afterwards my friend Elenea and I went with a few of her friends out for a few drinks and some food at a local bar. It was REALLY loud inside, but I had a good time with them. I'm glad I wasn't alone on my birthday. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEE_17Np_jk8uDZipmIpN82F-TTtZZOmysCCtKQJZu548hk5KmPNNmKcxa_9tka-Ye_qXWuPSAz_Q44i5SG1bRheRk3m2FV43OzoZ86r7s3pZSbz6u6SbLxYLzEQrErUUIeX-H7-C9Xk/s1600/20170625_172217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEE_17Np_jk8uDZipmIpN82F-TTtZZOmysCCtKQJZu548hk5KmPNNmKcxa_9tka-Ye_qXWuPSAz_Q44i5SG1bRheRk3m2FV43OzoZ86r7s3pZSbz6u6SbLxYLzEQrErUUIeX-H7-C9Xk/s320/20170625_172217.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the ballet theater, looking towards the Expo.</td></tr>
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The next day I just kinda did nothing as I had the day off, so that was nice. I haven't really experienced anything out of my ordinary daily schedule leading up to the Dubai trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXudLUQw5hidXuTrJrNCdmTkLJSynb4S4N7_ASUgbShjUoyAvJbOLTjaMeDXrDVnFHqt_t4l8_7fqyM__g9e1P0s96bgP1MPafTQYXElKEcdyIrYhcDXewh_DrQNHYqJF4zJeumEdi8hA/s1600/20170617_215340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXudLUQw5hidXuTrJrNCdmTkLJSynb4S4N7_ASUgbShjUoyAvJbOLTjaMeDXrDVnFHqt_t4l8_7fqyM__g9e1P0s96bgP1MPafTQYXElKEcdyIrYhcDXewh_DrQNHYqJF4zJeumEdi8hA/s320/20170617_215340.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astana's Bayterek tower at night.</td></tr>
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As per Arabtec's request, Hashem and I flew to Dubai on the 7th and came back on the 15th.<br />
The purpose being for us to learn more about company procedures and gain valuable knowledge for our career development. IF that happened, I'm not sure I'm aware of it. But the trip was great in any sense.<br />
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Our host and guide to this whole trip was Mark, a really solid employee and straight shooter. We arrived to meet him in the airport with our driver John. After getting into the hotel at around 8pm, we took some time to get cleaned up, and wanted to go out. So, I found a post on reddit about a concert that was happening that night, and convinced Hashem it would be a good idea to go. Turns out, it was. The band was a Canadian hardcore metal band, and the venue was filled with some grungy, smelly, long haired, tattooed, leather jacket, studded belt, biker-esque types. So it was PERFECT for me. I felt I had been transported to a punk rock show back in the states. It was great to say the least.<br />
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Hashem and I took a shot of tequila and drank a beer immediately, as we arrived kinda late and the main band had literally just started as we walked in.For me, the band sounded great, and people were slightly rocking back and forth of head banging or tapping their feet, but that wasn't enough for me. It looked like i was gonna have to show these folks how to really enjoy a metal show...<br />
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So I definitely instigated some mosh pit style 'dancing' by pushing a few people around on the dance floor, bumping into the people directly in front of the stage. Maybe even spilling some people's drinks or whatever. I think the crowd got the point because from that point on there was actually some dancing and a mosh pit.<br />
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YOU'RE WELCOME DUBAI<br />
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Nonetheless, it was a good time, and after getting a ride from our driver back to the hotel, we stepped into the hotel lobby and immediately into the bar/nightclub on the ground floor. It was FILLED with an international crowd, live music, tons of indoor smoking, and a bar, of course. There were people from Africa, Europe, Pakistan, India, all over Asia, and wouldn't you know it, plenty of Arabs. We stuck around for about an hour or so, having a few beers, chatting with whoever, winding down the night, so I thought. Turns out as soon as we stepped into the elevator, Hashem just slumped down on the ground, and I knew he was really drunk. Upon arrival on the 11th floor, where our rooms were, I grabbed him up and walked him to his room, next to mine. It was about 10 minutes later he came back knocking yelling about how he needs help and he's drunk. So I threw him in the bathroom where he could vomit in the toilet.<br />
Now, I don't know if it's a common thing, but it's very common if I'm taking care of an ol'drunky McLushMouth at the end of the night, they ALWAYS just wanna throw up in the sink or the bathtub, even after I tell them to ONLY go into the toilet.<br />
So in proper fashion, Hashem pulls himself up to my hotel sink to give it a good cloggin'. And I proceed to try and persuade him back towards the toilet, whilst forcing him to drink bottle after bottle of water from the vending machine, verbally degrading him when he refused water, because I know he needed to drink more water. Water...<br />
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Anyways, he was totally fine the next day somehow. I know I would have probably been out a good 2 or 3 days if I was in that condition the night before. But hey, he's younger I guess. Luckily, we had that Saturday as a free day to explore and relax before working. Our hotel was about a 3 minute walk from the Mall of the Emirates, and after walking outside for 3 minutes, I was pretty much drenched in sweat, at an average daily temperature of 100 deg F and 93% RH. So we had some lunch there at the mall. A really REALLY delicious restaurant called Dean and DeLuca. We had some hummus, muhammara, fried truffle mac and cheese, a flatbread pizza, and some sirlion kebabs. It was crazy good. After that we really didn't do much on our free day. We did swim in the rooftop pool at the hotel for a while. It was a bit like taking a bath. But still refreshing. I did end up meeting later that night with a Turkish geneticist named Ayca (eye-cha) for a few beers and we talked for a bit before heading home. She was very pleasant and we actually met up again before I left Dubai.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the rooftop pool area. Not much to see, except my face of detest for the heat.</td></tr>
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The company provided us accommodations at this hotel CityMax Al Barsha, and a driver to transport us around to each of the construction sites and main office. In total we visited 6 work sites, including some villas, the main workshop in Dubai, a twin high rise towers project, and the Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), which was basically a new airport extension of massive proportions. All in all, there wasn't anything too interesting or different about these projects in comparison to the project here in Astana, except that everything actually runs smoothly and is executed in a professional manner the way it should be.<br />
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We would get up and have breakfast in the hotel before getting picked up anywhere from 7:00 to 7:45, depending on the schedule that day. Three of the days were full of traveling and meeting people on the site, ending at around 4:00pm. The first day we drove to Abu Dhabi, which is close to a 2 hour drive from Dubai. This is where the villas project and MTB project were located. The first project, the villas, were basically 2 story housing units in the middle of the desert. It's amazing to see Abu Dhabi amd think that it will be the next Dubai, because basically there are construction projects in the middle of a huge wasteland of a desert. We toured the maintenance facitilites, worksite, etc. with the lead maintenance engineer. Had some lunch, and headed to the MTB project, where we basically did the exact same thing. But at the MTB things were a bit stricter, with security, speed limits of about 10mph, and really a huge number of machines on the site. Over 1000. This projct is a joint venture between three companies, our employer Arabtec, CCC, and TAV, a Turkish company specializing in airport construction. The project is about 5 years old and has about 47 terminals at the moment, and is scheduled to finish at the beginning of next year. So after that was finished, we decided to head back to Dubai. We could have stayed and went to the beach, Ferrari world, a water park, or whatever, but we just figured we could get back to the hotel and do something in Dubai.<br />
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All in all the business end of the trip seemed to be repetition of the same conversation with different employees, just in different locations. We ended up going to Fujairah to visit a site, construction of villas in the desert, again, and it was deeeeeeeepressing. Mostly because the site had to generate their own electricity, there was NOTHING around, the provided food was super basic, cell phones couldn't get internet connections, there was no beach nearby, not a trace of any entertainment, and the site laborers were all living together in very close proximity in shared accommodations. Even the camps for management and upper level employees were shared accommodations with basically just the bare necessities for you to survive and complete your work. I would never want to live like that, yet, many of these laborers consider themselves lucky to have the job at all. Most of them are from India, and I'm guessing will work for years just to send money home or live a meager existence until their eventual death. So I'll just say I'm thankful for the life I am living as it has been and for what it is seemingly going to be.<br />
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After touring the work site, steel-yard, labor camps, offices, and having lunch in "town" we definitely wanted to get back to Dubai. Lunch was really great though. I had a dish called mansaf, which is traditionally eaten with your hands, and so I did, and it was good.<br />
I think it may have been later that night that we met up with Hashem's friend Nader at a New Orleans themed bar called Nola Bar for some beers and they also had live music. It was strange because you had to walk through a hotel lobby, take an elevator down to the parking garage, exit through the back through a narrow corridor, and eventually arrive at a door that leads into a restaurant/bar. It was a pretty good night, nothing too crazy.<br />
<br />
The rest of our business activities would keep us in Dubai, touring the main workshop, meeting with the lead engineers for the hoist section, for the tower crane section, for the fabrication department, and other office workers or administrative employees.<br />
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We did eventually make it to the beach, once at night and once during the day. The night time was pretty nice, because it was cooler, although the water was still warm. It actually isn't a traditional ocean, so there's no replenishing currents. It really is one big bath, the Persian Gulf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jnQ272YA7112-Y6iECfD93ZNW0EBgT85SGGpel2grZYtIMyhQeEa29seAoMEsqgz5wLTOxtQXsvxa_4V6ac3dg6h7BHs20unA54YfYRsZqAm5M4LO3aYvj0-DYtzFa0R_jbdm5CTNAY/s1600/20170710_200337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jnQ272YA7112-Y6iECfD93ZNW0EBgT85SGGpel2grZYtIMyhQeEa29seAoMEsqgz5wLTOxtQXsvxa_4V6ac3dg6h7BHs20unA54YfYRsZqAm5M4LO3aYvj0-DYtzFa0R_jbdm5CTNAY/s320/20170710_200337.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Burj Al Arab in the distance at the beach at night. Kinda blurry.</td></tr>
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During the beach day trip, we went to a bar called Barasti Beach. It had chairs right near the water, a bar at the beach, and a volleyball net set up. We mostly just hung out in the water, not being too active. But afterwards, the inside of this bar somewhat turns into a nightclub. It's all jungle themed and air conditioned. We ordered some different tapas foods, a few beers, and then some live music was played at a certain point. we stayed for a while there also. It was a fun night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXlsgI9j9nLzJNxDQY1I1B32GjwGg5fsR5Qa0wNTfGkTNfLunov9bBdx4lj4v4_IOykc9luNEd02UpQzpptlARiNgGcMl-37FudjL-vrsonRh7BOfSI-BSFIUbJJ4tB7qFnXnOqUzYsA/s1600/20170712_181342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXlsgI9j9nLzJNxDQY1I1B32GjwGg5fsR5Qa0wNTfGkTNfLunov9bBdx4lj4v4_IOykc9luNEd02UpQzpptlARiNgGcMl-37FudjL-vrsonRh7BOfSI-BSFIUbJJ4tB7qFnXnOqUzYsA/s320/20170712_181342.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Barasti Beach bar. Just a few hundred million dollars worth of yachts in the distance...</td></tr>
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More of the same for work the next day. Hours spent drinking tea, sitting with people whom continually would tell me things I already know. Hashem was literally playing Pokemon and solitaire on his phone point blank while people were talking to us. It was that kind of boring. We did manage to get a tour of the office/administration side of the workshop that day, which was uhhhhh, kinda also boring in my opinion. Just walking around from office to office, being introduced as the guys from Kazakhstan, making people stand up while we were there, asking them what they do when you already know what they do, then leaving and going to the next office. But, after this, we sat with the big boss man himself. GM of the division. The man who gave us jobs basically. We had some sfiha and mana'eesh which was kinda like pizza bread with some different cheeses and spices. it was pretty damn good. But we had the lunch, and eventually made it back to the hotel for a quick rest for an hour. Afterwards, we met up with one of the site managers at a project called Damac Heights, another high rise project near the Dubai marina. It was a good experience as we got to see some tie-ins for an external tower crane, something we don't have on our site here in Kazakhstan. Also, it was a good view from the top of the marina.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLV52QDDtruwuiLzfNfhq6Y9fGqRUBXj4cIXp8wx9XrC6MiGYhOjxlmZ94QQ7l-zjv8z61V6Ep7J0yLev2CMfwOrqOZk73FLjBuD_qwnAxnrPi24U0W_Yo259T4qgzXl9S3vk37f3dgM/s1600/20170712_155607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLV52QDDtruwuiLzfNfhq6Y9fGqRUBXj4cIXp8wx9XrC6MiGYhOjxlmZ94QQ7l-zjv8z61V6Ep7J0yLev2CMfwOrqOZk73FLjBuD_qwnAxnrPi24U0W_Yo259T4qgzXl9S3vk37f3dgM/s320/20170712_155607.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Damac heights. You can see the support structure of the crane in the left of this picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE5ki-ufi2NXMx9dpbfU_GHGbGZmxZYIMAuLvRdLjP1c8rhnI1Ko_c2HHrwOtdsK5truhp0RLQ3Z6Ym4_SNl6ttbxytHWL5XMfXF_KmH6Oc3xawcUTcXsCZJ4HojC_Z1zjPCsn31HfuU/s1600/20170712_160520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE5ki-ufi2NXMx9dpbfU_GHGbGZmxZYIMAuLvRdLjP1c8rhnI1Ko_c2HHrwOtdsK5truhp0RLQ3Z6Ym4_SNl6ttbxytHWL5XMfXF_KmH6Oc3xawcUTcXsCZJ4HojC_Z1zjPCsn31HfuU/s320/20170712_160520.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was referred to as the infinity building. It has a very unique twisting architecture. It's right next to Damac heights.</td></tr>
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After this, we were ready for some more R&R. So we decided we would go back to the Barasti beach club that night. We had a few drinks and started talking to these two girls from Sweden, and ended up just chilling with them for the night, drinking Baileys (not from a shoe).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeimskBNaijBbZP9HdaWJ0EGU5yTmxra-1VafYTxY3lR-cvKGbGS7Xk7b6_1M5Toc6JRhqU3yXDZ1F8MEGbDy_4YSYDMQV4LSsWIT8FuW_92gyO-kjBQwxOOUUdEtbBASnbysC6mXX2Y/s1600/20170714_020755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeimskBNaijBbZP9HdaWJ0EGU5yTmxra-1VafYTxY3lR-cvKGbGS7Xk7b6_1M5Toc6JRhqU3yXDZ1F8MEGbDy_4YSYDMQV4LSsWIT8FuW_92gyO-kjBQwxOOUUdEtbBASnbysC6mXX2Y/s320/20170714_020755.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty Baileys shot glasses from that one night.</td></tr>
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The last day we were there, we had a free day to do whatever we wanted. So I decided I'll go to the mall of Dubai. Hashem was spending some time with one of his friends who was living locally. I took the metro from the Mall of the Emirates to the Dubai mall. For the most part, Dubai seems to be a totally consumer driven market, besides all of the investing in the city itself. But this does elevate the customer service to new heights. The customer really is king if you have the money. Every restaurant, fast food joint, clothing store, information kiosk, taxi, hotel desk, valet, they all have exceptional customer interactions and with a polite smile all the while. Even the janitor sweeping up minuscule pieces of trash at the metro station was kindly helping me with the ticketing machine when I looked like I didn't know what I was doing for only 3 seconds. Good thing because I really didn't.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZXwlGQzBvj0HK698OlTP9y7MVWLK5ecTpHNuZn_Qy7Zf5aN0z7vuk9GHmPVzSH3PmZh9bR1oMUE3et-dNqYxfgnGn-SkBe6lCAazEXFR_gKoUxvuh77UlMfFGLWwLZquHMk1GvRGJCs/s1600/20170714_112532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZXwlGQzBvj0HK698OlTP9y7MVWLK5ecTpHNuZn_Qy7Zf5aN0z7vuk9GHmPVzSH3PmZh9bR1oMUE3et-dNqYxfgnGn-SkBe6lCAazEXFR_gKoUxvuh77UlMfFGLWwLZquHMk1GvRGJCs/s320/20170714_112532.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An inside shot of the Dubai mall.</td></tr>
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At the mall I kinda just walked around and tried to take in the massive scale of this world's largest shopping complex. I was specifically there for new running shoes from the saucony store, and I did eventually find them, but not before eating a halal Shake Shack burger and milkshake. It was freakin delicious. I also bought a zippo lighter branded with a picture of Dubai, dressed in gold color of course, to add to my collection.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVYFZOFdddsn733eKTCuctN-JwBkc4KXzArzQ2IO_vtHXdf2CR0sdgpY7HWl21cE2MdLDxopf8C6nw7fr1nSIPpCLPa0OaZz9e8cEVL-MsyzEDkMeQEyzUPvdoh-2lz_hySd8bNaCzUE/s1600/20170714_145548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVYFZOFdddsn733eKTCuctN-JwBkc4KXzArzQ2IO_vtHXdf2CR0sdgpY7HWl21cE2MdLDxopf8C6nw7fr1nSIPpCLPa0OaZz9e8cEVL-MsyzEDkMeQEyzUPvdoh-2lz_hySd8bNaCzUE/s400/20170714_145548.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a Hermes store and it had some AMAZING threads on display. Here is just one example that I liked and took a photo of.</td></tr>
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<br /> After taking the Metro back to the Emirates mall, and getting back into the hotel, I took a shower and just relaxed for a while. I ended up going back to the Nola bar that night with Ayca where we had a small dinner, a few drinks, a few more drinks, and just talked and enjoyed eachothers' company for a few hours, listening to live jazz music, picking at a cheeseboard.</div>
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The last day was travel day, nothing much to say about it. You know the drill. Make sure you're packed, check out, get to the airport early, etc. etc. So that was that. Flew from Dubai to Almaty, and from Almaty to Astana, arriving at around 7pm local time. Luckily there was no real jet lag on either leg of the trip, as the time difference is only 2 hours.</div>
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Upon arrival to Astana, nothing much had changed, at work, at home, in general. I did meet up with a girl who plays bluegrass fiddle in a blue grass band. Yes. A bluegrass band in Kazakhstan. What the heck?? Anyhoo, we met up one night and had dinner at this place called Linebrew. Pretty good food, some live music by two guitarists. Chill night. After dinner at around 9:30 we headed to another bar to meetup with a group of people connected through a website called couchsurfing. It was a neat experience. The crowd was mixed with people from Spain, Kazakhstan, Germany, and one guy from New York. HA! It was nice to be able to speak English with an entire crowd. I met a guy and a girl who both used to work at the project before I even started. It was funny because they both kinda knew exactly what I was doing at work and the problems I deal with in trying to get things done.</div>
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So, I'll leave you once again with some pictures. I'm traveling to Spain tomorrow for 10 days. Meeting up with my sister, and two friends from Tallahassee, who are now living in Austin. I'll be sure to write another update once I get back. Hopefully I'll have some more pictures next time.</div>
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Till next time... Ciao.<br /><br /><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-f2MIHkLciPotHkeUWBvSxZCg3MKm1O7xE8x3W2A6a6ueixugkxtU-Urhz6KIRwSa9V1FCWgTG4uNp-YRbhtR6PIPPXAI_J4e2Qy241Id3EZWD62RKfQXJvWjfxtEX-BcIs-6eB2hTc/s1600/20170710_105226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-f2MIHkLciPotHkeUWBvSxZCg3MKm1O7xE8x3W2A6a6ueixugkxtU-Urhz6KIRwSa9V1FCWgTG4uNp-YRbhtR6PIPPXAI_J4e2Qy241Id3EZWD62RKfQXJvWjfxtEX-BcIs-6eB2hTc/s320/20170710_105226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was pretty dusty for the entirety of the trip, but I took some photos anyways. Here you can see the Burj Khalifa in the distance, the tallest building in the world.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDF14whJK6JlNuW43fXRb99Upawri0-_Fq5jEoXtRLLOj2m2KGBG11of8rUBgmCiXEeiyMi3Zdkzs6yjyPzs7Ak9PxitvaTbxUTTiotEGiZZVwrq75VUz7ImjJvBkL8Q5MpqFuHwDLYQ/s1600/20170709_074427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDF14whJK6JlNuW43fXRb99Upawri0-_Fq5jEoXtRLLOj2m2KGBG11of8rUBgmCiXEeiyMi3Zdkzs6yjyPzs7Ak9PxitvaTbxUTTiotEGiZZVwrq75VUz7ImjJvBkL8Q5MpqFuHwDLYQ/s320/20170709_074427.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dubai's skyline is a smattering of unique architecture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYo0I6PyFs7kBdIGQ_b1v7XlDBJWKCUC7oHwXYWqC_mHxoe9D8iMpGM8rxdfksqiK7JcwZvWhfWTaKnx6pSqWEAi__Kr08UuhY7Qqt4VPuoNwtpa59nM1vuP7e1naqpJuq7puOY1fgyNs/s1600/20170714_110517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYo0I6PyFs7kBdIGQ_b1v7XlDBJWKCUC7oHwXYWqC_mHxoe9D8iMpGM8rxdfksqiK7JcwZvWhfWTaKnx6pSqWEAi__Kr08UuhY7Qqt4VPuoNwtpa59nM1vuP7e1naqpJuq7puOY1fgyNs/s320/20170714_110517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florida, just like home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ylIIfroWg2oKGP-gdW3r5j_zET0sRzlqIgjqLR89ZB-AI_mes8JySaAuEoUtgXRLQVU6clnZ3d7GP4_o860jfoQ6xm66gvBT8w9IzT-zLDZgkV23qlvseOIi2x5FHq_8ypgR6099It4/s1600/20170710_160824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ylIIfroWg2oKGP-gdW3r5j_zET0sRzlqIgjqLR89ZB-AI_mes8JySaAuEoUtgXRLQVU6clnZ3d7GP4_o860jfoQ6xm66gvBT8w9IzT-zLDZgkV23qlvseOIi2x5FHq_8ypgR6099It4/s320/20170710_160824.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Burj Khalifa from a different, closer perspective.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqfyriIHgTl5gebRiaMey1wGJFgSjyDdxADKiNSF8UNXyxXycvx0XG9x6PI32Tgjzjypuby1a9GGf80vLAu37XCGU4hz8EWqpNxDFFXC-xsbJb1u-d7KM-pNFifUSJv_cPwMiDeFyE6A/s1600/20170713_162851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqfyriIHgTl5gebRiaMey1wGJFgSjyDdxADKiNSF8UNXyxXycvx0XG9x6PI32Tgjzjypuby1a9GGf80vLAu37XCGU4hz8EWqpNxDFFXC-xsbJb1u-d7KM-pNFifUSJv_cPwMiDeFyE6A/s320/20170713_162851.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wonderful variety of spices, grains, legumes, etc. in the grocery store that was inside the mall of the Emirates.</td></tr>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-36388774863139702722017-06-07T21:42:00.000-07:002017-06-07T21:42:32.730-07:00Summer... ish.Well, at least summer TIME is here, even if the weather isn't reminiscent of what I consider summer time weather. Two nights ago the temp went down to 1 degree Celsius (about 34 in Fahrenheit). The days are warming up, but in Astana, you always need a jacket and pants, as you might turn a corner and be blasted with high winds from some random corridor that's concentrating light gusts of wind into some type of game show air cannon that will literally wipe the sunglasses off your face (yes it happened to me twice). So it can get pretty chilly in the shade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw7-_M1fmsv1nx7BJ4VnFrkyvwsuE7neJ_gCxAR32ADeLwbteFFz98PlSL9B61J_pTL0QoDXTm3uopTQp6IbSjJIqfC-P7ialq5NXafAOW6K6-FGT3rJQcySCVWO7p7abjQNba-yIOZo/s1600/20170605_094057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw7-_M1fmsv1nx7BJ4VnFrkyvwsuE7neJ_gCxAR32ADeLwbteFFz98PlSL9B61J_pTL0QoDXTm3uopTQp6IbSjJIqfC-P7ialq5NXafAOW6K6-FGT3rJQcySCVWO7p7abjQNba-yIOZo/s320/20170605_094057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the CAT graders outside the workshop. <br />Pretty cool to be working with this type of equipment.</td></tr>
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It's been a while since my last post, more like almost two months. Work is still pretty boring in my view. I'm basically updating reports, creating material vouchers, and inspecting machines. Kinda like a slave, with benefits. But all in all, I realized that I don't even care. I'm planning on moving to New York to live with my sister at the end of my contract in February, so I'm elevating that future situation to reward status for myself, as I complete my penance of acquiring the elusive "work experience" that is so unnecessarily necessary to even have an employer consider throwing your resume right in the trash. Learning Russian has slowed down for me quite a bit, as I'm usually pressed for time either at or outside of work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTfMedDpFccYZIvEJDF22L4dP-HxuqAIq6WRCYtZYuRudXZKY-HsQPE50fyQ-tVeDP_ADXVSWyKbwooVRTNpYwRB8yBxxQyEXxrwCtLIGDoJxC0WFKZu1YB67YKG-WoULCXtrpDVvJpY/s1600/20170607_112752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTfMedDpFccYZIvEJDF22L4dP-HxuqAIq6WRCYtZYuRudXZKY-HsQPE50fyQ-tVeDP_ADXVSWyKbwooVRTNpYwRB8yBxxQyEXxrwCtLIGDoJxC0WFKZu1YB67YKG-WoULCXtrpDVvJpY/s320/20170607_112752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atop one of our buildings, watching some welders work on a<br />new base for a derrick crane we're moving.</td></tr>
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While on top of one of the towers on the site, I was looking out across Astana and realized I have the most amazing unobstructed view of this city that anyone might ever wish to have, and I guess that's something to be thankful for. Maybe when I think back to my time here I'll at least have the memory of the amazing view. So I got that going for me....<br />
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In the past few weeks I've tried to stay busy on my days off, and even sometimes on nights where I have to be at work the next day, but even when work is slow, being hungover at work is the worst, so I pretty much stopped going out on Friday, especially to the bar. I did go to see a ballet at the ballet house here in Astana, and that was a new experience for me. There was a classical ballet component with a stringed orchestra, then an intermission followed by a new-age type of interpretive dance performance, without the orchestra. They even had a section of dance to Pink Floyd's "Great gig in the sky", which I absolutely loved.<br />
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I also got a chance to go skateboarding one Sunday, although this entire city is filled with shitty pavers and even shittier asphalt, so it's not exactly skateboard friendly. However, there is supposedly a skate park somewhere that I have yet to find. I was able to find some nice granite flat ground with a few 3 stair gaps near the opera house and also near the Bayterek monument park. I even ran into a few skater kids that spoke pretty good English and they were super stoked to meet a "real skater" from the US, even though I'm really bad at skating nowadays and get slightly out of breath just walking up a few short flights of stairs.<br />
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More recently, I've been planning on when to go to the 2017 Expo here in Astana, which is starting June 10th and ends sometime in September. There's a show I'm going to on my birthday called "Beatles go Baroque" an orchestral performance of some 20 songs, along with a video component. Also there's a few concerts during the expo. Some artists include Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit, Chris Brown, and the one I'm going to, 30 Seconds To Mars. There's also a few weeks where the Cirque du Soliel company will be performing, so I'd like to catch that also.<br />
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It's somewhat funny in my opinion to see how much hustle and bustle there is around the city in the week leading up to the expo opening. Here in Astana the work ethic on my job site is comical at best, but is still miles ahead of the local workers' motivation to complete municipal or private projects on time. So, there's two new 'roads' that lead directly to the expo that are individually on either side of the area where I work. Since February, when I moved here up until about 4 days ago both roads were a sad excuse for a dirt road. Boulders of concrete scrap with re-bar spiraling out of them like crooked defunct branches of some wicked gnarled graveyard willow with no leaves. Heaps of dirt and rubble haphazardly piled at the discretion of the excavator operator, lined by barricades that have been moved by pedestrians to suit their needs of travelling a path that is two or three yards shorter, or perhaps to keep their shoes cleaner than by walking an alternate path.<br />
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Now, with 2 days until the expo officially opens, the excavators are running day and night, workers are digging on Sunday evenings, paving machines are being unloaded off of trailers, cobblestone pavers are being laid, streetlamps are being wired. Still, only one of the roads is paved, while the other remains as a slurry of mud and rocks, due to recent rainfall. I'm almost sure the opening day will consist of a series of "Wet Paint, Do Not Touch" signs, daisy-chained along barricades preventing unsuspecting pedestrians from stepping into wet concrete.<br />
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In other news, I've moved to a new apartment, still very close to work. I couldn't stand living in the other apartment anymore. Coming home to a constant construction symphony of hammer drills, saws, and banging was getting old, fast. Not to mention the ventilation system would sometimes route secondhand smoke INTO the apartment. The elevators were often either out of service, turned off, or held up by construction workers lading trash debris into them, unknowingly exceeding the maximum safe weight limit, rendering them useless to residents, and probably unsafe. Clouds of dust from sanding and drywall would settle just outside my doorway, conveniently allowing me to track them into the apt.<br />
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But that's over now.<br />
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The building I'm in is a still new, but not under constant construction. It's actually got a BED! Well, the bed frame was alright, however, the mattress left something to be desired. Lets just say I would be more comfortable sleeping on a slab of granite. So I also recently purchased a nice memory foam mattress, because I would wake up with INSANE neck and back pain from the mattress. I even slept on the floor one night and it was better than the bed. So now my sleep has improved greatly. I still am waking up at 5 or 6 a.m. automatically, but the neck and back pain is gone.<br />
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The new apt is a bit more expensive, about $30/month, which is no big deal, as it comes with the utilities included, and internet as well.<br />
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I'm REALLY looking forward to the month of July because I'm travelling to Dubai for company training on the 7th-15th, then going to Spain on the 20th-31st. So the whole month will be pretty much travel! Gonna be tons of fun.<br />
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Until next time,<br />
Auf wiedersehen<span style="color: #333333; font-family: q_serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgao2NcAeFDgZIeeHWahsX28zgxTGt54Ku1qJK6MFepX-fqPHvAgHNkbgC7dJ6Za1o_cA0KHJfo63Am0IZEVZgkOcVTTNsGLcCbXtJ_cdIgWGrnbOjd4RgPgTcqSOIlLGPEjQmb67bYBLI/s1600/20170605_154409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgao2NcAeFDgZIeeHWahsX28zgxTGt54Ku1qJK6MFepX-fqPHvAgHNkbgC7dJ6Za1o_cA0KHJfo63Am0IZEVZgkOcVTTNsGLcCbXtJ_cdIgWGrnbOjd4RgPgTcqSOIlLGPEjQmb67bYBLI/s320/20170605_154409.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View with the Bayterek monument in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some food I cooked in the new apt. <br />Rice w/ green lentils, mushrooms w/ garlic & thyme, and some toasted pine nuts. <br />Yeah I guess you can still eat pretty good even in Kazakhstan!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0LfCUPRNG3LfxH6yAuT3YZsFk1MbJBwIH1xDq8ehQYOsDvvuzBWyZvpjJAbzrR73suiI1sr0AKjLq2M20N6JDbOUHNUxlXzg4EKmWSk3AejkM0W1hGRjx7tdDbNjYENT4xMIGJmgJlo/s1600/20170604_222113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0LfCUPRNG3LfxH6yAuT3YZsFk1MbJBwIH1xDq8ehQYOsDvvuzBWyZvpjJAbzrR73suiI1sr0AKjLq2M20N6JDbOUHNUxlXzg4EKmWSk3AejkM0W1hGRjx7tdDbNjYENT4xMIGJmgJlo/s320/20170604_222113.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went back to Shashlikoff with Iyad for a meat mountain and a few beers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A panoramic view from the top. Not sure how this will show up on the blog, but you get the idea.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: q_serif, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-84651720552481100182017-04-24T01:43:00.002-07:002017-04-24T01:43:19.661-07:00New to me...Today at work, I actually feel as if I've completed my first constructive task. It was a small task of visually inspecting a boom arm that places concrete in a desired area. It wasn't difficult or intensive, but it was SOMETHING. Works been soooo boring otherwise. I am challenged daily to not fall asleep. Even the little video game I play on my phone isn't entertaining because I play so much. I've started putting more time into practicing Russian at work. So at least I'm not just staring at a wall, or walking around the job site with no direction. Also, recently I've been planning this trip to Spain, so that takes up a bit of time also, and gives me a future vacation to work towards. But even with all that, I've got free time coming out my ears, which is ironic because outside of work I have no free time! Fuckin way she goes...<br />
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Yesterday was pretty eventful for me. I went to lunch at a really great place called 'The Chef', a brand new restaurant that has it's own farm from which it sources the menu ingredients. It was really great. Afterwords I met with my new friend Elena, a masters student and English teacher here in Astana. We went to a nice cafe in a small library, Eagilik Books & Coffee, that has English printed books and had some delicious coffee and cake. After relaxing and talking in the cafe for a while, we went to meetup with a few of her English students. I participated as a guest in their speaking club, asking questions of the students, soliciting responses in English as a way for them to practice conversational English. Mostly we talked about travel, life in Astana, societal norms and behaviors, and just generally anything that came to mind. Luckily US politics, or any for that matter, never really came, as I am totally indifferent to these types of conversations. I find them to be mostly unproductive exertions of energy.<br />
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So that was a new experience for me, and something I was nervous about, but it went swimmingly. We went and met Elena's classmate/friend for pizza afterwards, and eventually ended the night afterwards. What a full day! I was beat.<br />
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I'm really excited about Spain! I'm hoping my friends Emily and Jordan are gonna join my sister and I for the trip in Spain. It's gonna be awesome! I've found out that when we're going to San Sebastian there's an annual jazz festival happening with concerts on the beach. I wish I could bring everyone I know with me. Well, gonna get back to work, or uhhhh whatever.<br />
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-Till next time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvbuQyAQA5FDjCGpG2gC-H1E38Htr182bIk6eMr0o75ZtpCoKmmXspy_BrH2o3bngZ6ihQKdOKTvWa2rTv8FF6YonTMgWYG-M_aXGzFy9qZuGiGjcMgyMBDPCNAKjBw_lyAmng3ktQps/s1600/20170421_210728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvbuQyAQA5FDjCGpG2gC-H1E38Htr182bIk6eMr0o75ZtpCoKmmXspy_BrH2o3bngZ6ihQKdOKTvWa2rTv8FF6YonTMgWYG-M_aXGzFy9qZuGiGjcMgyMBDPCNAKjBw_lyAmng3ktQps/s320/20170421_210728.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I tend to eat on Saturday or Sunday during the evening. I found some good salami and cheeses. Also found a horse salami that I've yet to try.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y_0xN5tKuOY071hf2tOjYQNDhdSOSxNol9GJoBuqD0rpcvw4fM44r5gs5SagZz6LDr-wo058RwNsAqlZlUpitYKNIiuU6rITzvFvCqJlEVZTd0I0jZEi2oQN6CRnQ9nWydnLIXuxhy4/s1600/20170422_205427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y_0xN5tKuOY071hf2tOjYQNDhdSOSxNol9GJoBuqD0rpcvw4fM44r5gs5SagZz6LDr-wo058RwNsAqlZlUpitYKNIiuU6rITzvFvCqJlEVZTd0I0jZEi2oQN6CRnQ9nWydnLIXuxhy4/s320/20170422_205427.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beer and Beef. Had a pretty good burger, good drink selections, and some live music. Definietely WAY CLASSIER than most places. I was out of place with my T-shirt and jeans. Won't be going back.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii24ds9CYosf7xwiql_ItMiTCjOlEXS8E4_DXcIGREEo4zs5hgHaSLONepeI0Ek3erAnPMfExeuzyp0Uk-smnhxDE-WubnpmBs98IUIkLVOLRp0RrDMk7IBYODLdrILWw6u68dY7Jlm0o/s1600/20170423_115427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii24ds9CYosf7xwiql_ItMiTCjOlEXS8E4_DXcIGREEo4zs5hgHaSLONepeI0Ek3erAnPMfExeuzyp0Uk-smnhxDE-WubnpmBs98IUIkLVOLRp0RrDMk7IBYODLdrILWw6u68dY7Jlm0o/s320/20170423_115427.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So on my way to lunch at The Chef, this was a surprising scene of military trucks and tanks. A little bit up the road there was a large march of soldiers up and down the street. It was some type of preparations for the upcoming Victory day, celebrating the fall of the Nazi's.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV3YX_-ErM8p2RRRSOAZ14xJqpzE7Y_wX1s3p8sXHnhw8gSPvk8PNSARuITPkX62R2-SGktkI7JqJldRxAGWWNHFCyTmswuTGL65lfE6NRI5Yw-vJ3-vtEuQzV5O2Zk312oaZUGsA4Cw/s1600/20170423_115815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV3YX_-ErM8p2RRRSOAZ14xJqpzE7Y_wX1s3p8sXHnhw8gSPvk8PNSARuITPkX62R2-SGktkI7JqJldRxAGWWNHFCyTmswuTGL65lfE6NRI5Yw-vJ3-vtEuQzV5O2Zk312oaZUGsA4Cw/s320/20170423_115815.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Accidentally walked by the US embassy. A nice sight to see my home country's flag.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x-t09Eua0f8OPqbUZ2mVU2lLddIted7oXpDjJCjo_zmTuPj8njk301uT1LIlNym5dWkwQQ0kbC5BIHISS5ptrNS6MSPTbOR9dP5EVvUx1EIg7wzcP7F27UuvM3CelWA-TD7LlK0F8Io/s1600/20170423_120755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x-t09Eua0f8OPqbUZ2mVU2lLddIted7oXpDjJCjo_zmTuPj8njk301uT1LIlNym5dWkwQQ0kbC5BIHISS5ptrNS6MSPTbOR9dP5EVvUx1EIg7wzcP7F27UuvM3CelWA-TD7LlK0F8Io/s320/20170423_120755.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A swanky butcher shop, that was closed. I'll have to go back and check it out.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtLc6Z70vTYAHF0rjYjuPbz9fN7rhWgc2BCKn8_C65DO11l0o7voP7XRfIwVpoIO7h93SLncR3KR0lAMe1l-abjfUQ0eVlPsJZdCbCFi0aFBCKr1AwtSWtS7Gf85Y66jKyhYhSFFqKfQ/s1600/20170423_214110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtLc6Z70vTYAHF0rjYjuPbz9fN7rhWgc2BCKn8_C65DO11l0o7voP7XRfIwVpoIO7h93SLncR3KR0lAMe1l-abjfUQ0eVlPsJZdCbCFi0aFBCKr1AwtSWtS7Gf85Y66jKyhYhSFFqKfQ/s320/20170423_214110.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A nice gift from Marina, the headmistress of BrainPower, the school where Elena teaches and I met with the English students. It's a little ceramic Kazakh Yurt.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYBcQsuvXXWs9jVu2WAB9Z8AUM38DbFEADcOkwQsgD9sUkYzisgk8_mNp6RrHU7y9gmNQvvykWZGXd1wpvDF7rNimHALdx4rxaFyuEK-wsELSthlOS3ih92sFaMhrFUuw3YCj-W3QDYY/s1600/IMG-20170417-WA0002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYBcQsuvXXWs9jVu2WAB9Z8AUM38DbFEADcOkwQsgD9sUkYzisgk8_mNp6RrHU7y9gmNQvvykWZGXd1wpvDF7rNimHALdx4rxaFyuEK-wsELSthlOS3ih92sFaMhrFUuw3YCj-W3QDYY/s320/IMG-20170417-WA0002.jpeg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The cake in the office the day after Easter Sunday, with dyed quail eggs.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYypbYSLxD62u6glC3lDtr-Pd4O1ab3ozGovjkIgDAeOCYjMIkmK5WpO-hImYfVlTHDuRHorYUZCOOv2FgEpX19jFZE_DumKmItACYheizowyNeg-73Nbs_q88evNtNh8jeRwNHvBhRLE/s1600/IMG-20170423-WA0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYypbYSLxD62u6glC3lDtr-Pd4O1ab3ozGovjkIgDAeOCYjMIkmK5WpO-hImYfVlTHDuRHorYUZCOOv2FgEpX19jFZE_DumKmItACYheizowyNeg-73Nbs_q88evNtNh8jeRwNHvBhRLE/s320/IMG-20170423-WA0010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sitting with the speaking club at the BrainPower school. You can see it was a mixed group of old and young alike.</span></td></tr>
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<br />nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-11846149254728744502017-04-13T23:09:00.000-07:002017-04-13T23:09:33.737-07:00Mid April.All of the snow has pretty much melted away, and the days are mostly sunny. The temps are getting up to around 45 degrees F, which is nice. No more need to wear 2 pairs of long underwear underneath my pants accompanied by layer upon layer of thermal shirts and scarves. But now the puddles of muddy water are vast, at least on the work site and in various spots around town. The rest of the city is just covered in dried dirt dust, covering the buses and cars all with the same color scheme, fading from any color of paint to deep brownish dirt color at the bottom.<br />
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Work is the same. Not much going on there. I've been going to the main site more to sit with the mechanic, electrician, and laborer that work on small repairs, but nothing ever seems to happen, except for the random headlight replacement or flat tire repair. Most of the major repairs are done at a different location, where I'll sometimes go just to check out what crane or forklift is under repair at any given time. But still, no work for me to actually perform. I just work on excel worksheets, and when that's done, try to study my Russian vocabulary or help someone else with their work.<br />
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I did get to go out with some co-workers last Tuesday, yeah Tuesday for some reason. It was a pretty good time. It was a dinner with drinks and then everyone went dancing in the downstairs bar. But I'm quite averse to dancing, and stayed with two others at the table eating and drinking.<br />
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I'm going to try and make it to a ballet or opera one of these days, as I've been told the opera house is very beautiful and the ballet house is brand new. Also working on planning a trip to Spain in July with my sister. We're just in the theoretical stages right now, but I've been looking into trains and destinations. It will be a nice change of pace from work, and my first visit to Europe. I think we'll end up in Portugal, after visiting maybe Barcelona, Madrid, and possibly this coastal town called San Sebastian. We're only gonna have a week so I'm not trying to pack too much into each day and get burnt out just travelling all the time. I'll have an update as soon as the plans solidify. Until then, here's more random pictures for ya!<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
-Nick</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizz3QtP1LpPWizq7R6Aa-ieAZ0vNiKrEsoiyAWhJMq7Vy8DT5SEJrsQaYhr-PR6Ok1OjdG-9PAF6pGPX7Qn4ZY8ARbBX5adhBi-nIm9c1Iiy0oJnb4fhgHo2-98ktxfPIkWcafeWQFbYY/s1600/20170402_130302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizz3QtP1LpPWizq7R6Aa-ieAZ0vNiKrEsoiyAWhJMq7Vy8DT5SEJrsQaYhr-PR6Ok1OjdG-9PAF6pGPX7Qn4ZY8ARbBX5adhBi-nIm9c1Iiy0oJnb4fhgHo2-98ktxfPIkWcafeWQFbYY/s320/20170402_130302.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what this place it, but I approve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAprma03OIflpDjG6rkzIJDo_BjvznzEVq7to2bvofPkToTx5QIXdQwR9N6gJK-FlS8xl82pX-I7I7dQ7aRKtGqPscFsXaj5mKnA-W3LP7UOXk55rpZQ5YnmKKUm8Kj0X6JdjBwQ4Vto/s1600/20170402_203911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAprma03OIflpDjG6rkzIJDo_BjvznzEVq7to2bvofPkToTx5QIXdQwR9N6gJK-FlS8xl82pX-I7I7dQ7aRKtGqPscFsXaj5mKnA-W3LP7UOXk55rpZQ5YnmKKUm8Kj0X6JdjBwQ4Vto/s320/20170402_203911.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some roasted chicken, veggies, and quinoa I made at home. Yum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTqwRc8-8_JkMWRkyDrJpT5eqJJczl77xU3P8sw-0fhfuUHvc7zZuqeToElU4o5Pjy7ARE3JPeuHe6vXK91nG_aCEk_aeZpq-fx_DDlc2TG4GwYDaVRX3Irkx0uumSSAyQ47jnCewYEY/s1600/20170404_230618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTqwRc8-8_JkMWRkyDrJpT5eqJJczl77xU3P8sw-0fhfuUHvc7zZuqeToElU4o5Pjy7ARE3JPeuHe6vXK91nG_aCEk_aeZpq-fx_DDlc2TG4GwYDaVRX3Irkx0uumSSAyQ47jnCewYEY/s320/20170404_230618.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this at the bar. Beer-connecting people, my kind of networking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl1QkauZOdJCcXoh2svLwZh8mZDRMGx18KJw5lfJaDqYVbtYsHlUzEMH-cqCS_SW4CRAh8CxmpEM-ST6YpVH3urjhE8WZ2_8ciSlBc6m5Y3aPFquRyWjylQv2_IPnIqUKPggsjsc0GTE/s1600/20170407_205451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl1QkauZOdJCcXoh2svLwZh8mZDRMGx18KJw5lfJaDqYVbtYsHlUzEMH-cqCS_SW4CRAh8CxmpEM-ST6YpVH3urjhE8WZ2_8ciSlBc6m5Y3aPFquRyWjylQv2_IPnIqUKPggsjsc0GTE/s320/20170407_205451.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot of the city at night. I was actually trying to find a couchsurfing meet-up, but never did...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggso1m2h0VbwmkIckNVeN_RYMfOhWFcc7kQ6WTzcAEYneScmMkGp46yXEt86HknHjOTsru1syFmHWmTHsgqI492oaca8aYyjQLdz9TjfQaHrgqLfDabzvZF5EL_F4tu626z1j6xWfyHQU/s1600/20170409_115516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggso1m2h0VbwmkIckNVeN_RYMfOhWFcc7kQ6WTzcAEYneScmMkGp46yXEt86HknHjOTsru1syFmHWmTHsgqI492oaca8aYyjQLdz9TjfQaHrgqLfDabzvZF5EL_F4tu626z1j6xWfyHQU/s320/20170409_115516.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil'big ben.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0qohSqgYP7UTx2LULd9aAs9QatU4JXXChft8aig4g-dcpnjeMVT3qByb80YXl-6mAJ1WoBVhNaOd7fNpLHsaQD2R-ZlzDhFyP7yobkbh80eyfYILhaSHXeV0IaGvKsNFGkTiXdx7am4/s1600/20170409_115538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0qohSqgYP7UTx2LULd9aAs9QatU4JXXChft8aig4g-dcpnjeMVT3qByb80YXl-6mAJ1WoBVhNaOd7fNpLHsaQD2R-ZlzDhFyP7yobkbh80eyfYILhaSHXeV0IaGvKsNFGkTiXdx7am4/s320/20170409_115538.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always on the menu, coffee. This cafe, "Espresso Bar" was very good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTm2GGo1RJQDUvfPtyehRmkGhBOgAYkYTOj4DDPYJlIABywtdkA3ptVJFIzxA8Z2Jizs6q7a3j3S1wbAVF01kgnuyfsMNjwOaF4gNK7LzdVf8RjpjcXyTots7kU3mFiKP7OL2th0wNME/s1600/20170409_142637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTm2GGo1RJQDUvfPtyehRmkGhBOgAYkYTOj4DDPYJlIABywtdkA3ptVJFIzxA8Z2Jizs6q7a3j3S1wbAVF01kgnuyfsMNjwOaF4gNK7LzdVf8RjpjcXyTots7kU3mFiKP7OL2th0wNME/s320/20170409_142637.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horses that used to stand out front of a mall, displaying different countries' flags, sorta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yj-u4GHRZV0ltV8C-qGnnP62E3OprbAVB3ic5c48qRttUGhQ5ya03Eew5aAxeep3mOidtbgB2oJMQ-qy9XWTQdsSrRMI7ZlQmzYsbyo_n0yux1K3FrqHZXwfiiKLYU_OFgcdR_qvJYE/s1600/20170409_165043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yj-u4GHRZV0ltV8C-qGnnP62E3OprbAVB3ic5c48qRttUGhQ5ya03Eew5aAxeep3mOidtbgB2oJMQ-qy9XWTQdsSrRMI7ZlQmzYsbyo_n0yux1K3FrqHZXwfiiKLYU_OFgcdR_qvJYE/s320/20170409_165043.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana bread before...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDseeZ-98l4XtUHfppppbFrtdr24vN-T4DtsXrCXZK53t9y6e5p52Xi7PMUPNG-AXcPqE5pEIeeyIw02ShTJ9mGvvzCX8cVxSBI7ZRzjqtHZO3pSTvYhTXRGXBCbLXC06sOili8V-8RWA/s1600/20170409_174743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDseeZ-98l4XtUHfppppbFrtdr24vN-T4DtsXrCXZK53t9y6e5p52Xi7PMUPNG-AXcPqE5pEIeeyIw02ShTJ9mGvvzCX8cVxSBI7ZRzjqtHZO3pSTvYhTXRGXBCbLXC06sOili8V-8RWA/s320/20170409_174743.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...After.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmJ4dU9w1xJOe92VVMHkheixtK25Ry-vVVKz5WB_DsNU4VJbeaItR94eVBEsAY_BaZY92j8IF-XyS0gailV0Ql3pxX-yyBgNBwbhfvGHALB7zYMYaMiq12dv9ESPRRhZ9_q3bsd4NhTg/s1600/20170410_101421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="27" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmJ4dU9w1xJOe92VVMHkheixtK25Ry-vVVKz5WB_DsNU4VJbeaItR94eVBEsAY_BaZY92j8IF-XyS0gailV0Ql3pxX-yyBgNBwbhfvGHALB7zYMYaMiq12dv9ESPRRhZ9_q3bsd4NhTg/s320/20170410_101421.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view of the city from atop one of the job site buildings. Not sure how this one is gonna turn out on the blog. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrW-ez4Ie77ObRz_Z6LOOYER7K8ZRWzLYU1U0qmnMZ_IcFxHH2VOOhMKkbDecEkZ0J8K0-lIA2JK5oF8OCQXeyulKTXhbHTmmhSSuodxpoym-bVGGDuS03N8kbszHQ2EOVvQHq-H75x4/s1600/20170410_160701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrW-ez4Ie77ObRz_Z6LOOYER7K8ZRWzLYU1U0qmnMZ_IcFxHH2VOOhMKkbDecEkZ0J8K0-lIA2JK5oF8OCQXeyulKTXhbHTmmhSSuodxpoym-bVGGDuS03N8kbszHQ2EOVvQHq-H75x4/s400/20170410_160701.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old "What were you born in a barn?" saying gets translated to this I guess?</td></tr>
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The following are a few pictures I took from the top of the work site. The weather is usually clear and sunny like this, but the wind can still be brutally cold!</div>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-77343749049565251252017-04-01T00:54:00.000-07:002017-04-01T00:54:20.272-07:00Back from NYC. Back to work.Arrived at the Astana International Airport at around 4:00 am on Tuesday, where I went smoothly through customs, picked up my bag, and got a ride back to my apartment from the hired driver. Pretty normal, except that now I was in my apartment at 5 in the morning, somewhat rested, waiting to go to work at 8:00 am. So I waited, and showered, and unpacked, and ate, and went to work, feeling mostly normal. Around 3:00 pm that day, it hit me. The nefarious jet-lag. Yup. It was a real bitch. All of a sudden I was tired. Really tired. So I pushed through the workday until about 6:00 pm, an hour before I'm supposed to get off, and left for home. I slept and slept and slept, until about 5:30 am the next day. But over the next few days, my condition worsened, from jet-lag to flu-like sickness. It got bad enough where I took some time off from work, got some medicine from the doctor, and had to sleep and just drink water and eat soup for two days. It was actually really hard to just lay in bed, as I get restless and there's not much to do at home. But I'm feeling somewhat better now, still not 100%.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdP15H4jzmxMrumlFqLhEbnPGGRkZUICVzkrHApeEHOg_geI33jHMekISE3X0bz2CBGnW7TrT7FxIbp0EWRZJKzCGOzuUWcVYgbnDdMwFPupiIy2ISvyitqhhkos1AaOt-NMbMfaoWhM/s1600/20170321_031359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdP15H4jzmxMrumlFqLhEbnPGGRkZUICVzkrHApeEHOg_geI33jHMekISE3X0bz2CBGnW7TrT7FxIbp0EWRZJKzCGOzuUWcVYgbnDdMwFPupiIy2ISvyitqhhkos1AaOt-NMbMfaoWhM/s320/20170321_031359.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell I'm pretty healthy lookin'...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrtlg_mOMCkcMJvBeUmVhqPrwYd_hAatsK-nVgFE29GDA7ia3wZWIvZcaRxgDPLxiUGQgT3lFd5Zl4mWwP1cM8IETEVAtI_qOHgnzt6tSk44lL049U36173Eyb_gr0a6k0iB_TGStLZQ/s1600/20170323_165151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrtlg_mOMCkcMJvBeUmVhqPrwYd_hAatsK-nVgFE29GDA7ia3wZWIvZcaRxgDPLxiUGQgT3lFd5Zl4mWwP1cM8IETEVAtI_qOHgnzt6tSk44lL049U36173Eyb_gr0a6k0iB_TGStLZQ/s400/20170323_165151.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Through the peephole.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf1xIFXj457LOKua8vwkhnua1L9dZNuyfdiRwLgD6Oo1UpnFAoRJ0Xx3zph18hZ1OmepGDyhu1zimYb3m08S8c06yfU8flmuNqrAqlt8KI-dcl93Ru0zT1jw5agYpUv9kqczeg4e41jA/s1600/20170323_140046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf1xIFXj457LOKua8vwkhnua1L9dZNuyfdiRwLgD6Oo1UpnFAoRJ0Xx3zph18hZ1OmepGDyhu1zimYb3m08S8c06yfU8flmuNqrAqlt8KI-dcl93Ru0zT1jw5agYpUv9kqczeg4e41jA/s320/20170323_140046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">w/ my sis @ 30 rock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I did have a great time in New York with my sister, eating great food, having some delicious libations, and buying some stuff that isn't available in Kazakhstan, like Mexican hot sauce. I also got myself a new skateboard deck so that I can start skating once the snow melts here! Really stoked about that. The trip was short lived, but a fulfilling getaway from the mundane work days. I also got to see my friends Hope and Bill, whom I make an effort to see whenever I can. So that was also great.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsfVeBcLCVEsm5BbRBv6GUEq5NsGV-agHFLp1xy0vs_61NzkFGuNrNLAvatpF-qJAd6gQp6c_QMqtjykUV2cfjBghqJvVI7XfsB7svSn3Od_KrOD7sNLoQvedaSEnol_xC2A-4PjWLC0/s1600/20170325_232049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsfVeBcLCVEsm5BbRBv6GUEq5NsGV-agHFLp1xy0vs_61NzkFGuNrNLAvatpF-qJAd6gQp6c_QMqtjykUV2cfjBghqJvVI7XfsB7svSn3Od_KrOD7sNLoQvedaSEnol_xC2A-4PjWLC0/s320/20170325_232049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">w/ sis and Bill at the bar</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE3si2jIpFvQ36W58DVH8O67kupKDOgiEwA3dyZZAmQSiG4dq_npchtSiupV26Tk6WmrKHsVJU_YS2Kn_j0iBfe6oLR8CV0vM_NKh5rMqUNHAkl7lXK8s8iE1S2nUv9bjKZ-z7yu9RvE/s1600/20170324_180522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE3si2jIpFvQ36W58DVH8O67kupKDOgiEwA3dyZZAmQSiG4dq_npchtSiupV26Tk6WmrKHsVJU_YS2Kn_j0iBfe6oLR8CV0vM_NKh5rMqUNHAkl7lXK8s8iE1S2nUv9bjKZ-z7yu9RvE/s320/20170324_180522.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my sentiments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
The snow is melting, turning roadways and sidewalks into muddy horror scenes of shoe print patterns, like a dirty third world Pollock painting. You'll be lucky to get back to your house with only ankle high mud caked on your boots.</div>
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<div>
I'll be meeting with the main site mechanic on Monday to start working with him on maintaining some of the heavy equipment, so that's a development at work I'm somewhat excited about. Other than that, I've just been trying to get back into a healthy sleeping and eating schedule after being sick. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i3vHNiE4xZgIuMDSBpBAA0XzfWfZ4B8Q9tDeTiWfu4qCXeRXmODpM4iNRbNjaGMe6O83viV7_Vwv00EagzJdJMVaj6el9lbReTSu0UjVHAzX9KUft-PRNrJX-k_P4znylMn0SQCWgnE/s1600/20170323_165447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i3vHNiE4xZgIuMDSBpBAA0XzfWfZ4B8Q9tDeTiWfu4qCXeRXmODpM4iNRbNjaGMe6O83viV7_Vwv00EagzJdJMVaj6el9lbReTSu0UjVHAzX9KUft-PRNrJX-k_P4znylMn0SQCWgnE/s320/20170323_165447.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWOK!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_l5cOSm90g7ZI4HOLFDKTN27HfwsOS6stunVHsNW_1Cd9IsndmPJqa95q2Nd9sVCqoVO5u-SCdPFUpNfhP-k9FWlwxqZhgfY92CwQBmZznBn15QNU0W4V8kE2yWWPvgK9w784bylCQM/s1600/20170323_192611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_l5cOSm90g7ZI4HOLFDKTN27HfwsOS6stunVHsNW_1Cd9IsndmPJqa95q2Nd9sVCqoVO5u-SCdPFUpNfhP-k9FWlwxqZhgfY92CwQBmZznBn15QNU0W4V8kE2yWWPvgK9w784bylCQM/s320/20170323_192611.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel ya...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LhF6N9WCyMr98_mlmsmB_pZyW2rSVBoM8VLTEpISBTY_Bh-cbi3lUVqfQjW6p1NajXrcuJHS8uhF8ZnrQqTrsxBPf4Z-pZB0IHliAeyIEme-OA1eZSS40Ag5WG_mTMEsNVHXa9Wm5NQ/s1600/20170325_111345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LhF6N9WCyMr98_mlmsmB_pZyW2rSVBoM8VLTEpISBTY_Bh-cbi3lUVqfQjW6p1NajXrcuJHS8uhF8ZnrQqTrsxBPf4Z-pZB0IHliAeyIEme-OA1eZSS40Ag5WG_mTMEsNVHXa9Wm5NQ/s320/20170325_111345.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJHr6vqcaXgHVCkf6pn_-08c16ITW0fjh8A_v0BjrunCe-uHiVVJw-QT00PeA9NO5ZWQXU-RJFUmg8HXYRYDCd0eRPzkaSKYgJ-JZnNfh31ZBu1t9Ybwzhybgme_iJ119L6Usz_qiBt8/s1600/20170325_175450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJHr6vqcaXgHVCkf6pn_-08c16ITW0fjh8A_v0BjrunCe-uHiVVJw-QT00PeA9NO5ZWQXU-RJFUmg8HXYRYDCd0eRPzkaSKYgJ-JZnNfh31ZBu1t9Ybwzhybgme_iJ119L6Usz_qiBt8/s320/20170325_175450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this just stuck in a newspaper dispens<span style="font-size: x-small;">er. Evidence of some debaucherous night lif</span>e.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yEZeI0ft4-82pHreWkrDuOYUiWTaqhLaryrHal-HenTKwzHTkm1xvWwoz1PuYj6Uhyphenhyphenc07d5fUC3ZXiqyLKfeUa53zvtGJ2bWhkyNA9_u9-bBBx2JxPSmn5SJqEJdmcvcdEHsbDnfCnI/s1600/e474c661-1eae-4931-8dda-b5280c9a5a75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yEZeI0ft4-82pHreWkrDuOYUiWTaqhLaryrHal-HenTKwzHTkm1xvWwoz1PuYj6Uhyphenhyphenc07d5fUC3ZXiqyLKfeUa53zvtGJ2bWhkyNA9_u9-bBBx2JxPSmn5SJqEJdmcvcdEHsbDnfCnI/s320/e474c661-1eae-4931-8dda-b5280c9a5a75.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People are people, they eat all the food.</td></tr>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-17130050786511450912017-03-19T23:39:00.000-07:002017-03-19T23:39:11.734-07:00Vacation from working abroad?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUuxYlZsyzzQqeW-Se95A11g27FCqJMrPrGczRSqWTPzcgi8zeO4XlQHwLs7UqyoAVRgZmZygsz86-qUMKZ-9uHmXJlsXPmqJlGzBRU99rTHYmyKkwaoLCLC0i68GDMTbJBYXiIQBMTs/s1600/Astana_pyramid_at_night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUuxYlZsyzzQqeW-Se95A11g27FCqJMrPrGczRSqWTPzcgi8zeO4XlQHwLs7UqyoAVRgZmZygsz86-qUMKZ-9uHmXJlsXPmqJlGzBRU99rTHYmyKkwaoLCLC0i68GDMTbJBYXiIQBMTs/s320/Astana_pyramid_at_night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm writing this at the office, because I've got internet access on my work computer now. Score!<br />
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I've been keeping busy at work with emissions reports, equipment time card reports, availability and utilization reports, reports, reports, reports, excel, excel, excel... It's becoming very apparent to me this is NOT where I'll spend my time in the future, no matter how much it pays. For now, it's fine, and I'm happily putting my best effort into my work.<br />
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Every 3 months our on site machines go through inspections and, if they pass, a sticker with the appropriately color coded background gets put on the machine, valid for another three months. I just finished making the stickers, dating them, assigning them to certain groups, and eventually handing them off to someone else. When I get back from NYC next week, I'll actually be able to take part in the inspection process, which will be a nice change of pace for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4BDi4RZdhIDjT9bPV22G6mALO2P8HEZSNk9CCnwu-7yrU_uMRbINbGLPC895sKGokNLZrGSyTASeBLcbGDwEtpKjIKYu_tdIxbRgLoAE-LLOLazgssvxRVPiyZP0fqcA6vkCo14rolw/s1600/20170319_151803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4BDi4RZdhIDjT9bPV22G6mALO2P8HEZSNk9CCnwu-7yrU_uMRbINbGLPC895sKGokNLZrGSyTASeBLcbGDwEtpKjIKYu_tdIxbRgLoAE-LLOLazgssvxRVPiyZP0fqcA6vkCo14rolw/s320/20170319_151803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've actually been out quite a bit when not working. I visited an art show with Iyad in the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. Yeah, that's the actual name. It's a huge multi level glass covered pyramid with gallery space, banquet hall, opera theater, library, historical exhibit, and other various offices and areas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1k-DhyJnysnYL9OVNk3llQyjoLOi3NqmaLUYCy6Hh-AqoVgkaFrKlD3fFr6KI6hkDikIhb6wWg6168EH5G89hd8g1tcSi40gPotq3bfWu4ogxsmW9ZZQd7Wt05typbGZXIwTQpt_9so/s1600/20170316_202322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1k-DhyJnysnYL9OVNk3llQyjoLOi3NqmaLUYCy6Hh-AqoVgkaFrKlD3fFr6KI6hkDikIhb6wWg6168EH5G89hd8g1tcSi40gPotq3bfWu4ogxsmW9ZZQd7Wt05typbGZXIwTQpt_9so/s320/20170316_202322.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The smoke in this photo is actually my breath that night. The top of the pyramid isn't lit up very bright.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER7IFd-V_sGJBVGVjzBhv-1G30Mu1TNU6gnz4NznrWjwEtJ7vOA4UWz_DhGhPe7GJuMPz20dyLzGp71snN2lGaja8qfZuwLpByO1pWlR8x_kxZ812V5PC8SKSAgvv0ysryMePnlrNO1w/s1600/20170316_214007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER7IFd-V_sGJBVGVjzBhv-1G30Mu1TNU6gnz4NznrWjwEtJ7vOA4UWz_DhGhPe7GJuMPz20dyLzGp71snN2lGaja8qfZuwLpByO1pWlR8x_kxZ812V5PC8SKSAgvv0ysryMePnlrNO1w/s320/20170316_214007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a paper cross-sectional model of the pyramid and the interior layout.</div>
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I got to meet the artist, Anastasia, and talk with her briefly, in English. Some of her art is pictured in the photos posted here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAak4O4wEndRK43Db-gksaSDr_-M_INPUoOiBKIEd74-wNZBei3rLznFl1jXc-mCw2q5lAeR0PYQ_55p4parsqhF8SfO_aJ6JXG8PgOG1abWiA0FQxXyuiPUmEOTVcgzcZvVcprj1Z_mE/s1600/20170316_212415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAak4O4wEndRK43Db-gksaSDr_-M_INPUoOiBKIEd74-wNZBei3rLznFl1jXc-mCw2q5lAeR0PYQ_55p4parsqhF8SfO_aJ6JXG8PgOG1abWiA0FQxXyuiPUmEOTVcgzcZvVcprj1Z_mE/s320/20170316_212415.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfimwF0nNiISCp2P8Co3CW-dWFiKEQ596Z8bo-uVrFduvYxcVFuoPXe3ZoV0mUXamEoJb6pCbb9nrHGp0l_dADS7c33Y9NZOTvC-qL2yhEGB_VOI04AAiARh3tOX2elTbnW0JbyzJzs/s1600/20170316_210731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfimwF0nNiISCp2P8Co3CW-dWFiKEQ596Z8bo-uVrFduvYxcVFuoPXe3ZoV0mUXamEoJb6pCbb9nrHGp0l_dADS7c33Y9NZOTvC-qL2yhEGB_VOI04AAiARh3tOX2elTbnW0JbyzJzs/s320/20170316_210731.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After checking out the exhibit, Iyad and kinda wandered around, and stumbled upon a rehearsal show in the theater. The show was to commemorate the 25th year of Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee, with the president himself in attendance.<br />
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The glimpse we got of the show was a very strange mix of some performances, children giving speeches, singing, recognition, and other stuff I'm sure I have no idea what it is.<br />
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I've also been out to some different coffee shops, grocery stores, a new to me bazaar, and made my way to O'Hara Irish pub on St. Paddy's day! What a blast.<br />
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Met some fun people, drank too much, ate more than enough, and had a huge bar tab. Fun all around! There was a great cover band that played sang in English. Surprisingly, everyone knew the song ins English even better than I do.<br />
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The upcoming holiday of Naurys <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Persian" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;" title="Help:IPA for Persian">[nouˈɾuːz]</a>, is the historically Persian and/or Iranian celebration of the new year. So we have a few days off from work, and I'm taking a few days off additionally to fly to NYC and visit with my sister. I'm really exctied! And I know it'll be a blast. Flying first to the Ukraine, then to JFK. It's only about 18hrs travel time, no biggie. It'll be refreshing to eat some good food in NY and speak English to complete strangers. I'll try to take a bunch of pics for the blog.<br />
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As always, let's end with some random photos from my days out.<br />
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C-ya later.<br />
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KazMunayGas building in the background and Khan Shatyr farther past the archway. </div>
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(WAY in the background)</div>
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Some decorations set up for the new year.</div>
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These metallic animal sculptures are all around a park near where the opera house is.</div>
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Opera house.</div>
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Snow gently clinging to the trees at work.</div>
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Beautiful dried fruits and nuts, meticulously arranged.</div>
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Reads: "Franklin Cafeteria"</div>
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A vape shop, haha. Even Kazakhstan must have hipsters.</div>
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Peanut latte. YUP.</div>
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Doner! Shawarma meat wrapped with fries, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and mayo sauce... Yes it's good.</div>
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Home made apple sauce from the leftover apples from lunch!</div>
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The stately Hazrat Sultan Mosque</div>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-72832849252691580842017-03-05T21:53:00.001-08:002017-03-06T00:54:03.259-08:00Same ol' same ol'<div dir="ltr">
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Haven't done much of anything new at work. Went to the site Saturday to witness the partial dismantling of a passenger lift, the kind that takes people up and down in a steel cage. Not so interesting really, but good to see how the system worked. The huge crane on top of the building was used to hoist down large pieces of the track utilized by the passenger hoist. So that was cool to see in action.</div>
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Hashem and I walked up and down a few levels in one of the buildings on site, and kinda just explored and looked at some of the final equipment being installed, such as air handlers and flooring panels. Today, I'm back at site and walked around most of the site, breaking in my new boots that I got from the bazaar yesterday.</div>
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Sunday, yesterday, Iyad and I went and got said boots at the same bazaar we had visited before.<br />
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Afterwards, we wandered for a bit, looking for a place to eat and drink a beer or two. We stumbled upon a place called shashlikoff, perfect! </div>
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We didn't even know what we were getting into. The place offered beers brewed on site, and special meter long platters of meat and veggies. We had a beer to start, ate some fried cheese, and then ordered way too much food. You can see in the picture, the meter long board of food didn't even fit on the table.</div>
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So, after we feasted, we walked a bit to a bus stop, and headed home.</div>
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I'm going to NY to visit my sister in the end of March, and I'm really looking forward to that. Until then, this Wednesday is a holiday, women's day. So we're off from work! I'll probably go and get some dinner somewhere. Also, St Patrick's day is coming up, so I've got an Irish pub picked out to go to. :) </div>
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I've also been cooking at home somewhat frequently, trying to always have something in the fridge.</div>
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I found some of the most AMAZING cheese at a store called Galomart. It's a cheese called chechil, and this particular type is smoked. </div>
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It literally tastes like someone rolled it in a campfire and it's so amazing! Also got some more wine for myself, as sometimes it's nice to have a glass with some cheese at dinner, or anytime really.</div>
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Apparently peanut butter is not something very common here, although I found it in Galomart for $9 per jar, and it's super cheap processed stuff. So no thanks, I'll bring some back from the US. </div>
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I also found some quinoa at the same store! Which is kinda a big deal for me as I've been unable to find it, and it's a food I like to have around to mix with veggies or beans or chicken.</div>
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So, not much has changed yet, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can for now. I'll do my best to keep the updates coming!</div>
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Ciao.</div>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-20558348690545110902017-02-28T09:50:00.001-08:002017-02-28T20:17:01.972-08:00End of a month, beginning of spring?<div dir="ltr">
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It sure doesn't feel like spring, but the 0°C weather is now a welcome friend of mine, after enduring temps below -25°C during my first week here.</div>
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It's amazing to me, always, how time passes so slowly during the workdays, and as I look back, I'm just blown away by life's rate of change.</div>
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Just over 2 weeks ago I unknowingly dropped my cell phone as I was departing an express bus on a Sunday, accompanying two friends to the other side of the river on our usual day off excursion to no place in particular. As soon as the bus barreled away into the swarm of mid-afternoon city traffic, I realized it was not with me, in my pocket, backpack, or in my hand. It was back on the bus, whizzing away from us. </div>
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We attempted to hail a taxi, without any luck, and it donned on me that this was going to be not a Sunday for lollygagging and wandering. Along with my friends, we were then thrust into a surprise mission of tracking a cell phone in our capital city with a population of, lucky for us, just over 900,000 people.</div>
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I immediately asked for my friend's phone to get on the internet, and access a website called AndroidLost.com, a really great tracking app for cell phones (Android only, sorry apple users, it's above and beyond ilost or whatever apple phones have.) We spent the next few hours contacting bus drivers with some help from barely English speaking locals, and the app. We jumped onto the express bus on the return route looking for it. But it was gone. We weren't able to catch-up to the phone in time, as sometime during the few interim stops, it turned off either due to low battery, or someone turned it off, and it was gone.</div>
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So luckily, I had my work cell phone still. An ancient brick of late nineties technology with polyphonic ringtones, enough memory for 59 contacts, or one photo, and of course one game: Snake. But seriously, the lost phone wasn't only my phone, but my computer, internet connection, entertainment, and connection to friends and family back home.</div>
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The Android lost app has some nifty features including GPS tracking, and one particularly useful feature where the phone will take a picture using the front facing camera if a user enters an incorrect phone lock passcode, which I had enabled as soon as I lost the phone, using the associated website linked to the phone.</div>
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So the next day, using a co-worker's phone, I see three pictures and a GPS location. Some random Kazakh lady, facing directly into the camera, looking very befuddled by the locked phone, and an accompanying location I assume is her home.</div>
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I got some help from one of the girls at work to contact the police and bus company about the now "stolen" phone, and appropriate reports were made with who I assume were the appropriate people. And I kinda lost hope after that.</div>
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A bit later in the day, the day after the loss, some of my superiors who come in and say hi in the mornings and also near the end of the day, caught wind of what happened and came to talk about it, asking about the girl, and if I'm going to go find her and then ask her on a date?</div>
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But one of my superiors in particular, Mohammed, got very excited about the whole ordeal, assuring me that he knows some people, and that nothing is lost if you know the right people, assuring me we'd have my phone back by the end of the week.</div>
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The days elapsed, and the excitement waned for everyone, including myself, but not Mohammed. He kept checking local bazaars, visited the bus company's main building, the police station, and his "friends" around the city. He would come back with questions about the particulars of the day I lost it, getting copies of the girl's pictures, the GPS locations from when we tracked the phone, and the IMEI number of the phone. Ever zealous, he pushed on with a big smile on his face, always.</div>
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That Friday, I went and bought a new phone, because honestly it was really depressing to watch TV in Russian or Kazakh, and not be in touch with my friends or family, sans a few Facebook messages sent from friends' phones during work hours.</div>
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Apparently, anyone can be bribed here.<br />
The bus station clerk in charge of the bus's cameras said he would look into it for a fee, even though only the police are supposed to be allowed access to the video recordings. Then, when the police learned the clerk wanted a fee to find the phone, that particular officer asked that he be issued that money instead, and he would find the phone. All of this is unofficial of course.</div>
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Lo and behold, that next day, Saturday, Mohammed called Hashem, who sits across from me at work, and says he thinks he found the phone!</div>
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I'm wondering how the hell he actually "knows a guy". </div>
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Like some private detective with untraceable street cred and contacts in all the right places, he says he'll come with his driver to pick us up and we'll go to the bazaar, which happens to be where Mohammed took Hashem's broken phone to get the screen fixed earlier that morning.</div>
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So we go with him and his driver, in the company Toyota pickup, on official work business. Seriously though, Mohammed is in the acquisitions department, and we really did pick up a few parts from various repair houses and markets. </div>
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We go to the bazaar, entering into a crowded slew of kiosks, counters, cubbies, cubicals, and shops, ALL SELLING THE EXACT SAME STUFF. Not even exaggerating, the exact same 25 cheap phone cases at every small storefront. The same 15 phones on every counter. The same stack of pre loaded sim cards on every corner stall. Everyone is chomping at the bit to sell you anything. After we follow Mohammed briefly through the sea of salespeople, we arrive at our destination on that early afternoon. </div>
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Firstly, I'm in a bright orange work jacket with reflective silver strips around the arms and a very visible and legible set of company logos that say Arabtec on one side and CCC on the other. Not exactly blending in. </div>
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We get to the stall and ask about the phones, first Hashem's, then mine. The girl at this same counter grabs my phone and starts fitting different cases onto it. I rip them off as fast as she can produce them and promptly pry the phone out of her hands, securing it in my buttoned front chest pocket.</div>
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Mohammed mentions the lost phone from earlier.</div>
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There it is. A Verizon wireless Motorola Droid. </div>
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Nobody in this country even knows what Verizon is, and Motorola isn't available in any stores. I check it for some small identifying scratches at the edge, and sure enough I know this is my phone. To prove it, we didn't really do much except show the guy the IMEI number, a unique serial number assigned to each phone, unchangeable by almost any means.</div>
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During all this, the phone repair/sales guys asked about Hashem's nationality, then mine. Hearing Hashem's nationality as Jordanian they kinda looked like they said oh OK whatever. Then upon learning I'm American, there were 4 or 5 young lads around me being overtly friendly and rifling off questions to Mohammed to translate to me. </div>
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What they were asking is if I could, or would, be able to write them or have a friend write them a letter of invitation to the US. I entertained them and said yeah I guess it wouldn't be that hard, give me some time, not giving my phone number directly to anyone, rather transferring them to Mohammed, saying just call him in a few days when I get my phone back on.</div>
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Turns out that it's not all that difficult to get into the states from Kazakhstan, (and most likely stay illegally forever), that is if you don't have a history with the legal system. I'm guessing, and learned later on, there's a high probability a few of these guys got denied the first time around, for whatever reason, so getting invited is the next feasible option for them, and knowing an authentic US citizen seems like an easy ticket in. I'll probably just avoid that particular bazaar from now on, and keep the letters of invitation to myself. </div>
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The four of us left that market area to go pickup some parts for work, dropping by various industrial areas to search for the right people who had the right parts. Eventually we got some delicious fresh lunch inside a supermarket, empanada-esque fried pockets of bread filled with meat and potatoes. One beef, one chicken, one veggie. Really good, and really cheap. I think we got 12 for around 8 bucks. 3 for each person.</div>
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I decided I'm keeping the new phone I bought, as the older one has been with me for a few years now, and the battery performance is marginal at best, and isn't a replaceable type. So I'll have a backup if anything happens. </div>
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Work has only today become really interesting at all. Hashem and I moved our desks to an empty office down the hall, WITH A DOOR! It's kinda a big deal for us, as we were right next to the copier machine, going off every 10 minutes, and people were walking into our area time and time again just to hang out and look for staples or folders or some other insignificant office crap that happens to exist in that area. I also started a new really boring spreadsheet review, updating machine hours used and which machines were hired or released on what date from a master file reference. Real deep stuff...</div>
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I'm still amazed that I have the phone back, after all this, and offered Mohammed some whiskey or wine or whatever drink he likes, but as I should have known, he doesn't drink, and wouldn't take any of my money. So instead, I gave 5000 Tenge (about $17) to the driver, (also doesn't drink) as I learned that he was an integral part of the team because the driver did most of the talking. Mohammed isn't a native, and probably wouldn't elicit the same respect or responses if he was asking around about a stolen phone and holding up a picture of a female suspect.</div>
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I've been eating better at home, as the food is cheap and mysterious, like these delicious little frozen things I thought were perogies, but turned out to be some type of mashed root vegetable like a potato but even better. Also found out that the chips that I thought were 'kebab' flavor are kebab flavor, but it's a special type called 'шашлык' (shah sh-leek). I've eaten this shashlik twice (the real food, not only the chips) and it's fucking awesome. And cheap. Iyad and I visited this Mediterranean restaurant on our last Sunday after going to a flea market type area, walking through the outdoor stalls in the snow, and there we had the shashlik, chicken and beef types. A delicious dinner with two big plates of food, tea, dumplings, and bottled water cost us almost nothing. In the US it would be over $70 collectively and we payed less than half of that, with wait service beyond any restaurant I've been to.</div>
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Also got myself a new pull up bar for the doorway so I can workout a little at home every day, because I'm basically an accountant/data entry clerk at the moment, and I spend most of my day in a chair at my desk.</div>
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There's a holiday coming up near the end of March, so I'm taking two days off to make it a 6 day holiday, and I'm flying to NYC to visit my sister and my friend Hope, whom I both miss dearly. I'm also hoping to order a bunch of stuff from Amazon like spices, peanut butter, a 'real' cell phone case(the cases here are cheap and shitty skins that provide no protection), and other various things like Neosporin and a particular shaving soap and face wash.</div>
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Well, my fingers hurt from typing all this on a cell phone, and I'm ready for a glass of Georgian wine and to go to bed. Until next time,</div>
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Добрый ночи<br />
(Good night).<br />
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-20163356840443998782017-02-12T08:01:00.001-08:002017-02-12T08:44:23.722-08:00The coldest Sunday<p dir="ltr">Sleeping in. What a great reprieve from reality. Hashem, Iyad, and I went to dinner last night at a Western themed burger joint for a beer and beef. Pretty uneventful, but good company breeds good conversation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Woke up at 10am today. NICE! Worked out briefly, as I have been almost every morning. Heated up some beans, made some eggs, had some tea and juice with biscuits. Pretty chill morning.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Met up with Hashem and Iyad, and we went to Assorti Keruen, another one of the many shopping malls in Astana. Not for shopping, but a quick bite for Iyad and Hashem, with a chai latte for myself. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Afterwards, Hashem went to meet his cleaning lady, while Iyad and I took the bus to the other side of the city to check out a different area, across the Ishim river.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> When we got off, it was apparent that this older area of Astana was much more lively and had more of a city feel. There was a noticably larger population of Russians here, and more noise and traffic. It was kinda great. We headed towards the Ishim and eventually got there, walking on the frozen river, taking about life, the future, family, whatever came up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">My oh my it was cold. My legs were starting to numb, so we took solace in yet another shopping mall. Warming our feet and limbs while grabbing a coffee and enjoying a bit of people watching. I suggested we head back, as the afternoon drew on and the temperature dropped. When we exited our return bus, we went to grab sandwiches for dinner, some double sided tape, and alcohol. I needed the tape for my towel holder, and the alcohol for no reason at all, other than to drink.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I wanted to cook some chicken fried rice, with ingredients I had procured earlier in the week, so Iyad and I ventured to my apartment. Home.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We had our sandwiches, which were delicious and only <u>cost</u> us1600 Tenge (~$5, with fries), and I began to cook wile we cracked our beers. We continued to talk for a bit and listen to music until around 9:30pm, and then Iyad left for home, as we both have work early in the morning. I think it was a pretty productive day off of doing not much at all. So now I'm making chicken stock before bed, and I'm off to work in the morning!</p>
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<p dir="ltr">I'm not entirely sure that's the spelling, but the English words "Expo Tower" in the entry way don't seem to register with anyone around here. Either way, it's the building where my newly rented apartment is! (Hazah!) </p>
<p dir="ltr">I went to view the apartment on the evening of the 6th, with the two owners(husband and wife) and a very accommodating real estate agent who spoke very understandable broken English. Being that I just wanted to be done with living in camp, and the apartment building is literally adjacent to the worksite, I gave the owners a deposit of 9000 Tenge. Attempting to literally hand money to the wife, I made a huge mistake, as I soon found out that it's disrespectful to physically hand money over, and that you should always place it down on a table or in the designated dish, such as the ones at every store/cafe/market. But they were understanding, as I'm obviously the foreigner here.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The next day I had to jump through some hierarchical hoops to get a cash advance for the first months rent, due at move in, but eventually got the appropriate amount of funds needed from accounting.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Around 18:00, I met with the agent and owners again to sign the lease, which thankfully, was a side by side Russian/English document. Pretty standard, except that I am totally within my rights to vacate and break lease with at least one months notice to the owners (which I don't foresee).</p>
<p dir="ltr">The ground floor has a bonus! A little supermarket where you can buy beer, milk, bread, canned goods, TP, some meats, rice, and limited produce from two friendly Kazakhs who run the store.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I was really excited about my new place! Unpacking my clothes, opening all the cabinets and drawers three times over, thinking about what I might hang where, etc. The layout is simple: entryway with a floor to ceiling dresser/wardrobe, into a moderately sized living room/bedroom, a sizable kitchen, and spacious bathroom. It's newly constructed, and quite cozy. </p>
<p dir="ltr">You can see in the pictures, my favorite part, The coffee wallpaper! I'd like to imagine the owners at some home store looking at swatches, and upon seeing the coffee pattern exclaiming, "oh this is perfect! Everyone loves coffee!". There's even little pictures of macaroons set in the glass tiling in the kitchen.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The apartment came somewhat furnished with table, electric kettle, a pot, a pan, a cutting board, some glasses and plates, silverware, shower curtain, small TV, and a pullout sofa and blanket for a bed that is surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The appliances are brand new, sans the microwave, which is still very clean. And the clothes washing machine has the TINIEST drum I've ever seen.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I cooked myself a little breakfast the first morning I woke up in my new flat. Eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, biscuits, and a cheese spread called Puck. Most of which came from the little supermarket.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It donned on me the other night, that I've never lived alone. When I moved out at 17 after highschool, I was in a house with my friends. When I moved away to Tallahassee for school, I was surrounded by friends and party animals. When I wanted my own place in college, I moved in with close friends to have cheaper rent. When I lived in California, I had roommates. When I was living on Bud's couch, there was always someone around. It's pretty great to have my very own apartment, that I control the cleanliness of, the smell of, the layout, the fridge, the bathroom. But on the other side of the coin, I can see it being lonely if I didn't have work 10 hours a day 7 days a week.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The weather is turning cold today, and dropping even colder tomorrow. I've gotten my PPE issued to me from the store at work, including the crazy traffic cone orange jacket and pants that the siteworkers wear. Also boots, a hardhat, beanie cap, gloves, insulated safety boots, and a one piece cold weather coveralls suit, which is VERY warm.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I also got my ID badge finally, which is nice, as I'd been having to stop and wait for a call in by the gate guards.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Last night I went back to the Khan Shatyr shopping center to get a rice cooker and some kitchen basics, like salt and pepper. I got an Uber there (Go figure!) with a Kazah man who spoke no English at all, and was very nice. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Turns out there's a sale going on. <br>
Turns out that the sale is for almost the whole mall. <br>
Turns out that the sale is 70-80% off select products.<br>
TURNS OUT that my CA state tax return was in my bank account. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So my little trip turned into a shopping spree of sorts. I did get the rice cooker, uhhh, the top of the line rice cooker that not only cooks rice, but makes bread, roasts chickens, steams dumplings, slow cooks stews, and even makes pudding and yogurt if you have the right type of leaven. So I got that going for me. Also picked up things I needed for the kitchen and house like hand towels, bath mat, strainer, Japanese steel chef knife, new boots, speakers for the home, and a fancy ass leather wallet. (Treat yo self).</p>
<p dir="ltr">I had some goulash at the food court area, and it was okay, but it's becoming apparent that most meats here are overcooked and boiled to death.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I eventually got an Uber home at around midnight, made it home, made myself mashed potatoes and passed out! So now I'm about to go to lunch at work and put on another pair of socks or two because the zeniths of the snow drifts are slowly rising, as the howling soulless wind unrelentingly brings snow to the city surrounded by steppes.</p>
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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfrCYTpVmi2oCwbN_z2rl_uaLqutY-kyQi1KGf4K4OQ8LTeSxAdi6hFjZmzcpmK1ZrIn3PLDrdJ-CvSZ8yuXTlpF105UTbjiZkGYBrisyhCMFnvfSdRlBCmXW21xMfNYnA6Ek1AA_hdU/s1600/IMG_20170210_135317968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfrCYTpVmi2oCwbN_z2rl_uaLqutY-kyQi1KGf4K4OQ8LTeSxAdi6hFjZmzcpmK1ZrIn3PLDrdJ-CvSZ8yuXTlpF105UTbjiZkGYBrisyhCMFnvfSdRlBCmXW21xMfNYnA6Ek1AA_hdU/s640/IMG_20170210_135317968.jpg"> </a> </div>nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-5841241590805415142017-02-06T04:30:00.001-08:002017-02-06T06:40:46.290-08:00Yesterday...<p dir="ltr">Sunday. The day of rest. The Sabbath.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I'll have Sunday off each week, and will be making an effort to explore and try something new, as well as practice speaking Russian and embarrassing myself for the locals' entertainment.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Hashem, also having Sundays off, wanted to go buy a new gym bag, and so after grabbing a bite, we ventured to the Khan Shatyr, a massive shopping center, basically a mall. But first, we went sliding down the ice slide at an ice village that was obviously for small children.</p><p dir="ltr">I converted my $USD to the local currency, Tenge, and I'm glad I went with, because Hashem was able to show me where to get a local cell phone sim card and also how to activate it.</p><p dir="ltr">So Hashem found his gym bag, and I got a few things like a loofah and some shampoo. Afterwards, we went to his apt and just kinda chilled, and also figured out how to operate the washing machine, which was actually harder than I thought. Then we went and got some dinner before calling it a night.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Currently, I'm living in the workers camp near the job site, and looking for an apartment close to work, as the company will be paying my rent. 😎</p>
<p dir="ltr">Olga and Aru, two co-workers, have been very helpful in getting me some appointments set up to look at apartments. They seem to be the "fixers", finding housing for people around here.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I haven't actually started working yet, as I am scheduled to complete safety training tomorrow morning. But I'm okay with that, been getting paid since the 2nd regardless! :)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Until further notice, I'm gonna eat some ramen style noodles I found at a local store, and here's a few photos I took whilst out and about with Hashem yesterday.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><u>-Nick</u><br>
</p>
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After spending Thanksgiving in GA, a week in Tallahassee, 5 days in Boynton Beach, 10 days in NYC, and then Christmas in Boynton, I finally travelled back to Berkeley to spend celebrate the new year. Thao, Nick, Mark, and I rang in the new year, spending the last few days in my apartment being couch potatoes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqO0ppiXSKxmw1rh9HOCdXlTMR-d5j3hSvexFZnUiQYv5pQRWgjCUnEhuyj4WiPjrokHa7l2Ej8F-k5TL7v1l_wevWAIaqtPNIh3LS4VmmW2vQIAiWJlnrDii62epNiu0PMYNm8JPuhM/s1600/IMG_20161226_114312291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqO0ppiXSKxmw1rh9HOCdXlTMR-d5j3hSvexFZnUiQYv5pQRWgjCUnEhuyj4WiPjrokHa7l2Ej8F-k5TL7v1l_wevWAIaqtPNIh3LS4VmmW2vQIAiWJlnrDii62epNiu0PMYNm8JPuhM/s640/IMG_20161226_114312291.jpg" /></a></div>
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It was around the 4th of January that I moved into my friend Bud and his sister Mary's apartment, sleeping on the couch, cleaning when they went to work, watching TV, cooking random ingredients from the fridge into some semblance of a dinner, and generally just taking it easy until my work visa was approved. It was the best month of the year! We drank beers, went hiking, laughed way too hard, and generally became even closer friends. (Because they're such great people) ;)</div>
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Finally, after I got my work visa in my passport, I was ready to do my last load of laundry, have my last dinner in the States (Mexican food), pack up all my belongings and take my leave. I'll admit I was pretty sad to be leaving my Cali family.</div>
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The first flight was from SFO to Istanbul, about 14 hours, then only a 4.5 hour flight from there to Astana, Kazakhstan. My flight arrived at around 3:30 a.m. local time. After proceeding through immigration services, I collected my bags, exited the security area, and found my company driver that brought me to the personnel camp. I always thought it would be great to have one of those drivers holding my name on a sign :)</div>
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So, I was given a key, some resident rules and guidelines, got into my room, and started to unpack. The room is pretty nice and cozy, private dorm style room with a personal bathroom.</div>
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I couldn't sleep, even though I was tired. After getting some breakfast at 6:30 in the mess hall, I eventually met up with Hashem. He's a friend of my friend's sister, and he's a few months ahead of me in the same program. Turns out he's really nice and was able to show me around, introduce me to a few people, and gave me some studs for my boots, because everything is iced over. It's cold here, but a dry cold that isn't unbearable, however it's still cold @ -18°C.</div>
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I've not been out into the city yet, and I'm excited to see new places and faces. (Although I'm an extreme novice when it comes to the Russian language.)</div>
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Until next time,</div>
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Пака! (Bye)</div>
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9192438565726597814.post-18929567738871502042016-12-08T00:27:00.002-08:002016-12-20T08:37:17.539-08:00Waiting for the beginning.Vibrant pastel oranges and pinks, streaks of sunlight barely warming you as the eternal orange fireball slowly melts into the horizon. Another typical South Florida sunset, unnoticed by many who grew up as I did, on the beach and swimming in the temperate Atlantic on or even after Christmas day. Now, frozen expanses and breathtaking landscapes will encircle my new home, the capital city of Astana, in just a few weeks time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fhX_bEZoTOmLn8IrVcb6f3Zvl_4wcNKR6sGJEYpA706b16FUQ8ej_K97oLQEbPiUkJal9YGPAc8VhL6PTZVRtr-NuO9fL5Z4RqBb_oKLAv0tqerP5j_-36aQH6M0Y3qWInChXrlawEk/s1600/adp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fhX_bEZoTOmLn8IrVcb6f3Zvl_4wcNKR6sGJEYpA706b16FUQ8ej_K97oLQEbPiUkJal9YGPAc8VhL6PTZVRtr-NuO9fL5Z4RqBb_oKLAv0tqerP5j_-36aQH6M0Y3qWInChXrlawEk/s320/adp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana. (Rendering)</td></tr>
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My name is Nick, and I'm moving to Kazakhstan to work as a Jr. plant engineer on the Abu Dhabi Plaza, soon to be the largest tower block in Central Asia. I graduated with my B.s. in mechanical engineering from Florida State University in May 2016. Shortly after, my first time traveling internationally was to Seoul, Korea for a close friend's wedding (what an experience!). After returning to the states, I slept on a friend's floor in Austin, TX for about a week. Shortly after, with my skateboard and what I had in my suitcase from the Seoul trip, moved to Berkeley, CA to take a job as a tooling engineer at a burgeoning startup. </div>
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Some type of good energy must have been flowing my way, because everything seemed to work out great. The day before my flight to Berkeley, I talked to a friend living there and she had an extra room for me, at a very affordable price. So I made it out there, stayed one night with my Uncle Paul, then moved into my new apartment. I started preparing for work, and really woke up happy for the first time in a very long time. It was surprising, because I felt this freedom and responsibility to myself to really take advantage of life. I hadn't woken up happy for years. I was happy to be out of school finally, I've always hated school. I was finally beginning the journey of my life, my own life.<br />
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I explored the area, settled in, lived off of beans and rice, went camping in Yosemite, went rock climbing, skateboarded around Berkeley, biked around San Francisco. Unfortunately, the tooling engineer job fell through, and I ended up falling back into the service industry, working as a cook in a small french takeout kitchen in Berkeley. Not a bad gig, as I really enjoy cooking delicious food, but not so great to develop my career related to engineering. The days became weeks, and the excitement of my paychecks waned, as I settled into the normalcy of the so called rat race. I actually started to hate it, because it reminded me of my previous kitchen job, sans the friends I had back in Tallahassee. Some of my co-workers actually became some of my best friends, in a very short period of time, so at least there was a glint of silver lining.<br />
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So eventually, through someone I knew, (you'd be better off networking for 4 years than going to college) I got hooked up with a Company called Arabtec, a construction company based out of Dubai, and the rest is pretty much history.</div>
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I've taken the job, signed the contract, and am currently waiting on a work permit to be approved by the the Republic of Kazahkstan. I've got my snowboarding gloves, long thermal underwear, Redwing boots, balaclava, a ton of vitamin C fizzy packets, and one hefty ass goose down parka. I'm so looking forward to working in my field of study, to absorb the culture, skate in the city, develop my Russian language skills, probably drink plenty of vodka, and most of all meet new people.<br />
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Hopefully this Florida boy can hang through the harsh subzero winter in the second coldest capital city in the world, only second to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.<br />
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Until any further developments,<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Прощай (farewell).</span><br />
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nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15718044791839532826noreply@blogger.com1