Random Thoughts, Questions and Observations

Since we're almost half-way, we've compiled a list that we thought we'd share with you regarding our experiences thus far.

• Why is it that we can buy any part of a cow that we'd like at a grocery store in the meat department, but the only chicken we can get is whole and frozen?
• The food brands that we recognize from the U.S. all taste different except for M&M's.
• The faucet for our tub also serves as the faucet for our sink.
• In order to have clean clothes that aren't damp, we have to plan ahead 2-3 days.
• We've been told the sulfur odor given off by the tap water is due to a chemical that's been added to make it clean (?!?!). Yeah, we don't think so...
• Why is it that the BBC World weather doesn't actually include the whole world? Temperatures in central Asia are noticeably absent. Though we could tell you what's happening in Port Moresby.
• My kingdom for a lamp! We have chandelier / overhead lighting only in the apartment.
• The boulevard in front of our apartment is being repaved for the second time since we got here. We were told that it's because the first time they did a bad job. Why doesn't that happen at home? We are also told that the Kazak president is coming on Aug 10 - ahah!
• On the other hand, if a manhole cover is missing, on the sidewalk or the street, shouldn't it be replaced so that no one goes missing?
• Cotton candy in the park is only 60 tenge (about 50 cents).
• We remove our shoes when entering the Baby House and put on socks or slippers.
• No one seems to mind if you wear / buy fur.
• Though it isn't common, we have seen some local men wearing shorts in public. There have also been many women in sleeveless shirts.
• Since there are no lines on the road, turning left can be a challenge. If someone else decides that they can do it faster than you, they just pull up along side / in front and wait. We've turned many a corner with cars on both sides of us, three abreast.
• There are many statues and busts in the parks and along the roads. Most are war heroes or literary scholars (or Stalin or Lenin, of course).
• They're in the process of building a RAM Store right next to the Tsum store - complete with skating rink and grocery. Too bad it doesn't open until the fall.
• Lots of men are carrying man bags (purses) - and they're good looking bags, too!
• Men's shoes are pointy, just like women's.
• You can get any herb you want as long as it's dill or parsley.
• No lawnmowers here (that we've seen) - and the grass reflects it.
• "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in Russian is just as annoying as the American version. Some things are universal.
• The dollar is buying fewer tenge. :(
• Many conversations can be had using gestures. The other day one of Cam's caregivers told us (we think) that we look like a good family together and that he'll need a little sister in a few years - all with gestures and the few words we each know in the other's language.
• Most everyone has been helpful to us despite the fact that A. we're American and B. we speak very little Russian. Maybe they think we're German or British?