KZBlog

Category archive for ‘Life in KZ’

• Technology for Education

  One of the things I’ve been trying to do as an educational consultant here is teach teachers to use technology, but in a smart way. I’ve become less of a fan of Smartboards or Active whiteboards here because they’ve been implemented in most classrooms like slightly more convenient projectors. The ability to use pens to [...]

  4/03/11 • (0)

• Gift Giving

  March is a crazy month in Kazakhstan for holidays, eating out and gift-giving. There’s the 8th of May, International Women’s Day. There’s Nauryz on the 22nd and 23rd. This year they gave us five days off so lots of chances to be invited and invite people to dinner. We’re coming off of the 23rd of [...]

  4/03/11 • (0)

• Men Lose Weight, Women Gain

  Found an interesting post on Peace Corps Volunteers and weight loss from 2008. Apparently due to the heavy carbohydrate and meat diet, women tend to gain weight in Kazakhstan and men lose it. Some of that is because men process carbs better than women and some of it is because PCVs are more likely to [...]

  4/01/11 • (1)

• Getting a Car in Kazakhstan

  A dear friend of mine recently bought a car here and I do occasionally get emails about driving in Kazakhstan for foreigners, so here is a basic rundown of what you need to do to register a new car. Buying a car wasn’t that much different from buying a car in the States. However one [...]

  3/30/11 • (2)

• Roadside Non-Assistance

  Reading through Wide Open Spaces’ list of cultural tidbits from Kazakhstan, I was reminded of a paradox of sorts that has always sort of bothered me. On the one hand Kazakhs pride themselves on their hospitality. Anyone who has been a guest in a Kazakh (or Kazakhstani as hospitality for guests seems to be a [...]

  3/29/11 • (2)

• What Americans Notice About Life in KZ

  A Peace Corps volunteer has a series of great posts on cultural tidbits in Kazakhstan, which really come down to what Americans find interesting or different about habits and life in Kazakhstan. This one cites the habit of wrapping babies up in so many layers they can’t move. I call them “potato sacks” because the [...]

  3/28/11 • (1)

• More Snow?

  Break out the electric blanket. After a sunny, Nauryz, the temperature has been hovering around freezing, which is warm in Astana. But now they’re calling for more snow and the high below 0C this week. If we get the usual April blizzard where snow sticks on the ground for a good week, I will seriously [...]

  3/27/11 • (0)

• Fat People

  One of the pernicious stereotypes about Americans in Kazakhstan is that we are all fat. Now I know there are obesity studies out there that show that being overweight is a problem in the US. I don’t deny that. However, I do wonder how many other countries have done similar studies. In other words, I [...]

  3/26/11 • (0)

• Medicine Continued

  Already got an email about my last post on medical care in Kazakhstan. I thought the question might be of interest to everyone: Is home-care equipment like crutches, wheelchairs, medical step stools, or safety bars in toilets and showers widely available in Kazakhstan? The answer is yes and no. Vital equipment like wheelchairs or crutches [...]

  3/24/11 • (0)

• Healthcare in Kazakhstan

  Now I’ve got my mind on living in Kazakhstan, one issue that people contact me about quite a bit is healthcare and medicine in Kazakhstan. What is it like, how much does it cost, how does it work? First of all, healthcare is a lot cheaper in Kazakhstan than it is in the US. Visiting [...]

  3/24/11 • (3)

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