Beauty of the Wild

wide streets. majestic oddly shaped buildings. melting pot of nationalities. cheese samsa. korean food. apples the size of my head. high levels of paranoia. real coffee. showers with stereo systems. $17 milkshakes.

Almaty has everything and more than one could expect from the wealthiest city in Central Asia and Yours truly had the privilege of living the ‘Almatian Life’ for one week with a true Kazakh family.

The main teacher who I work with at the school is nationally Kyrgyz but was born in Almaty and spent many years living there. Her friends are there, her family is there, her mentality is there and when she invited me to spend a week with her at her relatives’ apartment I could not refuse. It was beautiful. The streets were paved. The people were eating fruits and vegetables. There were streetlights. It was only 50 miles away from Taldy-Suu but due to 14,000 foot high mountains the trip took 13 hours by a mix of cars, buses, vans, and taxis.

It was funny to be in that world. In that world the conversations did not center on the potato harvest, but rather on what music and movies were popular. In that world people do not wake up thinking about ‘how will I get my next meal.’ In that world people study piano and violin. That world is so different from the one I am living in.

That world has majestic buildings, delicious cuisine, and comfort. However that world lacks something. Some feeling which I cannot exactly name. In Taldy-Suu if I want to eat a meal, I have to do everything myself because there is no prepared food lying around the house. If I want to talk with somebody I have to go to their house and whistle for them because there is no doorbell or even door in some cases. If I am cold, I have to make a fire because there is no heating system. If I need to wash dishes that mean that I will use be using my own two hands and not a dishwasher. This feeling of doing everything with ones hands is actually quite beautiful. It makes me realize how fulfilling ‘simple tasks’ like preparing meals, having face-to-face conversations, washing dishes actually are.

Almaty is a beautiful city. A city I would recommend to anybody. However being there, in that big developed city helped me realize the beauty of being undeveloped. I hate these stupid mud roads in my village but they have so much more character than the concrete roads in Almaty. I think it is absurd that people call by yelling ‘Edik’ or ‘Andrew’ or ‘Andrei’ from my window but how much more warm is it than the anonymous ‘ding-dong’ of a doorbell. I hate that when I am hungry I have to make my own food and wait an hour or two to eat but how much more fun is it to make food and create experiences here with my brothers and sisters here than order Chinese take-out. Development and civilization are beautiful things. However, under development and a lack of civilization can also be just as beautiful, if not more.

National Museum Kazakhstan

Zeloyni Bazaar – Korean Salads

Relaxing in KZ with Kamila (cutest kid in KZ)