Yes, really! KAZAKHSTAN

Posted by Robyn Only 2 hours ahead of Sochi, we are getting lots of live coverage of the Winter Olympics. In Russian. and in Kazakh.  (The...

Posted by Kevin As of this morning there's a 20% off sale on your travel to Kazakhstan. Well sort of. The Kazakhstan Central Bank a...

That polar vortex blasting the US of late?  That is typical winter weather in Astana. Having said that, until the last week or so, Ast...

It's hard to know yet what the normal pace of life is here... Things seem to start later, end earlier and take longer than we're u...

The first time I arrived in Kazakhstan, I was struck by the well-dressed passengers waiting for luggage with me... designer bags, ...

Pretty much every day we run into what we affectionately call "business opportunities" to provide a good or service that could be ...

What is KCCMP?  No,  not an acronym of a former Soviet Republic, but it is the acronym for what has brought us here to Kazakhstan. I ...

That is not a typo.  Today we are in Kyrgyzstan, just a short flight from our new home in Kazakhstan. As it's worked out, Kevin and I ...

Our route to Kazakhstan involved two stops after leaving Los Angeles.  Thus, we shipped some of our excess baggage - items we'd need on ...

As the calendar approached December 25, our thoughts turned to stockings, trees and the traditions that we love at this time of year.  A wh...

Last night I loaded up our front load washing machine with clothes and detergent and started it up. Later I went to empty it but instead ...

We mentioned earlier that there are a number of notaries around, which was probably a sign of what it takes to do business in Kazakhstan.  S...

Suddenly I (Kevin) find myself needing to speak and understand Russian. It's no small thing as I've read (and my experience confirm...

Some of you have asked for our mailing address to share some Christmas greetings, which has led us to try and find our mailing address...wh...

We are enjoying a four-day weekend to celebrate Kazakhstan's independence day, December 16th. Kazakhstan has historically been popula...

Astana's icon is the "Baiterek," or the "tree of life."  Since the Baiterek looms over our apartment and my office,...

We've been here just a few days, but the weather has changed multiple times every day. The night we arrived we had to walk thro...

We intend to provide updates a few times a week, but if you've been following us to date you'll see that can be erratic.  Should you...

We made it. A red-eye from L.A., Thanksgiving week in Rochester, a whirlwind stop in DC for training, a layover in Frankfurt.  We reached ...

Everything in Astana is sparkly and new. Including the US Embassy . While much of Astana is under construction, the Embassy seems to be ...

As an indicator of what it will be like to do business here, I've now learned the word in Russian for notary. нотариус  Why? Because th...

So, half the fun in moving is the chance to explore a new corner of the world.  Kazakhstan is so far from anywhere we know or have been... t...

Our favorite dumpling house has just opened a third location in the Los Angeles metro area.  In its honor, Kevin sent me a link to an artic...

As part of our relocation package we are entitled to excess baggage we carry on the plane, an air shipment of up to 450 lbs, as well as a se...

I like to think that we live a relatively simple life. And in some ways, it's true. Nevertheless, it's a major process to move halfw...