Church - Sunday, 16 November 2009

The priest appears to be very happy every Sunday at the number of people attending the English-language Mass. Our group consists of 8 people, and that makes up about half the congregation! We are quite happy that they offer an English-language Mass!

After church, the priest came over and asked me how old Sophia is. He said that she is probably nearing her time for First Communion. We discussed it a bit; I said that in the States, next year would be the year, and he seemed to agree. However, he said that when we were ready, one of the sisters would give her classes, and then we would invite the bishop and have a formal ceremony. How nice! Of course, this is what they do in the States, but I wasn't sure--with Sophia being just one--that they would do anything. To be privately tutored by a nun is definitely good.

How to Make a Chocolate Cake in Kazakhstan - Sunday, 15 November 2009

I had wanted Sophia to celebrate her birthday at school, and so on Sunday I attempted another cake. I had found cocoa powder in the grocery store, and this excited me, and so I scoured the Internet for chocolate cake recipes. I finally found one that seemed feasible, and I set to making it. I doubled the recipe, as it appeared to be small, and I knew if I had extra batter, I could also find something to do with it--but if I had too little, then that wouldn't be good.

I used up the milk and vanilla on the cake, and so I had to figure out a frosting without milk (I figured I could just omit the vanilla). Again I scoured the Internet, again I doubled the recipe I found. The frosting tasted delicious, and the cake appeared to look great, and so I quickly wrote down how I had made it--considering I hadn't completely followed the directions. I also wrote down the flour and margarine I had used, so I could replicate the recipe if it turned out to be good.

As it turns out, it was very good, and quite a success in her class. Sophia said that the assistant kept eating more and more. It was very moist, and luckily her teacher left one slice for me to try! The frosting is very fudge-y and works well as a dessert all by itself (if you're desperate for something sweet and easy, as we were one day later that week!)

So here's a recipe for chocolate cake in Kazakhstan! (You need a pan from Canada and a measuring cup from the States, however).

CAKE--I doubled the original recipe.

I. Ingredients

2 cups flour (мука в/сорт ак кайнар вес)

4 tablespoons (= 8 teaspoons) cocoa powder

4 teaspoons baking powder (разрыхлитель)

4 pinches salt

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons (or about 2 packets) vanilla (or just 1 packet if that's all you have)

Mix together with fork.

II. Ingredients

1 cup milk and/or water (I used 5 ounces of 1.5% Moe milk and 3 ounces water.)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

Mix into flour mixture. Stir until smooth.

III. Pour into Christie's cake pan (pre-greased with margarine & flour).

IV. Cook at about 180 degrees Celsius or maybe a bit less for 35 minutes or less. Until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

ICING--will make enough for cake plus leftovers. I doubled the original recipe, which would have been too little.

I. Ingredients

16 ounces (450 g) powdered sugar -- or 4 packets 100 grams powdered sugar

3 tablespoons (6 teaspoons) cocoa powder

3 teaspoons (or 1 packet) vanilla (or forget it if you don't have it, oops!)

Stir with fork. Try not to splash powdered sugar all over the kettle.

II. Ingredients

2 cups (220 g) butter -- or 1 stick of 200 grams of margarine (жар печка маргарин для выпечки)

3 tablespoons (= 6 teaspoons) water or tad less

Cook in microwave until butter is extremely soft. Stir.

III. Pour butter mixture into powdered sugar mixture. Stir until creamy. Watch out for tiny clusters of cocoa powder.

IV. Pour onto cake. Put cake in fridge so the glaze can harden. Take out of fridge several hours before serving.

Yummy!

English-Language Library - Saturday, 14 November 2009

On Saturday, Irene's parents took us to the English-language library. It is called Eagilik, and is very nondescript--it looks like just any other ground-floor business that is located in any building. It is next to a travel agency.

Irene's mother drove, and I sat in the back with Irene, Sophia, and Irene's dad's assistant, a Kazakh man from Shmykent (southern Kazakhstan) who speaks Turkish, English, Kazakh and Russian (and maybe more! I didn't ask.)

We went into the library, which was small and cozy, and divided into two sections: the library, and the coffee shop. The coffee shop reminded both Sophia and me of coffee shops in downtown Greenville, and Sophia had chocolate cake and hot chocolate while I had broccoli-and-cheese quiche and tea. The chocolate cake was American-style and Sophia wolfed hers down. The workers had trouble making the hot chocolate, and the American owner had to explain it to them and then apologize to us. It was their first time making hot chocolate. I know I've seen it sold in the stores, so it shouldn't be that confusing!

There is a bookshelf in the coffee shop with books free for the taking, and a sign explaining this and requesting that books be donated if you have finished any. All the signs in the store were in English and Russian.

There also were some books, calendars, and shirts out for sale.

Irene and Sophia went to look at books. The selection is minimal, but far greater than the school library's! You must take off your shoes to be in this area, and there are some armchairs for relaxed reading. Sophia quickly found 2 animal books and a Scooby Doo DVD. I registered--registration fee is 800 Tenge for teachers. The owner came over and talked to me some. She is from the Washington, DC, area, but has plenty of relatives in South Carolina. Her brother went to Clemson.

She hadn't heard of my school, but mentioned another international school, and said that she had heard that they weren't really English-language, as they claimed to be, at least not in the early grades. Ours isn't either. In a way, that's good to know, I often think, what if I had applied for a job at one of the other international schools here? So it's good to know that that one might not be much better in terms of finding English-speaking friends for Sophia.

(Apart from my school and the one mentioned by the library owner, there is only one other international school. Later, I learned that this one is truly international, but not national--pretty much doesn't have any locals. It is also very small, inside a house. And they were hiring when I was applying, I remember seeing the school mentioned and thinking, "No, I'm not moving to Kazakhstan!" I saw my current school's ad in July, by then I had expanded my definition of what constituted "too far" away.)

The adults drank tea and read English-language newspapers while Irene and Sophia attempted to play. I had brought her Polly Pocket, and this intrigued Irene, and for a long time they sat side by side, dressing their dolls. Neither was fully ready to play at the same time as the other--and finally, when they started to play, they couldn't agree whether the dolls were under the sea or on land, and so they stopped playing!

Then Irene's parents drove us home.

It was wonderful to be in an English-language library, and to know where one is (I asked for and received bus directions). This is definitely a good find!

And hopefully Sophia and Irene will learn how to be friends!

The Frozen River - Friday, 13 November 2009

Friday we did not do much, and it was nice to have a relaxing day. I found a web site that will show you bus routes, and I wanted to go to Republik Street. A parent had mentioned a clothing store on that street, and Lonely Planet recommends it for shopping. It's the main road in the old downtown.

Bus 2 appeared to go near there, and so around 4:00 we headed out. Bus 2 passed by our church, and we got off one stop over. I knew that Sophia wanted to see the iced-over river, and I knew we could get near it from here.

Again, we are from the Southern USA and all this cold stuff is quite new to us, and thus very fascinating. I have never seen a frozen over river. I spent quite a bit of my life doubting that such a thing could actually occur. This river was frozen.

It was quite beautiful. The river is located down a steep bank, and a moderate fence serves to keep people from not climbing down the bank. We walked by this fence, spotting animal tracks and marveling at the white river.

It had recently snowed, and the river was large and still and white.

We saw a few dog paw prints, a few human prints, and mostly we saw what we dubbed "the hop-hop prints" because some small animal (bird, most likely) had hopped to make those prints.

We crossed a bridge and continued walking, to some steps where we could go down closer to the river. It looked like a dog had run across the river, judging from the tracks.

Sophia really wanted to walk on the river, but I said no. Not until we are sure we can do it. (By this, I mean, not until someone else tells us that it is safe, and that someone is someone I can trust!)

I had to reach down and touch the river though--it was soft, powdery snow. Under the snow was rather solid ice.

The world at this moment was still, the air was crisp and silent, and we were alone by frozen riverside, surrounded by soft snow and a few animal tracks.

It was getting dark, so I made her return to the main road. We were starting to feel cold, and so we caught the bus home. One day I'll make it to Republik Street

I promised her that we would return.

European versus Traditional Toilets - Thursday, 12 November 2009

While at Duman for Sophia's birthday, Sophia and Irene went to use the toilets. Sophia came back to whisper that she needed me--they were those dreadful squatters, like the ones we had used at Atryom.

So I went with her, and when we entered the ladies' restroom, I noticed a sign, in Kazakh, Russian, and English. "Traditional Toilets" it said and pointed left; and "European-style Toilets" it said and pointed right. On the left were squatters (a bit cleaner than the ones at Artyom) and on the right were what I would call normal toilets.

Oh my goodness. You actually had a choice! Who would choose a squatter over a normal, sit-on-it toilet? We chose "European" of course.

Then we noticed that the ceiling, like the ceiling in the Filipinos' bathroom, is a mirror. While sitting on the toilet, you can look up and see yourself. You can also see the tops of other people in the restroom. Does this mean that someone washing their hands can look up and see my reflection as I'm using the toilet? Maybe so. I wasn't quite in the mood to go out and see if I could see other people using the toilet.

How odd!!!

Sophia Turns 7 - Part 4 - Thursday, 12 November 2009

When we returned home after spending the day with Irene and her family, I gave Sophia some time to relax, and then we opened her presents. Her teacher had given her some pretty pink hair barrettes and bands, as well as a container of Parmesan cheese!

Now, under normal conditions, receiving a previously-opened-and-used bottle of Parmesan cheese is not exactly considered a good gift; but under these conditions, it was perhaps the best present ever. And meaningful--I knew that Christie had brought that bottle with her from Canada, that it was her only bottle, and that she had never found Parmesan cheese in Astana. It was a very special gift and it made Sophia very happy.

I made her pasta right away and she hungrily ate several bowls.

Afterwards, we still had the cake that I had made and was eager to try out. So we called the Filipino teachers; I knew that they had a present for her, too. They were all too happy to come down and try the cake. I suddenly realized that I don't have enough chairs for 7 people (5 Filipinos plus Sophia and me) and I hastily set about to rearranging the kitchen so that at least 5 people would have a seat (4 stools and one chair). I also had to wash some dishes so that we had enough silverware, but we did not have enough plates. I figured some people could eat off a napkin. (When I had visited them and eaten, they didn't have enough silverware or plates either, so I didn't feel too bad about it.)

When I opened the door, the five of them started singing "Happy Birthday" to Sophia, who tried to hide (embarrassed?). I invited them into the kitchen and held my breath as Sophia cut the cake. I could only hope that it would taste okay.

Luckily, they loved it. Sophia and the 5 teachers almost finished the entire cake. I was not too impressed--the cake was dry and a bit heavy, not light and fluffy like it should be. The frosting had the right texture, surprisingly, considering that I had hand-whipped it, but the flavoring was a bit off. Could be the butter, could be the milk--although there were only a few tablespoons of milk in it.

But they loved it, Sophia included, and that was good. Then they gave Sophia her present--a lovely red-with-gold-stripes turtleneck sweater, very pretty, and a little bit festive-looking. I was grateful--she really doesn't have that many long-sleeved shirts.

They left to go eat their dinner, and it was already rather late. We stayed up a bit later and then went to bed. In the morning, we Skyped my parents. Sophia can be a bit grumpy in the mornings, but she was quite pleased to know that while her birthday was over here in Kazakhstan, in America it was still her birthday.

A couple days later, she asked me where in the world it was her birthday. I had to explain to her that her birthday was officially over, no matter where you travel.

Sophia Turns 7 - Part 3 - Thursday, 12 November 2009

After leaving Duman Center, Sophia, Irene, Irene's parents and I went to their car, a nice-looking SUV. Irene's mother drove--no driver today and no cultural reservations about a woman driving. Irene's father worked nearby, not at the Embassy, but inside some rather tall building (but not tall enough to be a skyscraper). Then Irene's mother drove us for some time until we reached a parking garage. As we went inside, she explained that it is very important to keep your car inside a garage! In the winter, it gets very cold, and your car may not start if it's not been in climate-controlled conditions. Sure, the garage was cold--but not freezing, and that is an important distinction.

We then went outside and into a tall apartment building. I think she was on the 13th floor.

Irene's apartment was nicer than mine, to say the least. However, it was not excessively large or grandiose, nothing like you see advertised in the New York Times Magazine. Just a nice, large apartment. We unloaded our winter gear by the front door, and Irene's mother explained that in her culture, people change shoes indoors. (Here, everyone takes off their shoes when they enter a house, but I don't know if they change shoes.) So she gave me an extra pair of indoor shoes, which were much too small for me, but since they were slip-on, it did not matter.

Sophia and Irene went to her room, where there was a mini-playground--a climbing ladder and a trapeze or something like that. But Irene kept insisting that it was dangerous and they should not play on it. She wanted to play a computer game, and so we went into the living room/dining room to use the computer.

Irene's mother made me Turkish coffee while Irene tried to get the computer game to work. It would not, and so her mother brought out some toys. But Irene really did not want to play with her toys, and she put in an movie--Flushed Away. We watched it, I drank Turkish coffee and then tea, and talked some to Irene's mother. She is an architect, but is able to work from home with her company in Turkey.

After the movie, Irene still did not want to play with her toys, no matter how many her mother brought out (mostly Barbie dolls and other dolls, pretty similar to Sophia's collection of toys). Irene's mother was very much like a middle-class American mother, her concern was with getting Irene to act correctly--play with Sophia, be mindful of others' feelings--without getting too involved. Both of us tried to guide the children to playing together, without becoming overly involved. It wasn't easy.

Finally, we found some colorful paper that came in a box with instructions on how to make things with the paper--a doilie, some flowers. Irene consented to help Sophia make something.

Her father came home from work and happily talked about different programs on the Internet to call internationally for cheap. Her mother cut up some fruit for us to eat. I learned that there is an American library, and it is near their home. You can borrow books and English-language DVDs there, and eat American food such as apple pie, and they go frequently. Saturday they would be at the school (Irene has piano lessons) and afterwards they would go to the library. He offered to take Sophia and me, and also invited Irene's teacher. I was more than happy to accept an offer to find an English-language library!

I also learned that they have only been in Kazakhstan for 9 months. That means that Irene has had less than 9 months of Russian instruction--school was out for 3 months over the summer. And her Russian is so good! Considering that she can translate what other people are saying, from Russian to English, when her native tongue is Turkish, that is pretty impressive. It gives me hope that Sophia will become more adept at Russian--right now, she is struggling.

In Turkey, Irene had gone to a school that also taught English, which is why her English is so good.

Finally, I could sense that it was time to go. I wasn't sure where I was, or how to get home, so her father offered to help me get a taxi.

In Kazakhstan, any car can be a taxi.

We went outside and to a corner, where he flagged down a car for us. At first, I think he was going to give the driver our address and let us go on our own, but then he got in. It was a bit amusing, that he was helping us--considering his Russian is worse than mine. But he had taken a Kazakh taxi before and knew how to flag one down (not hard, many cars will stop for anybody who looks like they might prefer to be in a car).

On the ride home, I asked him if taxis in Turkey were like this. No, he said, there were official taxi cabs, and you used those, not just any car that happened to stop for you (like the US and every other country I've been in).

We arrived in front of our apartment building, and I thanked him profusely and promised to see him on Saturday. "Happy birthday!" he called to Sophia as he closed the door.