Wrapping up in the South

Hello everyone!

I am told that it is snowing in Petro already, but I have purchased a large, heavy coat. I am hopeful therefore, that I will be warm and happy. I may also purchase a furry hat, as I am told that they are the height of fashion in the winter. I am also told that -40 C is, indeed, very cold. It won't be that bad during my visit next week, but there should be some opportunity nevertheless to see snow at last, and hopefully walk in a snowy wood.

I am having much trouble and travail finding good yarn, which is not something I had expected. The best I have found so far is some really thin 50% wool stuff from China. It is reasonably inexpensive, and when doubled up is comparable to yarn of reasonable quality, though it will be a while before I can evaluate its warmth.

When I and my host mother came to the yarn stall, the guy behind the counter couldn't sell us anything since he was just watching the stall for his fiance. She had gone to show somebody something, and we expected her momentarily. We ended up waiting for 15 minutes or so for her to return, but I did get a reasonable price on the yarn.

Time is still compressed. Going now.

My phone number is 8777 165 1439. I am not charged for incoming calls, though of course it is quite a long-distance call for all of you. Please keep in mind the time difference. I get up at about 7 here, and go to bed at 10 or 11.

The end draws near!

I now know my permanent site in Kazakhstan. I will spend the next two years in Petropavlovsk, which used to be the most northern site in Kazakhstan (and possibly the world) until this year when there is a new site thirty kilometers closer to Russia than I. It apparently has excellent cheese and is a major producer of pasta and grain products. The soil of the steppe is very rich and the whole area was and remains the breadbasket of the region.

I have already bought a doublonka, which is a heavy Russian coat that goes to my knees. I think it is fake fur, but you never know. I paid 12,000 tenge in Baraholka, which is the largest bazzar in Kazakhstan and probably the region. It is a very heavy jacket, and I anticipate that it will be very warm in the coming months. I will visit Petropavlovsk at the end of next week, and will take a 33 hour train ride to get there, much like traveling from California to Oregon. If I miss my stop I may be in trouble since the train goes from Petro to Russia, for which I will not have a visa.

Baraholka was an experience, although not as terrible as I had feared. It is really big; I only saw a small part of it when I was there, but the but took 30 minutes to crawl out of the parking lot. Traffic efficiency is not well developed. I am actually in the internet cafe writing this so it needs to be short. I will try and add some anecdotes to my next post, hopefully on Monday.