Lea's Cooking: Russian Honey Layered Cake Medovik "Медовик"

I found this great cooking blog ... see the link below of Lea's Cooking.  Much of the food found in Kazakhstan is influenced by the Russian cuisine. Many of the wonderful Russian food that Lea's blog covers can also be found in Almaty's shops and restaurants.

And this Russian honey cake is to die for : )
 
Lea's Cooking: Russian Honey Layered Cake Medovik "Медовик": Medovik is one of the most popular cakes in Russia. It is also known as Honey layered cake.


The great thing about Lea's blog is that it is a great way to see what you might expect to find in Almaty, and just another way to prepare and familiarise yourself with how life will be here.

Preparation and being open about the experience is key to increasing the adjustment to a new environment.

Thank you for all the kind feedback that I have been receiving.

Please feel free to contact me with possible topics suggestions and feedback.
Tulipakz@gmail.com

Winter in Almaty

So the winter is upon us again in Kazakhstan.

The winter weather in Almaty is described as mild compared to other cities or regions in Kazakhstan.  January through to March might be the worst winter months as it tends to be cold and overcast with little or no sunshine for weeks. During January and February the average high can be -10 to -15 degrees celsius while the average lows can be about - 25 to -30 at night.

I think those individuals that come from Scandinavian and other countries known for cold and overcast wintery days, really would not mind this weather. But those individuals that come from warmer and sunnier climates can find this time of year a little depressing.
 For those of you are not familiar with cooler climates the key word is "layering". You need a proper winter jacket to take you through the season and add or remove garments underneath the coat as the temperature requires.

I suggest buying winter coats and shoes here, as other regions might sell you stuff that is insufficient for this weather (that is if you come from warmer climates). Some people will suggest that you need to buy fur or sheepskin coats, but I believe a good insulated or down coat will do.  Fleece pullovers underneath the coat for colder days are great and having thick socks, gloves, and wooly hat is essential for the colder months. There are various places to buy you winter clothing, a good place for essential winter gear is the sports/outdoors clothing stores like SportsMaster which is a Russian chain. You could also try the markets like Green Bazaar or Baragolka for clothing or the fashion retailers like Savage (also a Russian brand) or Finn Flare and many more brands available at most shopping centres. I advise you to invest in one decent coat and a good pair of shoes (with thick soles and lots of grip) for the winter.

Expect the city to be covered in ice, with only some main roads being cleared from the snow. Walking on slippery icy roads and sidewalks is a skill that you will have to master as soon as possible.

If this is your first winter here... enjoy and try to get out to the mountains as much as possible it is really beautiful.

The Kazakhstan food festival

The food festival in Almaty runs from the 26th of November to the 2nd of December 2012.
For more details and the list of participating restaurants check out the My Destination website

http://www.mydestination.com/kazakhstan/travel-articles/721359/a-kazakhstan-food-festival

Some sightseeing experiences

Sightseeing around Almaty

Eva Ferriere has posted some wonderful pictures of her trip to Charyn Canyon. See her beautiful pictures on her blog http://evaferriere.com/blog/2012/10/28/the-charyn-canyon/#comment-662.

Some additional views about Kazakhstan

Hi All

I am sorry that I have not updated this blog much in the last couple of days. Hopefully in a few weeks things will be back to normal.

I found this great blog of Joseph Weber, a professor who traveled to Kazakhstan. Check out his blog
http://joeweber.org/tag/almaty/
I found his stories and his observations quite insightful and very well put.

Its almost December, which means it is time for the Almaty Oriental market at the Central State Museum on Furmanova street (1-2 Dec 2012). Four times a year, sellers of all things Oriental come together at this event. Everything from oriental carpets from Iran, Turkmenistan and even Kazakhstan are being sold and other handcrafts, all of which will make great Christmas gifts for those going home over the holidays. I especially love the hand-painted plates and bowls which comes is such amazing colours.
See the picture below of the first one that I bought. They come in various sizes and this one is about 35cm across.

And if there is one thing that I would recommend to everyone staying or visiting this area, is to buy a carpet!!!! They are truly beautiful and come in various colours, textures and price ranges.  Just note that the antique ones can be tricky to get out of the country.... You can even have one made especially for you... or so I have heard : )

I would love to get some feedback, please email me at tulipakz@gmail.com

Cost of living in Almaty

Cost of living

Currently the exchange rate is USD 1 to 150 KZT (Kazakh Tenge)

The following prices will give you a rough idea of what to expect (Dated: Oct 2012)

Bread between 50-150KZT ($0.33- $1)

Milk roughly 150KZT ($1) depending on the brand and type, you get lots of milk products ranging from fresh to curd/ sour and from cow to camel... it can all be a bit confusing shopping for milk the first time.

Meat is more difficult to price as it depends on where you buy it - either at the market or the supermarket and whether it is chicken, beef, lamb or pork (yes, you can get pork and bacon here, but only at selected shops like Bekker, Ramstore and a few other supermarkets). If you are brave enough you could buy your meat at the market, but you need to find a good seller and build a relationship with them to get the best cuts and best quality meat.

During summer, local fruits and vegetables can be very cheap like 300KZT ($2) for a kilo of raspberries and 600KZT ($4) for a kilo of cherries. During the winter the prices are excessive and the quality is really poor where tomatoes and potatoes don’t even last a day or two.

I advise you to check the dates on all products... that is if they have expiry dates... as various food items are still repackaged by the individual stores into smaller clear plastic bags.  And don’t be surprised if you see the whole team of supermarket packers standing around a shopping cart filled with fresh bread packing them with their bear hands into small packets... Hygiene is not a top priority.

Expect your monthly grocery bill to be roughly 100 000+ KZT for a couple, which includes the odd imported product.

Eating out can be every expensive or very cheap depending on where you go. Restaurants that locals frequent are well priced and from my experience the service is much better. Restaurants that cater for foreign tastes are expensive and could easily cost 5 000 KZT ($33) per person for a meal and a drink, if not more. Generally, customer service is very poor and don’t expect starters to arrive before the main meal as they might all arrive at the same time or in drips and drabs. We have also learned to ask for the bill as soon as the food arrives as this can also take a while.  

The monthly rent for apartments in the centre of town range from about $900 to $3000 for a decent apartment. Houses in desirable areas are generally about +- $4000-7000 and above... if you are planing on living in a house you will need to also have a car and I suggest a driver as well... as they drive like maniacs here... expect a two lane road to become a four or five lane road as everyone tries to squeeze in and get ahead of the other.

Internet costs about 4000KZT per month, but even though it claims to be high speed, the infrastructure and amount users on the system slows it down considerably. 

Mobile coverage is good within the city and there are various service providers available like Kcell, Beeline and Activ. Pay as you go is very popular and kiosks are available almost everywhere in densely populated areas.

Am I missing something? Please let me know

I would love to hear from you, feedback is welcomed. Also if there is anything you would like me to discuss please feel free to email me or Facebook

Tulipa Kazakhstan

Tulipakz@gmail.com

The Cultural Divide- part I

Cultural Divide

Your frame of reference will determine how you adjust to living in Kazakhstan. Most Western foreigners find it hard to adjust, especially if you have not lived abroad before, because the cultures and living environment are so dissimilar. Things are just different here... do not expect anything to operate or work in the same way as it does back home.

It seems that even those that come from comparatively similar cultural backgrounds to the Kazakhstani culture can find it difficult to adjust. But again, it all depends on your mind-set, your experience with other cultures and of course the support that you receive from the company, co-workers, community and your family.

The local culture can be described as collective as oppose to most Western cultures that are described as being more individualistic. The welfare of the family is more important than the welfare of the individual. Family members will get an extra job or quite their existing job just to assist the rest of the family... for example when a sister is on maturity leave. Children are also very important to the family, so much so, that girls are expected or even pressured to have children at a relatively young age (19-21years of age). It seems to be culturally more acceptable to have a string of children and divorced by the age of 25, than to be childless and/or unmarried by the age of 28. Having children is so significant in the local culture that some companies even provide unpaid maturity leave for up to 3 years. 

The local society tends to have a high power distance (Hofstede) which means people tend to accept the concentrated of power and decision-making. This large discrepancy between the powerful and the less powerful leads to a greater importance placed on status symbols (according to Hofstede), and explains the unusual fascination with fake luxury goods.  

The culture might be described as high in uncertainty avoidance, which is evident by the complex bureaucratic procedures and the various guidelines and rules existing in each and every aspect of the environment. 

Time is not as important as in some Western cultures and few people arrive on time for appointments or get-togethers. There is also a sense of doing things at the last moment, especially in the work environment. Preparation and future planning are also aspects that are lacking in the local environment and reflect the lack of long-term orientation of the people here.

In most cases each and every aspect will be different for Westerners living and working in Kazakhstan.  I suggest to adjust effectively and quickly you will need a lot of patience, expect that things will take longer than usual and might be done differently than compared to back home. I also believe that some basic knowledge of Russian is key to adjusting in Almaty... as in any culture, people will appreciate it if you can speak a word or two or just say ‘hallo’ in their language.

Living in KZ part 1

Living in Kazakhstan part 1

I enjoyed reading this blog http://www.kzblog.net/2010/12/29/survey-of-expats-about-life-in-kazakhstan/ and express similar sentiments to the author of KZblog. In the article reference is made to another blog and I am sure there are various local bloggers that could provide expatriates with additional insight; however, for us here we are unable to access certain blogs or blogging sites, so I am unable to recommend any of them... more interested in this topic see the link below. http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/kazakhstan-puts-pressure-on-bloggers

I agree with KZblog that the locals can come across as unfriendly and lacking common courtesy to strangers. Although KZblog seems to be living in Astana, I doubt there is a major differences between what they experience in Astana and what we as foreigners experience in Almaty.  And I don’t think there is much that I can add to what has already been said on KZblog.

The police can be a bit of a hassle and having yellow number plates (as foreigners), you tend to be a huge walking (or driving target in this case)... many suggest always keeping 2 000KZT in the car .... These guys are under paid and it is obvious when public holidays are approaching ( if you catch my drift)... luckily I don’t drive or own a car here and am happy with using public transport or taxis. Another thing that might also not be mentioned to newcomers is to always carry identification (passport with registration) with you, especially in the evenings when you are more likely to be stopped by police.

Visa issues - Personally, I am not sure who is to blame for the issues with visas that most foreigners seem to experience. Some blame the confusing laws and others blame the incompetence of the company staff... and in part... maybe it is due to the local employees lack in understanding what a foreigner goes through to relocate to Kazakhstan only to be worried for the next few months whether your work permit or visa will be approved or not. 

Helpful Guides to Almaty for Expats

Guides - Almaty

There are various guides that you could purchase before arriving in Almaty, but many will be designed for travellers as oppose to expatriates moving to Kazakhstan, therefore I have compiled this short list of must have books about Almaty for expatriates.

The most relevant and useful guides (that I am aware of )

The Hedonist’s Guide to Almaty

http://www.hg2almaty.com

This book is also readily available at most bookstores. It is available in English, but I don’t know if it is available in other languages. 

The Almaty Guide

This is an expat guide published by the AIWC (Almaty International Women’s Club). The newest version is only available to members at the moment and not yet for sale. It is filled with very relevant information that goes beyond the touristy stuff, and include helpful hints and tips about various topics like bringing the family pets into the country or taking them back home and other aspects of building a live here in Almaty...definitely a must for expats.

Almaty Today - A Tour guide to the city of Almaty

Another great book also filled with lots of information available in both English and Russian at bookstores. I bought my copy at Book City http://www.bookcity.kz for under 3000KZT and really think it is another useful guide to living in Almaty.