Privyet/Hello!
I was sad to leave Almaty early on Tuesday morning.
It was incredibly nice of the Kazakhstanis to pull all-nighters to see us off before dawn -- Delina (who led us on a city tour and translated), DJ Romanyo (who told me to check out Russian rapper Guf and Kazakhstani rapper Everest), Arthur (our awesome roommate), Garry (who danced Tektonik better than the French), Roman (even on crutches!), Yakov (nicest beard in KZ) and Vova & Anna (who sang amazingly).
I felt like I fit in with the Kazakhstani Jews. Since I was not raised very religiously, I am in a similar position to them -- though I don't know Russian, I don't keep kosher, I eat meat and only recently have I been exploring and embracing my Jewish identity. It's good to know that even halfway around the world, there are other people my age who are also learning more about Jewish history, culture and religion.
Earlier in the week we shopped in Almaty's bazaar, basically an outdoor Pennsauken Mart for you Philly-area/South Jersey folks. It had tons of stalls, selling cheap clothes, toys and $2 döner kebab. I went with my roommate Yair, his friend JP and we were led by Rosa, a Kazakhstani. After they got awesome singing bear dolls from an older Russian cartoon, I passed on an "I [Heart] Almaty" t-shirt to get a Kazakhstan soccer jersey in turquoise-and-yellow. Though we passed on mullet wigs, we picked up some fancy felt products including a whip!
To answer my initial questions: the cultural references are both Russian and American (there are Russian billboards for American movies and yes, Spongebob Squarepants) and they have newspapers, magazines (like Yes!), Web sites and probably blogs.
Kazakhstan is a country with a lot of poverty and corruption but also views itself as a regional leader -- it is a secular, stable semi-Democratic country despite having 120+ ethnicities, it has a lot of natural resources and plays itself between Russia, China and America. Overall, a fascinating and important country, and it's a shame that Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for Borat.
On our last night, we brainstormed about how we can continue this amazing connection between the Jewish communities of New York and Almaty. While nothing is set in stone, we may send them gifts for the High Holidays or language material so the youth can learn English and Hebrew. There may also be a photo exhibition at the Bronfman Center and watch for Alex's short film about the trip.
Spasiba/Thanks for following us! Dasvidaniya!
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