Thank God, Almaty

If you didn't read the title well, you may have missed that it said "Almaty" as in Kazakhstan.  What? It's a pun - I like puns, I think they are punny... 

Sharon spent a few days in Almaty for a professional development conference for her school (see previous blog entry) and she took a few photos while she was there.

Something that you, dear reader, must realize is that in Tajikistan, there really is nothing "American" or what we would call "normal".

Yes, you can find some things that are familiar (see this blog entry) but there are no malls or fast food places here.  Not that malls and fast food is what we want to do, but when you don't have access to something like that, and more importantly don't know when you're actually going to see those things, it becomes a nice relief to go somewhere that does have them and partake in the American ritual of "shopping at the mall" and "grabbing a burger".

And for this reason, the post title is applicable.  Sharon was able to go shopping for some things that we simply cannot find in Dushanbe.  Additionally, she was able to go to some food establishments and other venues to experience some things that we are hard-pressed to find in Tajikistan.

This is what you get at the Dushanbe Airport when your flight is four hours delayed.

That's the Mega shopping mall in Almaty.  

Pretty sure the lights are up all year long & not just the holidays.

Street scene - It's definitely busier at night than Dushanbe.

Fantastic old building!

Of all things in Kazakhstan...an Irish Pub.

A couple of guys were in the corner (out of shot) playing the game console on the big TV.

Wait, is that an old 8mm projector on the shelf?

This is either an "action" shot taken while moving... 

OR an "after a few drinks" shot taken, well, after a few drinks :)

The Mad Murphy's menu.  Conveniently in Russian and English.

That looks like a good pizza right there.

And what goes better with pizza than a cold beer?

*Please drink responsibly - under 21 & over 0.00 = intoxicated*

Good old-fashioned Irish Stew - actually ended up being a Russian stew, but still.

Guess the Mad Murphy's Irish Pub doesn't look as good in Russian?

Ирландские Mad Мерфи Pub - yep, kinda loses something

THIS is just pure genius.  I think this guy also worked on the Manhattan Project.

When you sneak a phone into a concert, you have to be careful not to be seen taking photos.

Sharon (and her colleagues) got to attend a performance which included operatic singers, a choir, and an orchestral arrangement. 

The BEST part of getting out of Dushanbe?  

Finding American peanut butter (peanut butter at all for that matter),

 and bringing 16 POUNDS back in your checked bag for your husband!

In addition to peanut butter, Sharon returned with some cans of chili, taco & fajita seasoning, a pizza (she said it was from Pizza Hut, but it didn't look like any Hut pizza I've eaten before - not complaining because it's better than the pizza I've had here which is none), some cake mix, and frosting.

Guess who's gonna gain back the 10 pounds he lost since he's been here?  Yep, this guy!

If you're still not following the new Twitter feed, you're missing some interesting thoughts that I have while I'm roaming the streets.  Follow here.

It's an island, babe.

If you didn't bring it here, you won't find it here.

Obviously, I'm not so bad at geography that I actually thing Tajikistan is an island...of course geography was not a prerequisite for Nursing school.

Anyway, what I'm referring to is the fact that it can be difficult to find some items here in Dushanbe, but not nearly as difficult as we first thought.

Before making the move here, we were told by people who were actually living in Dushanbe that there is basically nothing American or any brand names that we would recognize or be looking for.  

For this reason, we went on a bit of a shopping bonanza in the US before we came here.  Some of the items we purchased were: shampoo, lotion, hair dye, OTC medications, prescription medications, makeup, skin, toothpaste & brushes, mouth wash, Imodium, allergy pills, deodorant... the list keeps going. 

For the most part, we brought a year's worth of all these items!!  
We purchased an extra suitcase to carry all these items!!
We left behind clothes and shoes in order to make weight on all our checked bags!!

But alas, we found that there are a LOT of regular brand-name products that we are very used to using.  
In fact, most of our preferred brands are sitting on shelves all over the city, waiting for us to run out and pluck them from their dust-collecting perch to give them a warm, loving home with us.  

For all those products we will not be purchasing locally, we apologize.  To the local economy that we will not be supporting with our purchasing dollars (Simoni), we apologize.  To the people that told us we needed to bring everything, we are kinda ticked off at you!!

So now, instead of a wardrobe that will get us through all the seasons here in Dushanbe, we can comfort ourselves in the fact that Colgate© will get us through the hard times and keep us warm.  Maybe we can fashion a lean-to from our toothbrushes?  At least I can feel good that the Maybelline© mascara won't run when it's raining outside. 

Here's some pics of what's on the store shelves:

Look familiar?  L'Oreal© section in this store looks to be equal to the U.S. 

Stuck in the middle...
Dove© sitting quietly between Sunsilk© & some blue crap & Axe. 

I think I'll go blonde, maybe red.  No?

Deodorant: My brand, Sharon's brand, probably your brand. 

And it looks like every culture has anti-cellulite cream!  

 Антицеллюлитный гель корректор translates to: anti-cellulite gel corrector

Please note that this stuff doesn't work, in any culture!

Not sure what a "pore vacuum" is, but it made me chuckle :)

Don't forget to follow the new Twitter feed for smaller, bite-sized goodness!