I think everyone feels self-consious in unfamiliar surroundings. Now that we have been here a while, I am more at ease and have found everyone to be friendly and helpful - even when trying to order food in a restaurant where no English is spoken or on the menu. I have read some blogs where people felt they were stared at a lot and they did not like it - do not let it bother you, just have fun. We mostly have only been stared at by children - after they heard us speak. I have to admit I have done my share of watching people as well. If you are worried about standing out, plan to primarily wear dark colors, such as a nice black coat, and you will blend in more.
Things we are very glad we brought:
A universal power strip (there are few plugs and it is nice to be able to plug the TV, cable box, DSL box, laptops, cell phone charger, etc. into the same power strip despite the various plug types);
A small photo printer to print our date-stamped digital photos for court;
A few zip-lock bags of various sizes;
Blue diaper disposal bags (both for use at the baby house and as liners to the trash cans in our bathrooms);
Travel coffee presses and ground coffee (we have been able to buy ground coffee since we ran out, but it was very expensive);
Sugar, salt, and pepper packs looted from fast-food restaurants (not that I am encouraging looting :);
A long phone cord (would have liked to have had a long computer cable too – but were fine without it);
Granola bars – for quick snacks, especially when we first arrived;
Couple water bottles for our first night in Almaty (bought during layover in Frankfort);
DVDs of our favorite TV show, and a variety of music (on one of our laptops);
Clothes for any weather (it has been between 30 and 88 degrees here in the past couple weeks);
Stacking cups;
Water-proof bibs;
Shoes easy to slip on and off for the baby house visit;
Non-toxic all-purpose wipes (for quick cleanup of the table/ kitchen and for wiping down drooled-on toys)
Things we wish we did not bring:
Diapers (maybe bring 4 or so just so you feel you have some, but mostly I wish we had just bought them here - especially not knowing the size ahead of time);
Power converter (have found no use for it as all of our electronics have their own converters);
Some of the baby clothes (we did not need anything short-sleeved other than under-shirts, and did not need warm sweaters since we will not have custody on this trip – one winter coat for baby was useful, however)
Things we wish we had brought but did not:
At least one bottle (obviously more is needed if you are only making one trip);
A really warm sweater that would fit over a long-sleeved shirt (even if just worn in apartment; the heat still has not been turned on even though it is below freezing every night);
Warmer socks;
A bigger blanket to use in the baby house (I did not expect him to move off of our little blanket so quickly);
A few thin undershirts/ onesies to put on as a bottom layer rather than having to add a sweater to increase layers;
Something spicy, whether it be chili powder, tobasco sauce, taco seasoning or whatever. Food here is never hot spicy (spiced and flavorful yes, but not hot spicy);
Larger/ longer baby socks or tights to ensure no skin gets exposed.
Other random observations:
I like to watch TV (more than I should) and the only English language show we have is Fox news, which I can only tolerate for so long. I have become addicted to Lazy Town and other kids shows where you do not have to understand what is spoken. We have also caught welcomed episodes of Power Puff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Sponge Bob is somewhat disturbing in Russian (or maybe always).
Watching TV in Russian does not lead to being able to understand or speak Russian (I keep thinking I must be absorbing something – but no)
Dora the Explorer here speaks Russian and the Spanish phrases she normally says are in English.
Most entertainment places here seems focused on kids – which is neat. It would be a great place to be if we had a 5-10 year old.
We feel old in Astana. I do not know if it is where we have gone and driven or what, but almost everyone looks like they are under 30 years old.
Everyone only wears black, and stylish black high-healed boots are standard now that it has gotten cool. We feel like we stand out a lot when we wear bright colors, and we are definitely not as well dressed as most. I never have mastered wearing heals; I prefer my hiking boots.
I will miss good juice when we leave. All of the juice here tastes just like the fruit. Cherry is the best. While I dislike most cherry-flavored things in the US (artificial, sweet), in Kazakhstan I love anything cherry – juice, yogurt, etc. (tastes like fresh sour cherries).
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