Thursday Things: My First Few Weeks in Kokshetau

I’ve officially been in Kazakhstan for 11 days now, and I’m finally getting over the jet lag. It’s been a rough week or so, but I’m finally adjusting to this new country I’m living in – and I’m even starting to like it. At first, I didn’t think I would be able to make it. I literally cried everyday for about a week. Then I got mad at Marc when I realized he didn’t bring my measuring cups or spoons from Angers. I’m still working on getting over the measuring cup problem. I mean, what’s a food blogger to do without measuring cups? Luckily, I realize this problem is easily remedied.

On top of the measuring cup predicament, I was really not comfortable with our apartment for reasons I won’t get into. It wasn’t that bad, but it just didn’t feel like home. Fortunately, the team found us a better place that I think will be perfect for us. We should be moving in on Monday, and I can’t wait. We’ve known that we may be moving for a few days now, and I’ve been holding off on unpacking and stocking the fridge until we get into the new place. So until then, I’ll just be dying to cook something.

I finally got to go see Marc play with his [not so new] team this past weekend. The rink is really nice, and the fans seem to really be supportive of the team. Obviously, I already had an idea of this from talking to Marc while I was still at home, but it’s nice to actually see it for myself.

Since we haven’t been able to cook much before we move to the new place, we have been going out to eat a lot, and I have to say – I’m super impressed with the restaurants here in Kokshetau. The food has been nothing short of amazing. Last night, I had a bowl of the tastiest lentil soup ever, and the other day I had a peppery Chinese chicken stir fry for lunch. Seriously, I haven’t had one thing I didn’t like. Plus, several of the restaurants have English menus which really helps since reading Russian is nearly impossible.

As far as the weather goes, it’s not that cold yet, but I feel like I’m just holding my breath until the temperature drops. Kazakh winters are supposed to be incredibly cold – colder than Wisconsin – and so far it seems like this winter has been pretty mild. Even though I’m pretty accustomed to cold winters, I don’t think I’m prepared for what this one has in store. However, I am looking forward to the snow (as always). I’m sure I’ll have more to say on the matter in a few weeks. For now, I’m just going to be happy with the less-than-extreme temperatures.