Well, I got the word today. August 19th, I ship out to Kazakhstan. I don't know many details yet. I know that I'll fly into Almaty (see picture) and that my training will either be in or near this city.
The capitol of Kazakhstan used to be Almaty, but in 1997 it became Astana. But from what I've read, most international flights and most big business still happens in Almaty.
I'm pretty excited about it. It should be an interesting place to live. In training I'll have to learn both Kazakh and Russian.
The country is the 9th largest in the world and is about half the size of the continental states (about 4 times the size of Texas).
As I learn details, I'll send it along. But for now, my next stop will be the Central Asian steppe!
