(Abby looking miserable and wet)
Today is the 21st of May. We awoke this morning to a nice big snow. It was measured at 22cm- just under 9 inches. We were told that we would get snow in May...and here it is. I wasn't expecting 9 inches though. In some of the pictures it may not look like that much, but in areas of little wind, it was measured at that. In the gardens, people have planted potatoes and maybe other underground stuff, but everyone usually waits until June to take the tomatoes and cucumbers outside. This is why.
The name of my post is "Кұралай". You pronounce this "cora- LIE", with a slight roll of the "r". It is what this time of year is referred to in Kazakh. In Kazakhstan, there is an animal called the saiga. It is a bulbous-nosed antelope. This time of year is when the saiga have babies. The word Кұралай is used to refer to this time. It just so happens that the weather is always a little weird at this time of year, so when people point outside and say "Кұралай" they aren't referring to the name of the weather system, but instead it is to say, "its the time of the Кұралай."
(my apt)
Trees with snow: back by popular demand (Kenny Dunn!)
