Yesterday (Sat), all the volunteers headed into Almaty for the day. They organized a trip to the city so that everyone can get acquainted with the it and learn where the PC office is. Almaty is a nice city. It’s a good mix of Muslim, Orthodox, and Soviet that make it a nice city to walk around in. The weather wasn’t perfect, so I didn’t get too many earthshaking pictures, but I’ve posted a few here so you can see the highlights.
Our first stop was the Monument of the October Revolutionaries. It was constructed in 1967, for the 50th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. I thought it was fascinating that all these statues still stand (the Bolshevik Rev ushered in Lenin and Stalin). In Eastern Europe, I felt there was a need to separate from the Soviet oppressors, so they tore down most of the statues (rightfully so). But here there are tons of old Soviet statues. In fact, there are still two Lenin statues in Almaty (next time I’ll try to find them). In my brief time here, it seems that Kazakhstan and Russia are so tightly interwoven, and there are still so many Russians, that its just part of history now. I think they are really cool.
Our first stop was the Monument of the October Revolutionaries. It was constructed in 1967, for the 50th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. I thought it was fascinating that all these statues still stand (the Bolshevik Rev ushered in Lenin and Stalin). In Eastern Europe, I felt there was a need to separate from the Soviet oppressors, so they tore down most of the statues (rightfully so). But here there are tons of old Soviet statues. In fact, there are still two Lenin statues in Almaty (next time I’ll try to find them). In my brief time here, it seems that Kazakhstan and Russia are so tightly interwoven, and there are still so many Russians, that its just part of history now. I think they are really cool.
The Central Mosque was our next stop. It is the largest Mosque in Almaty and its big blue dome is a landmark. It was completed in 1999, built with the personal support of President Nazarbaev. I wasn’t allowed to photograph inside, but it is beautiful. A huge chandelier hangs from the dome room. It is painted a soothing light blue and there are pretty stained glass windows around the base of the dome.
One of the men working in the Mosque came up and began talking to us when we came in. At one point he mentioned he had a Koran in English and rushed off to get it. We never saw him again – I suppose he hadn’t had a need for it before and couldn't find it. There were only men in the large main room. We were told that women had a separate room to pray in, and the two sexes don’t pray together in the mosque. You can’t see it in the picture, but there is a tall minaret next to the mosque (all mosques). 5 times a day, through loud speakers, there is a call to prayer (we didn’t hear this). Ramadan is currently going on, so many volunteers get to see or participate in this first hand. My family is Russian, so I haven’t had this opportunity yet.
One of the men working in the Mosque came up and began talking to us when we came in. At one point he mentioned he had a Koran in English and rushed off to get it. We never saw him again – I suppose he hadn’t had a need for it before and couldn't find it. There were only men in the large main room. We were told that women had a separate room to pray in, and the two sexes don’t pray together in the mosque. You can’t see it in the picture, but there is a tall minaret next to the mosque (all mosques). 5 times a day, through loud speakers, there is a call to prayer (we didn’t hear this). Ramadan is currently going on, so many volunteers get to see or participate in this first hand. My family is Russian, so I haven’t had this opportunity yet.
A little further down the road is the Green Bazaar. It is Almaty’s main and biggest bazaar. For those of you who visited me in Romania or have seen Budapest’s Central Market….Almaty’s is much, much larger. Tons of clothes, food, meet, fish, etc. Everything you want. It isn’t always cheap to buy there, but its fun to walk around. My favorites were the meat and veggie sections. I’ve never seen so much horse meat. And we even saw sheep heads, which was neat. One vendor got a little upset with me after he offered me a date (the fruit). I scarfed it down and then he wanted me to buy a kilo from him. I told him “later, but thank you” and he did his best to get me to come back. I learned my lesson…but the date was good!
The picture below is the display of horse meat!!
Next stop was Panfilov Park. It is named in honor of a group of 28 soldiers, led by Major General Ivan Panfilov, who are known for their exploits in defending Moscow during a fierce battle in November 1941. Almost all of the 28 were killed but they reportedly destroyed many German tanks in the process. All were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the park is the Cathedral of the Holy Ascension, a Russian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1907. It reaches a height of 53m (174ft), making it one of the tallest wooden structures in the world. It was also made without any nails, which apparently helps it withstand earthquakes (Almaty is on a fault line). Do to this, it withstood a major earthquake in 1910.
We walked around a lot more and eventually went to the PC office by bus. I didn’t get to see it all, so over time I’ll be posting more pictures of Almaty I’m sure. There was one more statue though that I liked. It is the statue of Manshuk Mametova and Aliya Moldagulova, who both posthumously received the highest military honors of the Soviet Union for feats of bravery. They are the only central Asian women to be so honored. They were both snipers, fyi. I gathered it was from WWII, but I need to do some research on it. The internet says they were heroes of the "great patriotic wars".
That’s it. Day off today. Relaxing, doing laundry, studying Russian. Tomorrow starts another long week of training.
PS. Had shoarma #2 in Almaty. Much better! French fries and all. They use beef and chicken instead of pork, so there is a slight taste difference. But things are looking up!!!
