Day 56

How to get them off the bus quickly?

Please think of Ali and the kids who were at the mercy of an ineffectual taxi arrangement (after a concerning bus ride to the shopping centre) and had to spend over an hour waiting for it and then 30 minutes trying to find it in the cold, laden with shopping and keeping 3 kids in tow. It was an unusual event and hopefully soon forgotten.

Astana is gearing up for International Women’s Day on Monday. Lots of decorations are going up, perhaps more so than at Christmas. It’s a day off from work and a chance to spend time with the family and see something interesting of Astana. There’s a bigger celebration coming up in a few weeks time. The Kazakhstanis celebrate the beginning of a new year with Nauryz. Not sure how well the children will like the intensity and business, but I’ve heard if we slink off to a non-Kazakhstani restaurant then it should be very quiet. Besides I remember from last year that fermented horse's milk was a speciality, along with some sweet that is best forgotten.

Work was a lot quieter at NU. But perhaps it allowed me to try and deal with a situation back at Brighton. Trying to remote manage the situation is never easy, but hopefully all will be resolved and the stress levels will subside. Working practises are very different, but problems are still problems and stress requires a decent whisky...

Ray