First Impressions of Almaty

 This is the view from ALL of the windows in my flat!

For those of you who have not yet heard,  I arrived safely in Almaty almost two weeks ago and have spent the time just trying to get my bearings enough to survive.  Here are some of my first impressions:

Kids:
There are playgrounds everywhere here.  I don't believe I am exaggerating when I say that there is at least one playground for every apartment complex, which means there are multiple playgrounds per block.  My apartment complex has two playgrounds at the entrance, and we are less than a block away from a long narrow park that boasts two playgrounds per block (it runs for about 5 blocks).  Around 5:00 pm, the children come out to play.  On an average night there are 30-50 kids on the playgrounds in our building all playing.  Kids as young as three and as old as 15 play.  Many parents, both moms, dads, and nanny's watch from the benches.  It is truly astonishing.

The View:
I live on the 9th floor of an 18 floor apartment tower in a very comfortable one bedroom flat.  My windows look southwest to the mountains and I often watch the early light spread across them as I eat breakfast in the morning.  Of course, if I look to the right (north) I see a distant chimney stack billowing orange smoke into the morning sky.  On an especially smoggy day, the mountains will be enveloped in the brown cloud by noon, making the view nonexistent for almost anyone.

The Apartment:
The apartment is just right.  I don't know how else to describe it.  I have an enclosed balcony off my bedroom, windows that cover the entire wall of my living room, and a kitchen as big as any I've ever been in.  I'm not sure I could ever settle for a stateside apartment after living in this one.  I am spoiled for life.

At any rate, I should go.  I will post again soon (I promise)