45-Kids Peeing-
Children have small bladders, this I know. In America, we solve this problem by putting public restrooms all over the place, where the opportunity to pee is not only free, but it comes with a standard amount of toilet paper and then a place to wash/dry your hands. In Kazakhstan, this is not so. There are few public restrooms, and all of them are for a fee. That's right. You have to pay to pee, and usually you're paying to pee at an abominable location. Mothers do not dare expend the energy to 1) find a public restroom and 2) waste money so their child can relieve himself/herself. Thus, kids pee on the street, near the street, in the ditch, against a building, at the bus stop, on the train, and anywhere else where the urge strikes. Of course, this is only little kids, usually 5 and under, but I'm sure the teenagers have their own system going in the shadows. The first time I saw a mother pull down the pants of her toddler, hold his wee-wee while he relieved himself, shake it off for him, and then pull his pants back up, I was a little taken aback. Now, it's just normal. As is saying "wee-wee", haha.
44- Babushkas on the Bus-
Babushkas are a topic all to themselves. "Babushka" is the Russian word for "grandma", but it can be applied loosely in some situations to refer to any woman who dresses like an old lady, wears boots that are fat and unfashionable, and refuses to tame the frizzyness on top of her head. Sometimes, "babushka" can be used to describe, well, me. Haha. But usually it signifies an old woman, and old women are an entirely different breed here in Kazakhstan than in America. Old women are mobile, and they love to ride the bus. And when they get on the bus, you must relinquish your seat and help them take your place. This means that a lot of grandmas are sitting, while all the younger people are standing. Normal? Sure. The best part about the babushkas on the bus is that they have self-designated themselves as the protector of bags and children. It is not out of the ordinary for a grandma to snatch at your bags, or your child, plop said belongings on her lap, and then feverishly hold onto them amid the jostling of the bus. And they can't be deterred! I've just come to accept that when I give up my seat for a grandma, she will demand that I let her hold my bag for me, never mind how heavy it may be.
43- Tardiness-
America is a culture of "on time". We have watches, we have alarm clocks, we have day planners, we have administrative assistants who remind us of our daily obligations, etc. Knowing the time, and being on time, is so ingrained in our culture that when someone ASKS us the time on the street, a popular quip is to say, "Time for you to get a watch!". In America, time is money, and all things should start and end on time. In Kazakhstan, time is more of a fluid concept. A meeting that is supposed to start at 10, will likely start at 10:30 and this is nothing to fret about. In fact, this is expected. The only thing that seems to run on time is the train. Everything else will be tardy, and if you are tardy, all will be forgiven.
42- Tea and Cognac-
Before coming to Kazakhstan, I hated tea. I had began dabbling in the sweet flavored teas that my university offered in the campus store, but other than that, tea was a foreign concept to me. I wouldn't touch hot tea with a 10 foot pole. Now, I drink it like it's going out of style. Which, of course, it isn't. Tea is central to the culture here, and my coworkers and I drink tea together at least 2 times a day. In Kazakhstan, drinking tea is a huge part of the business culture. Important decisions, organizational or otherwise, are usually discussed over tea. Black tea. Strong, black tea. And in the moments when tea is just not cutting it, cognac is the beverage of choice. We drink cognac for a little pick me up, for the beginnings of the flu, or just because. If there was a social event that lacked either tea or cognac, the event would be an utter failure. Without exception.
41- Bus Tickets-
I have an obscene amount of little bus tickets in my life. Every time I get on the bus and pay my 50 tenge fare, I receive a paper ticket that serves as proof of purchase, should the bus-checkers get on the bus to sniff out the passengers who didn't pay. And I hold onto this ticket on the off chance that the police will actually search the bus, which has only happened, like, once. So I put the tickets in my pockets, in my backpack, in my jacket, and then I forget about them. Well, I remember them when I find them on my floor, on my desk, in the wash, and everywhere else in my apartment that you can think of. I'm constantly picking up after my bus tickets and myself. It became such a problem that I decided to place a bag by the door, and I make myself empty my pockets of bus tickets every time I walk in. I feel like if the city placed more garbage cans by bus stops, the general population would also dispose of the paper tickets instead of throwing them on the ground.
***Please see my disclaimer located in the top-right corner of my blog.
Children have small bladders, this I know. In America, we solve this problem by putting public restrooms all over the place, where the opportunity to pee is not only free, but it comes with a standard amount of toilet paper and then a place to wash/dry your hands. In Kazakhstan, this is not so. There are few public restrooms, and all of them are for a fee. That's right. You have to pay to pee, and usually you're paying to pee at an abominable location. Mothers do not dare expend the energy to 1) find a public restroom and 2) waste money so their child can relieve himself/herself. Thus, kids pee on the street, near the street, in the ditch, against a building, at the bus stop, on the train, and anywhere else where the urge strikes. Of course, this is only little kids, usually 5 and under, but I'm sure the teenagers have their own system going in the shadows. The first time I saw a mother pull down the pants of her toddler, hold his wee-wee while he relieved himself, shake it off for him, and then pull his pants back up, I was a little taken aback. Now, it's just normal. As is saying "wee-wee", haha.
44- Babushkas on the Bus-
Babushkas are a topic all to themselves. "Babushka" is the Russian word for "grandma", but it can be applied loosely in some situations to refer to any woman who dresses like an old lady, wears boots that are fat and unfashionable, and refuses to tame the frizzyness on top of her head. Sometimes, "babushka" can be used to describe, well, me. Haha. But usually it signifies an old woman, and old women are an entirely different breed here in Kazakhstan than in America. Old women are mobile, and they love to ride the bus. And when they get on the bus, you must relinquish your seat and help them take your place. This means that a lot of grandmas are sitting, while all the younger people are standing. Normal? Sure. The best part about the babushkas on the bus is that they have self-designated themselves as the protector of bags and children. It is not out of the ordinary for a grandma to snatch at your bags, or your child, plop said belongings on her lap, and then feverishly hold onto them amid the jostling of the bus. And they can't be deterred! I've just come to accept that when I give up my seat for a grandma, she will demand that I let her hold my bag for me, never mind how heavy it may be.
43- Tardiness-
America is a culture of "on time". We have watches, we have alarm clocks, we have day planners, we have administrative assistants who remind us of our daily obligations, etc. Knowing the time, and being on time, is so ingrained in our culture that when someone ASKS us the time on the street, a popular quip is to say, "Time for you to get a watch!". In America, time is money, and all things should start and end on time. In Kazakhstan, time is more of a fluid concept. A meeting that is supposed to start at 10, will likely start at 10:30 and this is nothing to fret about. In fact, this is expected. The only thing that seems to run on time is the train. Everything else will be tardy, and if you are tardy, all will be forgiven.
42- Tea and Cognac-
Before coming to Kazakhstan, I hated tea. I had began dabbling in the sweet flavored teas that my university offered in the campus store, but other than that, tea was a foreign concept to me. I wouldn't touch hot tea with a 10 foot pole. Now, I drink it like it's going out of style. Which, of course, it isn't. Tea is central to the culture here, and my coworkers and I drink tea together at least 2 times a day. In Kazakhstan, drinking tea is a huge part of the business culture. Important decisions, organizational or otherwise, are usually discussed over tea. Black tea. Strong, black tea. And in the moments when tea is just not cutting it, cognac is the beverage of choice. We drink cognac for a little pick me up, for the beginnings of the flu, or just because. If there was a social event that lacked either tea or cognac, the event would be an utter failure. Without exception.
41- Bus Tickets-
I have an obscene amount of little bus tickets in my life. Every time I get on the bus and pay my 50 tenge fare, I receive a paper ticket that serves as proof of purchase, should the bus-checkers get on the bus to sniff out the passengers who didn't pay. And I hold onto this ticket on the off chance that the police will actually search the bus, which has only happened, like, once. So I put the tickets in my pockets, in my backpack, in my jacket, and then I forget about them. Well, I remember them when I find them on my floor, on my desk, in the wash, and everywhere else in my apartment that you can think of. I'm constantly picking up after my bus tickets and myself. It became such a problem that I decided to place a bag by the door, and I make myself empty my pockets of bus tickets every time I walk in. I feel like if the city placed more garbage cans by bus stops, the general population would also dispose of the paper tickets instead of throwing them on the ground.
***Please see my disclaimer located in the top-right corner of my blog.
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