When I first heard the news about political unrest in Kazakhstan in early January of 2022, I didn’t give it much attention. After all, I had no expectation that I would end…
Author: buonopanee
Where to Next?
In my two months in Almaty, I’ve spent a lot of time walking around the city. However, as the immersive theatrical experience “Where to Next?” showed me, I still hadn’t seen everything…
Advertising vs. Reality in Uzbekistan
I knew only a few basic facts about Uzbekistan before visiting the country. I was aware that it was once part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, and furthermore that there…
Love and Art in “Jamila”
Where does the inspiration for great art come from? Not just technically skilled artwork, but art that says something, that impresses upon the viewer the animating energy behind the subject. Love is…
Crafts of the Great Silk Road
Though they are neighboring post-Soviet countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are very different. The former’s wide steppes, mostly inhabited by nomads until the 20th century, stretch out in every direction,…
Nazarbayev University: More Than Just a Second US Embassy
Like many other important buildings in Kazakhstan, the entrance to Nazarbayev University in Astana is located behind a tall gate, flanked on one side by a small, box-like structure containing a turnstile…
Window Through Time: A Review of Yury Dombrovsky’s “The Keeper of Antiquities”
Imagine you lived in a time and place where the authorities were ceaselessly and ruthlessly hunting for imagined enemies, where annoying your coworkers, a careless slip of the tongue, or even simply…
Multilingual Almaty
While I came here to study the Russian language, Almaty is more than just a Russian-speaking city. Almost everyone with whom I’ve interacted here speaks Russian, but at the same time it’s…
