About moving to Kazakhstan
I am from Pakistan and my husband is Turkish, but all our children were born and raised in Wales. I have lived in the UK for 20 years. We found a job in Central Asia after we felt it was time to explore the world. This region has always been an exciting part of the world for me. I can't wait to explore it with my family.
Kazakh cuisine, culture, and people are similar to my hometown and my ethnic tribe in Pakistan
I have lived half my life in Pakistan and the same amount in the UK. Both countries have a special place in my heart. Kazakh cuisine, culture, and people are similar to my hometown and my ethnic tribe in Quetta. Therefore, it was easy for me to adjust.
The language barrier was the biggest challenge we faced. We felt illiterate because we couldn't even read anything. For example, in supermarkets, we still can't find what we want to buy, and we make mistakes when buying food. Google and Yandex translators help us.
About the city
We arrived in Nur-Sultan at the end of the summer. The weather was perfect. We loved the large spaces and friendly faces of people. Everyone was positive and friendly. This helped us get used to it faster.
I liked the combination of tradition and modernity. On the one hand, we see vast steppes, and on the other — modern buildings.
Everyone was positive and friendly
For a while, we lived in the Highvill residential complex and walked in the park near the Pyramid. It was beautiful in the fall. All the leaves turned yellow, and then within a few weeks it snowed, and everything became snow-white. We love sledding down the hill in the park.
About transport
When we lived in the Highvill residential complex, we spent a lot of time on the road every day: first to take the children to school, then to go to the university, the same way back in the evening. Traffic is heavy in the city, especially during rush hours, and it took me almost three hours to make these round trips. Now we are happy to have moved to the university's campus. We walk to work, and the children are picked up and brought in on the school bus. We can easily meet with friends or walk to Mega Silk Way and Small to buy food and relax.
If we talk about public transport, we only used taxis, mostly Yandex as it is reliable. We also went by train when to the South of Kazakhstan. It was a wonderful experience.
About food
When we celebrated the first Eid in Kazakhstan, we were invited to visit and treated a large number of traditional Kazakh dishes. I wrote about this in my Instagram blog @nomadicmamatravel. We liked beshbarmak, bauyrsaks and kuyrdak. I still have not tried horse meat and Mare's milk. I don't think I can do it any time soon. But I love pilaf and kurt, I use it as a substitute for parmesan cheese in pasta.
I love kurt, I use it as a substitute for parmesan cheese in pasta
We like Kazakh cuisine in Saksaul and Astana Nuri, two of our favorite restaurants.
Recently, we met with the women that make the delivery of fresh milk, eggs, honey, and vegetables. This is great, as we get fresh, organic products and help local producers.
