About moving
The first time I came to Kazakhstan in September 1999, and the second visit took place a few months later in January 2000. I came to Shymkent as a brewing expert. On that visit, the director of the company producing the famous "Shymkent" beer invited me to stay to work for this company. At first I refused, because I liked my work in Europe and I have a family there. But at the meeting before leaving Kazakhstan, I agreed.
The director knew that all the equipment that was out there did not meet technical standards. I said that if I get down to work, it is needed to allocate money so that I can go to Europe and find new suppliers of equipment. From 2000 to 2002, I was involved in the preparation of engineering projects, various stages of modernization, and in negotiations with suppliers.
It was difficult to upgrade to new equipment without people to operate it. And the company that supplied the equipment was afraid to bring it in because of the difficulties in optimization. Therefore, in 2003 I left the university where I taught and came to Shymkent for one year to work on a project. This year has dragged on for 17 years, which means that I like living and working here.
About difficulties
Since I planned to stay here for only a year, so I did not immediately start learning Russian and Kazakh. But now I can speak Russian.
Another difficulty was the paperwork that I faced upon arrival. The first time I was denied in a visa and the locals offered to marry a Kazakh woman to make Kazakh documents. I told the director that I needed to discuss this with my wife, otherwise there will be problems. Of course it was a joke. After all the red tape, I was given a document stating that I could permanently stay in Kazakhstan. The problems were due to the fact that there was no Belgian embassy in Kazakhstan at that time and all documents passed through the embassy in Moscow. This process is now automated and I have received documents three times already.
Also, thanks to the open visa system, my older children visited me in 2017 — my son and daughter came to me from Belgium. They were impressed with how welcome they were. They enjoyed their two week in Kazakhstan.
About people and workplace
I respect the local culture and mentality, otherwise I would not live here. But many people for 20 years have not got used to the fact that foreigners live next to them. People often ask why I am here, because Europe is better than Shymkent.
Also, many are surprised that I have been living in Shymkent for over 20 years, but I still do not speak Kazakh. When I arrived, everyone spoke Russian, and I was learning the language that was comfortable for everyone to speak. We also have two languages in Belgium: French and Dutch. In our country, people of my generation speak two languages. Nowadays, many are learning German, Spanish or English. From this, relations between people are strained.
My son, who was born in Shymkent, learns the Kazakh language. He is the only one in the yard who speaks Kazakh, Russian, French and English.
And also every time I travel to Europe with my son, I notice that in Kazakhstan children are more respectful of their elders and people in general than in Europe.
There was a time when the company had hard times, people did not receive their salaries for several months. But even at such a time, they came to work and were calm. I was surprised. If this happened in Europe, the company would stop its work and no one would come to work.
I worked for the company until 2019. Then there was the period when I was traveling and working as a technical consultant.
About plans
I like living in Kazakhstan, I feel safe here. I spoke with my wife, and if everything is as safe and comfortable to live in the country as it was in recent years, then we will continue to live here and further.
