Day 3
We had spent the evening at the church where we had English Club and Spiritual Message. Due to Kazakh religious policy, the church volunteers separate the two events. First in English Club, my parents had me and Whitney respond to attendees' queries (opportunity to practice english) to figure out who we were. Then the volunteers say, "Okay we're done with English Club. If you'd like to join us for Spiritual Message, it'll be in the other room!" The topic this week was prayer, which elicited some interesting discussion, as some folks believe that God only hears prayer in Arabic. It was interesting to observe the diverse backgrounds of the attendees, who have different educations and levels of religious fervor. I remember Travis saying that in Italy, many people felt unable to change religions because of their strong history of Catholicism. I think similar is true here, where Islam has been present in Central Asia since the 8th century. Religious discussion/discovery/conversion is complicated by government policy, which limits the initiation of religious discussion to Kazakhs-not church volunteers.
On our way to the church we passed through a community playground. These are plentiful and common around tall apartment buildings (duh). What's cool is that we see kids on almost every playground we see all throughout the day. Perhaps some are inside playing Xbox, but it's nice to see so many kids frollicking.
Whitney encouraging Holland to roll over.
In the afternoon we visited one of Kazakhstan's many new malls. From the outside, this one looked like a off-center circus tent. Centered in the inside, an amusement park ride rose up. Always up for adventure, Whitney and I squeezed into the molded plastic seats for some high-flying fun. We (/I) definitely squealed more than expected. I'm not sure if our reactions were more of an advertisement or deterrent for passers-by. On a side note, the top floor featured a large replica of a beach and water park, so that was nice to see (briefly) without having to pay for admission.
The center of downtown Astana is a mall (like DC) that consists of monuments and palaces. We enjoyed touristing along the boulevard.
"All shall love me and despair!"
The Baiterek Tower in the background represents a tree in Kazakh lore. A golden eagle is said to lay a golden egg at the top of the tree, and once a year a dragon emerges from the underworld to attempt to eat the egg. The ensuing fight between the eagle and dragon is supposed to represent the fight between good and evil. Women and men--living between the ground and sky--must choose which force to follow in their lives.
We met the young volunteers in a classy mall for lunch, and we noticed many young men and women hanging out in suits and sashes. We asked them what the sashes were for, and they replied that they wore them for graduation. When we saw that they were writing on each others' sashes (like congratulations in yearbooks), my dad's eyes glossed over, he started salivating, and his hand reached for his pen. After he asked one graduate if he could also sign their sash, the rest quickly lined up to get this American's signature and well wishes. Sadly I didn't have a pen.
The graduates also loved Holland.
We visited a piano shop inside the classy mall and had Whitney play a few bars from memory. We thought we might draw a crowd or at least receive a few remarks from the store clerk. We got neither.
Taxis have been very convenient here. A few times, we've had to negotiate in person, but usually my dad is able to order via an Uber-like app and the cab shows up in a few minutes. Unfortunately, what the taxis have in convenience, they lack in baby accommodation. We all squeeze into the back and hold Holland on out lap, which is what the locals seem to do too. "When in Rome..."
We started the day by watching Oregon State baseball beat UCLA. It's always a great day to be a Beaver!
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