Two children of our local Kazakhstani friends stayed with us while their parents were in the US. They got to experience American Halloween for the first time in our expat village. They loved it! Jasmine went on Youtube and designed her own make up, and Dimosh borrowed a mask from a friend and made his own prop. And the take on the candy was massive! They were so happy to experience this fun American tradition. They carefully divided the candy into what they liked and what they would give to their two-year-old brother, who was trick or treating for the first time in California. What a happy memory!
We discovered that Atyrau has a professional hockey team! The hockey is the same as in the US, but admission is the equivalent of $2.14, and despite what you see in the picture, no fights broke out! Just a little shoving, and no penalties. How civilized!! The arena is small but nice, and the fans are ... fanatical, of course. Atyrau is in green and lost this game but won the next one we attended last Friday!
The Legal Department at TCO had a teambuilding event, complete with a fear factor game called "Fobia." You had to stick your hands in and figure out what was in the box through feel only. Madina got a guinea pig; other friends got cockroaches, snakes, and mice, among other things. We got snails. It was gross. Jim hates eating or touching anything unusual, but we survivied with only minor emotional distress. The rest of the evening was fun, including karaoke, which is always a huge hit in Atyrau.
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