The Last Post

Thanks for visiting our blog. It has acted as an e-photo album of the 2008-2011 school years.

We stopped in England for a few days on our way home in July: Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Dover, where we could see France in the distance.



We're back in BC--a very small town called Fraser Lake, population 1,500; exactly 1,000 times smaller than Almaty, Kazakhstan, where we have been living and studying. Dover, England, below--if you look closely, you can see Edna and the kids wandering along the paths on a beautiful day at the beach.

We originally started this blog in order to document our lives overseas and to keep our families updated on our activities and whereabouts. When we left for Almaty, Kazakhstan, 3 years ago, there was very little 'street-level' information regarding outdoor sports, prices, customs, religious etiquette, etc.

E.g., prior to leaving, Wikipedia asserted that the country was 93% Islamic. We can report, with confidence, that Allah is not impressed with mosque attendance, of late. Our modest little blog became a sort of visitor's guide for people moving to the area who were also challenged by the lack of current, accurate, information.

However, Kyla and Cody made seamless transitions into their new schools: Grade 5 and Grade 3; Edna picked up a part-time job at the Health Clinic; Dave continues to teach at the local highschool; and we have a very nice home on quiet acreage 10 minutes from town. Come visit.

3 years
11 countries

160 flights

7,860 blog hits

10, 649 memories

Good-bye Almaty.

9:44pm, Tuesday night. Kyla and Cody are upstairs having a nap because we are heading for the airport in a few hours. Our 3 year adventure in Central Asia is nearly over. Frankfurt then London for a few days, then Smithers, BC. Thanks for following our blog. We'll post the last pictures and stories soon.

Kyla: Then and Now

This is Kyla (aka Loop)--7.4 years old, and then, receiving flowers from a friend in London, on her 10th Birthday.

Cody--Then and Now

This is Cody on his 5th Birthday in Almaty, and then, 40% of his life later, in Athens, Greece.

Kazakh Mosque Builders

When the Soviets left in 1993, there were 68 operational mosques in Kazkahstan. In 2011, there are more than 2,200. Simple math: they open a new mosque every 3 days.

Saying Goodbye to my Niva

We've been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run
 
Long may you run, Long may you run
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining
In the sun
Long may you run
 
Neil Young (1976)

Sheep and Yurts

These sheep and sheperds are attached to the entry below. This is 2 hours outside of the city but it could be 100 or a 1,000 years ago. They were very friendly and welcoming, unfazed perhaps, in the same way that we were bemused their lifestyle.