Essentials to live in Kazakhstan

A sense of humour, and not to expect things to get done, because they said they would.

Oh, and a warm jacket

I have lived there for a while before moving onto China...

Here is a video I put together as part of a 90 day challenge; it was to answer questions about the public transport infrastructure and public toilets etc.

Enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quHvuEX1YiM

Best wishes,

Darren Thompson

"... and not to expect things to get done, because they said they would."

Yes, quite ... it relates very much to the former CCCP method ...

The bureaucracy is divided into three distinct classes - those who make plans, those who lie about them and the front-line state - from police to railway clerks - whose sole function is to disrupt any possible competing plans (such as expecting anything to get done).  Only the state can make plans - and if they can't fulfill them, neither will anyone else.

At least Kafka's stories have a final page ...

Oh and don't get too comfortable once you think you have the law/rule/plan sussed ... they will change it or claim that it never existed ... these rules/laws/plans are also different from region to region, city to city, aul to aul, all with their own little take on it, don't take what is either announced by NN PfL® or online in e-Gov as being the last word ... it will most certainly not be ... after all, if there is no uncertainty, where would all the notarius (нотариус) go?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your feedbacks.

What are the items you can easily find in Kazakhstan? On the other hand, what is less common or quite expensive?

Anything about some handy items ?

Bhavna

"On the other hand, what is less common or quite expensive? "

That all depends on where you live. Live in Almaty, most items are obtainable, although, often at quite a price (same goes for Astana). Live outside those areas, stuff gets expensive and often, just plain unobtainable.

In Ust-Kamenogorsk, during 2014-2015, tinned tomatoes were unobtainable for around six months, no explanations, just no tinned tomatoes, but hey, not to worry, there was unlimited supplies of tinned horse and tinned peas, so, that pasta recipe that calls for two tins of tomatoes? Just use one of horse and one of peas ...

There is no good regular supply chain of items and you will need to take what you can find at the time, stuff that is on the shelf today, will not be the same stuff you find tomorrow, even more so now that the tenge has plummeted ...

Good quality pharmaceuticals too are a problem. If you have a requirement to take pharmaceuticals for a medical condition, make sure you bring enough to cover your putative stay here (and a letter from your physician explaining the diagnosis/need and recommended dose).

That also goes for simple things such as aspirin, ibuprofen, medications for sore eyes, rhinitis and the like ... if you have a particular brand you like/need, just bring it with you.

Same goes for kitchen utensils and so forth ...

Much in the way of goods here are counterfeit (China is just 50km away from our city), so don't go expecting that clothes (or anything else) you might believe to be real because of the brand name is, in fact, the real deal, it almost certainly is not.

Buy your clothes overseas before you arrive, to get good quality clothing here will cost you a fortune ... a winter coat available in the UK, US$250-300, here, the same item in the shops in Almaty, over US$1 000 ...

There is little here that remains unaffected by the dramatic plunge in the value of the tenge over the past 9 months, even basic foodstuffs have become more expensive ...

If you are close to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, it is worth making your purchases there (items are around 1/3 the price) and bringing them back into Kazakhstan, although I don't recommend doing it via a land border, flying in and out is the safest way, for a number of reasons, the need to secure a second stamp on your migration card not being the least of them ...

Thank you for your precious inputs NucMed