Camel-milk-waffle-party

A great way to enjoy both the Kazakh and Norwegian culture is to mix something you know very well and love (waffles), with something new and exotic (camel milk)! A great combination! The waffles become really crunchy and tasty!

I tested it out at home during the summer when I brought home a bottle; a great hit in my parents garden. So we have now introduced it here, and tonight we have had another successful waffle-night in Kristin's apartment! Knut even brought some brown cheese to the waffle-party!! A sure winner!!

Sunday...

Sunday was a hard day.. it is not an understatement to say it was very tough for some...

Catrin and I made our way out in the cold fresh Sunday air around 10. We made a management decision to walk to work, and stop for a nice coffee at the Renaissance Hotel next door. Excellent idea! Great coffee to go! Totally made my day!!

Kristin on the other hand, was unaccounted for... I called and woke her up at a later point...!!

On our way down main-street, we passed the main square. Here you see Catrin by the x-mas tree. The tree even has a red star...

Winter Season Party

The party was fun!! So fun that some of us almost forgot to go home...! Well, I did make it home at a reasonable time, C and K did not... ti hi...
The party was packed with entertainment, the people at work performed dances, songs, and acts during the dinner. And in between it all, there was dancing, even during the main course, different, but nice and casual! And we even had a raffle with great prices, Kristin won a juicer! So now we are hoping for fresh juice every day... hint hint...
I will post some pictures when I have them!!

The big party!

Today is the day for the big party here i Kazakhstan! The Winter Holiday Season Party! This year it is a Costume Party! And in KZ-style, there will be entertainment, lottery, surprises and dancing! The girls working in the office have been rehearsing for days on their entertainment pieces, either dancing, singing or playing an instrument. This will be a night to remember!

I am dressing up as Tinkerbell, and last night Catrin and I made dinner (invited Kristin for food of course!!), watched Lipstick Jungle and sowed on our costumes. I had to sow on my wings to my green dress, and Catrin had some last minute fixing on her mermaid costume. The girls are well prepared, party is not something we take lightly!! This will be fun!!

December 1st

Today is the first day of December! Hurra! Time to open the first door on the advent calendar! Well, I do not have an advent calendar this year, but I do have my advent candle. Can not burn it at the hotel or at the airport, but will burn it when I get to the apartment tonight!

Hope you had a good flight through the night Kristin, hope the shock of not being on Bali anymore is not too bad! Looking forward to hearing all about it! Catrin, hope your week without K and K was good and relaxing...! Here we come!!

The time has come...

It is KZ time, again. Let us hope the next couple of weeks will be ok! Exiting things are happening I hope. X-mas/winter party in KZ will hopefully be a winner! And off course the usual x-mas songs and cakes will brighten up our long working weeks. My bag is full of goodies!! Chocolates, cakes, marzipan, gingerbread men, and spices to make x-mas cakes! And even Catrin´s special glüwine-gummy-bears! And I have brought my Danish advent candle, brought home from Copenhagen by my dad. So everyday I will light my candle and keep track of the days until x-mas. Nice!
Now I am in Amsterdam. Sitting in the lounge at the Radisson Airport Hotel, having a burger and wine, enjoying my last evening in the western world...

Contract Law...

This heavy (1,9 kg) and glossy book dictated my life for the last three weeks!! Had a good study-weekend with Gjertrud last weekend, so much nicer to "suffer" together! Good luck with your exam in two weeks G!
I had my exam on Friday, so I have now placed the book in the bookshelf where it belongs! Hope it can stay there for a while... not so sure about the exam result though, but I did write a lot, and some of it is correct, so hoping for the best!

Now I just have to figure out what to take next... will it be maritime law or petroleum law...?? Will I ever stop doing this to myself...

Home sweet home!

It is great to be home! My apartment had a magic transformation while I was away! It is now fabulous! The living room and kitchen are both completely repainted and have great wallpaper on one wall. This is a picture of the kitchen wallpaper, so nice! The living room wallpaper will not show on a photo, it is almost silver-white with a white flower pattern, looks great in the living room! And last but not least, the old chair! It has been re-upholstered with a fantastic striped pattern! And the best thing of all, my great family had moved my furniture back in its place, cleaned the whole place, even the windows! And they had not told me! So imagine my face when I got home! I have been smiling ever since! Great to be home!!

Time to go home!

The time has come! The girls are going home! Well, crazy Kristin is going directly from here to Bali for her 4 weeks off. Have a great time Kristin! Catrin is already home in good old Oslo! Oslo here I come at last!!

This great building is the Atyrau International Airport! You can fly to 3 international destinations (all with the national airline Air Astana off course): Amsterdam, Istanbul and Moscow. Pretty good!

Halloween

We had a great night out yesterday! The quiz was a success (some of the questions were too hard though...), the black and orange punch was tasty and full of vodka, and the crowd was happy! In total, a fun event. After the Quiz some of us continued the night at a restaurant/nightclub across town. Halloween entertainment and dancing, a fun night out in Atyrau! It was not easy getting up at 07:00 today to go to work, but what's a girl to do....!