January is a cheery month in Kazakhstan

January is a cheery month in Kazakhstan . Usually, January does put me in the brightest of moods but over here, there are numerous celebrations to repel the solemn and cold weather that frequently accompanies January. Here are a list of Kazakhstani celebrations this month: December 31st (New Year’s Eve), January 1st (New Year’s Day), January 7th (Orthodox Christmas), January 19th (Krishenya). Chatting it up with the students outside of school and meeting new locals and hearing their stories and questions are energizing. The socializing is great but all that still needs to be done indoors. Staying indoors so often is rough on me. Being the first time I’ve lived in snow, I’m used to jumping on my bike for a refreshing morning winter ride or even sitting outside on winter evenings at a coffee shop letting that mocha warm me up. Not over here. Move, move, move when you are outside. California folks, your freezer is usually set to -20C and over here, it is -35C with some wind on top of that. So, locals put their meats and ice cream in the garage.