So . . . most people I meet think I'm Turkish, which I guess is better than them assuming I'm American. Maybe it's just because I speak a little Kazakh. I remember how -certain- Americans would sometimes foolishly think my siblings were Arab or Mexican because they had a summer tan.

It's usually -5 degrees Fahrenheit and it simply hurts sometimes. I try to get two week's worth of food when I shop now to avoid being outside too much. But it's honestly not too bad. It's like those few cold days in Michigan when you can feel your boogers freezing.

I haven't found a language tutor yet, but I've found that I get good language practice when I go to the local pub to prepare lessons and have a beer. People all have questions and they're all really friendly.

I finally started my discussion club and our first topic was Love and Dating. The students are pretty cool. I burned them a CD of my music and we plan to go on some field trips maybe. They think it's ridiculous for an American to want to come to their country.