At the moment I am in Atyrau in Kazakhstan. I like it here, athough its been a bit cold for me lately and I have had to buy special clothes. Amazingly enough in winter it can get -40 degrees and in Summer it can get +40. Extremes both ways. I wake up in Europe and walk across the bridge to Asia. Actually its so cold we walk over the frozen Ural river.

I was given such horror stories about being in Kazakhstan before actually coming here and how the people hate expats and everything - and its been all unfounded. The people are so homely and so warm. Sometimes I feel guilty about being so 'corrupted'. You like back home.. aged 14-19 we steal cars, do drugs and generally get into all types of mischief. Yet here they seem so shock by things we did as children. I guess the society I grew upin - made me normallised to these things and just assuming that the rest of the world was the same - in my ignorance.

Someone told me that whan a Kazakh shakes your hand - he means it. At first I thought that perhaps the people were cold and in hospitable as some people wouldnt even shake my hand and did not appear to be too friendly. But do you know.. once you get out of the expat bars and restaurants - they are the most warm and hospitalable people I have ever met. They mean it. Not like back home where a person would drink your drink, shake your hand and rob you went you were away from home.

I feel quite at home here and quite happy with life. Hell even my dad said hes proud of me
Theres a few things I miss back home - like decent shopping but I guess it makes the trips back to the west more intense and pleasing.
I miss spicy food and curries. No really I do.
They say that Kazakh people are the SECOND biggest meat eaters in the world. The first being a wolf. I think they are telling the truth. Ive never seen people like meat so much. But Im guessing its because of the extreme climate where veg doesnt seem to grow very much here.
A lot of people have a built up opinion of Expat oil workers and a lot of Oil Workers have a built up opinion of Kazkahs. Maybe I can do my bit too make people see that people are people whether you go. So far so good and Ive made some good friends here.
Surprising ones too. Someone people I was told I would not get on with and too avoid turned out to be my best friends here (Mark being one)

Anyways I'm been continuing to write our script and its going quite well. Just trying make it funny. but in a silly british way.
take care / Sau bol