Kazakhstan Poverty Research - Tuesday, Sep.5 (Day Six)

Tuesday September 5 (Day Six)

UNDP

We decided to visit UNDP as planned. Although there were some uneasy happenings to our side we thought that we would have done it under any circumstance. UNDP building was in the UN building complex with other UN agencies. We met two ladies in charge of poverty research and micro-credit scheme. When I mentioned the UNDP report on the poverty reduction programme in Kazakhstan, they said that the performance in Kazakhstan had not been that bad, which was a bit different from the report. When we finished the interview, they introduced us to the branch chief, Japanese lady and we had a kind of courtesy interview for about 10 minutes. I don:t know why, but she looked very much tired and did not seem to have an interest in our research.

Bazzaal

Wherever you go, if you don`t want to miss the most exiting and the most local, the place you have to go for is the local market. They call it Bazzal in Kazakhstan. It is the most bustling place in Almaty, of course and you can feel what the market would be like several centuries ago when there were all the merchants with camels whose back filled with silks and spices. We went to the Bazzal to buy small gifts for those we are going to have interviews in both Kyzylorda and Aralsk. It was Lyalya who told us that in this country, you are supposed to give small things when you visit them. We bought pencils, small notebooks and others. We were continuously warned about pickpockets who are as many as the number of merchants in the market and were not brave enough to look around the market. If you are fooled once, shame them. And if you are fooled again, shame on you. Although we successfully avoided shaming none of them but I felt shameful since I could not feel the vividness of the local market.

Lyalya`s Interview with International Migration Organisation

Yesterday Lyalya asked us to give her one or two hours for her job interview. When she graduated she sent two applications for the job and one of those two applications got the reply for the interview. The problem was she did not know what that organisation was exactly. She mentioned it is something beginning with I but that was all. Since the place was on the way to our hostel, we decided to drop Lyalya off that place. When we arrived that place, we were surprised to find that organisation was International Migration Organization. `Lyalya, this is very good international NGO and you must take the job` we said in one voice. Anyhow she entered building and we told her that we would be waiting for her until she finished the interview. While waiting I found out a good English-style pub and we took a rest drinking tea, coffee and juice. The result was successful. Lyalya was told to work from 20th for one month as a probation period. Actually the probation period was supposed to begin from tomorrow but it was turned out that Lyalya asked them to give her time to accompany us for the trip to Kyzylorda and Aralsk. It was a surprising asking a favour to them and us except Lyalya. She is into this research such an extent.