I have a nice, friendly family. I live in Almaty with my mom and my 27-year-old brother (he lives in a separate apartment with his wife). My mom used to work long hours as a train station manager, but when she moved to Almaty, my brother and I started working so she could pursue her love of art. Now, she can finally do what she loves. She studies art at a local university. She is currently enrolled in drawing, art history and graphic design classes.
My father still lives in Balkhash and I see him occasionally when I return to our dacha (summer house). I have a large extended family, with lots of cousins I often talk to.
Almaty is great because it is a very pedestrian-friendly city. I love to walk around the city. I walk to work every morning and walk back in the evening. I try not to walk outside much during the day, especially on extremely hot days. Now and then, I take the bus, but only if I am really tired, it is raining heavily or there are not many people on the bus (they get crowded!).
I prefer wearing jeans and loose shirts. In the winter, getting dressed takes more work. I have to wear warm jackets and lots of clothes because it can get pretty cold. Like a lot of other people in Kazakhstan, I usually change immediately when I return home. I have separate clothes that I wear when I am home, as well as house slippers (tapochki). It is customary not to change out of house clothes until immediately before leaving the house. This way, the house stays cleaner.
