Finally Here

We were met at the airport by Emily Bergeson and her two young children.  Emily is a member of the church who lives here in Astana.  Her husband, Nils, works for the state department and is currently posted at the American consulate.  After having dinner at their apartment,  we were driven to our apartment.   I will do some cleaning and arranging, but it is a nice size and has everything we need.

 This is our kitchen, complete with washing machine, range and refrigerator.  We are fortunate to have a washing machine.  No dryer or dishwasher, but I'm sure we can manage.

 Emily came by this morning to take us grocery shopping.  Like us, she doesn't speak Russian.  I asked her how to choose products.  Her response, "Look at the pictures on the packages."  That works surprisingly well.  There aren't as many choices as we are used to, but we managed to find all the basics.