Miras International School and living in Kazakhstan

[Speculative Bubble]

I read all the threads relating to Kazakhstan but most are about Almaty, not Astana. Some people wrote that Astana is much colder than Almaty but I found no reviews of Miras IS or living in Astana.

Any takers?

[bluesealkz]

Astana is COLD. Snow comes in October and doesn't leave until early April. The wind is pretty bad, too.

Astana is also pretty expensive, compared to the rest of Kazakhstan (except Almaty). Lots of big empty shopping malls on the left side of the river, but the right side has a livelier atmosphere. You will definitely pay the "foreigner tax" when you buy something that doesn't have a price sticker on it. Taxis will also cost you more.

Don't know a whole lot about Miras, as I never met anyone who worked there. I heard both good and bad things here and there.

[Speculative Bubble]

Thanks for the quick reply! I read about the cold weather and according to Wikipedia Astana is the 2nd coldest capital city in the world! 6 months of freezing doesn't sound very appealing but if the heating is good it is not impossible. Other than "foreigner tax" and cold weather what else can you say about living in Astana? How is banking? How are the locals? Are there serious issues due to lack of English? How is the local expat group? Are there outdoor activities when the weather is warmer? How is life for a family (5-10 year old kids)?

[bluesealkz]

All heating is central--the city turns it on mid-October and off in April. Depending on the kind of radiator you have in your flat, you may or may not have any control over it whatsoever. I typically cooked with my window open and occasionally slept with it open, too.

If you know for sure that you're going, start some Russian now (and the Kazakh niceties as well). Depending on where you live, you'll get most stuff from small shops where things may or may not be labelled and English is more or less non-existent. You'll see some imported stuff in the big supermarkets, but you'll also pay a premium.

I suppose there are some things for kids to do, even in the winter. There are lots and lots of big malls, some of them with play areas. It's highly likely you'll get a lot of stares and blank looks, but there are some friendly folks around, too. Outside of my colleagues and a handful of embassy people, I didn't really encounter much of an expat "scene." What I did find was typically well out of my age and price range. If your kids get tuition at Miras that's probably a pretty good deal and you'll meet a bunch of expat teachers and parents as well.

No idea what banking would be like with Miras, but the general picture isn't great. There are often large charges for using another bank's ATM (I'm talking in the neighborhood of 2500-5000 tenge, which is 15-35 USD). Online banking in a lot of banks basically doesn't exist and you'd likely have to make transfers in person. I understand that HSBC is pretty good, but if you get one of the national banks (Halyk, Kazkom, etc) they really don't measure up.

[Speculative Bubble]

Thanks for all this info, bluesealkz!

Is there anything else you have about living in Astana? I've spent a lot of time searching for info but it's always better to have someone "local" give you the inside knowledge.