TRAVEL TALES
Well, deep in my heart, I did not even know
why I had chosen Kazakhstan, perhaps it was
because I was unfamiliar with this place. Before
his departure, he gave me some words of advice
which I still remember till today:
“BE OPEN TO NEW
EXPERIENCES.”
A stranger’s encouragement has become the
motto that I live by every single day since then.
During the very first month, everything
seemed so exciting and new to me. I was really
impressed by their architectural style, the
spacious environment which I had never
experienced back in Hong Kong and the
gorgeous urban planning. I felt like a frog in a
well, and this place is really fascinating for this
‘frog’. Later on, when this frog had to settle
down, many difficulties arose. Because of the
language barrier and self-protective mentality,
he could not even order the food he wanted,
not to mention finding a flat by himself. He
always needed to rely on his colleagues, on his
IT Magazine / Occtober Issue
friends, he felt like a ‘useless’ person here.
People even took advantage of him, asking him
to pay extra, kicking him out of the bus. With all
these ‘humiliations’, this frog believed this
might be a period which could not be avoided.
He then reached out to take Russian classes, at
least learning basic vocabulary and expressions
in order to know what to order or at least not to
be tricked by others.
The more he learned and experienced,
the better he opened up and saw this place for
what it truly was. Witnessing how people with
different skin colours, religions lived together
in a harmonious environment, experiencing the
way vendors sold their fruits, or being treated
by a stranger for lunch, these are all the good
memories that the frog had.
Living in a completely new environment,
everything and everyday could be a challenge
for the frog. At work, he was assigned to the
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