Wherein I divulge the procedure by which the relected President is honored

The Inaguration of Nursaltan Nazarbayev:

Typed up while watching Khabar TV’s broadcast 10:45am, in Kazakh and Russian alternating.
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There’s an American Perceptions of Kazakhstan survey being put out by the Embassy in the US. It’s basically a series of questions about Kazakhstan to see if Americans know the right answers, plus a few questions about level of interest. I was slightly put off by certain questions that seemed to be more opinion-oriented admist the factual questions. “How big is Kazakhstan?” followed by “Is Kazakhstan open to foreign investment?” I am slightly afraid the results will pop up in an article about the ignorance or lack thereof of Americans regarding Kazakhstan. It is also clearly oriented to Americans who have never been to Kazakhstan so I wasn’t sure what to do with the question, “Would you travel to Kazakhstan?” At that moment it would be impossible.

The day job has kept me busier than a dog lately, not to mention our new holidays.

Today, the 7th, Orthodox Christmas is a holiday.
The 10th is Kurban Ait, when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, and at the last minute God gave him a goat instead (note the divergence from the Jewish version). Hence the term “scapegoat,” which should be sacrificed and the meat given to the poor and needy to atone for our sins. Also you should bring flat bread to work and share it with people.

The 11th is the inaguration of the President.

Also in the symbolic, the Parliment has approved a new national anthem: Menin Kazakstanym (My Kazakhstan), a popular song. The lyrics are apparently more moving than the current anthem, which also uses old Soviet music. The President edited some of the lyrics (not many know that he plays the dombro and has written songs in the past) and although he doesn’t claim authorship the Parliment has given him co-authorship. The law will require people to not only stand, as in the past, but to put their hands on their hearts just like in America, when the anthem is played. Do other countries have laws to this effect? I always thought it was just a tradition, not a law in the US. I for one, would like to hear people sing the national anthem, and the choice of a popular song may have been a move to make this happen–Most Kazkahs I have asked don’t know the words to the old anthem, and they don’t play it with words, just the music.