This week Lauren has asked me, Kirk, to be the “guest blogger” on Entropy so that I can share my experiences of my recent business travels. Technically it’s our entire family’s blog so I could write in at any time, but Lauren has such a gift with the English language that I leave the writing to her.
As Lauren pointed out in earlier postings, last week I returned from a business trip that took me to Kazakhstan and Russia. This was the first time visiting either place for me, so I was definitely looking forward to experiencing new cultures from a unique part of the world.
Lauren did an excellent job of explaining my purpose for traveling to Kazakhstan (see Jan 29 posting) – which I must admit surprised me a little to know that she was actually paying attention when I was blah-blahing to her about my work. To summarize, I’m leading a project to essentially set up a mid-sized business infrastructure, operations, and physician network for Medtronic in Kazakhstan from almost square one, while at the same time positioning us, the government, and the market for sustainable, future growth. Oh, and I have about three months to do it. It’s definitely exciting and feels very entrepreneurial (which I love), but it’s also a huge challenge, not made any easier by a significant language barrier.
The strong impression I have of my four days in Almaty, Kazakhstan is how warm, friendly, and hospitable the Kazakh culture is. Due to their location along the crossroads of several ancient spice routes, the Kazakh people have millennia-old traditions of welcoming strangers into their communities and homes that are reflected in their lifestyle and values even in today’s modern society. They are very proud of their land, their culture, and their history, and are happy to spend significant amounts of time sharing these things with visitors. They will also make sure you never leave their home, or country, on an empty stomach – I must have gained 10 pounds while I was there. And, vegetarians beware! There is no such thing as a vegetarian meal in Kazakhstan. Every meal is loaded with meat, but it all tastes really good (more on this later). Also, meals are long and very social. If you’re in a large group, between each course (usually around 5-7 courses at dinner) someone will stand up and give a toast. These are meant to be flowery and eloquent, not short and sweet. One night we were eating with the physicians and I was compelled, as the visiting guest, to stand and give a toast through an interpreter. It felt a little like fast and testimony meeting in the LDS church – and odd sensation but a fun experience. I was glad to have had the opportunity to participate in this part of their rich culture.
One piece of history and culture that stood out for me is their attachment to horses. The horse seems to be as much a part of their identity as the baguette might be to the French. As a largely nomadic culture until the last couple of centuries (there are still pockets of nomadic people living in Kazakhstan), the horse was seen as an extension of a person herding domestic livestock and hunting for food. In addition to work, the horse was used in recreation and entertainment – being the focus of many local sports and games, such as one called “catch the girl” (you probably get the picture – girl on a horse gets a head start around a track, if the boy can catch up to her before the finish line he gets a kiss).
But, they weren’t done finding uses for the horse – it is also a staple of their diet. Yes, you read that correctly, horse meat is by far the most common meat in Kazakhstan. You might find that completely repulsive, that an animal that can do so much work with you and is a part of your games can also be served for dinner, but it all depends on your frame of reference and what you grew up with. (For example, people from India find it absolutely appalling and sacrilegious that we eat beef.) To their credit, the Kazakhs distinguish very clearly between the horses they ride and the horses they eat – they are rarely combined. Oh, and by the way, horse tastes really, really good. I highly recommend ordering horse steak when you have the chance. J Pictures below: 1. Horse steak with horse milk, 2. Plate of small, thin pieces of horse meat to be grilled at the table on a hot stone (pictured with the vegetables on it).
I was impressed with how mixed the Kazakh people are culturally and physically. The Kazakh language (I’m told) originates from Turkish, yet their physical features are a mix of East Asian and Slavic – making for some very interesting combinations. It’s not uncommon to see someone with dark hair, distinctly Asian facial features, …… and blue eyes. They seem to have also incorporated different parts of the Russia/Slavic culture, the Chinese culture, and the Middle Eastern culture into their own. This has made them quite tolerant of different religions, among other things.
The only real drawback of my time in Almaty was the thick black plume of pollution that hung in the air when I arrived. I quickly learned why the Weather.com report for Almaty said “smoke”, instead of fog (or cloudy or partly sunny) – something I’d never seen before. The country, especially the two big urban centers, is going through its own rapid modernization and is trying to meet the demands of this expanding economy with an outdated, Soviet-era industrial infrastructure. To make matters worse, Almaty is surrounded on three sides by mountains, which means all of this pollution from unregulated cars and old factories with low smoke stacks gets trapped by a winter inversion effect (Utahns will understand). I arrived on a Sunday morning and was fortunate enough that my local colleague took me on a drive into the mountains that afternoon to show me some of the beauty of the country. When we got above the pollution layer, I was amazed by the beautiful, snowy landscape. Very pristine and rugged. A few days later a snow storm came through and swept out all the pollution. I finally saw Almaty with blue skies overhead and the snow sparkling in the sun, which is the mental picture I will take with me.
As far as business is concerned, the physician training sessions went well and I was impressed with how eager and willing they were to learn. We had some significant challenges with the expert lecturer we brought (she is not pictured below), but I won’t bore you with those details. When I left Almaty I was given a very nice gift by the local team leader (standing in the picture below) – a drawing of a nomadic scene on sheep skin. Another reminder of how hospitable they are.
Regarding Russia, my overwhelming impression of Moscow is cold – BITTER COLD! To be fair, it was very cold to the locals also. They had just been hit with a massive cold spell sweeping across Europe when I arrived, so I was quite unlucky with my timing. The first two days I spent running from building to car and spending my nights in my hotel (fortunately it was a large hotel with several restaurants, shops, etc.). On Saturday I had some free time and my colleagues offered to take me around the city to see the famous sites. When we started around 10:00 am the temperature was -26 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill factor between -35 and -40. I have never been so cold in my life. Seriously. To give you an idea of how cold it was, taking pictures, which required at least one glove to come off, had to be spaced at about 5-10 minute intervals so that my hand could get some feeling back in it before the next picture. I had planned to spend about 5-6 hours at the Red Square and the surrounding downtown sites, but I only lasted about 4 hours before heading back, and that was with some driving, a few stops in churches and a cafe, and an hour for lunch in a restaurant.
I am grateful, however, for the things I did see. St. Basil’s Cathedral, the famous Russian church with the multicolored towers and patterned, onion-shaped domes, was honestly breathtaking. It’s not very big, but its unique design/patterns/colors and amazing architecture make it one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the world, in my opinion – at least from the outside. Surprisingly, the inside is comprised of many small rooms connected by small, narrow hallways. It’s not intended to be a place for mass meetings. That purpose is handled by the largest cathedral in Russia, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior – also amazing and beautiful in its own way (2nd picture below).
At one point when I was walking across the Red Square I stopped to take it all in. A little over twenty years ago, during a time I still very much remember from my childhood, huge nuclear warheads, battalions of tanks, and massive armies of soldiers paraded over the very spot I was standing in a show of force to the outside world. When I was in my early teens it was unthinkable for an American boy to believe he would one day see the Kremlin with his own eyes. Yet, here I was with unfettered access to areas of the Kremlin that used to require dangerous, covert spy missions just to snap one picture. It made me appreciate just a little more the small camera button Steve Jobs put on my iPhone.
As fascinating as these places are, after almost two weeks I was longing to get back home – not only to thaw out in sunny California but to see my family again. I’m realizing that the value I place in having these experiences lies in my ability to share them with Lauren and, especially, my kids.
