My 18 year old is moving to Kazakhstan to attend the university of life.

[awkward customer]

I'd take this story with a grain of salt. The farmer probably noticed that the English workers were not up to par and he was going to get rid of them anyway. The kid was being a bit obnoxious and should have minded his own business but he didn't really get the English workers fired. They were already on the bubble. Greg is just bragging.

Maybe.  It turned out, though, that the useless workers were migrant workers, not English. 

[Greg]

No, he wasn't being obnoxious.  He was working his ass off.  The Kazaks were working their ass off and the other workers were being lazy as some types of casual labour will be.

Pretty easy to see productivity in grape picking as he was carrying the grapes and counting the full buckets which weigh 20kg each.  He knew which group was working harder.

He told the foreman, this group is far more productive that this group.  Like the parable of the workers in the Vineyard.  The representative for the contractor laid off the lazy group.

[Greg]

Hard working Canadian moves to Russia.  Gets a very warm welcome from many Russians.

https://youtu.be/AfEtF7O7Th0?si=k2Ey2WEwJdashahC

[diaduit]

No, he wasn't being obnoxious.  He was working his ass off.  The Kazaks were working their ass off and the other workers were being lazy as some types of casual labour will be.

Pretty easy to see productivity in grape picking as he was carrying the grapes and counting the full buckets which weigh 20kg each.  He knew which group was working harder.

He told the foreman, this group is far more productive that this group.  Like the parable of the workers in the Vineyard.  The representative for the contractor laid off the lazy group.

Open to correction but didn't the contractor take on men to work the vineyard at different times of the day after he saw them lazing around....the earliest workers got paid the same as those who joined later in the day right up the last hour, they complained and the contractor said it was his business how he paid workers and when they took on the job they agreed a price and he paid them accordingly....seems to me the contractor was trying to to keep lazy men busy and paid them a generous wage to boot....kind of the opposite of what your saying, no?

[Greg]

Typo.  I meant unlike.

The picking contractors are paid a fix amount for a field to be picked.  So they want the hardest working people and the lowest cost per picked ton.

[Greg]

Arrived today.  The first day was like an episode of Bald and Bankrupt.  Got invited to a corporate team pub quiz he stumbled into in a bar and ended up drinking with ex military Russians on the streets of Astana and taking about Putin.  They were surprised he knew so much. Going to Schnider mass tomorrow plus Russian Orthodox Easter liturgy for the singing and just to see what happens at Easter.  Says Kazakhstan is very similar to Russia.

[LausTibiChriste]

Legend

[Heinrich]

I hope he can pick up a good set of kettlebells.

[Greg]

Actually he was complaining that gyms are expensive there compared to the Uk.  Everything else is cheaper.  He is a bit of a gym junky and goes 5 to 7 times a week.  I said to try the universities.

Gave Bis. Schneider a bottle of Port from Fatima, with the Fatima brand.  He was very pleased.

He's loving it so far.  Enjoying every minute.  Managed to rent a two room apartment in central Astana in a modern block (mostly empty) for £330 a month, about 420 USD dollars including bills.

Has a 9 foot by 15 foot kitchen and dining area and a 9 by 15 sitting room come bedroom with a sofa bed.  Plus a 8x8 foot hallway and 8x8 bathroom with a full sized bath.  Modern building not Soviet.

In New York that would be a decent sized apartment.

[Bonaventure]

Actually he was complaining that gyms are expensive there compared to the Uk.  Everything else is cheaper.  He is a bit of a gym junky and goes 5 to 7 times a week.  I said to try the universities.

I've noticed that gyms in the 2nd and 3rd world are often much more expensive than 1st World. They know that gym rats will shell out the dough.

I suppose folks in said countries truly view it as a luxury and that only those with disposable time and income would even consider paying to expend energies.

It was like that in the Philippines. Gym memberships are more expensive than the United States, which I found insane considering at the time most people made the equivalent of $5 a day. A nice gym membership could run $70-$100 a month, a fortune over there. It would be like paying $1500 a month for a membership in the US.

[Greg]

Just got an update.

Bish Sch not allowed to say a public TLM.  He suggested to my son that he attended the Greek Catholic Rite, which is in a really beautiful church.  Other Sunday choices are new mass in Russian and new mass in English.  So Greek Catholic Rite it is for the time being.  His private TLM masses will be attended; of course.

Beer is super cheap.  Locally produced Kazak cognac is cheap ($1.80 for a double measure in a glass).  Supermarket is about 80% to 50% of the price of stuff in UK.  He is drinking bottled water.  £1 for 8 litres, cannot drink the tap stuff.  Gym membership is 200% to 300% more expensive than UK.

Maxim has already been offer a Muslim bride.  Unfortunately he needed to convert.  Said "Mo.  She ain't that good looking!"  Asked for a horse instead.  (Just kidding about the horse).

English suits are going down really well.  He is appearing in a podcast next week produced by a Kazak lady who runs a pure on-line English school, introduced to her by government minister he met.  Marketing is a combination of posters, cards, QR codes and I came up with a clever idea where he gets a student (even a casual non paying one) to say an English Tongue Twister on camera to their followers on social media.  Something like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled Pepper", then the poster includes his "English Teachers", Instagram link below the post.  Works well when people have been drinking and have to say.

"Rolling red wagons" or "Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?"

[Greg]

Good idea is to hustle people in bars.  Give them a list and tell them to practice it in their head.  If they can say it perfectly first time you buy them any drink of their choice.  If they screw it up they buy you one.

All on camera for their social media.  He gets local social media publicity either way.

"Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie."

[LausTibiChriste]

How's the vodka in KZ?

And which Eastern Rite is it there? Ukrainian?

[Greg]

How's the vodka in KZ?

And which Eastern Rite is it there? Ukrainian?

Greek Catholic I think.

[diaduit]

Its so exciting for him. God bless him, I love to hear stories of non bunker trads spreading their wings.