With the arrival of International Women's Day here in Almaty (as the sign indicates above in Kazakh), the city has become swathed in pink. March 8 is a big deal---businesses, libraries and archives began to close on Wednesday, on Thursday, the actual holiday, the city was dead and Friday was also a holiday, well, for good measure and also to recover from all the partying you did on the Thursday.

On March 8, males should "congratulate" all women they know and, preferably, give them flowers and chocolates. I made the mistake of going into the supermarket on March 7, only to find it teeming with anxious men, unsure of what cake, flowers or chocolates to buy. Even my gym managed to congratulate me on Women's Day. After I had finished working out, I was handed a giant chocolate bar with the gym's logo in honor of the holiday. Seems somewhat counter-productive to me, but I'm happy to get chocolate anytime!