I arrived into Almaty late on Wednesday night and was met by an Embassy driver, one of the few perks of the Fulbright. The Embassy driver seemed to take great pride in his job and cried out "diplomaticheskii!", "diplomaticheskii!" wherever I went, with the effect that I got to bypass customs (I never even filled out a form) and we were first out of the very long line at the parking lot.

Alas, the Embassy perks stop there, as they provide precious little help with housing. The apartment search is, to put it mildly, crazy. I will end up paying much more here for an apartment than I would have in New Haven and, even then, the apartment will not be of the same quality or size. Even if you speak Russian, local help is essential, as there is so much back door negotiating and wheeling and dealing. For instance, it is common to pay 500 tenge (which is about $4) for the privilege of even seeing an apartment.

For now, I have been instructed by Kazakh friends to keep my mouth shut, as the price rises instantaneously if it is discovered that I am an American. The story is that I am a Russian, recently arrived, who is so jetlagged that her Kazakh friends must do the talking. Even then, we have encountered questions on why a "biondinka" (yes, here I am considered blond!) might be looking for housing.