Astana, Kazakhstan

Khan Shatir Commercial center.

A free day in Astana! It is very rare to have a free day to walk around, sit in a café and observe people. Also, I get a chance to take advantage of the gym at the hotel. All cameramen, if not everyone, have back problems. I should have started a long time ago, but for 2 years now, I go regularly to the gym for back exercises and haven’t had any problem since.

Taxi’s are pretty cheap in Astana and the drivers have always been very nice. This morning we waved down a car. Any car can be a taxi and you just agree on a price when they stop. When the driver found out we worked for Euronews, he said he watched the channel every day. We told him about the report we did and he said he would go home and watch it. When he dropped us off, he thanked us for the nice conversation and said he was happy to meet us. I told him the same!

He dropped us off at Rafé Coffee House near the President’s palace. It’s Ainash’s, our journalist friend’s, favorite place. It is very modern, has internet and if you don’t have a computer, they will lend you one. And not just any computer, it is an Apple Mac Air!

The President's Alley at night.

Then we walk down President’s Alley, the beautiful walkway from the Palace to a big modern shopping center called Khan Shatir. Inside Khan Shatir there are small trains to  see the place, different rides for kids, restaurants and all the namebrand stores. One journalist collegue said he had never seen anything like it, even in Dubai

Astana, Kazakhstan

Tea and cookies with Customs.

Today we are doing a commercial for Kazakhstan’s Standard’s office, filming laboratories. We also filmed the Custom’s laboratory. The Custom’s agents were very nice and very proud of all their very modern equipment to test products. Euronews is very popular here in Kazakhstan and the Customs agents even asked for our autographs! After the shoot, they offered us tea and cookies!

Astana, Kazakhstan

Baiterek in the Fall.

Since we are in Astana, we will do a small story (2:30) for a new programme on Euronews, Learning World. The subject is Bolashak. Bolashak is a State programme to finance studies. Any student can apply and they pay for full university studies anywhere in the world. You have to speak the language of the country where you study as well as Kazak. Most everyone in Kazakhstan is bi-lingual, speaking Kazak, a Turkish language, as well as Russian. I have heard that the best Russian is spoken in Kazakhstan because the intelligensia fled Russia during the Revolution and as the Bolsheviks killed academics in Moscow, those who fled were able to survive here. The Kazaks live between two big powers, China and Russia and have been able to survive with diplomacy.

The main walkway in Astana.

Anyway, back to the study programme. The country is rich with ressources and the goal of Bolashak is to create a highly educated population. After completing their studies, graduates have to come back to Kazakhstan (or work abroad for Kazakhstan) for five years.

We also filmed in Nazerbaev University which is ultra-modern. I didn’t think to take any pictures because I was so involed in filming it. There is a huge open area with palm trees and water. Students can rest, study, sing under the palm trees while it is -40 degrees outside with snow up to the roof!

Astana, Kazakhstan

The musical entertainment at lunch.

This morning I finish the edit and have to show it to the people here before sending it to France by internet. While waiting, we are invited for lunch in the VIP lounge. Oil exectutives mingle with ambassadors and politicians. A group of Kazak musicians play Kazak tunes and another group plays classical European music. I wonder how much power and money is represented in this room.

Astana, Kazakhstan

Editing in the Press room.

There are lot’s of former Prime Ministers here. Oil is very sticky and attracts  many people. We interview former Prime Ministers from the Tchec Republic, Austria, Australia and others from different organisations. The only people who don’t want to talk to the press are those from the oil companies. Wonder what they have to hide?

In the evening, we have all our interviews and we do a rough cut edit to save time tomorrow.

Astana, Kazakhstan

Sunset from Luxembourg to Vienna

Central Asia isn’t far away in the sense that the flight is only 5 hours. That means you don’t really have time to sleep after eating the meal. So the night is very short. We arrive just before six in the morning.

Astana is still dark at six in the morning. The airport works well and we are outside quickly. Outside it is cold, probably almost freezing with a wind blowing off the steppes that will stop your breath.

The first day was supposed to be a day of rest, but the Prime Minister wants us to do his interview this morning. So we go to the hotel, take a shower and have less than an hour to rest a bit before heading out again. Prime Minister Karim Massimov speaks good English and we do the interview in English. We should have done the interview in Russian since it is one of Euronews’s official languages, But the journalist doesn’t understand Russian and that makes it difficult for him to do the interview. Going through an interpreter takes a lot of time… time that the Prime Minister doesn’t have.

Since we’re up, we continue with a second big interview with Timur Koulibaev, Chairman of Kazenergy.  He can also speak good English, but prefers to do the interview in Russian. So I record the translation and then we work with a translator to get a precise wording of what he said.

Finally, when it is dark again, we are able to head back to the hotel. By 10 at night we are in bed for an intense sleep before the next busy day.

Luxembourg

A day of getting papers ready and sending out bills. Have to do that sort of thing too...if not, you don't get paid! But it is a rainy cool day in Luxembourg, so not so bad to have to do paperwork.


Have to print out tickets for the next trip to Astana, Kazakhstan. Don't really have to pack much because I just got back home yesterday night. Just have to change clothes and bring some warm things because it is cold in Astana... expecting snow maybe by the end of the week.


The flight is via Vienna on Sunday and should be fairly easy. It isn't as long as the one to Seoul. I rarely go through Vienna so don't know it so well. I already have a visa for Kazakhstan because I have a year-long visa. We are still working out the shoot. The Prime Minister wants us to interview him on Monday morning. We only arrive at six in the morning having travelled all night. But that is ok. But it is harder for my colleague who has to ask the questions because he won't be so fresh.


But, looking forward to going back to Astana. It is a great city and having been there a few times already, I have a few friends there!