Genghis Khan

We have heard many times that all Kazakhs are descended from one of three tribes, each of which lived in a certain region in ancient times and had a number of sub-tribes below them. Even modern Kazakhs know what tribe they are descended from. We found out last night that Medet is a rarity in that he is not descended from one of the tribes. He is actually a direct descendent of Genghis Khan. So if Kazakhstan decided to have a monarchy he would be in line for the throne.


This morning we went and picked up Alex and took him to the photo store to take passport pictures. He was very cute, all bundled up, and very quiet during the car ride. He has never been in a car so it was pretty interesting for him. After the photos we went to the amazingly beautiful Russian Orthodox church in town. There were many people there since it is Sunday and getting close to Easter. There are no pews; everyone stands. People were lined up to receive communion and blessings. There were a few groups of about 5 people who had the most amazing voices and took turns singing the most beautiful hymns I have ever heard. We wandered around a bit but couldn't take any photos since so many people but we hope to go back before we leave on Wednesday.