Time to say goodbye...

It is here - my final day in Astana. I am having mixed emotions, as I am anxious to go see my friends and family, but sad to be closing a chapter of my life. This year has flown by so quickly! Over the course of time, I've mentioned things I love and do not love about Kazakhstan. But today, I want to end on a positive note. I want people to know that although SUPER cold in the winter, Astana is a beautiful city. These are some of the things I will miss:

• children being excited to talk to you because you speak English
• homemade foods, without preservatives, that taste so wonderful
• buying my carrots with dirt still on them, fresh out of the ground
• clean, fresh air (except during rush hour at an intersection)
• clean, minimally polluted city (definitely the cleanest I've traveled to)
• playing charades in order to communicate :)
• my preschool kids from all over the world
• being able to walk almost anywhere you want to go 
• being safe to walk home alone at 3 am, or any other time of the day
• the beauty of winter, when ice and snow freeze to every branch and wire, turning the city into a sparkling white canvas
• the simplicity of life here

There are so many other things, but....    So today, I'm going to clean, print out some things I need for the airport, and take one last walk around the city. A nice thing is that I know, if I ever really miss it here that much, I can come back. :)   Goodbye, Kazakhstan.