Today marks the one-year anniversary of our arrival in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It would be an understatement to say that it’s been a difficult year, but it would be a lie to say that it has been without reward.

In one year, Sam and I have become fitter and more fearless. We’ve significantly increased the number of red blood cells in our bodies (see “physiological adjustments to high altitude”), and spilled plenty of sweat on the rocks and ice of the surrounding mountains. We’ve become wildly defensive drivers, dog-owners, throwers of still-talked-about Halloween parties, just-enough-to-get-by Russian-speakers, and at the end of it all—diplomats.

In our opinion, there is no better way to celebrate our reluctant, hard-won affection for Kazakhstan than to share a collection of Almaty’s love-tags captured over the course of the past year.

From Almaty, with love,
Sam & Sarah