Free Fall: a Kazakhstan Journal

Free Fall:

a Kazakhstan Journal



After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the author and partner were invited to spend a year in Kazakhstan during a time when that country was changing from a central controlled economy to a free market enterprise. Brian and Mary initially worked with entrepreneurs and local politicians, the projects expanded to include arts groups, university teaching, and assisting Kazakh people returning from an 80 year diaspora in Mongolia and China. For this the author travelled almost the length and breadth of a country the size of Australia. In addition to the working environment, they were also invited into homes and many social events. Through two summers and one incredibly cold winter, the author was immersed in an unparalleled cultural change, embraced by many and bewildering to others unable to make the transition.

These are the stories of real people who lived through the heavy hand of the KGB to emerge into the free fall of western culture.