Translation of Sadenova’s post (RUS)

While I was studying in California, they did something to the Atameken complex. Either they renovated it, or they changed it completely. For those who don’t know, it’s where the monument to victims of political repression and the map of Kazakhstan used to be. It was a horrible map, with nasty bristles and fabric. For some reason, on it, the fine city of Kostanai is represented by a single model railroad station. What about the swaying wheat fields, the birch trees and “Tobol are Champions!”?

It seems the basic upgrade affected the monument, which used to be a mandatory element of wedding ceremonies in Astana – treacherous for the groom and hazardous for the bride. You see, first the newlyweds ascended the long staircase, and then, as the crowd cheered, the groom had to carry the bride back down. The poor monument witnessed too many red-faced, panting grooms hauling their brides as they held on for dear life.

Now the monument is gone. Instead, there is a 100 meter flagpole with a 15 x 30 meter flag (if Google isn’t lying). It’s huge. And every time I look at this flag, I swell with pride. However, the founders of the State Program for Patriotic Education would be disappointed in me: I’m impressed not by the national symbolism (because the principle of “size doesn’t matter” applies here perfectly), but by the fact that only in this city, with its climate and its notorious winds, could you raise such a flag without worrying about it going limp.

In one of my brilliant unfinished short stories, I describe Astana using flags, how they live and tremble in the wind. And how sometimes it contrasts with what goes on inside the buildings on top of which they stand.