What I found was a country desperately seeking to find its way in the new world order. In many ways, Kazakhstan is a disoriented society. A snickers candy bar costs as much as a night's stay in a hotel room. Translators and drivers are paid considerably more than doctors, teachers and other professionals, resulting in a dangerous disincentive for higher education. But, capitalism is evident on every street corner.
People are hard-working and eager to create a better life for themselves and their families.
Farmers, while they face many hardships, possess a huge desire to create profitable farms much like their peers in the United States have done for centuries. But, Kazakhstan is also bound by its history. The communist system stripped people of independent thinking, creativity and the leadership qualities that are necessary for a free and democratic society to thrive. The success of agriculture and other industries will depend on the leadership of a strong and stable government, willing to shed its old ways of thinking and make the bold, decisive moves that will propel Kazakhstan into the 21st century. Kazakhstan is a beautiful and vast country, blessed with an abundance of human capital and natural resources.