Review

We bought a four-room apartment here so that each child would have at least some privacy. The price per square meter was the deciding factor. It's livable, the square footage is fair, but the quality of the rough finish from the developer is atrocious; literally everything had to be redone.

The Chinese foil door was thrown out on the very first day. They installed a heavy metal one with good locks. I'm not worried about the children in the apartment, but we try not to leave strollers and scooters in the stairwell.

The building is home to similarly large families and a multitude of tenants. There's virtually no peace. Someone is constantly crying, running around, moving furniture. You just have to get used to it, otherwise you'll go crazy.

The walls feel like cardboard. You can hear the neighbors' TVs playing downstairs and the arguing behind the wall. If someone's waiting for the elevator in the hallway, the echo carries throughout the apartments on the floor.

We did the most affordable and vandal-proof renovation possible. We used washable wallpaper and thick commercial linoleum on the floor, as the kids would break the laminate flooring in a couple of months. We had to re-pore the floor screed, as it was crooked when it was installed by the developer.

The 8-kilogram washing machine runs nonstop every day. The kitchen has a large freezer for storing meat. We tried to choose reliable appliances because the power supply sometimes fluctuates.

The provider is local. It works fine during the day, but in the evening, when everyone returns from work and the kids start watching cartoons, the speed drops drastically.

In the summer, the proximity of private housing and vacant lots brings in a ton of flies and mosquitoes. Living here without thick mosquito nets on all the windows is impossible. I haven't seen any cockroaches yet.

The windows overlook the courtyard. All you can see are parked cars and the windows of the neighboring block. There's nothing picturesque, just a regular concrete well.

These are typical, budget-friendly buildings. They're packed full, but the courtyard and entrance infrastructure simply isn't designed to accommodate so many residents, especially children. The building wears out very quickly.

The cleaning lady washes the entryways, but it's no use. Children constantly drag dirt in from the street, and during the off-season, the elevators and ground floors are a complete swamp.

The courtyard is nominally closed, but the intercoms on the gates are constantly broken. Anyone can enter the grounds. I don't let the children out into the courtyard alone in the evenings.

There are playgrounds, slides, and swings that are decent. But in the evenings, it's jam-packed. There are so many children that there's a line for the swings.

There's a catastrophic shortage of parking spaces. Cars are parked double-rowed, driving onto lawns, and blocking exits. Finding a spot for my husband's car in the evening is a daily battle with the neighbors.

The houses are panel buildings. During the first winter, there were strong drafts from the window cracks and seams, so we had to call in climbers and seal everything with foam. The radiators, however, provide good heat.

There are occasional problems with cold water pressure in the mornings, when everyone in the building is heading to work and school. A couple of times, the power has been out for several hours due to power outages.

This is the remote outskirts of town behind the Altyn Orda market. The area is completely unsuitable for comfortable living with children. Getting from here to work in the city or taking the children to a decent clinic is a daily feat.

Raimbek Avenue and the area near the Altyn Orda market are completely closed every single day. The commute to the city center takes over an hour each way.

Inside the residential complex, life is bearable, but beyond the fence, it's a real village. The surrounding streets lack proper asphalt, and in spring and fall, it's nothing but mud and puddles.

It's fine to walk around during the day, but the area is quite unique, with a huge market nearby. It's best not to venture outside the residential complex in the evening, as lighting isn't available everywhere.

There's absolutely nothing to see. The surrounding area is made up of residential buildings, warehouses, vacant lots, and a highway. There's absolutely no aesthetic appeal here.

There are buses going towards the city, and the stop is nearby. But they're packed to capacity even at the last stop. It's simply impossible to fit in with three children in the morning.

There are a lot of stray dogs. They gather in packs in the vacant lots near the market. It's really scary for the children, and local authorities aren't addressing the problem.

There's a constant hum from the avenue; trucks drive by 24/7. Stray dogs often bark in the private sector at night.

There are no parks, squares, or alleys here. You can only walk with a stroller around your own yard, making circles.