Kazakhstan - a country of extremes, of both culture and weather. This is an account of one person's experience, coping with living and working in a strange environment where normal, day to day activities can turn out to be monumental in their execution and where any comfort zones are hard to find! My experiences far exceeded any expectations or anticipations I had had and I had to draw on reserves I never knew I even possessed. I describe living conditions and the difficulties I encountered both in the workplace - a drug treatment centre - and in forming relationships. I found myself caught up in a court case in which one of my interpreters had been charged with possession of illegal substances ( namely heroin). Having broken my arm I had the dubious privilege of intimate knowledge of a Kazakhstani hospital, and ended my year in a wild, isolated and basic farmhouse on the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia and China.