On the first day, I met with the
Ambassador and with Mr. Demdem,
Third Secretary and Vice Consul. We
went on a city tour. For me, it was
a usual thing to do—to go on
excursions—but it was my first time
to be a tour guide myself. We drove
around the new part of the city,
stopped by the Ak Orda (Presidential
Palace), passed by Baiterek, Han
Shatyr and other sights in Astana.
We also went to the Catholic Church
and attended Mass.
The following day, we were invited
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I translated for the Chief of
Protocol, who instructed Mr.Yabes,
as well as three other Ambassadors,
regarding how the ceremony of
presenting the credentials would be
conducted. Then, we met with the
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
and discussed relations between
Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
On the 22d of June, we also went to
the Ministry and, from there, we
drove to Ak Orda, the Presidential
Palace. The ceremony started. The
Ambassadors, accompanied by their
wives or consuls, were invited one
by one to present their credentials.
Having done this, His Excellency Mr.
Yabes attended a bilateral meeting
with Mr. Saudabaev, where I had the
pleasure of translating from English
to Russian and from Russian to
English. This was followed by a
press-conference. Mr. Yabes
delivered a speech and I translated
again.