My mind was in complete disarray, with thousands of thoughts intertwined. The only thing I understood was that I should start saving money because I didn't have remote work, and I also had no idea where I would be heading or how I would proceed.

In addition to me, there was another guy named Artem in this apartment. He had been living here for a couple of days, waiting for his flight to Armenia. Dasha told me about places and things I could find, and she mentioned that there was hot water available. It was the best news for me today; I had already started to miss hot showers.

After freshening up, Dasha, Artem, and I went for a walk around the city and stopped by a local sports store. I wanted to check the prices of backpacks and other supplies in case I decided to hitchhike, as the idea had been lingering in my mind. To my surprise, the backpack shelves were almost empty, and there wasn't much to choose from. I decided to check in another city when I moved on.

On our way back, we got hungry and stopped at a place known for serving the most delicious shawarma in Uralsk. After having a snack, we headed home to rest. Since Artem and I had planned to go to the Centralized Service Center (ЦОН) early the next morning, the local equivalent of the Russian MFC, we needed to obtain a document there in order to apply for a bank card.

We woke up half an hour later than planned, and when we arrived at the Centralized Service Center (CSC), there was already a queue of more than 150 people standing outside in the cold. As it turned out, there was another queue inside the building, accommodating an equal number of people as the one outside. After 15 minutes, a notebook reached us with over three hundred names of people who were ahead of us in the queue, and they implemented this system. The queue was moving very slowly, and after about half an hour, a man came out of the building to whom you could ask your question.

A crowd of people gathered around him, and as far as possible, they took turns asking their questions. After 15 minutes, we managed to ask our question and received a not-so-optimistic answer. The task we were waiting for would take at least three more days, which neither Artem nor I had the time for.

Artem is leaving tomorrow, and I'm heading towards Zhitikara the day after, where my hitchhiker friends Masha and Andrey live, whom I mentioned yesterday.

I've already started thinking about where I'll go after Kazakhstan and in which country I can stay the longest and find a job in the restaurant business.

I remembered my first visit to Goa, India in 2019. It was a wonderful nine days, although I injured my foot in the middle of the vacation, and it only worsened by the end of it. Upon returning home, I had to undergo surgery due to an infection in my foot. However, this situation didn't spoil my impression of India; instead, it ignited a desire to visit remote and non-touristy places in the country.

In the evenings, I read information about the countries in Southeast Asia, the climate, ticket prices, and accommodation. After deciding to choose India, I started filling out the application for a five-year visa. After a couple of hours of leisurely completion, I finally managed to independently finish filling out the application and proceeded to make the payment. I couldn't pay the fee with my Russian bank cards, and I hadn't obtained a Kazakhstani one yet. I had to postpone this endeavor for more favorable times.

Artem left in the morning, and my day was dedicated to planning how I would get to Zhitikara. There were no bus tickets available, and the train wasn't suitable either because it goes through Russian territory, where border guards inspect documents. In the Telegram chats, there were already reports of cases where people were removed from the train. I didn't want to take any risks, so the only option left was to find a car through Telegram channels heading in the direction I needed.