Progress Around the World so far

 Teaching Overseas - A Short Guide
I thought I'd just track where I've been .....

These are the flags...

and this is the map of the last country I was in,

with main places visited (except Taraz, the place I was supposed to be working in).  Now I am in Kuwait.

Kazakhstan appeared to be well ordered, clean and generally litter free, or someone would want to know the reason why.

Wherever I stayed in Kazakhstan was quiet, except when fireworks are set off for weddings, celebrations and New Year.

The flights with Air Astana were generally worry and hassle-free - apart from not having baggage checked through to destination when connecting with other airlines.
I thought I'd been to a few countries, but I was working there working with some who have visited over 70. 
I have a long way to go to match their score, although in number of places where I had "worked" rather than "visited" I scored higher.  That is probably more worthwhile in the long run.  The only way to truly know a country is to work alongside the locals and build up trust to find out how life really goes on there and share information about your home culture.

There are some countries where the doors are closed to the local culture and population, and for most visiting workers they will never get the opportunity to truly find out what life is like for the locals first hand.  Sometimes an intermediary is required who is not a local, but comes from the same culture as the locals, to bridge the gap to meeting a national.