Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan

Yeah, because the world is so small now.

Let me tell you the end of that story, because then I visited the town. So I'd seen how depressing it looked. And I thought, well, I'll go and interview the people and see if I can kind of understand this a little bit better. And I met the people who'd been in the sleeping sickness. And the first woman I met, lovely lady Tamara, beautiful, well into her 70s, but had kind of bleach blonde hair.

Let me tell you the end of that story, because then I visited the town. So I'd seen how depressing it looked. And I thought, well, I'll go and interview the people and see if I can kind of understand this a little bit better. And I met the people who'd been in the sleeping sickness. And the first woman I met, lovely lady Tamara, beautiful, well into her 70s, but had kind of bleach blonde hair.

Let me tell you the end of that story, because then I visited the town. So I'd seen how depressing it looked. And I thought, well, I'll go and interview the people and see if I can kind of understand this a little bit better. And I met the people who'd been in the sleeping sickness. And the first woman I met, lovely lady Tamara, beautiful, well into her 70s, but had kind of bleach blonde hair.

And she was really making an effort. She was lovely. And she basically was telling me that this town was paradise to live in. What? Yeah. It really was not paradise. It went down to something like minus 50 in the winter and they had no running water, most of them. The town had been dying slowly. They had no electricity.

And she was really making an effort. She was lovely. And she basically was telling me that this town was paradise to live in. What? Yeah. It really was not paradise. It went down to something like minus 50 in the winter and they had no running water, most of them. The town had been dying slowly. They had no electricity.

And she was really making an effort. She was lovely. And she basically was telling me that this town was paradise to live in. What? Yeah. It really was not paradise. It went down to something like minus 50 in the winter and they had no running water, most of them. The town had been dying slowly. They had no electricity.

I visited the hospital and there was a bath full of water where they could come and get a bucket of water if they needed it kind of thing. This town was not paradise. And I just thought, this is bizarre. But then the more people I met, the more I realized that I was not understanding the story, which was that this town, once upon a time... actually had been paradise for these people.

I visited the hospital and there was a bath full of water where they could come and get a bucket of water if they needed it kind of thing. This town was not paradise. And I just thought, this is bizarre. But then the more people I met, the more I realized that I was not understanding the story, which was that this town, once upon a time... actually had been paradise for these people.

I visited the hospital and there was a bath full of water where they could come and get a bucket of water if they needed it kind of thing. This town was not paradise. And I just thought, this is bizarre. But then the more people I met, the more I realized that I was not understanding the story, which was that this town, once upon a time... actually had been paradise for these people.

So basically it was a secret uranium mining town for the Russians during the Soviet era. These people came from Russia and they were basically mining families and they had been put on a bus one day in somewhere like Siberia and told you're going to Kazakhstan. They didn't have much choice in it and they got on this bus and they drove to Kazakhstan. I don't know how long that took.

So basically it was a secret uranium mining town for the Russians during the Soviet era. These people came from Russia and they were basically mining families and they had been put on a bus one day in somewhere like Siberia and told you're going to Kazakhstan. They didn't have much choice in it and they got on this bus and they drove to Kazakhstan. I don't know how long that took.

So basically it was a secret uranium mining town for the Russians during the Soviet era. These people came from Russia and they were basically mining families and they had been put on a bus one day in somewhere like Siberia and told you're going to Kazakhstan. They didn't have much choice in it and they got on this bus and they drove to Kazakhstan. I don't know how long that took.

They stopped in multiple bleak places and thought... oh God, I hope this isn't it. And eventually they came to this actual paradise town in Kazakhstan where they had built brand new apartment blocks. They had a brand new hospital. They had a facility for looking after the children. There was fruit and vegetables in the shop that nobody in the Soviet Union ever saw.

They stopped in multiple bleak places and thought... oh God, I hope this isn't it. And eventually they came to this actual paradise town in Kazakhstan where they had built brand new apartment blocks. They had a brand new hospital. They had a facility for looking after the children. There was fruit and vegetables in the shop that nobody in the Soviet Union ever saw.

They stopped in multiple bleak places and thought... oh God, I hope this isn't it. And eventually they came to this actual paradise town in Kazakhstan where they had built brand new apartment blocks. They had a brand new hospital. They had a facility for looking after the children. There was fruit and vegetables in the shop that nobody in the Soviet Union ever saw.

And the reason it was set up that way is because they wanted to keep this mining town secret. They wanted these people to stay in the town. They wanted these people to be happy. So I had thought that people were delusional when they said this town was paradise, but actually it had been.

And the reason it was set up that way is because they wanted to keep this mining town secret. They wanted these people to stay in the town. They wanted these people to be happy. So I had thought that people were delusional when they said this town was paradise, but actually it had been.

And the reason it was set up that way is because they wanted to keep this mining town secret. They wanted these people to stay in the town. They wanted these people to be happy. So I had thought that people were delusional when they said this town was paradise, but actually it had been.

Oh yeah. And then what happened was the Soviet Union broke up and the uranium mine shut down. And one by one, all these amazing facilities they had were lost. Most people left the town. There had been thousands living there, but this stalwart 300 stayed. And I think they stayed kind of thinking, this was once paradise. I raised my children here. This place means a lot to me.