Just Like Home

We have been enjoying some really nice weather the past few days! Sunny and warm- with the temp in the 50's. On Tuesday, a few of the street boys, Salavat and myself were outside cleaning up and clearing the snow from the basketball area and sweeping the walk ways and making it look good. It felt like Spring had come, though I knew better. Wednesday was also a very nice day and everything was drying up and most of the snow had gone! But just like home, things change over night! Last night it rained ALL night long, only to turn to snow this morning and it hasn't stopped yet! I think this is the most snow fall I've seen here at one time. It is the heavy packy stuff. I guess all our work was just to make room for the new stuff!!! Although it is not a usual occurance here, it happens often back home; so I was not too surprised. Dissapointed yes, but not surprised. The good thing is, unlike home, I know it can go away quickly, and will not be here until April!! :)

Toby Mac in Kyrgyzstan!

The other day , I was on my way to English club via trolley bus, and when I got close to my stop I walked to the front of the bus. To my surprise, who should I hear on the radio- Toby Mac! I was shocked! His song- "Made to Love" was coming over the air waves!! I thought that was pretty cool. I was glad I had my scarf covering half my face so no one could see that I was singing along :) Toby Mac on the radio in Kyrgyzstan- who would have guessed?!!

Living in a Video Game

Winter time in Kyrgyzstan has its amusements! One of them being, walking around the city. You see, we do get snow, probably nothing compared to CNY, but snow just the same. Though, in NY we have, snow shovels, snow plows, sanders, etc, all the things to battle the winter elements- but not here! So, what happens to the snow? Well it mostly gets melted on the roads due to so much traffic, but the sidewalks are a different story! The snow gets matted down. It is first, bumpy and uneven, then becomes smooth, slippery, and in many places, still uneven! The sidewalks become more like skating rinks than ways to walk on. They even have a tv show that shows people slipping, sliding and falling while attempting to get from one place to another! But some of the best parts come a little while later….the accelerators! This is where my reference to video games comes in. While crossing the streets may be like Frogger; the sidewalks in the winter time can be like…well, perhaps Need For Speed (or any racing game with accelerators). Many racing games have an area(s) on the track that if you hit some colored arrows, you get a burst of acceleration, well here on the sidewalks, we have ice accelerators! Strips if pure glare ice! You can walk and slide on them, or the person you’re walking with can run and pull you as you slide along! It can be a lot of fun- unless you happen to fall. I hope to get a picture posted. They are great!

YFC Central Asia Conference

Well it was our first conference in Central Asia! It was held here in Kygyzstan at Kashka Su- a nice place in the mountains! Myself and three others went up a day early to decorate, prepare the rooms, and get things ready for everyone who would be arriving the next day. When the next morning came, everyone came all at the same time pretty much, and I was called in every direction- I was ready to change my name, if only for a little while! But everyone got settled in and things rolled smoothly from there on out. We had about 50 people! Coming from all over Central Asia! It was amazing to see, but even more amazing to see and hear how they are helping youth in their different countries!! Our area director and his wife flew in from Thailand, so the snowy mountains were a bit of a change for them. He led the training over the next three days. We also had some special guests- a guy from Ireland and a lady from Scotland! Sometimes I was asked to translate, but not Russian, but their English! We had a good time of getting to know each other and encouraging one another, and having fun! Of course you can’t be in the snowy mountains without having some time to enjoy them! We even rode the ski lift to the top of one of the mountains- a cold ride, but well worth the view!!! One evening, as our team here was sharing about the different areas we are working with youth, I was able to share about what I have been doing since I’ve arrived, and I was able to tell about it all in Russian!! I was so happy afterwards! It is times like that, that I can see I’m making progress! It is encouraging. Overall, for our first conference, I think it went great! Everyone enjoyed it!!

Starting the New Year with a Bang!

New Years was pretty cool. It is the main holiday during this season, so it is a big to do! New Years Eve day, everyone spends with their family- eating lots!!! There was something going on at our house (as usual) so I was helping with the preparations. Yylkon came over to help the guys with the dough for Monty- traditional Kyrgyz dish. When she was about to leave I realized that no other girls had yet shown up so I went on over to her house. She lives just a few houses up the road. I know her family and most of them speak English very good! They are a Kyrgyz family so they had the floor set with mats around the table area, which of course was covered with all kinds of delicious food! So we ate and they had some other guests there as well, and then watched a special on tv- it had many famous singers and talented people on it. It was interesting. Then I figured I would call to see if everything was ok at the house, they said the monty was done and I was requested to rejoin the group at the house for monty- after eating at Yylkon’s house I wasn’t sure if I had room for monty. But I ate some. When it was midnight, we all ran to the street, I was in awe as I looked around in every direction there were fireworks in the sky!! Booms, pows, whistlers, all kinds of noises that make fireworks so great could be heard at every level!! It was like we were under attack! Chika handed everyone a three foot stick and lit one end, I was not sure what was supposed to happen with these things, nor was I feeling oh so safe holding it in my hand not knowing what to expect! But everyone else seemed to be ok with it. Eventually it started shooting out flares into the sky!! It was great as all of our flares were shooting into the sky, fireworks all around, and all our neighbors in the street watching and shooting different kinds of fireworks! It was GREAT! Definitely NOT like New Years in NY where fireworks are illegal. It was an amazing experience!

Tis’ the Season….

To be busy!!!! I thought the holiday season was hectic back home! It is a different kind of busyness here- Christmas is a really good time for having parties and other events to invite people out to share with them why and how we celebrate Christmas. I helped CCC go and invite students out to their Christmas event; I guess they have better results when Americans and other foreigners ask students to come out. So I was glad to help! Bishkek is THE college/university central for Central Asia- there are students from almost everywhere- India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, China, Kazakhstan, and other neighboring countries!! For several days before the event we went to different places passing out invitations to students. At the same time, we were getting ready and preparing for our English club Christmas events. We had two events- one just during English club time, and another on the 26th of December, for all the groups that meet at the Development Center (where we have English club). It seemed that Christmas sneaked up on me, and the next thing I knew it was Sunday and Christmas Eve was the very next day!!
Monday, we had our team Christmas party, I made lasagna! Yum! We had a gift exchange and white elephant game. It was fun. For Christmas Eve, I was invited to Rebecca’s place; there were eight other single women from the States there, most of whom I met for the first time, and we ate pizza, decorated gingerbread houses and then watched- “It’s A Wonderful Life”. It was a good time! When I arrived home, it was about 11:30pm and I realized that I hadn’t even had a chance to decorate the small Christmas tree in my room! So I did that, and placed the gifts that I received under the tree. On Christmas day, I opened my presents and later Ira and I went to Zareena’s house, where we made more pizza and other foods, played some games and watched a movie. It was good to just hang out with a small group of friends! Though, we took some time out to go over to the internet café so I could call my family (being Christmas morning EST). Maybe not my ideal place to share Christmas morning with my family, but it was good! The next morning, I had to return to the office to get things and head out to the orphanage to help decorate for the Christmas program there. Unfortunately I could not stay for the program as I had to head back to the office right afterward to bake cookies for our English party that evening! The party was great! We had about 26 people come out! We ate “tacos” (Kyrgyz style), and cookies, tea, and some other things. We played some games and I shared about what my family and I usually do to celebrate Christmas in America, and then a couple local people shared about why this time of year is important to them and why they celebrate it- what they thought of it before and now that they know the real reason for the season! It was rather cold where we were at, but no one left early! I was a little surprised, but glad that no one did. At the end, because we were so cold, we had a little dance contest. Needless to say, I was wiped out by time I got home!! And for the next couple of days I tried to rest and recoup!

Bride Stealing & Family Culture

As Guljon shared about bride stealing, she said that it started kinda like a Romeo and Juliette scenario- they loved each other but the parents did not agree to the union. So she was stolen. Well, it has evolved from there, and although bride-stealing is illegal, the tradition continues on. So how does someone get stolen? Any how really. A girl could just be walking down the street and taken. The man takes the girl that he wants and brings her to his family’s house. He and his parents will go later to her parents’ home and bring something like a dowry, and ask for their blessing on the union. Usually they agree, but not always. If the girl happens to run away, sometimes her parents will take her back, especially if she is young enough to find another husband, but if she is in her late 20’s- they will not and she will have to remain with her husband. Bride stealing has different results. Guljon shared that in her village, one guy stole a girl who was very beautiful, and after a month, the girl hung herself and committed suicide. He did not steal his next wife. Another girl was stolen twice! She ran away from the first guy and after she was stolen by someone else, she stayed with him and is happily married with a family. It can be a concern for girls who especially live in the villages. Guljon is in her mid-20’s, she has finished university and is looking to start her career, and because she is not married yet, the reality of her being stolen is a concern- especially for her parents. She was sharing with us also some interesting traditions of the Kyrgyz family. I have made the conclusion that it is not the best to be the youngest girl in a Kyrgyz family, or married to the youngest son of a large Kyrgyz family. Because, it is the youngest girl’s responsibility to prepare the meals, do the wash, the work of the house. Yes, usually the other women help out, but the responsibility is passed on to her. And when I mean the youngest- I do not mean the 5 year old girl has to do everything, but when she is in her teen years.
Ah yes, it is interesting to learn about a different culture. I have a friend, Yylkon, and we often talk on our way home together. She comes from a family of 8 sisters! She is not the youngest, but she is in her early 20’s and her mom is pressuring her to get married. Her mom visited during the New Year, and said that she wants her to be married in the spring! It is a hard thing for me to understand. Coming from my culture where, yes some people get married just out of high school, most people wait until after college, but it is not unusual for people to start and have a career and then get married in their 30’s. There is usually no pressure from family, at least not to the extent where your parents will find you someone to marry whether you want to marry them or not. It is also interesting the responses I get from people here when they know how old I am. When I tell them I am 28, the very next question is usually, am I married? And when I tell them no, it is a bit of a surprise for them. Often I get the response that I look much younger, or that I should be married by now (according to their culture), and the question- well, why aren’t I married? But don’t worry, I don’t think they’ve gotten around to stealing foreigners yet.

Invitation

On Saturday, December 1st, Ira and I were invited to Guljon’s family’s house in a village outside of Bishkek. She is one of our students from English club and she wanted us to come for dinner and meet her family. What an honor! We met her at a bus stop and were on our way! It had snowed the night before so everything was covered with a dusting of snow-looking very wintery! After about an hour, we had made it to her village and got off the marshruka. We had to walk further to get to her house but on our way she pointed out different places and houses of people she knew. Finally we made it! We were greeted by her parents and shown into a room where a table full of food awaited us! IT was a Kyrgyz style table, close to the floor with mats around it to sit on. There were 3 or 4 different salads, dishes of candies, bread, and Borsok- traditional Kyrgyz bread (it is VERY delicious and is similar to fried dough). We all sat down and soon her mother brought in some tea. We began eating and I think if I were to live in a Kyrgyz home I would weigh 200lbs, just from eating Borsok alone! We ate salads and bread and after some time her mom brought in some soup. I realized then that I needed to begin to pace myself and lay off the very delicious bread and jam! After the soup, came the main dish- Monty. It is also a traditional Kyrgyz food! Also delicious. Though I felt like if I ate anything more I would explode!! But I managed to eat my Monty. After all that food, it was agreed to go for a walk!! So we walked around Guljon’s village and she showed us her school, and her grandparent’s house (which is empty now), the apple orchard and the family cemetery also on the property. At the edge of the village are the foothills to the mountains- looked like good sledding hills, but alas, we were not prepared. Walking around, we began to get cold, and it began to get dark, so we headed back. Ira and I had only planned on coming for dinner, but when we returned to the house we were asked to stay the night, as her mother was already preparing the next meal for us! So we accepted and returned to the feasting table! We sat around and began eating more salads, bread, and drinking tea, and talking. Her mother then brought in our supper! Another good meal! Afterwards, we just sat around the table and talked. It was good to get to know Guljon more, and we even looked at all the family photo albums! They were great! She also told us more about the culture and some traditions; about family and bride stealing. These topics will come in my next blog. But after a night of talking, we eventually went to bed. We got up the next morning to once again be seated at the table for another meal, another good meal, and more Borsok! Afterwards Ira and I headed back to Bishkek. I think I ate more in that one day, than I usually do in a week!!! One thing about being a guest in Kyrgyzstan- you’ll never leave hungry!!