The Reality of Stealing

While we were in Jalal-abad, we got to know some of the girls that were staying with Aisuluu. One of them was a girl named Nafisa. She was 19 yrs old and working at the café and I think she was studying too. She was a very joyful girl, outgoing and friendly- she was very cool to be around. Though one day while we were at the café she had finished work and left with some friends. We did not see her that night at the apartment, we had found out later that she had been stolen by her relatives and given as a bride to a man about 10 yrs older than she was. Can you imagine being a girl- you’re working, or going to school, you have dreams about your life- what you’d like to do, etc- and then someone steals you- your whole life interrupted and changed forever. Though I later found out more of her story….this had been the second time she was stolen! The first time she was stolen she was only 16!! She ran away from her first husband because he was so abusive, and which resulted in her having a miscarriage. I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around this whole concept, mostly because when I was 16, I was looking into colleges thinking about what I was going to do with my life. I never had to worry or consider the possibility of someone or my own relatives stealing me to make me a bride. I think that this is one of the more difficult things about this culture.

Jalal-abad

We arrived in Jalal-abad and were welcomed at Aisuluu’s place with a good dinner! She had a few young girls staying with her, they were from different villages outside of the city. They too were learning Russian! In the villages, well most everywhere outside of Bishkek, most people speak Kyrgyz, so, for much of the time Aisuluu translated Kyrgyz to Russian for Ira and Ira translated the Russian to English for me. Ira, Aisuluu, and Jonesh did a four day seminar training….meanwhile I helped Ira to translate a book. We were also able to look around see some of the city while we were there. One of the interesting things was that there are very few marshrukas. Instead you can take a taxi for only 5 com! The taxies are pretty much all the same kind of car- Daewoo Ticos. They are a small car!! It is funny to see them all lined up and buzzing around the city. We were invited to the village on Thursday, the home of one of the girls staying with Aisuluu. It was a good time! It was great to meet the family. The older couple, (grandparents), were amazing people, and he told a lot of stories about his life and it was really interesting, and amusing- he was often saying something funny. We ate a lot, as usual, and had a good time! Though after a while they had guests- some neighbor ladies had stopped by, probably to check out who the strange guests were. They came and sat down and also joined in the conversations. One lady had mentioned about the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes. They had gotten them in that village and they were so glad, and the children really loved to receive the presents! I was happy. I know many of you back home put boxes together and send them off, not knowing where they go, or the response of those who receive them; but people receive them here, and they are very grateful and they bring much joy to the kids! The next day, Friday, was our last day before we would head back to Bishkek, and that evening there was planned an all-night event! It was a good thing that we had a 12hr ride ahead of us the next day! It didn’t seem so long being able to sleep on the way back! Though I hardly slept at all; the views were AMAZING! It is probably the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen on a 12 hr drive where most of the way I couldn’t help but look out the window in awe of my surroundings!

Osh

We arrived in Osh and were greeted by some people who were friends of my traveling companions, and who are with New Life. It was a nice and sunny day!! We took a marshruka to the places where we would be staying and then met outside to go for lunch. Samsa is THE thing here, you don’t go to Osh and leave not having eaten samsa! But the café where they have the best was full of people, so we walked to another café. On our way we passed the biggest mosque in the city- it was big and beautiful. At our next café I realized that all of the places seem to be open-air places. Which must be good during the insanely hot summers- but a bit chilly during the winter. There we ate lagmon and sheshleek (shishkabob) which was lamb and at first I was a bit concerned but it was sooo delicious! Everything was tastey! Then we went to the mountain that is located in the middle of the city. It has many significances. One of them being that there is a room on top where people go to be healed of their sicknesses, somehow, the room and the mountain make that happen. There is also a very smooth rock on top of the mountain that people go to, and often older women; here they slide down the rock 7 times and their physical ailments will be healed. After climbing up and seeing the rock, I figured if they didn’t die before they made it there, that maybe it seemed as though it worked. It was a long way up! Young married women can also go up there and slide down the rock; that of which will result in being able to have a baby in 9 months. Ira told me that after she suggested I slide down it. She is a funny girl. There is also a museum up there but it was closed. From the top you can look out over the whole city of Osh and it is a beautiful site to see! Another belief of the mountain is that if you run around the mountain seven times your sins will be forgiven, it is a very sacred place with many beliefs and superstitions about it. Over the two days we were there, I got to know our hosts a bit more and a bit more about Osh and the southern part of the country. The next day we went again for the samsa, and this time with success! It is much different than the samsa in Bishkek- much bigger! You cut of the top and it is like a bread bowl of soup, but instead of soup-meat and onions, and some other stuff. It was delicious! Then we walked around the city some more- it was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect! After our walk, we got our stuff together, got a taxi and headed to Jalal-abad.

Delays…

Our plans for traveling down south, was slightly altered due to a snow storm. So instead of driving down on Thursday, we flew down on Saturday. The roads were too bad and they closed them because of the possibility of avalanches. So early Saturday morning, Jonesh, Ira and myself took a taxi to the airport to catch out flight which was scheduled to leave at 8:20am. Well, we got there and eventually made it to the room where we were instructed to go and wait for our flight to Osh. 8:20 came and went and no announcement that our flight had been delayed or why….9:20 came and went and still nothing. I was rather surprised, no one got up and went to those working and asked about the flight, no tempers started to flare, no one seemed bothered by the delay at all. 10:30 came and finally we were instructed to go to the counters. There we formed somewhat of line to check our bags, just to find out that the computers at the counter were not working and they were unable to weigh the luggage- so we waited again. No complaints, or yelling, no impatient demands of service. They finally got things working and we checked our bags, went through the security, and waited in yet another area of the airport. This time only for about 20-30 minutes. Eventually we made it to our plane, which wasn’t as bad as I was told it would be. No captain announcements, no protocol, no seat belt demonstrations or checks for that matter. They did serve a drink and a piece of candy during our less than 2 hour flight. It was very cool to look out the window at the mountains and see them from the top; we could even see the road which we would have been riding on, and would be on our way home!