One Week in Kyrgyzstan

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My First Week in Kyrgyzstan
I’ve now been in Kyrgyzstan for close to a week. I’ve really enjoyed my time here. Life here is so different than in the states. There have been a lot of surprises for better and for worse. So much has happened in the past six days that I am not sure where to start.
I arrived in Kyrgyzstan at 6am on Saturday. I was very excited to finally step off the plane and meet Rahat. As we neared Bishkek, though, I learned that the temperature in Bishkek was -20 degrees Celsius. I was wondering if my Russian coat would be warm enough for the Bishkek. As we landed, and I looked out of the window, Kyrgyzstan looked like how I would imagine Antartica-the ground was completely covered in snow that is of a different consistency as in the States. Because of the cold, the snow crystals are much finer and look different than in Michigan. Luckily, even though it is cold, the weather is also very dry so it doesn’t feel as cold.
When I stepped off the plane, we passed by a window in which we could see the people waiting to greet us. Rahat and his parents were there with a sign saying “Welcome Zhana”. I felt so happy and relieved. I was really worried that something would happen and no one would be there at the airport to meet me when I arrived. Passing through customs also went really well. The customs officer I went through was ethnically Russian,so I greeted him and said in Russian, “here are my documents” as I passed him my passport. That seemed to go over well, and he spent less than a minute looking over my passport before letting me go. I’ve never gone through customs anywhere near that quickly. I was so nervous when it came time to go through customs because the former Soviet states are notorious for corruption.
After going through customs, I met up with Rahat and his family. We then headed for his house, where we spent New Years Eve. All of his family are really nice people and welcomed me into their home as if I was their daughter. His home is about an hour from Bishkek, and is located in a village with about 2,000 homes. It is really beautiful there. Though the village is located in the valley, you can see the mountains everywhere. It’s also really neat because there are so many animals Rahat’s family has a bunch of sheep, 5 cows and a dog. Many other people in the village also have donkeys, horses, and chickens. I really love his village. It is so beautiful. I especially love that it is so sunny almost every day there. The sun gets much brighter than it ever gets in Michigan. The only thing I don’t like about the village is that they usually don’t have running water during the winter and also have pit toilets. The village plumbing system isn’t very good, so the pipes freeze during winter, and it would be impractical to have an indoor bathroom. Besides the lack of running water, though, the villagers have most of the technological things we have here. Rahat’s family has a large color TV and many people have computers. They also have beautiful rugs and blankets all over, which makes their homes look very ornate inside. The Kyrgyz love to have tons of blankets. In the guest room I was staying in, I counted 29 large warm blankets stacked up against the wall. All of them are handmade, ornate, and much warmer than most blankets in America. Rahat’s home is also especially beautiful because Rahat’s brother’s girlfriend is a master designer and has made the most elaborate curtains I have ever seen for Rahat’s home.
New Year’s eve was great. I was able to meet a lot of Rahat’s relatives. They all made me feel very welcome. We had great food on new years, exchanged presents, and then went outside for fireworks. Rahat’s mom gave me a new pair of Kyrgyz slippers that are really pretty, fit me well, and are very warm.
We spent the next few days at the village as well. I was able to learn a lot about Kyrgyz culture during that time. It is very different than American culture. The Kyrgyz are extremely respectful of elderly people. They always give them a special seat at the table, give them the best food, and take care of them when they grow old. They also have a lot of traditions involving tea. You always give tea to guests, and always serve the oldest person first. The order in which you serve tea depends on the peoples ages, with the youngest being served last. I also like the Kyrgyz tradition for when you finish a meal. When you are full, you hold up your hands and then press them together. This is a sign that you have eaten well and are thankful for the meal. As soon as you make that sign, you are free to leave the table whenever you want, and the host will not try to make you eat more food. I think this is good because before that, the host will constantly encourage you to eat more. It gives you a way out if you are full and also allows you to show respect for the host.
Over that past few days, I have done so much. It has been really fun. The day after New Years, we went to the mountains and went sledding. So many people were out there sledding. It is a big pastime in Kyrgyzstan. It was so much fun. We ended up not only sledding on the mountain, but on the road as well. A large section of the road froze over with such a thick layer of ice that it was completely impossible for a car to get through. It was very fun to go sledding there. Some people also attached a sled to a car, and drove the car slowly while someone rode in the sled. That is another popular thing to do. It seems that it is a lot like tubing, but on ice and snow instead of water. Rahat asked me if I wanted to try, but it seemed a bit dangerous and I didn’t want to risk getting injured in Kyrgyzstan. Their health system isn’t as good as in America.
I’ve done a lot of other fun things as well. Rahat and I went riding around the village in a donkey cart one day, and it was a lot of fun. I don’t think I had ever even seen a donkey before I came to Kyrgyzstan. It was amazing that one donkey could pull both of us in a cart without any problems. Another thing that I enjoyed was seeing the engagement of Rahat’s brother to his girlfriend. There was a celebration in which all the women, and eventually the men, went to the girlfriend’s home. There, we ate great food and they agreed to get married. Rahat’s mom gave the girlfriend silver earings as a wedding gift. Her acceptance of the silver earings means that no man can try to make moves on her anymore. When a woman tells a guy that she is engaged and already has received earings or gold from her finance’s family, then he will leave her alone immediately.
Yesterday, I moved into my apartment. It is really nice. It is as big as my apartment in Ann Arbor, has a great view of the mountains, and only costs $200 a month. I’m really happy to be living there.
Now I’m off to go to have dinner with Rahat and his sister’s family. I’ll update this blog at least once a week and hopefully will get to put pictures on it soon. I miss you all and hope that all is well.

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Comments

[mom]

WOW!!
Genna, it is hard to believe you are finally in Kyrgyzstan. You have waited and prepared a long time for this trip to the other side of the earth! It is wonderful to hear of the spectacular scenery, hospitality of Rahat's family, and quaintness of the culture. We can't wait to see photos! love and hugs, mom