Чёрная Касса

Jyldyz (my new boss), Omurzak, and I went to lunch the other day. As I was proofreading a report that Jyldyz had written in English, she and Omurzak were discussing a way to save money. She said the banks in Talas are not good, because you cannot deposit and withdraw money whenever you want. She then proceeded to tell me about Чёрная Касса which translates to ‘black cash’. It’s a way that women in the villages save money. A group of women get together, and each month they deposit money into the ‘bank.’ The bank is held by one woman in the group, and the holder alternates each month. You can give as much as you want and withdraw anytime. It’s a creative solution to save money if the banking system is so untrustworthy.

And now for an update on the RDC. I got a call from my PC coordinator in Bishkek the other day. Apparently, Sanjar went to the Peace Corps office to complain about me not working with him. After I told him a few weeks ago that I would work with both NGO’s, he hasn’t been at his office when I’ve gone to see him. The rest of the staff at the internet café gives me a bad vibe, so I don’t hang around to wait for him. I much prefer the company at the RDC office. I guess Sanjar thinks I’m his pet volunteer. The PC staff told him that it’s my choice to work where I want. After they figured out all of the details of the situation, they suggested that I not work with Sanjar at all. Well that sneak was not satisfied with this response. When he returned from Bishkek, he called Malinda (another business volunteer) and asked her to schedule a meeting because our coordinator was changing her NGO to the internet café. That was a complete lie. Luckily, she called and asked me what was up before the meeting. I encouraged her to go anyway, so we would know what he's up to. Sanjar has also been asking all of the volunteers to teach another language besides English. None of us know another language well enough to teach it. We just studied in college, but that doesn’t make you fluent by any means.

My host sister has been conspiring with Sanjar, so I’m on the hunt for a new apartment. Jesika was here when all of this was going down. She was in the room with the telephone, fixing her hair, when Aida was on the phone with Sanjar. She started by whispering, and then realized if she spoke in Russian we couldn’t understand. But she said our names, and kept her back to Jesika without looking at her. Sounds sketchy.

Today Sanjar came to the office and asked if I have a Peace Corps stamp. He informed me (didn’t ask) that I would be filling out a recommendation for an application he’s working on. It’s a USAID program that would send him to America for a few weeks. I looked at the recommendation form and I have to rate his professionalism amongst other things. So now I have to explain to him that I know he’s been underhanded and I will not do this for him. I will, however, be filling one out for Jyldyz. I feel like I’m playing favorites, but that’s life I suppose.

HOW TO: Be the Life of the Kyrgyz Party

The Kyrgyz party is unlike any I’ve been to in America. The schedule of events unfolds differently. For those of you who are considering a trip to Kyrgyzstan, and more specifically Talas (the Land of Legends and Fairy Tales), here is a guide for you. This is knowledge accrued collectively by the volunteers, which we now impart to you. Enjoy!

1. Know the Toasting Ritual
Everyone sits on the ground around a table for the festivities. Rarely will you get up from the table. Women are there to serve and take away the dishes. To start, the evening tea will be served. Following this is the first course and tea. Then there is another round of food and tea (at the end of the evening be prepared for yet another round of food and tea). But before all of the eating starts, the drinking starts. Every family buys a couple bottles of rubbing alcohol-esque vodka. Cocktails are for foreigners, but real men and women throw back shots. Each shot is preceded by a toast. The order of the toast goes in rank, the oldest person starts it off and it proceeds down the line. I’m not sure when the guest is supposed to toast. It’s pretty much whenever they look very expectantly at you. All of the toasts consist of the very similar blessings. If you try to mix it up, you will not be received well. When the toast has been said everyone looks at each other telling them to drink. But it takes a few minutes for people to actually do it. I don’t know what they are waiting for. I wait for someone to set the pace. The first toast is important to the rest of the evening. If you drink the whole shot, they will want you to drink more than anyone else.

2. Dance Your Heart Out
After the first 2 rounds of eating and drinking, you dance. Dancing in Kyrgyzstan consists of minimal movement, but everyone MUST do it. You just have to shuffle back and forth and move your arms a little. If you do anything more than this, you will be considered a fantastic dancer. Everyone will crowd around you and clap and cheer. Rockstar.

3. Sing
Be prepared to sing a song. Without music or other people. By yourself. Luckily, it does not matter what language it is or what it is about. They just want to watch you sing. They have been singing the same Kyrgyz songs since birth and therefore can sing on command. However, the Kyrgyz folk will not grace you with a song unless you bring it up. They much prefer you to be the fool than them.

4. The Red Carpet
As the night progresses, and there are many bellies full of vodka surrounding you, cameras are the icing on the cake. A digital camera really gets their mojos going, though a regular one works as well. There is something magical about seeing yourself on the screen instantly. The Kyrgyz folks will ask you to take the same picture of them over and over again. Do not expect them to smile. Once they are satisfied with the amount of pictures taken of their family, you become the object of their desire. Instantly you are transformed into a celebrity. Who wouldn’t want a picture taken with the American? The drunken guy who has been dancing with you all night will especially want pictures taken with you. Don’t try to take a photo without him next to you. It is offensive.

So Much Drama In The RDC

My boss, Sanjar, had originally applied to the Peace Corps for a volunteer through the Media Center (the internet café). But he intended for me to work at RDC (Rural Development Center). There was a period of time when RDC wasn’t sure if they had the funding to stay open, which is why they lied. Anyhow, RDC essentially fired him around Christmastime. He expected me to go back and work at the Media Center, but there isn’t anything for me to do there except teach English. I could teach English at the school, which is what I will probably end up doing. I told Sanjar that I would come and work on projects they need me for but that I would not work solely with them because I think I’ll have more work at RDC. They need to be sustainable (or at least have some money) by August so I’ll be working with them on that. There are some other ideas I’ve thrown out there, but nothing brilliant. YET. This divide was very much like choosing sides in a playground brawl. It has left some hard feelings and cattiness as well. The cattiness comes from my own host sister who has loyalties to Sanjar despite the fact that he fired her and moved her to a crappy job at a closed down youth center he is in charge of. But that’s another story.

Happy Holidays

Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Sorry it is a belated message. Our first round of holidays in Kyrgyzstan proved to be much merrier than I expected. I must admit that I was very cynical about my favorite time of the year. I am not proud about the attitude I had, but everything turned out wonderfully.

On Christmas Eve Eve I traveled to a village 2 hours outside of the city called Pokrovka. That night we made macaroni and cheese with hotdogs in it. We also baked some sugar cookies and made them into holiday shapes. Lisa’s mom sent some ‘Just add water’ cookie mix for our celebration. Later in the night we went to a disco. Basically, it was a high school dance that Ian, another volunteer, is the DJ for. All of the kids dance and there are no wallflowers. We had a fantastic time and danced to our hearts’ content. On Christmas Eve we made baked chicken, potatoes and broccoli. Broccoli is not a native vegetable to the Kyrgyz people. Kathryn’s family sent her vegetable seeds. Last summer she grew some veggies and froze them for the coming winter months. She was kind enough to offer up some of her stash to us. Props to Kathryn. When we finished our meal we went to a different village called Kirovka, which is only 1 hour from the city. That is where we had Boozin’ Christmas. [Kathryn was uncomfortable with some of the drunken antics of the male volunteers at last year’s Christmas]. I bought 2 bottles of red wine, which turned out to be the best ones I’ve had in country. I also contributed one of my Christmas gifts: a bag of crunchy Cheetos. [Mom – the volunteers send their love and thanks]. Everyone brought wine, champagne or bad vodka. Betsy made an apple pie, which is quite a feat these days. We were mightily impressed. So we drank, ate, played cards and sang songs. On Christmas Day, my dear friend Ian told a big fib. He and Erich went Frisbee golfing and had invited Jesika and me to go along. I was tired and didn’t want to do too much walking. He assured me that there was very little walking involved, and so I agreed to go. This ‘very little walking’ turned out to be a 4 hour hike in the snow and hills. I was a little peeved, but we had such a good time and I can’t stay mad. The exercise was good and we even had a couple snow fights. No one can complain about a good snow fight.

For New Year’s, I went to Ian’s house and hung out with his family. The holiday parties are definitely different from those that my family throws. My family parties are also different from any other I know, so I will probably never stumble across something that feels familiar. Anyhow, we all sat on the floor around a table and ate for 7 hours. They have the salad and tea round and then the main course and tea round. Afterwards everyone went outside in the freezing cold to dance. There was a contest and I won first prize! Ian says they’re rigged. That night he put it to the test by putting as little effort into dancing as possible to see if he would still win a prize. And he did. I think its nice that they try to make us feel welcome. At midnight we all went outside again for champagne and fireworks. The kids all run around lighting fireworks and sending them off in any direction. It’s very dangerous, but nobody stopped them. I had a few near fatalities, but I’m a survivor.

And last but certainly not least: my 23rd birthday. It was today. I played hooky from work and stayed in my pajamas. Jesika and I had a sleepover the night before, and we stayed in our beds and watched movies. I made a sweet breakfast for us too. It was relaxing and perfect. For my birthday dinner, my family made the one Kyrgyz dish that I refuse to eat. Its called Besh-Barmak which translates to Five Thumbs. They boil meat and with the broth cook ramen noodles in it. Then they poor melted butter and cooked onions over the noodles and put the meat on top. That’s the dish. You eat it with your hands, thus the name. They usually cook the noodles until they are a pulpy, mushy mess and cover it in grease. I don’t think it’s hard to imagine why I detest it. I was shocked when I saw it in the kitchen, because my family knows I won’t eat it. I later discovered that my host sister who lives 7 hours away made it without knowing my feelings on it. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I ate a plate of it. It was the best that I’ve had, which means it was edible. But that was not a big deal. My Apa is in the kitchen making Manti right now (along the lines of periogis). I plan to spend the rest of the evening reading, which is my favorite way to spend my free time. All in all, it was a great birthday. This weekend the rest of the volunteers are coming into the city to go to the café and then to my house for cocktails. Twenty-three looks like it will be a great year!