It looks like blogger decided to delete my last two posts. Real Bummer since I had fun writing them and now they're all gone. BOO.
Here's a second go at another cultural list, with a small update at the bottom. enjoy!
In Russian, a word that refers to house/banya slippers. Most bazaar ladies sell copious kinds of them, with all kinds of great slap-dash english phrases on them or gigantic decorative flowers. They're a staple of everyone's wardrobe. Most women come home from work and change into two things; their house robe/dress and their tabutchkee. The rule in all homes in KZ is take your shoes off at the door.
Walking barefoot in the house in winter is sometimes treated worse than actually stepping outside in the cold without your coat and 10,000 layers on. Most everyone has run from the house to the local magazine in their tabutchkee at least once, I know I have.
11. Stamps
As I may have mentioned before, certificates are a big deal here. A really big deal. Not only that, you can't walk more than a block and a half without running into at least one Notary. Stamps are pertinent for any official document. I'm not implying other countries don't hold this kind of bureaucratic step in high esteem, they most certainly do. It has been apparent to me that KZ seems to be one of those that are at the top of the list. The signatures participating parties and directors aren't enough to make something official. The stamp is where it's at.
An example of stamp necessity,
passing out certificates at a recent Women's seminar in Zhez.
12. Superstitions about Colds
There hasn't been one local yet, whom I've talked to, that has any real idea how a virus works and what a "cold" actually is. Everyone's got theories, cures and remedies that are, suffice it to say, incredibly misinformed [this isn't a generalization, there are plenty of people in KZ who probably know this information]. Some of my favorites are as follows:
A way to cure a cold is just to take a shot of vodka [It "kills" the germs inside you].
An open window [no matter how cold it is outside], WILL cause you to get sick and possibly be infertile at the same time.
Drinking cold water/tea/anything will most definitely get you sick [therefore all yogurt and mil
k is served at room temperature in winter].
I was chosen to be a "role model" for this little girl,
I cut some string and read a poem in Kazakh.
After they all threw candy, it was awesome.
There are plenty more tidbits to relay, at another time. Now for a small update:
I'm under the 95 day mark. The rest of my service is rapidly going by. Only a few more months and I'll finally be back stateside. Coming up, my mom and gene will visit [May 26],a trip to Thailand [June 5] camp GLOW [June 26th], a July 4th Astana Embassy party, my quarter century birthday [July 19th], my COS trip to Sweden [Aug 11] and finally.... me coming home [Aug 22]!
No comments:
Post a Comment