Here is my last and final cultural tid-bit list. In 9 days from today, I'll be BACK in sunny California. This whole experience is finally at a close and it feels so surreal. I've been here in Stockholm for only 48 hours and I feel like I'm worlds away already. I've had the best time with my family here and can't wait to spend the next few days with everyone up north as well.
Here are some of my absolute favorite tid-bits. I saved the best for last:
Babooshkas
This term, meaning Grandmother in Russian, is used prevalently to refer to any old woman. They all have a very distinctive look, regardless of race or creed. Babooshkas in Kazakhstan have their own uniform and way of speaking.
They almost always have a scarf wrapped around their heads and tied under their chins or tucked into their 5 layers of clothing they wear all year round. Most cut in “line” at the post office or the electricity office without much consideration or thinking. They live up to the idea that they should be rewarded for making it so long in life and they definitely follow suit. In describing my experiences, I tend to use this word a lot.
Superstitions about money
Some superstitions are meant to keep us from doing dangerous or otherwise destructive things [i.e. Don’t break a mirror, don’t open an umbrella indoors, wait at least half an hour after eating to go swimming]. Then there are some superstitions or collective beliefs that are just plain silly, or better yet, don’t seem to have anything to do with the action they goad the believers into avoiding. Here are a few of my favorites…
Money Exchanging Hands
Money can never exchange hands directly, especially at night. In accordance with this superstitious belief, if you choose to deviate, you are condemning yourself and the person you are interacting with to a life of poverty, wherein neither of you will ever have money. What one must do, especially at night, is place the money to be exchanged on a neutral surface where then and only then, may it be picked up by the receiving hand. I ran into this kind of exchange immediately once I started integrating in Kazakhstan. I never understood why shop keepers would refuse to put change in my hand directly, even when I extended it so willingly. To this day, almost two years later, I still haven’t gotten completely used to the idea and still extend my hand every so often to see if they’ll hand me my two tenge change directly or place it on the tray. In my time here, I’ve only had three people deviate from this superstition, one that’s Russian by descent and still holds a powerful sway over the mindset of so many.
Purse on the Ground= No Money
This superstition caught me off-guard a little more than some of the others. I had just entered my teachers room after one of my first days there [for some reason this never was an issue during training] and I had two packets [plastic bags] as well as my purse. I fumbled with the two bags and dropped my purse to the ground since there were no adequate spaces to place everything all at once. My teachers had an absolute conniption. Without skipping a beat, wide-eyed and frantic, they picked up my bag and placed it on the chair across the room. The whole rest of the day, I was constantly reminded to not leave my bag on the floor, or else I’d lose all the money I had and wouldn’t make any ever again. Needless to say, I only needed it to happen once to remember.
Single Girl Superstitions
These next gems are purely derived from Kazakh tradition and are some of the strangest “beliefs” I have yet to encounter. This group of superstitions relate strictly to fertility, marriage, weddings and qualities of future husbands for single unmarried Kazakh girls. Here we go…
1.Edge/corner of a table
Sitting at the corner of a table is an absolute no-no. Any sensible young girl would know from the time they are old enough to hold a kece [chai cup], that sitting at the corner of the table means no husband AND the inability to bear children. A double whammy.
2. Broken Kece [Chai Cup]
Under no circumstances, should a single unmarried girl drink from a broken kece. If she does so, she will have condemned herself to marrying a man whose “equipment” will be broken, so to speak. Basically, he’ll be sterile or impotent and thus be unable to help her bear a child. Which, if you haven’t caught on, is constantly indoctrinated into all young Kazakh girls’ brains as the ultimate goal for their lives.
3. Potato Nose
One of my personal favorites, a young girl who drinks directly out of a long ladel will condemn herself to having a husband whose nose will be shaped like a potato. I repeat, a potato. Now, you may be contemplating how there could be a connection between this seemingly innocuous action and how it influences the physical attribute of a future spouse. I myself would love to have the answer to that question, if indeed there existed one. I’m inclined to think it doesn’t, which many old Kazakh babooshkas [grandmothers/old ladies] would refute. Still, regardless of the validity, it’s pretty creative and I approve of it if only on that token.
4. It’s All In How You Sit
In my personal opinion, sitting can be done in a variety of ways without causing much offense. Cross-legged, Indian style, on the floor, on grass, interview style, wide legged and relaxed, etc. In all these different styles, not one [at least that I’m aware of] is believed to directly effect anything in whomever is sitting internally. In Kazakhstan, however, sitting on concrete, with one knee up, at the edge of a table and without something between you and the floor is believed to influence and hinder fertility in women. The belief is, that any of these aforementioned styles of sitting besides in a chair or in a squat will directly effect a woman’s ability to have a baby. For what exact reasons, I still am not sure. I have heard so many different ideas, but the running theme relates to cold. Concrete being cold, open windows being cold, etc. This is, of course, from strictly the Kazakh superstitions and doesn’t really relate to any Russian influence [although, most people avoid sitting on the floor in general anyway].
5. Eating the Remnants From the Pan
Is absolutely forbidden, unless you want to have bad weather on your wedding day. For single girls, eating anything left in the pan after cooking is a direct invite rain or snow on their exact wedding day. My favorite part of all these superstitions is the total lack of plausible cause and effect. This one being another great example.
Never break apart when walking side by side with a friend
This superstition does have some symbolism ingrained in the actual action and therefore can be given a very tiny amount of consideration on that score. When two girls [usually], are walking side by side and they split for any reason, the belief is their friendship will at some point end. One will betray the other, one will move away, etc. Therefore, it is pertinent for two friends to never break apart when walking side by side.
Shaking hands over doorways
This mainly pertains to men, but also involves other types of embraces [hugs, high fives, elbow taps, etc]. There is never a circumstance where two people [men usually, women don’t regularly shake hands] should shake hands over an open doorway. People follow this rule vehemently, and almost always never shake back if you extend your hand whilst in the doorway, it doesn’t take long for non-locals to catch onto this one.
Distracting the Evil Eye
Kazakhstan is considered a Muslim country, although other religions [Russian Orthodox, Christianity and even Mormonism] are practiced here too. In keeping with the Islamic faith, many Kazakhs believe in the Evil Eye. One superstition/belief relates to newborns, in which if too many eyes gaze upon the child’s face, the Evil Eye will be more inclined to take hold. Therefore, newborns and infants are given strange haircuts [some with long ponytails or braids, strange lengths and even beads] to distract onlookers from the child’s face.
Bright Orange Hair
This is one aspect of fashion in Kazakhstan that I will surely miss. Generally seen in middle-aged, rotund Russian women, highly saturated orange hair is a very popular choice. I’ve seen different hues of the same intensity, all the way from bright red to yellow. It’s something you might see across Europe, but the fact that the same hues are found on these womens’ heads makes it worth noting.
Open Windows on Trains
During Winter automatically guarantees you the flu or any other kind of cold like ailment [or so the belief goes…]. Therefore, negotiating for a small crack for fresh air is nonnegotiable, especially with the old grandmothers, who themselves are always wrapped in more than enough layers. The trains in Kazakhstan are kept extremely hot during winter. The lack of fresh circulated air can almost be unbearable, but as superstition [and whacked out beliefs about how viruses actually work], everyone you share your train area has a conniption if you even try to open the window.
Sidewalk Manholes
The town budget for my site, Zhezkazgan, lately seems to be going towards giving general public areas [parks, fountains, bridges, etc] a general facelift, which has needed it for some time. What the money doesn’t seem to be going towards are the numerous manholes sporadically found along very already poor sidewalks. These holes, either from sewer covers long removed, or sunken in earth, are prominently found in walking paths all over the place. To add more to the issue, most streets do not have lights to illuminate them to normal pedestrians. I’d love to see the statistics of how many people a month or a year end up falling into one of those massive manholes. I’d predict the number a high one.
The N-word
This cultural blurb isn’t the happiest one by far but it’s an example of how our influence as Americans in KZ can be seen, [even if on a small scale]. The Russian translation for someone African is basically the N-word with an accent. When I first heard it, I was totally shocked and thought the person saying it was just being racist and that couldn’t be the way Africans were referred to here. The fact that I responded as if we were in America was the exact reason I thought this guy was just a racist jerk. The truth is, they have no idea the connotation it carries. How the word embodies so much hate and malice doesn’t even enter into the realm of possibility. And who could fault them for that? What we have managed to do, at least in our small spheres, is explain the association and how it’s a terrible word in English and any other form for that matter.
Wedding Parades
Weddings are done a tad bit differently in Kazakhstan. Russian and Kazakh weddings each have their own set of intricate traditions. No wedding in KZ [mainly a Kazakh one] is complete without a loud noisy parade of cars driving around to different monuments and statues around the city. After the ceremony and before the reception, the wedding party drives together with decorated cars and constant honking. The tradition is taking pictures in front of these monuments, for what exact reason, I’m not totally sure. It is safe to say though that if you are ever walking around town on a Friday or Saturday, you can easily see 2 or 3 wedding parties all hanging out around monument after monument.
Chetchl
There are few things I will actually physically miss about Kazakhstan: The banya [sauna], my students/Gulzhan and CHETCHL. This psuedo string-cheese is the perfect match for beer and it’s one of the better ways the Soviet Union has influenced KZ. You can buy this cheese in long strips that are braided into a huge knot. The fun part is peeling off the pieces and then stringing it out into a huge pile. The means are just as rewarding as the ends. sigh, I’ll miss you chetchl.
Inventive TP Substitutions
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Getting used to a place where toilet seat covers are a considerable luxury, actual TP is another. I’ve seen many different substitutions for TP when there was none to be had at hand. Book pages, notebook paper, plastic bags, etc. Living in a culture where public places [no matter how nice] never ever ever have toilet paper, at least outside of big cities, it’s always pertinent for have some back up with you. I don’t know if this is a habit I’ll be able to shake when I finally get back home.
These are just a few of another long list, I hope to update as soon as I’m stateside again. Only 9 days left! I can’t wait to return. See you all very soon.
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