And that side of the Haze
"Besides the Autumn poets sing / A few prosaic days / A little this side of the snow / And that side of the Haze"
--Emily Dickinson
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America’s favorite joke is anything but funny - Salon.com
I just think that this piece, about what is deeply problematic with MTV’s Buckwild, is an incredibly important read. As in, I wish everyone in America would read it. Particularly those of us (and I do include myself in this) who think that we’re so smart and sophisticated that we don’t need to.
Thanks, Emily, for this informative piece.
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And she’s back!
After a three-month interlude, I’m back with less than three months left of my Fulbright grant. What have I been doing with my time? Well, actually, I’m almost done collecting data for my project and in April, I will start writing.
Here are some highlights from the last few months:
At the end of January, I traveled to southern Kazakhstan to interview people. I stayed in an Uzbek village near Shymkent, visiting schools, interviewing people in town, and eating tons of plov (a tasty Uzbek dish consisting of rice, lamb, carrots, garlic, and spices). I love southern Kazakhstan! Sometimes in Almaty, a big, Western-style city, I forget what Kazakhstan is really like and how overwhelmingly hospitable Kazakhstanis are. My trip to Shymkent and Taraz really reminded me of how kind people are and how willing they are to help.
On my way back from Shymkent to Almaty, I met my friends in Taraz (also in southern Kazakhstan) to go to a charity rap concert. Austin and Jenna (above) performed in their third concert abroad. While in Taraz, we stayed with friends of Jenna’s, went to a Russian-style banya, and eat homemade lagman (another Uzbek dish made of noodles and vegetables).
Back in Almaty, I continued taking interviews with local students to hear in their own words how they imagine Kazakhstani national identity. I presented my research at the Fulbright conference in India:
Along the way to India, we had a layover in Abu Dhabi, where my roommate and I went on a desert safari and I rode a camel:
The conference in India helped me organize my research and start thinking about certain trends in the interviews. Now that I’m back in Almaty, I’m working on filling in certain parts of my project and writing it up. Once I have more, I’ll post the results here. Until then, I’ll do a better job of sharing what’s going on in Kazakhstan!
I’m looking forward to going home in a few months and starting grad school, but I’m already starting to realize that I will miss Kazakhstan. I’ve lived abroad for almost two years now, and it will be strange to be living in the US again. I don’t have to think too much about this yet though—there is still time! Today is a wintry, March day, but soon, it will be spring here, and I can’t wait to start traveling around Kazakhstan again and to spend time outdoors, hiking in the mountains and walking in the tulip fields. More pictures and commentary to come!
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"Hooligans," a.k.a. protestors
On Friday, December 16, Kazakhstan celebrated its 20th year of independence. In the western oil town, Zhanaozen, at least 11 were killed during fights between workers and police.
The government claims that the violence is due to “hooligans,” potentially financed from outside the country. But journalists and human rights groups argue that violence broke out as a result of worker frustration over the government’s refusal to solve a wage dispute.
President Nazarbayev has called a state of emergency for the region, which includes curfews and prohibitions on audio and video recordings. Journalists are unable to enter the region, and Internet has been cut off.
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Exciting news! I eloped in Kazakhstan!
Just kidding!
In Central Asia, when I say “no,” people seem to understand it as “yes.” This is definitely not a language problem. If I know anything confidently in Russian, it’s the difference between “yes” (да, pronounced da) and “no” (нет, pronounced nyet).
Men are very confident here. It is not unusual for the guy selling you fruit to ask whether you’re married and insist on getting your phone number. Even though I’ve lived in Russia and now Kazakhstan for more than a year, I still have trouble being forceful. People interpret this as weakness. It doesn’t help that it’s a cultural practice to play hard to get. I’ve been told that girls often reject a guy’s attention several times before she finally accepts and goes on a date with him. In some parts of Kazakhstan, bride-napping is still a problem. Yes, bride-napping, a forced marriage that involves the groom kidnapping the bride. Once she enters his house, she cannot return to her family because she has become impure. It is shameful for her to leave.
Here, in Almaty, all of this seems very distant. Don’t worry, Mom, I won’t be kidnapped!
Returning to the initial subject, I’m a straight-forward person. When I say no the first time, I mean no every time after that. Somehow though that doesn’t always come across.
But I have found a solution! Today, as I was walking home for lunch, a guy approached me and asked whether he could walk with me. I told him no, but as usual, he interpreted that as yes. I was very non-committal to the conversation, and he had a lot to say. At one point, he asked me whether I was married, and that’s when the thought hit me. Why not tell people I’m married? It avoids so much trouble. I pointed to a simple silver ring that I wear and replied, “Yes, I am already married.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“No, I have a husband.”
“Give me your telephone number.”
“Sorry, but my husband wouldn’t like that.”
“You are very good! Correct.”
“Goodbye,” I said, turning down the road away from him.
“Goodbye, pretty girl (красавица, not sure how to translate this).”
And that was the end of this conversation! So easy! Why didn’t I think of this earlier? It saves the hassle of arguing about phone numbers, and it gets rid of the guy. It also avoids the second part of the conversation, which is usually when I try to explain why I am not already married. Surprisingly, this is actually very hard to explain. As I’m frequently reminded, 22 is the prime age to get married. Don’t I want to have children? If I do, I better find a husband soon (aka, the guy I’m talking with) because I’m not going to get any prettier and I’m only going to become increasingly more infertile. When I was in Uzbekistan, a woman went even so far as to inquire innocently how many months pregnant I was. She predicted I would have a boy. “I’m not pregnant,” I replied, “Just car sick.”
Ahh, Central Asia! What am I going to do next year without you and without all of your interesting questions?
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Astri's blog
My friend, Astri, keeps a much better blog than me about life in Kazakhstan. Check it out!
