4/29/06
I have always been a strictly corn tortilla girl. However, when I received 2 bottles of hot sauce in the mail from my mom and Grandma Ortega, I gave in and switched to flour. I don’t have the right ingredients to make corn tortillas, but the flour ingredients are here. What I thought would be an easy endeavor turned into 3 hours of me standing over a hotplate, cooking tortillas 1 at a time. I ambitiously made 4 dozen. When I was finished with that I made rice to go with them. I was exhausted, but the food was delicious. Somehow, I always end up covered in flour when I make any kind of dough. It’s as if someone left a child in the kitchen to make dinner.
My students came over to make a piñata for Earth Day. Six students helped, but we didn’t get to decorate. They put the wet newspaper on so thick that it is still drying. It’s been in the sun for 2 days. We have plans to decorate it (like the Earth) in 2 days, but I don’t know if it will be ready. Aigirim and I made chocolate chip cookies while the others did the piñata. They turned into huge cookies taking up the whole pan, but they tasted good. I think it was a successful day.
05.01.06
Yesterday I went to a little village, called Kokoi, about 10 minutes from Talas. RDC conducted training for 3 handicrafts groups and it was held at one group leader’s house. Their property was a small slice of heaven. When I walked through the gate, there was a big concrete walkway of sorts leading along all of the small buildings on the right. Off to the left there was an enclosed gazebo, painted blue & green. It had sheer white fabric over the glass windows and carpets & tushuks laid out inside. I couldn’t even count the number of fruit trees and flower trees in the yard. There was a stone pathway that led either to the exceptionally clean outhouse or through a small apple orchard. Tulips were springing up everywhere (originally from Kyrgyzstan, not Holland) and chickens were running about the yard. There was an elevated platform with blue railings on all sides, where we could sit outside. The gazebo and the sitting area sit beneath huge treas. We arrived in the morning and I love morning sunlight the best. It was a bit cold out with a light breeze which picked up later. Because of the breeze there were blossom petals floating around us all day. Jyldyz, Aigul, and Omurzak (my coworkers) introduced me to the women (about 15), but then had to go back to Talas. There was no getting me out of there – I was hooked. The women were all so nice to me. First, I sat in the gazebo with the women making purses. They asked all of the usual curious questions and told me about themselves. After that, I went to the outdoor sitting area where some women were making a shurdak (felt rug). The trainer told me to sit down and help with the embroidery detail. I sat with them for 4 or 5 hours and didn’t finish much detail. The shurdaks take a long time. We were sitting in the shade with petals falling on the shurdak and us. One woman, Aitbu, was a bit of a nut. She was very insistent that I take a Kyrgyz husband. I always just say maybe later, but she went on about it all day. It finally came out that she wants a contact in America, though she’s not serious. She explained to me that I must always sit on a tushuk otherwise my ovaries will be cold and I can’t have children. In Kyrgyzstan women have 10 or 15 kids, according to Aitbu. She has 7, but says she will die if she has 3 more. She also explained the mating of chickens and circumcision of small boys. Aitbu was certainly the most entertaining of all the ladies.
At lunch, the women gave me the set at the head of the table because it’s supposed to bring you money. At the small closing ‘ceremony’ they presented me with a flower and a ring they’d made of felt. They had been at this fashion design workshop for 4 days. I only came for the last day and they accepted me as one of them. I felt very at home with them.
By the time I left, I had a flock of small girls following behind me. They were enthralled by my digital camera. One little girl in particular loved to see pictures of herself and would jump into every picture I took. All of the children asked me to take several pictures so they could instantly see how they turned out. It wasn’t just the kids though. The adults were as intrigued as the girls. As we would take pictures, I kept hearing “I want to stand by Emelya.”
Another volunteer in Talas doesn’t want people to be taken with the fact that we speak Kyrgyz and not Russian. He thinks that shouldn’t be the reason someone accepts him. I, on the other hand, understand how someone is more inclined to like me when I’m learning their little known language, even though Russian is more beneficial in the long run. And I relish it. It does not get old to me, the change in a person’s demeanor when they realize I’m speaking Kyrgyz. They are impressed – and proud.
That day in Kokoi was refreshing. The trees and flowers were beautiful as were the people. Sitting there sewing a shurdak, I bonded with the women. Though I didn’t listen to everything they said, working side by side with them earned their respect. I hope to go back and spend more time in that village.
