This statement can really be interpreted two ways – angry and nonchalant. During my first week in the South I experienced both.
Currently it’s Ramadan, a Muslim holiday that last one month. Observers do not eat while the sun is up. Many will wake up at 4 am for breakfast then go back to sleep. Dinner is usually served around 7:30pm. In honor of Muhammad, the fast is typically broken with a small cup of water and dates. I think these were his vittles during a long stay in the desert.....
Anyhoo - I really am trying to be sensitive to those fasting all day around me. I drink water when no one is looking and take my lunch away from the office. Kyrgyzstan has it's own versions of fast food but No one eats or drinks on the go like we do in America. To go cups don’t exist. Neither do doggie bags or drive-thrus. On Tuesday I actually drank my coffee in a thermos on the way to work! That’s so American, right? [A small shout out to the New Yorkers. My travel mug is from the Strand. 18 miles of books!] Sometimes it’s impossible for me not to eat in public. Take for example, the samsa. Samsas are flakey square hot pockets of deliciousness sold by street vendors. Usually they are filled with meat and onions or potatoes and currently with pumpkin! Being the true American that I am, I eat my samsa on the run between work and home and shopping. I just don't know where to go to eat my lunch right now since everyone is fasting. There are few to zero benches and I'm definitely not sitting on the steps of a building. Its way too dirty here for that.
On the other hand, just because I’m an American don’t assume you can overcharge me. Yesterday morning I went to an IP telephone shop to call Papa OJ (my grandpa) and wish him a happy birthday. He’s 88 years young! We had a great conversation. It was amazing to hear his voice and I know he appreciated hearing mine! My host brother told me the charge was 5 soms per minute. That seemed a fair price since Bishkek and Kant charged a som or two less. I finished with my call and the attendant said it was 12 soms per minute! I couldn’t believe it! I was frustrated because I knew exactly what she doing. I was prepared to pay the exorbitant fee but insisted she give me a receipt spelling out exactly how much she charged me. She changed her tune pretty quickly. The price was immediately cut in half. I was still overcharged by a som per minute. I would have argued it further but I had to go to work. Did I mention I did this all in Russian?? Go me!! This is the second time someone has tried to charge me twice as much for goods. Over the weekend I found the most adorable Italian coat at a second hand shop. The lady tried to charge me 400 soms for it! I looked at her and was like, “It’s not new.” Again, the price was cut in half. I didn’t buy the coat. All trust was lost. Seriously. Shopping in Kyrgyzstan is like shopping for a car all the time. People are nice here but do your homework before you go!
Other than that, life in the south is grand. Aaron will be here in a few days and I already have lots of adventures in mind - Mount Sulieman, a day hike to see petroglyphs and a waterfall, museums, the park, a trip to see my language teacher, hopefully a weekend in Bishkek and of course lots of eating. There are at least three traditional dishes in Kyrgyztan - Plov (rice), Lagman (soup with noodles) and Mahnti (dumplings). And of course, lots of tea. He'll even be coming with me to work! He's agreed to teach a brief tutorial on web design as well as spend some time at the center for children. We'll play some American games and make them an American lunch like Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Currently it’s Ramadan, a Muslim holiday that last one month. Observers do not eat while the sun is up. Many will wake up at 4 am for breakfast then go back to sleep. Dinner is usually served around 7:30pm. In honor of Muhammad, the fast is typically broken with a small cup of water and dates. I think these were his vittles during a long stay in the desert.....
Anyhoo - I really am trying to be sensitive to those fasting all day around me. I drink water when no one is looking and take my lunch away from the office. Kyrgyzstan has it's own versions of fast food but No one eats or drinks on the go like we do in America. To go cups don’t exist. Neither do doggie bags or drive-thrus. On Tuesday I actually drank my coffee in a thermos on the way to work! That’s so American, right? [A small shout out to the New Yorkers. My travel mug is from the Strand. 18 miles of books!] Sometimes it’s impossible for me not to eat in public. Take for example, the samsa. Samsas are flakey square hot pockets of deliciousness sold by street vendors. Usually they are filled with meat and onions or potatoes and currently with pumpkin! Being the true American that I am, I eat my samsa on the run between work and home and shopping. I just don't know where to go to eat my lunch right now since everyone is fasting. There are few to zero benches and I'm definitely not sitting on the steps of a building. Its way too dirty here for that.
On the other hand, just because I’m an American don’t assume you can overcharge me. Yesterday morning I went to an IP telephone shop to call Papa OJ (my grandpa) and wish him a happy birthday. He’s 88 years young! We had a great conversation. It was amazing to hear his voice and I know he appreciated hearing mine! My host brother told me the charge was 5 soms per minute. That seemed a fair price since Bishkek and Kant charged a som or two less. I finished with my call and the attendant said it was 12 soms per minute! I couldn’t believe it! I was frustrated because I knew exactly what she doing. I was prepared to pay the exorbitant fee but insisted she give me a receipt spelling out exactly how much she charged me. She changed her tune pretty quickly. The price was immediately cut in half. I was still overcharged by a som per minute. I would have argued it further but I had to go to work. Did I mention I did this all in Russian?? Go me!! This is the second time someone has tried to charge me twice as much for goods. Over the weekend I found the most adorable Italian coat at a second hand shop. The lady tried to charge me 400 soms for it! I looked at her and was like, “It’s not new.” Again, the price was cut in half. I didn’t buy the coat. All trust was lost. Seriously. Shopping in Kyrgyzstan is like shopping for a car all the time. People are nice here but do your homework before you go!
Other than that, life in the south is grand. Aaron will be here in a few days and I already have lots of adventures in mind - Mount Sulieman, a day hike to see petroglyphs and a waterfall, museums, the park, a trip to see my language teacher, hopefully a weekend in Bishkek and of course lots of eating. There are at least three traditional dishes in Kyrgyztan - Plov (rice), Lagman (soup with noodles) and Mahnti (dumplings). And of course, lots of tea. He'll even be coming with me to work! He's agreed to teach a brief tutorial on web design as well as spend some time at the center for children. We'll play some American games and make them an American lunch like Peanut Butter and Jelly.
And that picture totally unrelated to the blog? That was my last day of language class. I also posted more pictures on my flickr page! Hope you have time to check them out!