The only thing that gets Kazakh people in a bigger tizzy than self-protection from the cold, Siberian drafts of winter, is the protection of children from the cold, Siberian drafts of winter. I've determined that wrapping children in the proper amount of clothing is not only a tedious, multi-step chore, but it is also an art form. Usually, children are wearing 5 different layers, along with a scarf tied on the inside of the outer jacket, and a scarf tied on the outside of the outer jacket. As you well know, breathing in cold air will make you sick. Constant vigilance!
In Kazakhstan, children end up being wrapped so tightly that their arms and legs stick out straight and they form (what we in Peace Corps have come to call) a "star baby". The following photos depict varying levels of "star babyness", and you may notice in one of them that the child's feet are missing. This is also common- that the kid is fully dressed and then slid into a protective baby bag suit so no drafts can crawl their way up a loose ankle space.
You would think "Wow, the people of Kazakhstan are pros at keeping a child warm". And you'd be right. But what you don't know is that "star babies" start coming out on the street in SEPTEMBER, well before it drops below freezing, and they remain wrapped as such until May or June. You see these poor kids with a flushed face and you just know it isn't the cold that has brought rosiness to the cheeks, it is heat exhaustion.
#14- Straws:
Kazakhstan has several peculiarities when it comes to beverages. First, ice is never served with a beverage because (like breathing in cold air), sipping on an ice-cold drink will make you sick (read: Coca Cola, take your cutesy, winter, baby polar bear, ice-cold beverage ads somewhere else, Kstan isn't buying it). Second, beverages are sexist.
In Kazakhstan, women are always, always, always served a beverage with a straw. It does not matter the beverage in question, there will be a straw. At first I found this to be rather fantastic, for it meant I did not have to touch the glass when drinking my beverage of choice. But then, as I decided to test out the local brew, I found it highly annoying and embarrassing to be served a (lukewarm, never cold enough) beer WITH A STRAW. That's right. In a bottle, in a pint glass, in a liter glass, and in any other kind of glass you could pour a beer into--there is also a straw, floating around with my hops and barley like a party pooper who came to ruin my buzz. Call me old-fashioned, or just call me American, but my beer should never be served with anything but a lemon for my wheats, and a lime and salt for my Mexican lovelies. It goes without saying that you just pop the top on the dark and dirties and slide 'em down the bar.
A straw? Really? What are you doing with yourself, Kazakhstan.
In Kazakhstan, women are always, always, always served a beverage with a straw. It does not matter the beverage in question, there will be a straw. At first I found this to be rather fantastic, for it meant I did not have to touch the glass when drinking my beverage of choice. But then, as I decided to test out the local brew, I found it highly annoying and embarrassing to be served a (lukewarm, never cold enough) beer WITH A STRAW. That's right. In a bottle, in a pint glass, in a liter glass, and in any other kind of glass you could pour a beer into--there is also a straw, floating around with my hops and barley like a party pooper who came to ruin my buzz. Call me old-fashioned, or just call me American, but my beer should never be served with anything but a lemon for my wheats, and a lime and salt for my Mexican lovelies. It goes without saying that you just pop the top on the dark and dirties and slide 'em down the bar.
A straw? Really? What are you doing with yourself, Kazakhstan.
#13- Packets:
Kazakhstan cracks me up sometimes, and I don't know how to explain this one to you other than like this: in Kazakhstan, everyone is very stylish and put together. Appearances are everything, and everyone goes through great lengths to look a certain way. Men almost always wear suits on the street, or at least black slacks with leather loafers, and women look as though they spent 2 hours getting ready. Because they did.
Amid this stylin' culture is something that we, in America, would consider to be the antithesis of fashion: the plastic baggy. For us, the plastic baggy helps transport our groceries from the store to the pantry, serves as a garbage bag for those mini-waste baskets that are sometimes in bathrooms, or, in the case of my family, are turned into bubble-wrap/peanut substitutes, used for padding items in a care package destined for Kazakhstan. If our plastic baggies are not dutifully serving us in these ways, they are floating around in the Ocean killing fish, or overflowing from one of those pantry plastic baggy organizer things.
In Kazakhstan, plastic baggies are called "packets" (emphases on packETs, not pACkets) and in addition to all of the common usages of plastic baggies, they are also an acceptable handbag. It's true. Packets are used as a tote bag, and men, women, children, grandmas and everyone else in-between lug their belongings around in these plastic bags, which are constantly re-used. And it's so funny because of the standard of appearances which must always be maintained! Imagine being decked out in your best work attire, accessories, and makeup, and then carrying around a plastic Dillard's bag (sometimes in addition to your real purse, sometimes not).
And don't worry, should your packet break on the street, you can always buy a new one an assortment of kiosks. Everyone sells them. Everyone. Why? Because everyone uses them. Including me.
Amid this stylin' culture is something that we, in America, would consider to be the antithesis of fashion: the plastic baggy. For us, the plastic baggy helps transport our groceries from the store to the pantry, serves as a garbage bag for those mini-waste baskets that are sometimes in bathrooms, or, in the case of my family, are turned into bubble-wrap/peanut substitutes, used for padding items in a care package destined for Kazakhstan. If our plastic baggies are not dutifully serving us in these ways, they are floating around in the Ocean killing fish, or overflowing from one of those pantry plastic baggy organizer things.
In Kazakhstan, plastic baggies are called "packets" (emphases on packETs, not pACkets) and in addition to all of the common usages of plastic baggies, they are also an acceptable handbag. It's true. Packets are used as a tote bag, and men, women, children, grandmas and everyone else in-between lug their belongings around in these plastic bags, which are constantly re-used. And it's so funny because of the standard of appearances which must always be maintained! Imagine being decked out in your best work attire, accessories, and makeup, and then carrying around a plastic Dillard's bag (sometimes in addition to your real purse, sometimes not).
And don't worry, should your packet break on the street, you can always buy a new one an assortment of kiosks. Everyone sells them. Everyone. Why? Because everyone uses them. Including me.
#12- Man Purses:
As much as a man in Kazakhstan is a true man's man, there are a couple of cultural tidbits that sometimes stick out to me. First, men are not afraid to be affectionate with each other in this culture, and can be seen with their arms around each other, speaking very closely face to face, or otherwise sharing the same personal space bubble. Second, men carry man purses, or for our purposes here, murses.
I had never really seen a murse in America, though I would not be surprised if they have become common during my absence, since apparently men are now wearing skinny jeans and sporting the Justin Bieber hair flip. But here I digress. Anyway, murses were a new thing for me when I arrived to Kazakhstan, and just like the packet, they can be seen quite frequently. The contents of murses, usually a small leather bag with a skinny leather strap, hanging diagonally across the body, are a mystery to me. I mean I don't see why women need to carry a purse, so I certainly don't see why men would have any quantity of personal belongings that exceed one's pocket space. But to each their own, I guess. Maybe it's European, chuckle chuckle.
I had never really seen a murse in America, though I would not be surprised if they have become common during my absence, since apparently men are now wearing skinny jeans and sporting the Justin Bieber hair flip. But here I digress. Anyway, murses were a new thing for me when I arrived to Kazakhstan, and just like the packet, they can be seen quite frequently. The contents of murses, usually a small leather bag with a skinny leather strap, hanging diagonally across the body, are a mystery to me. I mean I don't see why women need to carry a purse, so I certainly don't see why men would have any quantity of personal belongings that exceed one's pocket space. But to each their own, I guess. Maybe it's European, chuckle chuckle.
#11- Say Hi!
Though the local culture is not big on "please" and "thank you", there is definitely a sense of social etiquette/politeness when it comes to entering or leaving a room. Upon entering a room, you should always, always, always greet every single person. And I don't just mean a general "good morning" under your breath, I mean a concentrated effort to say hello to each and every individual in the room (though sometimes you can get away with a "hello everybody here" sentence, if you put emphasis on the "everybody", but this should be used sparingly lest they think you're unwilling to greet people).
However, if you're a man, there is no bending the social expectation, because men must take it a step farther and shake hands with EVERY other man in the room. It's true. Imagine going to your office and instead of doling out the morning head nods on your walk to your desk, you have to stop and shake hands with every other male. Even the ones outside of your direct path. Even the ones you don't even know. And every man who comes in after you must do the same thing.
If you're a woman, you get no hand-shake, but if you think in terms of germs and not feminism, this is a desirable thing.
The same holds true for leaving a room- if you do not say good-bye to everyone (men, get ready for round 2 of shaking) then you have made a grave cultural misstep. You might be sitting there at home thinking "Oh it can't really be that stringent", and you're WRONG. Peace Corps Volunteers don't take this seriously at first, and on numerous occasions, Peace Corps staff has had to intervene in a cultural misunderstanding because host organizations think that Americans are rude. Truth.
However, if you're a man, there is no bending the social expectation, because men must take it a step farther and shake hands with EVERY other man in the room. It's true. Imagine going to your office and instead of doling out the morning head nods on your walk to your desk, you have to stop and shake hands with every other male. Even the ones outside of your direct path. Even the ones you don't even know. And every man who comes in after you must do the same thing.
If you're a woman, you get no hand-shake, but if you think in terms of germs and not feminism, this is a desirable thing.
The same holds true for leaving a room- if you do not say good-bye to everyone (men, get ready for round 2 of shaking) then you have made a grave cultural misstep. You might be sitting there at home thinking "Oh it can't really be that stringent", and you're WRONG. Peace Corps Volunteers don't take this seriously at first, and on numerous occasions, Peace Corps staff has had to intervene in a cultural misunderstanding because host organizations think that Americans are rude. Truth.
***Please see my disclaimer on the top right corner.
Hilary,
ReplyDeleteLove the bit about greeting EVERYONE in the room every time you enter one. In Senegal both women and men are expected to greet each person and shake their hand. I still love entering a room, going to work, etc. and NOT having to greet everyone!
Cindy