Time in Almaty continues to be a quest to discover truth from fiction…understanding the things I see around me and making some sense of it in terms of the culture which I am observing…again, I am forced to realize that my glimpse of life here is but a fleeting one and I am just looking at the surface image without any real knowledge of whether what I see is simply the reality of that particular street corner on which I sit, or some overall insight into Kazakh society.
Luckily, I have a good guide to help me navigate these questions…Nadira Berdali came to me by accident/chance/karma or kismet…take your pick…at any rate this young woman who has a world class smile and spirit to match has been a font of information. I had written to several people on Facebook to try to make contact with people there before we left. Nadira was the only one to respond, and if I send out a thousand requests, her's would be the best one from whom to receive a reply. I learned so much from her, and she allowed me to see Almaty in ways that would otherwise been mis-interpreted or just otherwise lost...and she did it with charm, grace and a bright spirit that was enhanced by her continual wonderful smile.
For example. we have been keenly aware of our own insignificance as we walk down the street and it is as if we were not even there…Unlike Uzbeks, who are eager to make eye contact and where you can almost get tired of smiling and greeting people…here in Almaty, no heads turn, no smiles are reflected, no greetings offered…Nadira, and her friend, Aidana, explained that part of it is because Kazaks are very used to foreigners…there is a very large foreign footprint here in Almaty, the old capital of Kazakhstan. In fact, when Nadira took us to the Art Museum, one section portrays modern life and there is a huge display of Chevron’s influence and impact here…shortly after independence in 1991, western companies clamored to get a foothold in the oil rich nation…but who ever said that Oil and politics didn’t mix. So Kazakhs are used to seeing non-Central Asians and don’t take notice…but they also acknowledged that it is part of the national character…It’s not that they are a dour people…there is much joy in the street…people laugh and have animated conversations amongst themselves, but they are indifferent to what they don’t know…They look straight ahead in unwavering fashion if they walk by themselves, taking no notice of foreigners or other locals…On the occasion where they do look at you, as soon as you return the look, they quickly look away as if they have violated some code. This indifference borders on rudeness/hostility in many cases where you try to get a smile from one of them and they just glare back at you as our hotel clerk does…no political correctness here.
In fairness, in most cases where we have needed help, Kazakhs have been very helpful and friendly, but you must almost block their pathway, or interrupt conversations to get their attention because they won’t stop to see what you need unless almost forced to do so…so there are some cultural factors working here that we aren’t tuned in to.
Public affection amongst young people has also been a real surprise. My young Uzbek friends would never think of private affection with someone who is not their husband, here couples snuggle on park benches, walk down the street holding hands, and grab a quick hug while waiting for the traffic light to change…This has a lot to do with the fact that Islam is less a part of everyday life here in Almaty…very few head scarves are worn by women, no calls to prayer float across the air and we saw only one mosque in all our traipsing across the city. Kazakhstan is so huge a country, that, Nadira said we would gain a different feel in other parts of the country…Much like the US, it is difficult to make generalizations because of regional lore….I would hate to have US culture judged In its entirety by Selma, Alabama.
Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet “Republics” to gain independence…and like Uzbekistan, the President under Soviet rule, has been able to maintain his hold on power in the 22 years since independence…unfortunately, our contacts here will not permit any kind of political discussion. I’m very hopeful that it will be different in Uzbekistan when we get there..We have been invited into many homes, will stay in several and I am hopeful to gain some insight to political life, post Soviet style.
As we continue to observe life in Almaty, the only gauge we have is to compare and contrast with what we know in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, long hair on the girls is a source of pride, but here in Kazakhstan, long hair is more of an anomaly. Most have it shoulder length or slightly longer where they can put it into the ever-present single pony tail. Neither Nadira nor Aidana has hair long enough to configure in that way. It is more difficult to care for shorter hair Nadira says, and both girls felt that they were more fashionable with the shorter hair….contrasting views of the various impacts of fashion over tradition. Shows how little I know…I just assumed that longer hair was more difficult…the older I get, the more I realize how little I know about women…which will come as no surprise to the women in my life.
Almaty is the cultural, educational, and university center of Kazakhstan, whereas Astana is the political capital…It was deemed so following independence when they moved the capital to the center of the country, a la Brasilia. They have created some spectacular architecture in Astana to give the capital some gravitas that it didn’t possess before.
Another contrast between the two countries is that the Uzbek girls constantly feel that men get many more privileges than the females..guys can travel abroad but females can’t. Girls are expected to marry before the age of 21 in most cases, but guys can wait till later, guys can choose their careers, but females have acceptable careers that are deemed proper. Here in Kazakhstan, girls are not put under any kind of pressure to marry young…Nadira is 25 and thinks she will wait until she is 30 before marrying without any parental pressure to do so, something unheard of in Uzbekistan…she feels parental support to follow her dreams and figure them out for herself. She plans on studying abroad with the moral and emotional support of her parents to do so. I have no doubt she will be successful in whatever she attempts.
Kids in Uzbekistan constantly complain about having to grease the palms of individuals in power positions to get what they should be entitled to by ability and talent…Neither Nadira nor Aidana felt that this is a big problem here in Kazakhstan. They acknowledged that there is some graft and corruption, but that it was not nearly as bad as that portrayed by their Uzbek counterparts. I have some Uzbek friends who were not forced to work in the cotton fields because dad knew somebody who knew somebody and money was exchanged for some avoidance of working in the fields, for example.
And so, as our very limited time in Kazakhstan ends, I’m feeling that I leave with a very narrow view of life here for the people, but also with the knowledge that of all the Kazakhs there were to meet, I found the perfect one to give me positive view of the people and I know that Nadira’s spirit, laughter and smile will stay with me always…Kazakhstan is Nadira.
For example. we have been keenly aware of our own insignificance as we walk down the street and it is as if we were not even there…Unlike Uzbeks, who are eager to make eye contact and where you can almost get tired of smiling and greeting people…here in Almaty, no heads turn, no smiles are reflected, no greetings offered…Nadira, and her friend, Aidana, explained that part of it is because Kazaks are very used to foreigners…there is a very large foreign footprint here in Almaty, the old capital of Kazakhstan. In fact, when Nadira took us to the Art Museum, one section portrays modern life and there is a huge display of Chevron’s influence and impact here…shortly after independence in 1991, western companies clamored to get a foothold in the oil rich nation…but who ever said that Oil and politics didn’t mix. So Kazakhs are used to seeing non-Central Asians and don’t take notice…but they also acknowledged that it is part of the national character…It’s not that they are a dour people…there is much joy in the street…people laugh and have animated conversations amongst themselves, but they are indifferent to what they don’t know…They look straight ahead in unwavering fashion if they walk by themselves, taking no notice of foreigners or other locals…On the occasion where they do look at you, as soon as you return the look, they quickly look away as if they have violated some code. This indifference borders on rudeness/hostility in many cases where you try to get a smile from one of them and they just glare back at you as our hotel clerk does…no political correctness here.
In fairness, in most cases where we have needed help, Kazakhs have been very helpful and friendly, but you must almost block their pathway, or interrupt conversations to get their attention because they won’t stop to see what you need unless almost forced to do so…so there are some cultural factors working here that we aren’t tuned in to.
Public affection amongst young people has also been a real surprise. My young Uzbek friends would never think of private affection with someone who is not their husband, here couples snuggle on park benches, walk down the street holding hands, and grab a quick hug while waiting for the traffic light to change…This has a lot to do with the fact that Islam is less a part of everyday life here in Almaty…very few head scarves are worn by women, no calls to prayer float across the air and we saw only one mosque in all our traipsing across the city. Kazakhstan is so huge a country, that, Nadira said we would gain a different feel in other parts of the country…Much like the US, it is difficult to make generalizations because of regional lore….I would hate to have US culture judged In its entirety by Selma, Alabama.
Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet “Republics” to gain independence…and like Uzbekistan, the President under Soviet rule, has been able to maintain his hold on power in the 22 years since independence…unfortunately, our contacts here will not permit any kind of political discussion. I’m very hopeful that it will be different in Uzbekistan when we get there..We have been invited into many homes, will stay in several and I am hopeful to gain some insight to political life, post Soviet style.
As we continue to observe life in Almaty, the only gauge we have is to compare and contrast with what we know in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, long hair on the girls is a source of pride, but here in Kazakhstan, long hair is more of an anomaly. Most have it shoulder length or slightly longer where they can put it into the ever-present single pony tail. Neither Nadira nor Aidana has hair long enough to configure in that way. It is more difficult to care for shorter hair Nadira says, and both girls felt that they were more fashionable with the shorter hair….contrasting views of the various impacts of fashion over tradition. Shows how little I know…I just assumed that longer hair was more difficult…the older I get, the more I realize how little I know about women…which will come as no surprise to the women in my life.
Almaty is the cultural, educational, and university center of Kazakhstan, whereas Astana is the political capital…It was deemed so following independence when they moved the capital to the center of the country, a la Brasilia. They have created some spectacular architecture in Astana to give the capital some gravitas that it didn’t possess before.
Another contrast between the two countries is that the Uzbek girls constantly feel that men get many more privileges than the females..guys can travel abroad but females can’t. Girls are expected to marry before the age of 21 in most cases, but guys can wait till later, guys can choose their careers, but females have acceptable careers that are deemed proper. Here in Kazakhstan, girls are not put under any kind of pressure to marry young…Nadira is 25 and thinks she will wait until she is 30 before marrying without any parental pressure to do so, something unheard of in Uzbekistan…she feels parental support to follow her dreams and figure them out for herself. She plans on studying abroad with the moral and emotional support of her parents to do so. I have no doubt she will be successful in whatever she attempts.
Kids in Uzbekistan constantly complain about having to grease the palms of individuals in power positions to get what they should be entitled to by ability and talent…Neither Nadira nor Aidana felt that this is a big problem here in Kazakhstan. They acknowledged that there is some graft and corruption, but that it was not nearly as bad as that portrayed by their Uzbek counterparts. I have some Uzbek friends who were not forced to work in the cotton fields because dad knew somebody who knew somebody and money was exchanged for some avoidance of working in the fields, for example.
And so, as our very limited time in Kazakhstan ends, I’m feeling that I leave with a very narrow view of life here for the people, but also with the knowledge that of all the Kazakhs there were to meet, I found the perfect one to give me positive view of the people and I know that Nadira’s spirit, laughter and smile will stay with me always…Kazakhstan is Nadira.
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