Thanksgiving in KG
Devin and I have been keeping busy with guesting, studying, and working. Last week we went to a huge wedding party in our host’s family’s hometown (village). It was held outside and it was super cold, but there was a lot of dancing, hot tea, and vodka to keep everyone warm. Devin and I were surprised half-way through the party when we heard our names called over the microphone. They asked us to make a speech in Kyrgyz in front of about 200 people. You can probably imagine how incredibly nervous we were. We did okay though, and the DJ got the crowd clapping for us, so it wasn’t too awkward. The rest of the night the DJ talked about the “Americans from Cal-ee-for-nee-a.” And a woman gave me a headscarf as a gift (which is an honor), so despite the intimidating speech and the cold, it was a really fun night.
Just the other day we had a big event–“the first snow” of the year. It was beautiful to see the snowfall. Everything was so white. This is so different for us Californians because we’re used to driving to the snow, and now we’re living in it. It also got really cold, really fast, so Devin and I are trying to keep cozy in our room.
It was a little tough to be away home for the holidays. We really miss everyone back home and miss the things we know. There are so many changes and confusing things going on here, but we are coping. The emails and calls from you all are pretty amazing though. And we’ve also received several packages, which included some wrapped Christmas presents. So Devin and I decided to make this holiday a Thanksgiving/Christmas festival. We even videotaped ourselves unwrapping the gifts, so we can send it home to the family. Thanks moms and dads!
On Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner with one of our Kyrgyz friends here. He is our Kyrgyz language teacher, and we have lessons and dinner with his family twice a week. So for our lesson, I made apple pie and they made pumpkin manty (like a potsticker), and it was like our own Thanksgiving in Kyrgyzstan. The apple pie was delicious, but of course not as good as Mom’s pie. =)
We also had a Thanksgiving dinner with other volunteers. We bought a (live) turkey from a village, and the vegetarians who cooked it did an awesome job. We also had mashed potatoes and gravy, honey-glazed carrots, pumpkin soup, stuffing, chocolate truffles, apple pie, nut pie, pear-vanilla pie, and a pumpkin pastry. Everything was home-made (even the truffles)! I made the mashed potatoes, and luckily, we have three volunteers where are practically gourmet chefs. I never imagined that I’d have this kind of Thanksgiving here in KG. We hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays to everyone.
Just the other day we had a big event–“the first snow” of the year. It was beautiful to see the snowfall. Everything was so white. This is so different for us Californians because we’re used to driving to the snow, and now we’re living in it. It also got really cold, really fast, so Devin and I are trying to keep cozy in our room.
It was a little tough to be away home for the holidays. We really miss everyone back home and miss the things we know. There are so many changes and confusing things going on here, but we are coping. The emails and calls from you all are pretty amazing though. And we’ve also received several packages, which included some wrapped Christmas presents. So Devin and I decided to make this holiday a Thanksgiving/Christmas festival. We even videotaped ourselves unwrapping the gifts, so we can send it home to the family. Thanks moms and dads!
On Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner with one of our Kyrgyz friends here. He is our Kyrgyz language teacher, and we have lessons and dinner with his family twice a week. So for our lesson, I made apple pie and they made pumpkin manty (like a potsticker), and it was like our own Thanksgiving in Kyrgyzstan. The apple pie was delicious, but of course not as good as Mom’s pie. =)
We also had a Thanksgiving dinner with other volunteers. We bought a (live) turkey from a village, and the vegetarians who cooked it did an awesome job. We also had mashed potatoes and gravy, honey-glazed carrots, pumpkin soup, stuffing, chocolate truffles, apple pie, nut pie, pear-vanilla pie, and a pumpkin pastry. Everything was home-made (even the truffles)! I made the mashed potatoes, and luckily, we have three volunteers where are practically gourmet chefs. I never imagined that I’d have this kind of Thanksgiving here in KG. We hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays to everyone.
posted by Devin at 8:19 PM
0 comments
