In The News
First I want to give a little shout out to Bowling Green. I saw the news that two alleged Iraqi insurgents were arrested in our fair city. I am glad that the Feds swooped in and got these guys. More importantly to me, I am proud of the people of the town. I did not hear of any protests or bigoted things happening. I took it as a sign that our little city is mature enough to be diverse. Unlike the nuts in other places like Florida and Murfreesboro, which have embarrassed themselves and the rest of the country recently. I thought it important to highlight the news that didn't happen, in the case of BGKY.
Spring and Summer in the Fargona Valley
I wanted to make sure to say what a lovely place this has become. There are lilies and roses in bloom everywhere. The trees are all green. In between the homes and the road are archways covered in grape vines or roses, which are in full foliage. If you look past the beautiful plants, the same poverty and difficult life exists. The beauty does help, especially compared to how bleak the place was in the wintertime. It has been in the 90s most days, hitting 100 only a few times so far. There has been enough rain to keep the flowers blooming and everything green. The fruits and vegetables are delicious. We eat fresh cucumbers and tomatoes everyday. There are more varieties of apricots here than I even knew existed. The strawberries have come and gone but while they lasted they were sweeter than any in our grocery stores, no sweetener required. Now the watermelon is being harvested. It is as good as the ones from Missouri and Arkansas. They have harvested the first crop of wheat and work in the cotton fields everyday. I have my favorite outdoor cafe to get delicious grilled meat, called shashleek (like shish kabob). They also have my favorite Russian beer, Baltika 7, and they will serve it cold. There is another outdoor cafe within walking distance that you can get some ice cream. I get the hand dipped stuff. It has no flavor, not even vanilla. It is ice cream as pure as can be, but it is good. It has been a long and beautiful spring. I expect that it will soon be replaced by nearly unbearable hot dry weather.
An Uzbek Muslim Wedding
On Friday a friend from work told me that he wanted me to experience an Uzbek wedding. His cousin was getting married and he wanted me to come. On Saturday, he spent the day doing traditional wedding things, while I was at work. He picked me up about 4:00 PM and we headed to a restaurant called Tantana, in Asaka. The second floor of the building was set up as a banquet hall, in a very similar manner to any other wedding reception. I would estimate about 150 people attended. The head table was big enough for only four people. The parents of the bride were not in the room. From what I am told, the groom returns his new wife to her family after one week of marriage, at which time they will congratulate the couple and share a celebratory meal. I thought it was a strange custom.
Many in the room made their way up to congratulate the groom. I gave him some money as I had asked someone I respected what was appropriate and he told me. I never met the bride. The friend I went with introduced me to his adorable little boy of one year. Then when we were moving to the other side of the room, because a place had been reserved for us with all of the cousins etc., he dished the cute kid to his wife. He never even stopped for a kiss or to introduce me to her. In the hall, men and women sat at separate tables. The men wore slacks and shirts with collars but no coats or ties, except for the groom and his best man. The women were dressed to the nines. There was a large Tashkent influence in this room. Some of the dresses were cut lower than I had seen in this part of the country. There were many wearing high heels. Even the little girls wore very fancy dresses and had their hair done specially for the event. The bride wore a traditional long white wedding dress with a sheer veil over her face. When the dancing began only the men danced. Gender roles are so different here.
The music was too loud but the band was good. There were laser lights dancing all over the room. The pitiful little air conditioner in the corner was completely inadequate. It was 95 degrees outside. Inside it was hotter. All of the ladies were using hankies or papers to fan themselves. The tables were set with non (traditional bread), salads, fruit, nuts, cakes, pastries, candy and soft drinks. It was not long however, before the vodka appeared. The first course was soup. Uzbeks eat soup everyday, even in the stifling heat. The main course was a dish consisting of beef, buckwheat, a boiled egg, some french fries and a sauce. I don't know what it is called but I have had it before at the plant. It tastes good but I don't think I would ever order it.
After eating, it was time for the wedding ceremony. The couple had been married at a private religious ceremony at the grooms parent home, earlier in the day. The civil ceremony took place after everyone had eaten. The bride and groom proceeded to a table set up in front of the band. The bride finally lifted the veil from her face. There was a women wearing a sash of green, blue and white, evoking the Uzbek flag. She read from a book, I imagine instructing the couple of their new responsibilities. Once complete, each the bride and the groom signed a document. There were rings, as I saw them pass but I did not see the exchange. I think they pretty much just put them on. There was nothing that struck me as if they were saying vows to one another. After the signing, some guys began to pour champagne into traditional glasses which contained cubes of dry ice. The stack of glasses was enveloped in thick white steam. Then the glasses were handed around.
After the ceremony people came to the microphone to wish the couple well. I was called out by one of the cousins to come to the mic. I said something simple like congratulations to you both. I hope that your marriage is long, happy and prosperous, as mine has been. After that I was expected to dance. Very strange, but apparently this is part of how the band is compensated. As the men are dancing, other men come and hand them money. Then a boy, who was affiliated with the band, collected all of the money from the people who were dancing. Somewhere there is video of all of this. I don't expect it to ever be broadcast as from what I understand all of the video would be produced into a montage which would be for the personal use of the bride and groom. That is probably a good thing.
From that point the ceremony continued with drinking and dancing. The couple left, much to my chagrin, in a Camry. Apparently a prestigious car. The groom returned after a short amount of time and the men continued drinking and dancing. I was forward enough to stop my friend the next time we were near his wife, so that I could tell her what a beautiful family she had. He was uncomfortable with it but the women were not. A sister who's husband had been in the USA for six years told me that she could not get a visa to leave the country. They were apparently afraid she would not return. My friend's mother and his little brother gathered with us. His Mom thought maybe I could smuggle her daughter, and her, to the USA with me. I told them security is tight and we would all wind up in jail. She then invited me to their home. At this point we have a plan for after work next Saturday. I am really looking forward to it. After some pictures and socializing a bit, I had my friend help me hire a taxi to get me back to Andijon. In the morning he sent me a text to make sure I was safe.
These people have truly been wonderful to me.
