On Warmth and Such...

If there's one thing that Kyrgyz people like to do it's get warm and stay warm. That said it is also mandatory for all of those in the company of the Kyrgyz people to do the same. If you know me, and I think you do, you know that I, nine times out of ten, would rather be cold than hot. It's definately not my style to be strolling about in April in a huge coat, winter hat and fuzzy gloves. That's where some conflict between the Kyrgyz people and I comes into play.

I'm getting ready to go to school in the morning and the sun is shining; radiating from its loins heaps of radiation. And yes, the sun has loins. I've asked him. Haven't spoken to the moon though. She's grumpy in the wee hours of the night and that's when I go to bed. Anyway, on days such as these I will refuse to wear my bulky winter hat, opting for the lighter and more collapsable topu in its stead. At the point at which my eje sees me leaving un-bundled-up she will always say, "but you will catch cold and die!" "That's ok." I say. At which point my chong ene steps onto the scene and lets her loud-when-she-wants-it-to-be voice rip: "you'll catch cold and die a slow, painful, agonizing and horrible death you stupid kid! Put the freakin warm hat on!" At which point I walk out the door with my supposed tail between my legs. Hat on and all. You definately do not want to piss off chong ene!

Another instance of my submission to the powerful Kyrgyz voice occured this past Saturday. I was at the moncho (or bath house) in Karakol with Temurlan and I finished monchoing awhile before him, so I went outside to brush my hair. One thing you never do in Kyrgyzstan is go outside with wet hair without your head all bandaged up in hats, scarves and whatnot. Well, I was outside basking in the fresh January air when an older female attendant of the moncho comes shrieking out of the office. She stands screaming at an intimidated me and drags me inside, unconcerned with my own wishes. There she makes me sit several inches from a heater for ten minutes while she does more shrieking and said, I'm sure, a few words that one wouldn't repeat to grandmother. The whole time I had to "pull in the reigns" to keep myself from laughing. Besides, I am the kid who used to run around outside (much the same as a banshee) in a t-shirt while the puffy white flakes fell all around me!



Answers to your questions:

How do you say sister in Kyrgyz?
"sister in Kyrgyz" obviosly! duh!
(haha! that was funny. i amuse myself.)
sister= karendash (the first "a" is soft. if the first "a" is hard it means "pencil"
I had a lot of fun made at my expense by my training group.
"My pencil is very nice." I'll get you yet Dan!)

No, Chong Ene is not in charge of the family. I am! MuaHaHa!!!!!!!!



Hey! More people write questions! I like to answer them. It makes me feel smart. It only takes a second to do! You can do this!