Sunday, January 3, 2010

Home (to T-stan) for the Holidays

I have learned a couple of things about celebrating Christian/American holidays in Muslim/foreign countries.

First and foremost, the best part is you still get a full set of holidays on top of the Christian/American ones! All kids know that this means double the excitement, double the presents, double the excitement, and double the food.

I have also learned that every English teacher is fully expected to not only know and be able to sing Jingle Bells well, but also to produce the soundtrack. After a number of requests from my teachers, I put out feelers. I asked my site mate who produced a number of Christmas favorites including Rudolph. I also asked other volunteers in the area who also handed over their bounty of Christmas music. To my surprise and disappointment, Jingle Bells was absent from the whole lot. It wasn’t until I confided my embarrassing dilemma to a host country national friend that I finally got my hands on the music. HA! Goodness. Only then did I notice that a number of the other teachers had downloaded Jingle Bells for their latest ring tone. Oh, technology! Ha!

Finally, I have learned that there are a number of theories and practices behind gift giving. In the US, we do our best to buy what we think the other person needs or wants. Despite our best efforts, we often fail in our gift buying endeavors hence the existence of gift receipts and gift cards. In Turkmenistan, there are varying levels of gift givers. Most volunteers are mere amateurs. We pick up chocolates or cookies to take with us when we go guesting and maybe, just maybe try to acquire flowers for Women’s Day. We are last minute, low cost, low effort gifters. Shame on us! Then there are level two gift givers. My host mother is a level two. She has a perpetual stock of chocolates. Her chocolates range in quality and price. She is prepared for surprise guesting or surprise holidays. Also in this middle category is the single gift giver. This person has had success in the past with a certain gift, say a ceramic statue of two kids holding hands. This person will then give this gift for any and every occasion with no fear of repeat gifting. After all, one is better than two. Finally, there is the extreme gifter. This person has a wardrobe set aside entirely for gifts. These gifts include chocolates, cookies, lotions, ceramic statues, underwear, towels of all shapes, colors, and sizes, material for dresses, underwear, and stuffed animals. This person is ready for anything: for guests who bring gifts and must be given gifts in return, for hodyaloy (giving thanks to God by giving things to other people), birthdays, holidays, and every other gift-giving situation imaginable.

I also learned some important difference between the way we celebrate Christmas and the way Turkmen celebrate New Years.
1) In T-stan, Santa does not have a wife. He has a very young, very attractive granddaughter. My students were astounded when I told them that Santa had a wife and even more astounded when I told them that she is old.
2) Santa’s suit does not necessarily have to be red. Often his suite is blue. This is strange to me.
3) Children do not rush of to bed on New Year’s Eve. Quite the contrary. They stay up as late as possible. For this reason, there is not designated time for Santa’s arrival. The presents simply materialize. As a result, most children never actually believed in Santa.
4) All salads have either mayonnaise or oil. But this holds true of all salads everywhere on Christmas, New Years, or any other day of the year. Noteably lacking from these salads is lettuce.
5) Turkmen children are fundamentally different from American children. My host sister turned down pumpkin pie in favor of a second huge chunk of duck meat which she ate happily with her fingers, the grease all over her face and hands.

All in all, I had a fabulous Christmas and New Years. For Christmas I wrapped presents with my host mom for my host sisters. Then enjoyed the surprise of Christmas morning. I made stockings out of an old dress and an old scarf and gave one to my host mom filled with goodies. She gave me a nice brocade jewelry box. I wore read stockings and a red sweater to the institute and pranced around with garland around my neck singing Rudolph with my students. My teachers bought me a large plush pink bathrobe for Christmas and gifted it to me at the end of the day. My sitemate and I made chicken cachitore, salad, and cake for my host family.

New Years was a bit more low key. I helped my host mom cook a bit, we all dressed up in our holiday finest, and then we sat down for a feast. A little later, I took a walk with my host sister. Then I fell asleep a little bit before 12. It was wonderful. I’m kind of a grandma.

That’s all for now! Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all the best in the New Year!