Kazakhstan Reflections Part 2 - Destination: Kazakhstan

Many times in my life, I have daydreamt about visiting other countries as a tourist.  Japan, the Caribbean, Switzerland, Italy…but I never thought that the first country outside of North America that I would travel to would be Kazakhstan.  You don’t really hear about Kazakhstan much unless it is in reference to the movie Borat.  Many people don’t realize that it is the 9^th largest country in the world (four times the size of Texas) and is the world’s largest landlocked country.  Or that it became an independent country in 1991 when the remnants of the USSR dissolved.  They don’t know that just over 70% of the population are Muslim and that just over 26% are Christian.

But can you really reduce a description of a country to mere statistics and still maintain an authentic picture of the country and its people?  No, you cannot.  So I will share with you a bit of the culture.

The People

Demographically speaking, the largest ethnic majority groups in Kazakhstan are the Kazak and Russians.  You can generally distinguish between either of these groups, but sometimes it is very hard to tell what someone’s ethnicity might be.

Photo taken as one of our school shows

Russians are fairly easy to identify as they mostly have lighter skin and eyes.  Their occupation in Kazakhstan goes as far back as the 1700s when they came down from the north and settled in the land of the Kazak people.  It is only recently (since the dissolution of the Soviet Union) that Kazakhstan has returned again to the Kazak as the rightful people of the nation.  Even so, many Russians live in Kazakhstan though their presence is in slow decline.

The Kazak people can usually be distinguished by their darker skin.  Their ethnic origin is complex, but it is usually said that they are the descendants of ancient tribes from the Central Asian grasslands, including Huns, Turks, Mongols and various Chinese tribes.  By the 15^th Century, they became an official ethnic group under the Kazak regime.  As a result of this, some of them look more like Turks, others like Mongols, and some more like Chinese.

The name Kazak is taken from an ancient myth of a chieftain named Kalaqiahader who was wounded in war.  A white swan then came to him in his wounded state and rescued him from the battle.  The white swan then turned into a beautiful maiden and married the man.  They gave birth to a boy, who was named Kazak, which means “white swan” or “freeman”.  Even today, they hold the swan in high regard as the symbol and origin of beauty and love.

The Language

The official language of Kazakhstan is Kazak, but Russian is also spoken most everywhere.  When we were staying there, we had translators who were able to translate both of these languages, but for the most part we were translating to Russian.

In fact, the first couple of days we didn’t have any translators, so we were forced to play Charades as our host, named Pavel, made mad gestures and sound effects in an attempt to explain something to us.  We were lucky to have Graham with us for he spoke some Russian and understood words which in many cases helped us understand the meaning behind Pavel’s waving arms and amusing noises.

The Food

When I came to Kazakhstan, I had absolutely no clue as to what they ate.  Then, when I found out what they ate, I was like “This makes sense”.

The Kazak diet is rich in meat and wheat flour, and I suspect that this diet has rubbed off on the Russian population as well.  Also, because of the Kazak’s Islamic faith, there are no pigs there (at least I didn’t see one) for pork is an unclean meat.  So instead, we were forced to eat lamb, beef, most likely goat, chicken, possibly donkey, and most definitely horse.  The meats were amazing and cooked in a way that they were always moist and flavourful…but I digress.

Shashlik

Meats and vegetables are usually contained in a broth or sauce of some sort, and then served over rice or as a stew.  Na’an bread is served at every meal, as is tea (which they call “chai”) of the black and green variety.  The black tea helps break down fats and grease from the food, while the green tea is more for settling your stomach and putting you to sleep.

Breakfasts were one of my favourite meals because they served na’an and a variety of cheeses, sliced meats and dried fruits.  They just seemed like really healthy ways to start your day off.

My favourite food by far was the Russian dish known as Shashlik.  It is a form of Shish Kebab that is usually made from lamb meat and fat that has been soaked in an acidic marinade of some sort.  The result is deliciousness, though the fat content is pretty high.

A cup of warm Kumis

Most of the foods we ate were good.  Even the horse meat was good (yes, I ate horse, get over it!).  But one thing that I think many of us on the tour might pass by again was the infamous Kumis, which is fermented horse milk.  Some of us reacted strongly to this drink, while others not so much.  The most accurate way to describe this drink is to imagine yourself gulping down room temperature carbonated sour milk mixed with lemon juice, but that is just the initial taste of many to follow.  When you have swallowed it and finally breathe through your nose, a mellow wave of vomit mixed with sour milk and smoke fills your mouth.

Does that sound appealing?  Well, the Kazak love the stuff and use it at every gathering and party.  I think some of us even saw some of the roadies with water bottles filled with the stuff at various shows.  They are brought up on it from a young age and love it by the time they are adults.  We were told that many Russians were not so fond of it, but then again our host was Russian and totally crazy about the stuff.

Continued…