Our last morning in Bishkek,
Anara took us to the local bazaar. Jim and I were on the hunt for souvenirs. In particular, we were looking for a shyrdak to take home. Shyrdaks are stitched, felt carpets, traditionally
made by women. Legend has it that each
one contains the wool from five sheep.
Success! We bought one for each
of our kids – and then Anara presented us with a beautiful one for our
home. As I hope you can tell, we have
been showered with kindness and blessings.
Similar to any bazaar, I could spend
hours wandering and watching people. For instance, I
loved this woman with her scarves.
Jim
had been to this same bazaar earlier in the week with Kunduz’ uncle, shopping
for fresh fruit. It’s the time of melons. I don’t know the name of this melon, but it
is like a honeydew – only much larger – as you can see!
After shopping, we ate our final lunch
(of multiple courses!) with Anara, Rysbek and Jyldyz. More toasts were made, each with a hope for
more opportunities to see each other. It
was an emotional lunch, as none of us know whether or when we will see each
other again.
I should tell you how our family
paths crossed in the first place. Jim
and I met Kunduz in China in 2008 when we were leading a CSB/SJU study abroad
to Southwest University in Beibei. She
was 18, there alone, participating in a full year Chinese-language immersion
program with the intention of enrolling the next year for her undergraduate
degree. (She already spoke Kyrgyz,
Russian, English, and Japanese fluently.)
Kunduz met some of our students; they became friends, and so did
we. Jim started encouraging Kunduz to
come to St. Ben’s for her undergraduate degree.
She had never considered the US as a possibility. When she did, she got some full scholarship
offers. She chose to attend Miami of Ohio,
but while she was in the States, she would come to our home for Thanksgiving or
other breaks. We grew very close. In 2010, Jim and I traveled to Kyrgyzstan,
and met all of her extended family. (If
interested, see our blog at jcturkeykyrgyz.blogspot.com.) In particular, read about the lamb ceremony,
where Jim and Rysbek shared an eyeball of a sheep as part of a ritual connecting
our two families together for our lifetimes.
Over their lunchbreaks, Kunduz and
Khanchoro came to take us to the airport.
(We were thankful that we had also been able to have a quiet dinner with
just the two of them the evening before.)
Many hugs – and couple of cognac bottles placed in our hands later - we depart. As I lean back into my
airplane seat en route to Moscow, I marvel, “Did
all that happen in only five days?”
And, paraphrasing one of my friends, this trip again reminds me that
whatever we read in the news about other countries around the world, we should all
remember that behind those stories are someone’s loved ones. In particular, remember our extended family in Kyrgyzstan.
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