Top Ten Cultural Surprises
I've collected my thoughts on some of the most interesting cultural surprises for me here in Kazakhstan. This list certainly we doesn't cover everything, but the following 10 items stand out in my mind as I look back on the past 7months.
1. Vodka is less pervasive than I thought it would be. I've had very little vodka so far, and felt little pressure to imbibe. That's not to say that it isn't around--grocery stores devote entire aisles to the stuff, and place settings at restaurants nearly always include a little vodka glass. Nonetheless, there are plenty of locals around who do not hit the vodka heavily, and some who do not drink alcohol at all. In part, I've avoided the pressure because I'm a foreigner-- I'm not often included in (or expected to practice) local tradition.
2. Birthdays are a big deal. I was surprised when people insisted on giving me gifts and attention on my birthday. And twice now I've been invited to birthday parties, which involve elaborate dinners and lots of gifts-- with the birthday boy or girl picking up the dinner tab for everyone. Before arriving here, I'd become accustomed to treating adult birthdays much more casually.
3. Houseguests must bring a gift. It is unheard of to show up at someone's house without flowers, chocolate, or alcohol.
4. Forget what the document says—does it have an official stamp?. I found it surprising that, despite the widespread corruption and the informal/cash-based nature of many transactions here, there is great fondness for lots of paperwork and documentation. And the more stamps, signatures, and clear plastic covers you have, the more persuasive the document.
5. Check your coat. I read about this before I came here, but it's really true--you're a freak if you try to bring your coat with you to your seat in a restaurant, theater, etc.
6. A sandwich is not lunch. It's not a meal without soup (often involving meat), salad (often involving meat), main course (definitely involving meat), bread, and tea.
7. Text messages make the world go round. Maybe this is popular everywhere now, but I'm not the most technologically up-to-date person in the world. I never text-messaged before Kazakhstan. Here, it's very common-- it's how social plans are made. I regularly see people "typing" away on their cell phones, often while listening to speeches or other boring presentations that we're sometimes subjected to in this line of work.
8. Potty humor doesn't play. I miss wide swaths of humor, color and nuance as a foreigner with only a basic understanding of the language. Nevertheless, from the Russian I do understand, and from my Kazakhstani friends who speak English well, I've yet to detect any appreciation for poop/pee/fart humor. So much for all that good material I learned in law school.
9. President Nazarbayev is widely admired. I knew that this was the case before I arrived-- he's made significant strides in advancing Kazakhstan's economy, promoting stability, etc. Nevertheless, given ongoing concerns here with free and fair elections, freedom of speech and assembly, corruption, and other issues viewed as priorities by Westerners, I was surprised at his widespread popularity, even among the average "man on the street." One of my colleagues was riding in a taxi a few months ago, and the taxi driver was forced to make a long detour because several roads were closed for the presidential motorcade. At the end of the ride, the taxi driver wanted more money to compensate for the longer route. As a joke, my colleague suggested that the driver talk to the president because it was the president who caused the detour. The driver became very angry, and went a long rant in defense of the president and how great he is. Clearly there are cultural issues beyond my understanding that contribute to this dynamic. I'm sure the largely state-controlled media plays a significant role as well. Incidentally, President Putin of Russia is also very popular, at least among Russians (I haven't talked with my Kazakh friends about their opinion of Putin). One of my Russian friends described Putin's popularity as a product of Slavic culture and their desire for a strong, forceful leader (though not quite Stalin-strong, he assured me).
10. Safety is for losers. This is demonstrated most frequently in traffic, from obnoxiously aggressive drivers to pedestrians apparently oblivious to the existence of the obnoxiously aggressive drivers. In fact, short of being physically blind, I struggle to think how else one might further increase the risk of getting hit by a car—people know the drivers are terrible and the roads are icy, but they wear black clothes at night on poorly lit streets, cross where and when they please, stand in or walk down the center line, and do all of this in all forms of weather, including fog and blizzards. While talking on their cell phones.
1. Vodka is less pervasive than I thought it would be. I've had very little vodka so far, and felt little pressure to imbibe. That's not to say that it isn't around--grocery stores devote entire aisles to the stuff, and place settings at restaurants nearly always include a little vodka glass. Nonetheless, there are plenty of locals around who do not hit the vodka heavily, and some who do not drink alcohol at all. In part, I've avoided the pressure because I'm a foreigner-- I'm not often included in (or expected to practice) local tradition.
2. Birthdays are a big deal. I was surprised when people insisted on giving me gifts and attention on my birthday. And twice now I've been invited to birthday parties, which involve elaborate dinners and lots of gifts-- with the birthday boy or girl picking up the dinner tab for everyone. Before arriving here, I'd become accustomed to treating adult birthdays much more casually.
3. Houseguests must bring a gift. It is unheard of to show up at someone's house without flowers, chocolate, or alcohol.
4. Forget what the document says—does it have an official stamp?. I found it surprising that, despite the widespread corruption and the informal/cash-based nature of many transactions here, there is great fondness for lots of paperwork and documentation. And the more stamps, signatures, and clear plastic covers you have, the more persuasive the document.
5. Check your coat. I read about this before I came here, but it's really true--you're a freak if you try to bring your coat with you to your seat in a restaurant, theater, etc.
6. A sandwich is not lunch. It's not a meal without soup (often involving meat), salad (often involving meat), main course (definitely involving meat), bread, and tea.
7. Text messages make the world go round. Maybe this is popular everywhere now, but I'm not the most technologically up-to-date person in the world. I never text-messaged before Kazakhstan. Here, it's very common-- it's how social plans are made. I regularly see people "typing" away on their cell phones, often while listening to speeches or other boring presentations that we're sometimes subjected to in this line of work.
8. Potty humor doesn't play. I miss wide swaths of humor, color and nuance as a foreigner with only a basic understanding of the language. Nevertheless, from the Russian I do understand, and from my Kazakhstani friends who speak English well, I've yet to detect any appreciation for poop/pee/fart humor. So much for all that good material I learned in law school.
9. President Nazarbayev is widely admired. I knew that this was the case before I arrived-- he's made significant strides in advancing Kazakhstan's economy, promoting stability, etc. Nevertheless, given ongoing concerns here with free and fair elections, freedom of speech and assembly, corruption, and other issues viewed as priorities by Westerners, I was surprised at his widespread popularity, even among the average "man on the street." One of my colleagues was riding in a taxi a few months ago, and the taxi driver was forced to make a long detour because several roads were closed for the presidential motorcade. At the end of the ride, the taxi driver wanted more money to compensate for the longer route. As a joke, my colleague suggested that the driver talk to the president because it was the president who caused the detour. The driver became very angry, and went a long rant in defense of the president and how great he is. Clearly there are cultural issues beyond my understanding that contribute to this dynamic. I'm sure the largely state-controlled media plays a significant role as well. Incidentally, President Putin of Russia is also very popular, at least among Russians (I haven't talked with my Kazakh friends about their opinion of Putin). One of my Russian friends described Putin's popularity as a product of Slavic culture and their desire for a strong, forceful leader (though not quite Stalin-strong, he assured me).
10. Safety is for losers. This is demonstrated most frequently in traffic, from obnoxiously aggressive drivers to pedestrians apparently oblivious to the existence of the obnoxiously aggressive drivers. In fact, short of being physically blind, I struggle to think how else one might further increase the risk of getting hit by a car—people know the drivers are terrible and the roads are icy, but they wear black clothes at night on poorly lit streets, cross where and when they please, stand in or walk down the center line, and do all of this in all forms of weather, including fog and blizzards. While talking on their cell phones.
posted by Cosmic Stan at 1:53 PM
