had a dinner that Beth and I attended. We were invited by Ruslan (a man who has a Tai Kwon Do agency and instructs the students at one orphanage) to a boxing competition in a village outside Taraz. We sat to watch the opening ceremonies of speeches, songs, and dance…and were invited to lunch by random people in the crowd we’d never met. We arrived to a huge home and spread of food intended for at least 100 people! Come to find out the four day boxing competition had been dedicated to a man who had started one of the first Taraz banks and we were at the home of his family for a Kodai Tamak, a memorial meal. Besides tables of men I didn’t know, the meal included horse meat, sheep's tongue (which I tried for the first time) and tons of amazing fruit and veggies. 
BOXING: Day two we returned to see some boxing matches. Here are some photos from one of the best matches. The guy in red had the most expressive faces with looks that kept us in stitches. And thanks Beth for taking the photos! I felt too odd getting up on the stage with the ring, but Beth made herself at home. Thanks girl!
DOOGAN: Ruslan is a "Doogan" by nationality. This people group are those whose mothers are Chinese and fathers are Arabic. They explain that their dialect is from their mother's China and their hearts religion (Islam) is from their father's Arab world. There is even an area named Doonganoffka where many of them live. To me this historical explanation of a 500 year old people is a beautiful reflection of the way Kazakhstan has blended Asia, Arabia, and Europe into one people.
.gif)
No comments:
Post a Comment