M I R A G E 2 0 1

horse culture of the past is fading but still a major aspect of national identity. Mineral wealth is funding a push to build a futuristic modern city in the midst of the steppe and has led to a high standard of living for the nation but has also led to extreme corruption (GINI coefficient, World Bank). But, Kazakhstan has suffered economically from the drop in oil prices and as a result of U.S. sanctions on its largest trading partners, Russia and China. If culture is the total body of our behavior, then language is its heartbeat. The changing linguistic foundation of Kazakhstan is a mirror to its push to the modern world. If economic growth and stability create a contented populace, the ability to remake the Kazakh culture and language in accordance with the Nazarbayev model seemed on track to succeed. But, political unrest as a result of transition concerns along with economic instability due to global issues may be exacerbated by rapid cultural change unmoored by loss of linguistic identity. But, people are resilient. The poetry of Evgenii Abdullaev is a reflection of that. Abdullaev writes in Russian but identifies as Uzbeki. These were translated by Dr. Naomi Caffee from the University of Arizona who also was our Russian instructor.

ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ НАСРЕДДИНА

Вернулся: цел, сутул и невредим. Все тот же – и Ходжа, и Насреддин, И божий раб, и утренний прохожий –И борода торчит из кожи, Как ершик для бутыли от вина.

Осла неокрыленная спина Седеет в мозглой сырости рассвета. Всё так же благородна Бухара. А время года – что-то вроде лета, Но холодно сегодня, как вчера; И нет вина, чтоб выпить не за это.

Да, всё на месте – как не уезжал. И новости всё те же, и газеты. Ишак не умер, падишах не сдох; Здоровы все. Чуть помутнел канал, И аист на макушке минарета Зовет меня взойти к нему в гнездо: “Келинг, келинг”. Спасибо, как-нибудь... в другое лето...

He’s back: intact, bent, but unbroken. Just as before - both Khoja and Nasreddin, And servant of God, and morning passer-by, And beard that bristles out from under skin, Just like a cleaning brush for jugs of wine. His donkey’s old and wingless back Is greying in the soggy damp of dawn. Bukhara’s high and mighty as before. And it’s something like a summer -- that’s the season, But cold today, the same as yesterday; And there’s no wine to drink for no good reason.

Yes, everything’s in place - it’s as if he never left. The news is all the same, in all the papers. The mule’s not dead, the padishah has yet to croak; They’re all just fine. The canal’s a little muddied, though, And a stork atop the minaret Calls me over to his nest: “Kelin’, kelin’.” Thanks, somehow, another time... Another summer...

Plov was often a menu item. It is a rice-based pilaf most often served with horse meat. The dish is ubiquitous, a fast food made in huge vats with various additions, served in street side cafes and markets and a common take out item. It is accompanied by flat bread, cooked in wood ovens and patterned with stamped designs.

КУХНЯ, ПЕРЕД ПЛОВОМ

Морковь и лук, промытый рис. Огонь, пока что вхолостую, Сжигает пахнущий зирой Зернистый воздух, жирный зной; Четыре пра-дедовских стула Заставлены, на тазе таз, Баранья кровь скликает ос, И мух, и незаметных духов; Из-под земли струится газ, И гибнет в пляске душных роз У казанка под черным брюхом.

The Kitchen, Before Plov

Carrot and onion, well-washed rice. Fire, impotent for now, Burning fragrant cumin. Grainy air, greasy heat, Great grandfather’s four chairs Set up, a basin on a bowl. Lamb’s blood beckoning all the wasps, And flies, and furtive spirits. Gas flows up from underground, And dies in a sultry ring-around-the-rose, Beneath the big black belly of the pot.

Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Photograph by Rebecca Orozco

The group project abroad was made up of rural Arizona and New Mexico Educators. The majority of the group were K-12 teachers. Five members were community college and university instructors.

In the photo: Virginia Pfau Thompson, Naomi Caffee, Monica Ketchum, Heather Christiansen, Renee Moody, Cara Schreffler, Rebecca Orozco, Seth Polley, Lisa Adeli, Alison Ollinger-Riefstahl, and Kris Otto.

A Master Potter in Gijduvan, Uzbekistan Decorates a Large Serving Dish with Slip Trailing

Photograph by Viginia Pfau Thompson