How much for Electricity?

You know, it’s just not a trip to the bazaar unless one of the kind old women who work in the stalls out front offer you her daughter’s hand in marriage. Not wanting to offend (especially since the daughter is standing behind her mother) I explain that I’m seeing someone and that in America, 22 year old men don’t take 16 year old girls as wives. Its just one of the many cultural differences you come to appreciate here in Kyrgyzstan…

Let’s see, there’s also the local teenage boys who have started a cute little “steal money from the hapless American club”. My counterpart at school owns the apartment I live in and he told me that someone would be coming by to collect some money to pay for water and trash. He said it would be about 100 som ($2.50). Sure enough, a few days later a kid came by with a housing register and asked for 120 som, payment for the last three months. I gave him this and he gave me a receipt, that had the totals on it and looked very official. The kid then turned and asked money from my neighbor, who also paid and received a receipt. A day later, however, the kid came back, again with the register and asked for an additional 200 som. I asked why and he kept saying it was for something different and showed me my name on the register with 200 next to it. I said ok and paid him and again got a receipt, but it was different this time, it was in Russian and I couldn’t read it. I gave both receipts to my counterpart and asked why the second was different. Turns out the second was fake and that the kid had made off with my five dollars! I was pissed, but impressed by the scam itself. The next day a different kid came by, again with a fraudulent register and when I opened the door he was busy checking my electric meter. This time they asked for 450 som to cover electricity. I saw my friend, the water and trash kid lounging out in front of my apartment. Despite my bad Kyrgyz, I was able to tell them: “I will not give you money. I will never give you money. I am not a fool.” With this the kid took off pretty quick, taking his shady friend with him.

I figured this would be enough, but that night the first kid came back. He was really weird. He asked if I had a guitar, then an accordion. “No. What?” I replied. He then motioned to his shoes and asked if I would give him 50, presumably to buy new shoes. I almost admired the kid’s tenacity when I slammed my door in his face.

Beyond the young extortionists, I’ve just been working. Classes are great, but I’ve decided to start cracking down a little more. Gone are the days that I teach Ultimate Frisbee instead of English vocab. Tardiness and lack of homework are the most common complaints. It’s hard to discipline kids that I actually like to hang out with. Today I chatted about Kyrgyz vs. American politics for an hour with my English Club. Despite outer appearances, there are actually many similarities between the two countries. One country is ruled by a president who wields considerable power over a unquestioning population, offering little explanations as to his rather befuddled and foolish policies. The other is ruled by Askar Akaev. There is an election in October and Akaev has been quoted as being afraid of something like what happened in Ukraine could happen here. I could be a witness to an actual birth of true Democracy baby! I could watch as this country is transformed into an example of freedom and peace for the rest of the Central Asian nations. I could behold a brand new Kyrgyzstan, free from corruption and greed, a country that throws off the oppressive chains of ‘post-soviet-hood” to become prosperous and successful… More than likely however Akaev will run for a fourth term, despite the constitutional ban on being president for more than 2 terms, and win by an overwhelming (read: purchased) majority. Only time will tell.