Dear Friends,
There have been some major postal system issues here in UZ – so…. for the time being, please do not send any new letters or packages to me here. I’ll let you know when the issue is resolved. And, when it is resolved, I expect lots of letters and care packages 😛
Well I have been following things closely as much as I can via TV and internet. What I’m enjoying most, (indeed the vague news reports are difficult to read again and again,) is the comments posted by people responding to these stories. The topic, implicitly, always seems to be, “what’s next?” This one I liked the best:
People in Uzbekistan are very simple people and it is most likely that these Andijan protests won’t affect the entire country because we know how tough our government is. This Andijan problem will not spread. It will be contained and people in Uzbekistan will continue to live as they are.
– Ahmedov
I’m starting to think that this in indeed the case. Although what happened may indeed be the latest and greatest outburst, life does seem to be normal. People are buying things in the bazaars and students are preparing for their summer holidays.
On that note, I am currently in the process of working out my summer plans as well. I will be participating in a few camps, if all goes well, all aimed at intensively training the best and the brightest this country has to offer. I’ll let you know more as soon as I know myself.
So checking my inbox today I received a note from one of the PC admin people in Tashkent. It was not directed at me specifically, but since so many of us are keeping blogs, it does apply to me. Basically she doesn’t want us to blab to the media, which has apparently attempted to contact some PCVs for information:
Volunteers / Trainees must avoid becoming involved in the political affairs of their host country. Any public statement or action which potentially may involve a V/T with host country political issues or other controversial issues within the host country, or which are otherwise matters of official concern to Peace Corps, must be first discussed and reviewed with the Country Director. “Matters of official concern” are those that are related to Peace Corps or U.S. foreign policy, or matters that can reasonably be expected to affect the foreign relations of the United States. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including, administrative separation.
…
V/Ts should be aware, however, that public political expression overseas may raise issues of V/T safety and security if the issues could provoke hostility locally. V/Ts should also be aware that, particularly in the area of foreign affairs, some policies or actions of the United States or other countries may relate to political issues or other controversial issues within the host country. A V/T’s statements or actions concerning such issues that may, in the opinion of the Country Director, endanger the safety and security of the individual V/T or the post, or impair the effectiveness of the Peace Corps or the individual V/T, may be grounds for administrative separation or other disciplinary action.
So, since I don’t wish to be separated from my service this early into it, I am going to keep my analysis about the current situation to the previous post for now.
But, this does not mean I am going to be mute about things here in UZ. Those who know me personally know that I certainly don’t roll over in the face of a rulebook. Though in this case I do agree that some comments could endanger the program or other volunteers, I will certainly continue to keep people abreast on the pulse of life here.
Oh and did I mention that school ends in one week?!?!
Funny Uzbekistan Anecdote:
Since the educational system here is pretty patriarchal, at the beginning of each class, students stand up and shout some greeting in unison to the teacher. In English classes, the standard practice is for the students to go, “Good Morning Teacher!” at which point I’m supposed to reply, “Good Morning Pupils.” Sometimes I initiate, sometimes the students do. But, since I soon tired of this shouting, I decided to teach my students about a little known American custom.
The system I invented entails that I first whistle a difficult and discordant little number, after which the students must whistle it back to me. So, if you can picture it, I have about 20 young Uzbek students in front of me, standing at attention, and we whistle to each other. They think it’s funny, but they do it.
Now, in case you are starting to worry, I am teaching them English, not Unamunda or anything like that. But these little things do help…
So much to say!
Well, although my dear little country is making international headlines, I have even bigger news. Yes, folks, last night for dinner I had fish. You heard right, fish. In this doubly landlocked country I had resigned myself to a fishless existence for the next two years. And, up until last night, that had been the case. But, when my host father mentioned “ballikxona” (fish room,) I knew my luck had changed. And indeed it was a delicious, if subdued meal.
With that I might as well talk about the recent goings on here in Uzbekistan. But before I jump to the here and now, as 24 hour cable news networks are famous for doing, I’d like to give a little background to the situation. Up until 1991, Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union. Although I can’t imagine many fans of this blog are ready wave the old hammer and sickle, the Soviet impact on this country was not entirely bad. The good was that people had jobs, food and money. That is, teachers got paid, students had textbooks, and the schools had heat in the winter. Additionally, medical care, though probably not by any means at Western standards, was free. The biggest plus, though, was that people were occupied with jobs. Maybe they were dumb jobs, but they kept people busy, gave them pride in the fact that they were contributing to society, and secured the familial structure.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan became independent. However, unlike many independence movements, this one wasn’t fought for, it just happened. Basically, the country was left with all the workings of the old soviet system. This meant many different things. First of all, all the old faces from the Communist role were still in office. And we’re not just talking about the president here, but the whole cupboard… So although a “new” country was born, ideologically, nothing had changed. The old Communist party was renamed with the words Liberal and Democratic sprinkled into the title. So while nothing changed in the governing structure, there was a whole country to be taken care of.
This presented many problems. The first, and perhaps most important, was the challenge of retaining control among the various factions that make up the population here. It was Stalin, I believe, who was responsible for dividing up Central Asia into different countries. As such, the countries here were apportioned so that no one ethnic majority could lay claim to one territorial area. So as a result, you have Uzbekistan, a strange looking country compromising of: Uzbeks, Tajiks, Afghans, Kazaks, etc. etc. You name it. So the new (old) government decided that the first and most pressing task for the new nation was to instill a sense of nationalistic pride and identity in its people. Therefore, to this day, you will see giant billboards with the Uzbek flag, inspiring words about greatness, and other such propaganda. Additionally, to remind the people lest they forget who was in charge, the president had his portrait plastered everywhere. And I’m not kidding, it is everywhere.
Part of this nationalistic re-awakening included a rejection of the Russians and the values that had so brutally imposed during Soviet rule. So Uzbeks were asked to look into their past, their distant past, to find a new model for their future. As such, famous personages, including Tamerlane (Amir Timur,) Miro Ulugbek, and other such 15th century heroes were vaunted as the ideal Uzbek. Schools and streets were re-named, documentaries about these people were aired constantly on the state owned media. Children were named Timur and Ulugbek. (As a gag, when I’m around a group of boys, I say, “who’s Timur?” and there’s usually at least one or two hands raised.) The great irony of this is that these famous people never thought of themselves as Uzbek, they just happened to live around the area. So, in a way, Uzbekistan claimed a regional heritage as its own.
This return to the past, though, meant a re-connection with the deeply rooted Islamic values of the region. Although public religious display was repressed by the Soviets, most people in Uzbekistan continued to self identify as Muslim, even if they did take to the bottle themselves. So although Soviet rule did dampen the religious component of life here, it did not extinguish it. Thus upon independence, many Uzbeks hoped that their nationalistic revival would include a re-connection with their faith. However, this was not to be the case. Perhaps understandably, the government feared that a religious revival would be the precursor to its downfall. After all, the more radical Islamic elements of society certainly had no good will to the individuals who had silenced their way of life for so long. As such, although Uzbeks were asked to reject the Russian influence and re-connect with their cultural roots, they were told, in no uncertain terms, not to start going to mosques. Indeed to this day, being an active participant in organized religious services is just an invitation to increased government surveillance and hassle.
The second major problem facing the new nation had to do with the economy. As has been the case in most of the former Soviet Republics, the challenge of transitioning from a socialist to a free market economy has been a highly daunting task. In Uzbekistan, the failure to do so has been monumental and has had disastrous effects. What’s happened is that the individuals who were in power before independence have retained their power. Thus the few successful private companies that do operate here are headed by these former, and often current governmental officials. As one in power would be a fool to work against his own interests, fair regulations for new business initiatives and foreign investment are nonexistent. Thus the macro picture is bleak; the country is run by mafia business cartels who pursue profit at any cost.
This has meant that universal services, formerly provided by the state to all citizens, have deteriorated to the point of near collapse. These include: water, gas and electricity distribution, road maintenance, telephone systems, health care, and of course, education. Most schools in Uzbekistan are appallingly ancient, lack resources, and are often without heat in the winter. Things slough on, but pragmatically, the quality of life here has been on an downward trajectory since independence.
So Uzbekistan is a crumbling place unable to meet the demands of its populations. The government allows its citizens no viable alternatives (think of how much faith based groups do to empower citizens and fix broken communities,) and most people are terrified to step out of line, lest they be taken away to places where they will be mercilessly abused. But over the past few years, people have been saying “enough,” louder and more publicly. This most recent incident is not the first of its kind, but is emblematic of this situation here. The men thrown in jail were sentenced with practicing religious extremism to the threat of the state (read government.) Now I’ll be the first to say I have no idea if this is true, but the general consensus is that these charges were used as a cover for other activities, including business development, that the government perceived as a threat.
So people gathered, stormed the jail, freed the men, and then moved on to the major’s office. As the crowd grew, the military was called in and many people were killed. Now I don’t think that a mass revolution is going to happen today or tomorrow for that matter. This incident, though perhaps the biggest and most publicized yet, is not unique. Over the past few years, protests have happened in different parts of the country, though mainly in the Ferghana region and in the capital, Tashkent. As you may imagine, these protests receive no coverage in the local media; all news travels by taxi and word of mouth.
As I see it, this is the latest in a series of sparks. And as I mentioned earlier, the infrastructure here, including the gas distribution pipes, is falling apart. It won’t be long till one of these sparks happens near a badly leaking pipe and a massive explosion results. Where that will be, or when, is not for me to say. But I am fairly sure that it will happen. What frightens me is the fact that although most people here have a great distaste for their government, it is predominantly the more radical Islamic elements which have been speaking out most vocally. Make no mistake, everybody here is suffering. But being on the inside, I can attest to the great fear of stepping out of line. The policemen in their green uniforms and orange batons are everywhere, and they don’t need any reason to stop you. So although the Uzbeks certainly do deserve a better deal, there is a real possibility that the new regime will be just as repressive, though perhaps driven by a different agenda.
This is all fascinating to me. I do want to assure you that I am safe. Peace Corps keep us up to date on things, and I am able to watch CNN and BBC World regularly. I’ve got loads to say about day to day life here – which is what the majority of people, including me, have been going about for the past few months, I’ll save that for next week.
For more information (all sites censored in UZ) :
Muslim Uzbekistan – I’d be interested in a review of this one… are they nutty?
And for a funny look at Uzbek daily life, as a primer for next week’s entry, check out:
So Matt asked me to write a review of “Katts and Dog”, a series popular on one of the Russian TV stations. I had never seen the show before, or even heard of it, but Matt’s description was intriguing: “Police officer (Katts) and his K-9 partner (Dog) go about solving absurdly foolish crimes. Bad acting, pretty interesting scenes with the dog. Uzbeks love it.” Given that I’ve never seen the show, this review is based entirely on what I found while researching the show on the web.
I started at the number-one source for movies on the web, IMDB.com. They have listed practically every movie ever made, as well as a full list of every minor character who appeared in every movie ever made. I spend a lot of time at IMDB.com because, briefly put, obscurity fascinates me. There are legions of actors out there who, for some reason or other, have spent their entire careers playing bit parts. Many are only listed in five or six movies before dropping out of sight, and it’s the “out of sight” part of obscurity that grips me so much. I always wonder: what got these people into acting? Why did they leave? Did they ever dream of a career beyond parts like “Asian store clerk #2”? And what are they doing now? I picture them in bars or around the water cooler, boasting to their friends about their achievements: “Yo, look for me in Night of the Radioactive Hedgehog. 1976. I’m the gas station dude who gets eaten in the second scene. Betcha never knew I was an actor, huh?”
As far as obscurity, Katts and Dog were no exception. My first clue that the show was not exactly a household name was that no one could agree on when it had actually existed. IMDB.com said it ended in 1991; tvtome.com said it ended in 1993; and pulpanddagger.com (was there ever a spiffier name for an online TV guide?) said it ended in 1992. The one fact that they did agree on was that “Katts and Dog” was originally from Canada and first aired on the Family Channel in 1988. It’s known to American audiences, somewhat less catchily, as “Rin Tin Tin K-9 Cop”, with the dog named Rinty instead of Rudy. The producers apparently went as far as to go through every episode and dub in “Rinty” over “Rudy” for the American version, because you just know there’s that one fan who’ll be peeved that a series named “Rin Tin Tin” features a dog named Rudy.
The show begins with the lead human character, Hank Katts (played by Jesse Collins), graduating from Police Academy and getting paired up with his canine sidekick, Rudy/Rinty (in real life Rudolph Van Holstein III, a name that owns Rin Tin Tin any day). Together they visit justice upon the forces of evil, or at least as many forces of evil as would be appropriate in a family show. Supporting characters include Katts’ nephew Steve (Andrew Bednarski), who is adopted by Katts after his mother dies, and two others named Alice Davenport (Sharon Acker) and Ron Nakemura (Dennis Akayama), who I assume to be co-workers, love interests, or both.
The initial plotline sounded pretty cheesy to me – family shows where the lead character is an animal/little kid usually are – and pulpanddagger.com agreed, dispassionately stating that “this largely uninspired TV series didn’t quite seem to know what it wanted to be: in style and premise, it seemed kind of juvenile, but it liked to throw in murder and mayhem. Whatever, it didn’t really work.”
This, however, was the last opinion I was to find of Katts and Dog. Additional web searches returned nothing in the way of series reviews. I looked on both Amazon.com and eBay, hoping to find some memorabilia, but I didn’t get back so much as a used VHS. That was when I started to get the impression that this series was on the farther side of obscure popular culture.
It seems the TV series did actually result in a 1991 movie, called “Rin Tin Tin and the Paris Conspiracy”. This was so obscure that even IMDB.com didn’t have it – I found the movie listed on a movie page belonging to the New York Times, of all places. The plot didn’t sound like a major shift upwards: Katts and Dog hit Paris to take on a ruthless paramilitary organization whose objective, as ominously described by the New York Times, is to “overthrow the world”. This movie had 24 results from Google and 51 from Jeeves. Not a blockbuster.
I even attempted to find fan fiction for K&D, reasoning that a show’s social impact can be measured relative effectively by observing how many people are inspired to record their usually prurient fantasies about its characters. Fanfiction.net had fan fiction from the big to the little, right down to no less than six stories about Bill Nye The Science Guy (“bill nye is the king of the atoms and when 100 atoms excape [sic] he must find them all to save the world!!!!”). However, they’d never heard of Katts and Dog.
Ultimately, I did run across a German fan site dedicated to Katts and Dog, which seemed to be more thorough than any of the American sites I’d come across. They had what looked like a full list of episodes, each with short summaries no less, but I don’t speak German. Finding a simple list of episodes in English took more time. A Google search for “Katts and Dog” “episode guide” yielded only 336 results, most of which weren’t useful (by contrast, a search for “X files” “episode guide” returned about 66,000).
I finally did manage to get a list of episodes, though, which piqued anew my interest in the series. The titles ranged from the expected cop-show fare (“Officer Down”, “The Gun”) to the also expected silly (“The Striptease Bank Robber”, “The Grand Hotel Caper”) to the surprisingly grim (“Abused Child”). While not always imaginative, the titles were nonetheless illuminating. I really would have liked to find synopses for these, especially The Striptease Bank Robber. I guess every family show has to get a little racy once in a while to keep its script writers from going stir-crazy.
At long last, I ran across the theme music for the show. In keeping with the general character of the series, it opens with a series of macho blasting guitar riffs, followed by a male singer crooning “You can depend on me” to the accompaniment of saxophones. The final result was an unhappy resemblance to music that I’d expect to grace a commercial for either an SUV manufacturer or the National Guard. Enough said.
About half an hour of searching revealed little more. None of the lead characters even had photos on IMDB.com, and there appeared to be no further reviews, let alone fan sites. The lukewarm review I’d run across on pulpanddagger summed up the show’s quiet demise: Whatever, it didn’t really work..Katts and Dog had its day and then promptly faded into the dusty shadows of TV history, to be revived decades later on the screens of another country. While I doubt I’ll be renting episodes any time soon – I can practically hear the Blockbuster service kid going “Dude, you’re looking for what?” – it’s fun to think that old TV shows, no matter how cheesy, never die: they just move to Uzbekistan.
So, I’ve seen my school and it is not so bad. I work at a lyceum, which means that the calibur of the students there is supposedly better than in the regular schools (maktabs.) My counterpart is a good woman, though a bit smothering. For the past few days I’ve watched her teach. Although I do like her, I don’t think I’d enjoy her class. She has a habit of instantly flying into a rage, snapping at the students in loud and sharp Uzbek. I think that I will be a welcome change. So although there is only 1 month of school left, I’m going to jump in and start teaching next week. For now, at least, I’m going to teach about American culture and such other non-intensive stuff. It seems silly for a new teacher to start teaching heavy concepts at this time of the year.
Good news from the homestead – at dinner a few nights ago my father points to the TV and says “parabolic.” So, I am almost positive that within a few weeks we will have satelite TV. This means a few English language stations, and some music video action – yes!
Tomorrow I’m going up to the mountains where my father’s brother – another great man – lives. Our two families are going to go swimming and he will teach me how to make osh.
A few people in our group have left – 4 to be precise. Two of them left because they were tired of waiting around for visas and did not feel welcome here. One girl left because of boyfriend issues back home and the 4th just wasn’t feeling the vibe. Some of those who left in this first wave were cool cats, so it’s a bit of a blow to the morale of the group. But that’s how it is in Peace Corps I suppose. And regarding the visas, all the vols are now at their sites. The last group arrived this past Tuesday.
Regarding what the hell I’ll do with myself this summer, that’s still TBD. A database of camps is being created and will be circulated via email. I’m hoping to maybe get in to one or two and go do stuff elsewhere. I’ll have next summer if I wish to create my own camp.
OK – I’ve realized that this blog has been getting a bit dull lateley. In future postings I’ll talk more about good books, current events, etc. And if you have any specific questions about what stuff is really like here, let me know. Also, I’m going to open the floor for some guest postings. To all my regular readers, be you family, friends or none of the above, if ya want to write a guest entry, send it to me via the “Contact” form from the top menu.
Also, thank you Chris for fixing the php problems with this site!!!