Atyrau Journal – New Friends, Good Food, and Family History

This week we went out to dinner with our Atyrau friends Jon and Anne. The have become good friends with two Fulbright students – Alyssa and Nick – who are in Atyrau teaching English at two different universities. They are very bright, articulate, and motivated young people. Alyssa is thinking about law school, so Jim shared his perspective with her. And the food was delicious.

We also learned this week how deeply the people of Kazakhstan reverence their ancestors. Since ancient times, every nomad had to remember the names of grandfathers and great-grandfathers up to the 7th generation. This tradition has survived to this day and is called Zheti ata (Seven ancestors). In fact, ignorance of ancestors is considered a sign of orphanhood. They also know which nomadic tribe they descended from. By knowing their lineage and tribe, they can understand certain things about their own personalities and characteristics. On Fridays, the spirits of ancestors come to visit, and the Kazakhstanis make seven Shelpek, a fried bread, for each generation of ancestors. They share the Shelpek with family, friends, and neighbors.

Nick, Jim, Rhonda, Alyssa, Anne, and Jon

Great food: Kabobs with various types of meat and fried rice with horse sausage and chunks of horse meat. Rhonda loved the rices but would not eat the horse. Jim likes the chunks of horse meat but not the sausage. The Kabobs and fried vegetables were fabulous!

Shelpek: The fried bread honoring ancestors each Friday.