I’m very clearly not a Kazakh. Whenever I meet new people, one of the first questions is almost always “otkuda,” or “where from?” I’ve found that the easiest way to make new friends is to respond with some variation of “Shymkent… I mean, Texas.”
Although I no longer find it amusing, but the locals very much appear to appreciate it – possibly because it indicates at least a basic knowledge of local culture. Locally, Shymkent is known as “The Texas of Kazakhstan.” Interestingly, a number of countries seem to have their own version of Texas. I heard this joke often enough about Bavaria, a southern region in Germany. There seem to be variations of this joke in almost every country- Alberta, Canada; Chihuahua, Mexico; Catalonia, Spain- the list goes on.
Why does every country have its own Texas? And what do they have in common?
Often, it’s a southern region. Cowboys also seem to be a common denominator, as does the presence of a distinct (bonus points for pseudo-separatist) culture. Shymkent fits the list fairly well, but how close is the comparison really?
I went to find out… and/or to try out the nationally-famous Uzbek food, including variations of my personal favorite, plov. As it turns out, the stereotypes were mostly true. Shymkent was indeed warm – a nice break from one of the coldest winters in Almaty in modern history. The food, also, was exceptional- and cheap! Dinner for two at a relatively nice, well-known restaurant maxed out at around $15, including drinks. Speaking of, Tashkentski Chai (Tashkent is another Central Asian city, just across the Uzbek border) is a must-try for anyone visiting the region. More than anything, Shymkent has the “feel” common to many of the international Texases spread around the world. The people were both different and friendly, many of them spending their time outdoors in various parks or gulyating (walking around).
Luckily, I planned the trip with a Kazakh friend. Luckily, because, as it turns out, Russian is not as helpful in Shymkent as it is in Almaty. Frequently, the locals didn’t speak (or wouldn’t speak) Russian – even those who understood generally responded in Kazakh, of which I know exactly four words (and only two of which are repeatable in polite company). Kazakhstan is currently undergoing several formal changes in their language. The country is slowly gravitating away from Russian, and the government is heavily promoting (/requiring) both Kazakh and English, as a way of balancing national pride with global integration. The Kazakh language itself is also being changed from Cyrillic into Latin script – a difficult process, grammatically and politically. This is also being touted as a step towards global integration – and, perhaps, away from Russia.
Although the Russian language is fading away (in some places faster than in others), the effects of Russian heritage, in both culture and language, are still felt. Russian food, street names, and some cultural habits still hold strong. In Shymkent, a number of languages can be heard – Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, and Russian. With each language in varying states of growth or decay, and Kazakh itself changing radically, navigating Shymkent without a guide would have been difficult. Still, the combination of languages and cultures makes Shymkent one of the more interesting cities in Kazakhstan.
Program: Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program
Term: Academic Year 2017-18