Government Week: Kazakhstan

I'm usually against doing two countries in one day. I don't want the boys to get confused about what country we're on. If you compartmentalize them into days their retention seems to be much better. 

But, we had North Korea for lunch on Sunday, and then without my recipe direction, poor Asa didn't know what to cook for dinner. I even told him since it was Totalitarian Day he could make whatever he wanted, even if that was pasta, rice, and mashed potatoes all in one meal. (I usually have to reign him in on the carbohydrates) 

But, he was still lost. I had the stuff for Kazakhstan, but ended up pulling it out of government week, and was just planning on freezing the roast I had gotten at Sprouts and doing it later. But, it was still in the fridge, so I suggested we do that dinner. On Monday we were celebrating our Florida Anniversary, so we wouldn't have a meal free, but I figured we could have Kazakhstan dinner on Sunday night, then learn about the country on Monday when we already had designated meals. 

Part of the reason it fit in so well is because next in line for government week is Democracy Day. And Kazakhstan is 'transitioning' of some sorts from it's dictator past to a future of democracy. It's not a short process, but they're working on it. So squeezing this country in between North Korea's Totalitarian Day and Switzerland's Democracy was PERFECT! 

So a little out of order for you, is our Kazakhstan dinner. 

We had Kazakh Beshbarmak ( it is a boiled meat with noodles , although we bought extra wide egg noodles instead of making our own), Kazakh Shalgam (Radish salad), and Apple Sharlotka (a Russian apple cake) . 

And regular apples, because Kazakhstan is known as the fatherland of all apples! 

This meal earned five spoons up. 

Even the radish salad was a hit, and I was sure everyone was going to hate it. The apple cake and the meat and noodles were delicious! Everyone cleared their plates. 

Also at dinner, everyone had a ballot at their plates to vote on some things for Democracy day. We used the meal as a transition, because honestly, it was time for the family to move on from the dictatorship/totalitarian mentality. It was tearing us apart! 

After dinner Asa made an attempt at some Kazakh drink called 'The Drink of Gods' made by some Kazakh bartender who has won some awards for the drink. 

So your quick Kazakhstan facts: 

It's the 9th biggest country in the world, and over in the 'land of the stans' as the boys like to call it. Today we learned that 'stan' actually means 'land of'! 

Kazakh is actually a Turkish word that means 'Independent'. So, we've got our land of independence, for one of the last Soviet countries to emerge into their own. 

While Kazakhstan is large in area, it ranks 62nd in population. That is in part thanks to the 'Steppe', or the vast flat and barren land that takes over a good portion of the country. It is mostly grassland without any trees and it can get up to 140 degrees in the summer and -40 degrees in the winter! 

A land locked country, the people get pretty creative. Of course if you want a beach you can visit the Caspian Sea, but you could also go to the Sky Beach Club. It's an indoor beach, on the top floor of an Entertainment complex. The club is pretty swanky, and the sand is even flown in from the Moldives. 

Kazakhstan is actually kind of known for its quirky architecture. Not only is the complex home to th indoor beach, but it is also known as the 'world's largest tent'! The 492 foot tall 'tent' lights up in neon colors at night and can be seen from miles around. 

And if you like apples and riding horses, you can thank Kazakhstan. It's the 'Fatherland of apples', as they originate from the hillsides of Almaty. It's said they grew wild there for thousands of years before humans started harvesting them. Apples are the second most consumed fruit in the world. We thought bananas were the first, but that's actually incorrect- the top spot goes to mangoes! 

 Historians also think that Kazakhstan is where they first started taming and riding wild horses. The country is still famous today for the excellent riding Kzakh horses. (And their meat is considered a delicacy). 

 Kazakhstan is a big one, so it took a bit of nailpolish. But Peyton got it all colored in. 

44 down, 149 to go! 

Next Up: Switzerland

2020(1) Summer Games Day 12: Archery & Tennis

 Welcome to Day 12 of the 2020 Summer Games! Sunday we held two events: Archery & Tennis

And our spotlight country of Kazakhstan was guessed correctly only by Peyton. 

First, I'll get to dinner. See, Calib has been working late- like until 9:30 or 10 because they're so short handed. But, we just get a vague 'I'm staying late', so we hold out some hope he'll get home in time for events. That meant we pushed all our events until after dinner hoping he'd show up (spoiler alert: he didn't). 

But anyway, for Kazakhstan dessert we had Apple Sharlotka (a Russian apple cake) . We love Apple Sharlotka here! It's been remade a few times since the country project. 

But our main dinner was Kazakh Beshbarmak ( it is a boiled meat with noodles , although we bought egg noodles instead of making our own), Kazakh Shalgam (Radish salad),

The radish salad is also surprisingly good! 

Around 7 we decided to at least do our tennis event without Calib. I put baskets worth varying points in the driveway, basically you used the tennis racket to get a ball in the basket. Most points in five balls was the winner. 

But this was deceptively hard. 

Only Peyton and Asa came away with points. 

Asa gave the gold to Peyton, and I told Hayden he was getting a bronze participation medal. Calib was so far ahead in the medal count, it's not so bad that he's not here. It's giving his brothers a chance to catch up. Asa told me not to be that disappointed Calib is missing a few events this week, because I didn't think I'd get anyone to participate in any events, so this is all bonus anyway! 

Next up was Archery (aka darts!) Look, I even have festive darts for the occasion. 

We waited for Calib for awhile for this one too, but as it was getting dark we decided to go ahead with archery without him. 

Peyton came out on top with this one too. 

Though we didn't do the medal ceremony until the next day because of waiting for Calib. 

Betting was still on Track and field events. 

Women's Shot Put went to China, US, and New Zealand, so Calib was the only one to get paid out. 

And Men's Long Jump went to Greece and Cuba, so Hayden got paid out. 

A look at the standings.. 

Calib is still in first, but Peyton is catching up! 

When Calib finally got home, it was nearly 10 pm. But, as a thank you, they told him to take as much food as he wanted. He brought back four bowls. Hayden was super excited about it. 

Uzbekistan

We had planned to go to Disney last Tuesday, but it didn't quite work out that way. Sadly, my grandma passed away on Monday and with that and some other issues, nobody felt like heading out. We're hoping to go tomorrow. Peyton and I are headed out on Saturday, with everyone else a few days behind us to go to Ohio for the funeral. But, if there's one thing I know my grandma would want me to keep on with, it's the country project- or really any project I have going on. She LOVED our school work, and was always interested in what we were doing. Since we're already slightly behind, and since I know we're going to be gone for a week again, I really need to keep plugging away with them, so onward we go. 

But, I wasn't prepared for a country on Tuesday. So I tried to find something where I already had the stuff for the meal so I wouldn't need to head to the store. After a little searching during my quiet coffee morning time, I found something for Uzbekistan that would work. 

Also worth noting: I found a recipe for an Uzbek cookie called Khvorost. I printed out the recipe for the cookie, but realized they're essentially the Angel Wings we make at Christmas time, and have always made at Christmas time. (And grandma was the one who kept the Christmas cookie box tradition going). We didn't end up making them, because we don't have a pasta roller, and I didn't want to hand roll them, but I just thought it was a little interesting that I happened to find *that* particular cookie recipe on *that* particular day. 

I'm trying to work my way through the 'stan' countries of Asia, without having the boys get confused- which means I need to space them out. Thus far, we've done Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan.

Most of the 'stan' countries were part of the former USSR, and didn't become countries themselves until 1991. Those include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. (Can you see now why I have to do those not together so the boys don't get confused/)  The 'stan' on the end comes from an ancient Persian or Farsi word meaning 'land of' or 'country' or 'nation'. Uzbek comes from a combo of two words, so what I'm getting at here is that Uzebkistan loosely translates to 'Land of the Genuine Man'. 

The people are a mixture of nomadic Turkish people, and ancient Iranian people. Uzbekistan, perhaps, was much more well known in the 14th century than it is today. Of course, it wasn't Uzbekistan back then, but it was an important stop along the Silk Road (Shout out to our 'Lessons By Dad series). 

Our landmark was Registan Square in Samarkand. As far as the Silk Road goes, this place was up there with Shangri-la and Timbuktu. Due in part because of it's position along the Silk Road, between China and Rome, Samarkand was one of the greatest cities in  Central Asia. It was so famous in fact, Marco Polo and Alexander the Great even visited. (We'll talk more about Marco Polo during explorers week)

The Registan is a large public square fanned by three Madrasas (Islamic Schools). This square was the heart of the ancient city. People gathered here to see everything from bazaars to executions. 

Uzbekistan is wealthy in natural resources, but most of the money is distributed to the president's elite circle and political allies. The capital city of Tashkent is booming with construction and development, but the rest of the country struggles under their authoritarian rule. 

It's isolation from the rest of the world does nothing for the people of Uzbekistan. Consistently under a heavy police presence, Uzbekistan is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Asia. 

But, even in some poor and isolated countries, there's always fun facts to be found. 

In Uzbekistan, only two men can shake hands

They take their train stations seriously. Tashkent has some of prettiest, most elaborate metro stations in the world. Each have their own unique theme and design (and you wouldn't know how poor the country is by looking at their chandeliers and marble pillars.) 

Uzbekistan is home to the largest open pit gold mine. 

It's one of just two countries to be doubly landlocked, meaning you'd have to go through two countries to make it to the open water of an ocean. (Lichtenstein is the other). 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib's featured the blue tiled mosques that stick out from the sea of sand in Uzbekistan (96% of the country is Muslim). 

Peyton has an Uzbek digging for gold. 

And Hayden drew 'Clearly Alexander the Great'. 

Now, if you haven't already have Plov, Uzbekistan would be a good country to give that a go. It's one of their signature dishes. But, we already made Plov for Azerbaijan day. 

The recipe I did come up with was Lagman (Uzbek Beef Noodle Soup with Vegetables). I served it with bread, grapes, and some of the hummus we still had lying around. 

This dinner earned four spoons up. 

I was actually the hold out. I didn't mind it, but I didn't think it was amazing. I wouldn't ask for it again or anything. I get kind of bored with just one bowl of the same item. The flavors were good, and really it would stand on it's own without the meat if you're so inclined. 

Calib actually said this was one of his favorites. We saved the leftovers (it made A LOT), and he ate it for a late night snack a couple of times until it was gone. 

Peyton colored in Uzbekistan. 

That's 133 down, 63 to go! 

Up Next: Mauritania 

Explorers Week: Kyrgyzstan

Continuing on with Explorer's week we're heading to another 'stan' country (meaning land of) with Kyrgyzstan. Now, this says it's country 148, but it wasn't. Iceland was. Kyrgyzstan is actually #149. But somehow I screwed up, it's since been corrected. But, the next few numbers will be a bit off. I'm actually surprised I haven't screwed this up more. 

We paired Kyrgyzstan with explorer Marco Polo, because what is now Kyrgyzstan was once part of the Silk Road traveled by Marco Polo, his father and his uncle. And again, were going Cliff's Notes version here, because I have stuff to do- and because you should have paid attention in 5th grade Social Studies. 

So breif rundown on Marco Polo. He spent most of his life either in jail, or traveling the Silk Road to China. Both of which would be the reason he would be remembered. 

His father and uncle went before him, and were gone for something like 17 years. Most people only traveled portions of the Silk Road, but these guys wanted to travel the whole thing- and did. When they get to the end of the road, they met prince Khan the leader of the Mongol Empire. The prince sent them back to get oil from a lamp in Jerusalem among other things. 

On the second journey, Marco Polo was old enough to go with them. They picked up the oil, they caravaned across the Silk Road meeting up with various nomads and avoiding thieves and sometimes even death. 

When they arrived back with the oil from Jerusalem , Khan was so pleased, he had Marco work for him and travel all around present day China, Vietnam and Myanmar as a spy. This went on for something like 17 years until Marco Polo was tasked with taking the princess to the middle east to be married off. 

After that he headed back to Venice, Italy. But, then there was some skirmish between Venice and Genoa and Marco Polo got put in jail. It just so happened his roomie was some romance writer, and so Marco Polo told him all about his adventures, and the writer turned it into a book. 

His book, called The Travels of Marco Polo,  greatly described the Silk Road in China, and his adventures. The book was printed in French, Italian and Latin and read throughout Europe.

The book shed light on another world. It is a common misconception that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy—in truth, the dish had already existed in Europe for centuries—but there’s little doubt he made Westerners aware of many Chinese inventions. Among other things, Marco familiarized many of his readers with the concept of paper money, which only caught on in Europe in the years after his return. 

Polo also described coal—not widely used in Europe until the 18th century—and may even have introduced eyeglasses to the West. He offered one of the history’s most detailed accounts of the Mongol post system, a complex network of checkpoints and couriers that allowed Kublai Kahn to administrate his vast empire.

Marco Polo also thoroughly documented his encounters with unfamiliar animals such as elephants, monkeys and crocodiles. He described crocodiles as giant, sharp-clawed “serpents” that could “swallow a man … at one time.” But the traveler often confused these strange faunae with creatures from myth and legend. One of the first Europeans to glimpse an Asian rhinoceros, Polo thought the horned beasts were unicorns.

So, here's the thing about all of it. One, a lot of people question the authenticity of the stories. Like, maybe Marco Polo 'borrowed' some of his adventures from people he came across in his journeys. You also have to take it with a grain of salt, since it was written by a romance writer. 

But, after the fall of Khan and the Mongols, China essential got cut off from the rest of the world, and Marco Polo's book was the only information out there. So while he may not have been the first person to travel the Silk Road, if you're the first person to write about it- that's just as good. 

The boys did their Facebook pages for Marco Polo. Oh, and despite what the Facebook says, nobody really knows why we play the game 'Marco' 'Polo', maybe just because he got lost so much on his journeys? 

We had already done Kazakhstan and talked about the Silk Road, so for our country we headed a little further east and went with the neighboring Kyrgyzstan. 

With all this talk of the Silk Road, and Marco Polo, our landmark of Osh fit right in. Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan right after the capital city of Bishkek. But, it's much older than Bishkek. Osh is somewhere around 3,000 years old. Acheologists have found artifacts dating back to about the 5th century. 

Many people claim Osh is 'older than Rome', and there are a few different legends about the origin of the city. Some claim it was founded by Solomon or Alexander the Great. But even if that isn't so, Osh was situated along the Silk Road, and was a major settlement along the ancient trading route. 

Kyrgyzstan is a country full of natural beauty. It's a land of mountains and valleys, and then even more mountains. It's also home to the second largest salt water lake in the world, 'Hot Lake', that thanks to it's salinity, never freezes over despite it's high altitude. 

There are proud nomadic traditions, still alive today. In fact, check out the Kyrgyzstan flag. It features a yurt! (The only flag with a 'tent' on it). In case you need a refresher a yurt is a circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework and used by nomads. 

Even the country's name is a nod to the nomads.  Kyrgyzstan translates to 'Land of the 40' a nod to the 40 nomadic who were united as Kyrgyzstanis by the warrior Manas. 

Manas is kind of 'the guy' for Kyrgyzstan. In fact a poem that details the struggles and battles of Manas, called 'the Epic of Manas' , is the centerpiece of the culture. It's never really been written down, so you have to memorize it- which is no small feat. In fact, the poem is the longest in the world at over 500,000 lines long. It's 20 times longer than the next longest: Homer's Iliad and Odyessy combined. (Ugh, I had to read that once, and it was MISERABLE!) 

Today the nomadic lifestyle is used as part of Kyrgyzstan's community based tourism. Many people in Kyrgyzstan have been in the small tourism industry ever since the fall of the former USSR. They show off their country to tourists showing them everything from felt making to horse treks to heli-skiing.  Then there's the 'glamping' industry, where you can stay in your very own yurt! 

 Our activity for the day was a nod to the spices traded along the Silk Road. It was a 'guess the spice' smell test. The boys put on my sleep mask and one by one had to guess what spice they were smelling. 

Out of the 7 spices, Peyton correctly identified 4, Hayden got 3, and Calib had a terribly poor showing with 1. I then did it to prove I could do just as good as Calib. I guessed them all as Cinnamon to be sure to tie. 

The boys made their postcards for Kyrgyzstan. 

Calib's featured mountains and a yurt. 

As did Peyton's postcard. 

Hayden designed his more after the picture in the book. 

For dinner we had a Gamburger (though we did it with a roast, not horse meat slices) topped with coleslaw and french fries, Russian Boiled Potatoes, strawberries and corn. 

This dinner earned four spoons up. 

Peyton, of course has it without the mayo and the ketchup, and then didn't love it. (I bet, that sounds super plain), but the rest of us really enjoyed it. There were seconds all around. 

The potatoes were a hit, even with Peyton. He loves dill flavor, and these had no shortage on that. I would make the whole thing again for sure. 

Kyrgyzstan got colored in a bright yellow to the west of teal China and the east of purple Kazakhstan and light brown Uzbekistan. 

Officially that's 149 down, 47 to go! 

Next Up: Haiti and Columbus