Friday we had no school due to a Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha. It was last minute's notice. Valerie had worked at a school in the UAE and said that it was like that. Due to the Muslim holidays being on a lunar calendar, there is no way of knowing the exact date of a holiday until it is very close to the holiday. I looked this up on wikipedia. Apparently, there is some sort of algorithm for determining when the holidays will occur, but this either isn't exact or it's too complicated, or something. The dates for all the holidays in the future are listed as "calculated" and for the dates of previous holidays, some were off by a day, and the calculated dates and the announced dates are shown. Wow.
I didn't mind having a Muslim holiday off, and I didn't mind being asked to come to the school on Saturday to celebrate the holiday. The translation was wrong, however, it was just a "feast" or really a nice meal. I had hoped it would be something festive, something Sophia could enjoy.
I slept in the teachers' lounge while Sophia had dance--hey, the assistants do that during school. After dance, Sophia and Irene managed to convince Irene's father to take them to a play place, and I was left childless. Which was good, because the feast was simply a nice meal with a bunch of grown-ups, and it wouldn't have Sophia thinking nicely about Muslim holidays.
Some tables in the cafeteria were pushed together, silverware, etc, were on the tables. The salad had cucumbers and tomatoes; the main dish was a pile of rice and some cut-up meat (lamb, probably). Tea was served, of course, and I could choose between bubbly water and regular. I chose bubbly.
I sat patiently, looking at my food in front of me, while the food was being served, but soon noticed that there was no standard for when to start eating. I mixed my salad with my rice and meat, and noticed that while some people mixed their food together, some people ate everything separately (my mom would like that!)
The Turkish English teacher came by and poured us generous amounts of kefir, a thick, sour milk-like drink that is supposedly really good for you. I grew up on skim milk, and can't stand just about any other kinds of milk. I did not like it. Erica, the Filipino teacher who also received a large serving of kefir, plugged her nose and downed it while the rest of us cheered. (Luckily, the Turkish English teacher was not nearby, I'm not sure he would have been pleased with how little we liked the drink.)
The principal then stood up and gave a speech first in Kazakh and then in English. He explained the origin of the holiday, which differed both from what I'd seen on wikipedia and what occurs in the Christian Bible. (Wikipedia and the Bible do not contradict each other.) According to wikipedia, the celebration is about when Abraham was willing to give up his son Ishmael for God. He left Ishmael, the son of a slave, and Ishmael's mother in the desert. At first, they were going to starve and dehydrate, but then a miracle occurred and there was a river, and they and that place prospered and thrived.
According to the principal, the celebration is about when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael for God. He was going to kill him but then an angel stopped him. Instead he slaughtered a sheep. (In the Bible, that happens to Isaac, not Ishmael.)
So I'm not sure what the correct story is. However, the principal's English was good enough to know the word "slaughter" and know that my last name is the same (almost). I was only half-listening when I heard him call out my name. I nodded and said yes, yes, my name is "slaughter."
Then the Kazakh History teacher stood up and talked for a while in Kazakh. We figured out that he was saying thanks, and I teased Erica that she should say something in Filipino, and then I'll say something in French. However, soon several people were talking about Erica giving a speech, and before we knew it, she was standing up and saying thanks. My shy-ness won out and I refused to give a speech. Then Eric, another Filipino teacher, gave a speech, and then an elderly Russian woman whose job I do not know, stood up and gave a speech. She talked about how welcomed she was in Kazakhstan, and how Kazakhstan was now her home. (That was all of the whispered translation that I caught.)
The principal then stood up and announced, in Kazakh and English, that we would be able to pick up our meat on Monday at 5:00. He said it was tradition on this day, to give away part of your sacrifice to those close to you, and so everyone would get some meat. I overhead the accountant translating this into Russian for the elderly Russian lady, who must have felt lost with all the Kazakh and English going around! (And she was sitting next to a Filipino, that's one more language!)
Desert resembled some of the Greek pastries I have eaten before, and everyone slowly starting milling out--nothing formal. I learned that the Filipinos had used the driver this morning, and I took the driver home with them. Irene's dad had said that they would not be gone long, so I went home to enjoy my peace and quiet before they returned.
When he dropped Sophia off, she was sulky--until Irene decided to come over. Her dad said yes, and Sophia perked up and suddenly I had two little girls in my charge. Her mother busily made sure her scarf was on tight, gave her a water bottle, and kissed her many times. I've noticed how her mom's parenting style closely resembles that of a middle class American's. I doubt she'd let Irene run through the streets unsupervised, like all these local kids I see. (I can't comment on the Kazakh kids I teach. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or a class thing, to let kid roam so freely.)
I then spent 6 hours with the two girls! Irene's parents originally had said that they would just go to a movie, and then be back, but it was dinner time when they finally called. My theory is that they were enjoying their alone time--I know I do when Sophia's away! When they did call, Irene talked excitedly in Turkish and then hung up (she has her own phone) and told me that they'd come later. In the end, they called several times before deciding to come pick her up--each time, she told them in Turkish that she was having fun and didn't want them. I didn't get to say, "Yes, they're having fun, but it's getting late and Sophia needs some alone time."
I fed Irene Sophia's traditional dinner--cheese pizza--which she loved. We had planned on going to the store that day, and were completely out of drinks. So I took the girls to the little mini-mart that is in Christie's building, right next to ours. I bought them both a soda and a Kinder egg. Kinder eggs are German, and they are hollow chocolate eggs with a surprise toy inside. A big hit with kids. Also, the most expensive candy in Kazakhstan, nearing a dollar for one egg. Both girls had tiny, scantily clad fairies in their eggs. Why you need to make a children's toy where the butt crack is defined, is beyond me! (That's how tight these fairies' clothes were! You could see every curve and crack!)
Irene loved Sophia's hamster, and I'm sure she's begging her dad for one now. They had a good time, but a long time, and with young girls, a long time is never smooth. There are always arguments and issues.
I'm glad I got to have Irene with us, after all the times that he's taken Sophia somewhere or had her as a guest.
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