Part 1: Dead goat in the goal

Yesterday was Navruz, the Uzbek celebration of the beginning of spring, the new year.  The whole country tidies up and prepares for the day.  We were able to join a group that traveled out of the city to visit ancient ruins that date back to 2 B.C., eat a wonderful picnic lunch of the national Uzbek dish plov (Russian)/Osh (Uzbek), and watch a match of kupkari.

A bit about Kupkari.
What:  Game called Uloq or Kupkari ("goat grabbing")
Who:  Lots of men on horseback and one dead goat with head and hooves removed and soaked a day in salt water, making it weigh 150 pounds or so.
When:  Usually played in the spring
Where:  Around Central Asia
Why:  Prizes... my guess is bragging rights also
How:  Men and boys ride their horses and try to grab the goat and get it into a goal (a circle of hay).  Along the way there definitely seemed to be some roughing up among the men but not the horses.  The game can be played as teams or as individuals.

Seth, Vic, and Max loved being in the middle of this giant field where they could climb and run and play.

A young Uzbek gal in a traditional hat

A tea seller

Where the older gentleman gathered together to eat

This fellow asked me to take his photo, and then he shared sweets from his "table" with the boys.

Their meal: bread, salads, tea, osh, and sweets

Our families plate of osh

Part 2: Dead goat in the goal

The game was played in a large crescent shaped area, and we sat on an edge of the hill that surrounded.  There was a referee and there was definitely order to the game.  It seemed that some of the horsemen were always involved in the action while some milled around the edges.  The horses and riders were skilled.

From where we sat, we could see one of the yellow hay goals and the spectators on the other side. 

A competitor and his horse

A spectator

You can see the goat here under one of the rider's legs.  He is holding on only to the goat while someone else has the reigns.  

The same rider heading to the goal

Another rider with the goat

A scramble for the goat

Part 3: Dead goat in the goal

Craig and I both took pictures.  When I sat down to look at them today, I smiled at all the pictures of Vic with others.  He is our super friendly kid that has never met a stranger. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women's Day

Women's Day is big celebration here, kinda like Mother's Day in the US but for all women and much, much bigger.  The kids did "spectacles" at their school for the parents.  Adorable!  These events are a big, big deal.  The kids have a music teacher and dance teacher to prepare them and the costumes are made solely for these shows.  (Sorry for the fuzzy photos.)

Vic was an adorable sailor.

 

 

This is Vic's little move after he finished his speaking part.  I was sitting next to a friend who said at this point, "That boy is his Daddy!".

 

 

Seth was dressed up as the big brother in a family.  

 

His favorite part was getting to wear this cool mohawk hat.

Meet Masha

For my birthday we also got a new kitty.  Craig has said we could get a cat if it wasn't the kind that hides under furniture.  He started petting an alley cat near the embassy, and eventually decided she was sweet enough to bring home.  The maintenance men at the embassy were feeding and taking care of her, and they had named her Masha.  The beginning was a bit rough, as she immediately decided that she wanted nothing more than to find a male kitty.  The recommended vet was on vacation for the first three weeks of her time with us, but once he returned he spayed her.  Since then she has been the sweetest!  Our life is so transient, and it feels so settled and normal to add a pet to life.  I love seeing the kids love her.

She spent four nights with the vet after her surgery.  She was wearing this sweet little "dress" to cover her stitches when he returned her.  Resourceful and a fashion statement.

Max is obsessed with her.  We hear "meow" from the minute he wakes.  He loves her, even more than she wants to be loved.  She endures like a sweet kitty.

Most cats wouldn't stand for this.  Dad picked out a good one for us.