Worldly Rise: Russian language

Showing posts with label Russian language. Show all posts

Sunday, November 12, 2017

RUSSIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

You can’t go anywhere without hearing about Russia in the news these days. And, well, they’ve pretty much been in our news and forethoughts quite a bit over the last 100-150 years, give or take. It’s like we have a frenemy relationship with them. If our countries had Facebook pages, our relationship status would be “It’s complicated.” However, I’ve been a huge fan of Russian literature and Russian classical music for a long time and have played around with learning Russian on Duolingo but have forgotten almost all of the Cyrillic I taught myself.

Russia is named after the medieval Slavic state, Rus. There were actually other states denoting the same name. The Kievan Rus, which was one of the largest of these, were made of these medieval Rus tribes along with Swedish warriors and merchants who relocated to the area. Most other languages base their word for Russia on the root “Rus” although there are a few outliers (Finnish, Estonian – you have some explaining to do).

As the largest country by area, Russian is one of the few countries that span two continents (Europe and Asia) and 11 time zones. Its European neighbors include Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Ukraine. It also includes the exclave Kaliningrad situated between Lithuania and Poland. Its neighbors in Asia include Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, North Korea, and a maritime border with Japan and the US. Russia also touches a number of bodies of water: Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, Bearing Sea, East Siberian Sea, Kara Sea, and Barents Sea. Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake in the world. Although most of the country is known for its harsh winters, parts of its southern reaches can stay quite mild during the winters (which is why I thought Sochi was a weird decision for a Winter Olympics).

Although the Greeks and Romans visited the area since the 8^th century BC, the Rus and other Slavic tribes started moving into this area around the 7^th century. By the 10^th century, the Kievian Rus were one of the most flourishing tribal states throughout Europe. It was around this time when they adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantines. Unfortunately, they fell to the Mongols who were moving onto their turf. The Grand Duchy of Moscow emerged in its place but were still dealing with attacks from the Mongols and Tatars. In 1547, Ivan the Terrible was crowned as the first Tsar (“Caesar”). He was the one responsible for really expanding Russia’s territory. The Romanov Dynasty began in 1613. This was a time of continued uprisings and conflicts; the Cossacks, a semi-military self-governing group, rose to prominence and later aligned themselves with the Tsardom, helping the Russians explore Siberia. By the time Peter the Great (namesake of St. Petersburg) was in power, Russia was seen as a world power. Catherine the Great and Alexander I both greatly expanded Russia’s territories, and in 1820, Russian explorers first landed in Antarctica. Nicholas II, the last tsar, was made famous because his entire family was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 (the basis of the 1997 movie Anastasia). Russia entered WWI on the side of Serbia. Afterwards, it became a communist state at the influence of Vladimir Lenin. When Josef Stalin took over, he basically killed everyone who didn’t think like him and enacted an extreme form of state atheism. Although Russia tried to befriend Germany during the early part of WWII, Germany still invaded Russia and then it was on. Nikita Khrushchev tried to undo what Stalin put into place and encouraged the Russian Space Program, finally launching the Sputnik I in 1957. Mikhail Gorbachev tried to build on that, but high inflation left the economy in a rough place. In 1991, Russia broke up with itself, and 15 separate states were created. Boris Yeltsin was the first president voted in. The 1990s generally saw a period of corruption, economic instability, and lawlessness. Violent crime and criminal gangs were on the rise. Vladimir Putin became president in 2000 (although he switched positions with Dmitri Medvedev and became the PM in 2008, but then switched back in 2012). In 2014, Putin invaded Crimea and annexed it for Russia.

Moscow is the largest city and capital of Russia. Located on the European side of the country, it has over 17 million people in its urban area. It has Ostankino Tower (the tallest skyscraper in Europe), and it’s also famous for sites such as the Kremlin (where the seat of government meets), the Red Square, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, and Gorky Park. Today, Moscow is a modern city with many museum, theatres, galleries, sports venues, world-class restaurants and entertainment, a center for commerce, and universities.

Russia has an upper-middle income mixed economy. They’re one of the most expensive countries to visit. And while things have become more stable over the past 15 years or so as far as unemployment rates and the average nominal salary, the middle class is slowly diminishing, feeling the effects of income inequality. Agriculturally, they are a huge producer of grains, meat, fish, and forest products. Science, technology, and space programs are also very much economic drivers in Russia.

Orthodox Christianity has been around Russia since about the 10^th century. However, many people in Slavic countries have double beliefs in Orthodox Christianity and one of the indigenous beliefs. During the communist years, a Marxist-Leninist form of forced atheism dominated. There is still a significant number of atheists in Russia (including those who adhere to a spiritualism but not necessarily religious). There are also smaller number of other Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and other religions in Russia.

There are actually about 100 languages spoken in Russia, with Russian being the most widely-spoken and the official language. Tatar and Ukrainian come in second and third. Russian is the second-most used language on the Internet (hi, hackers!), after English. It also serves as an official language on the International Space Station. There are also 35 other languages that are official languages in various regions of the country.

Siberia has always been a fascination for me. It’s so desolate. It’s always been the epitome of harshness. “I will dump you off in Siberia and leave you there.” “It feels like Siberia in this office.” (That second one could go both ways.) And there are some weird things out there. First of all, the people are so super healthy, they go swimming in bikinis and stuff down ice-fishing holes. I guess somehow they’re immune to hypothermia. But, cool. Pretty much the whole area is nothing but permafrost. And with global warming thawing a lot of it out, it’s releasing a lot of previously trapped methane. And that’s no bueno. Oh, and then there’s the Dalkdykan River that runs red. Probably from the blood of their enemies. Or iron deposits or something. Not to mention that some of the oldest human remains have been found in Siberia, even though the remains were unlike any they’ve ever found. [Cue X-Files theme.]

Up next: art and literature

Sunday, October 11, 2015

KYRGYZSTAN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

About ten years ago, I took a job in a 7^th–8^th grade middle school working in the Resource Department (what’s typically called “special education” elsewhere). The students in this program were mostly there for learning disabilities and some behavioral issues. Part of my job was to help the kids with reading their homework and tests, re-explaining directions, and keeping them on task by sitting in on their classes. Geography has changed a bit since when I was in middle school, and although I had a college degree, the first time I truly learned anything about Kyrgyzstan was when I was sitting in on a 7^th grade social studies class in 2004. The kids never knew that I had to memorize these countries along with them; yes, these former-Russian countries have been around for over a decade at that time, but I had barely even glanced at them on a map. And now it’s come back into my life.

If you told me this was Switzerland, I'd full-heartedly believe you.

Kyrgyzstan literally means “land of the Kyrgyz.” The term Kyrgyz is stemmed from the Turkic word meaning “forty,” referring to the forty clans of Manas. Manas was a local hero who brought together forty different clans in order to fight against the invading Uyghurs. If you look at the literal translation of the word “Kyrgyz,” it means “we are forty.” (My daughter asked me, “What happens when you turn 41?”)

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia, surrounded by Kazakhstan to the north, China to the east, Tajikistan to the southwest, and Uzbekistan to the west. The Tian Shan Mountains cover roughly 80% of the land with several rivers running off from the mountains. In the northern regions of the country, the Issyk-Kul Lake is not only Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake, but it’s second only to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia as far as largest mountain lakes go.

The mountain regions keep the climate cooler and drier and can vary at different variations. The upper elevations typically experience sub-zero temperatures for over a month during the winter months. However, there are also areas of the country that can reach temperatures of over 100ºF during the summer.

The first people who were thought to move into this area were the Scythians. They united and reached their peak when they collectively defeated the Uyghurs in 840 AD. As the Mongol Empire expanded their boundaries, the Kyrgyz peacefully joined them. Traders between Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East used what was called the Silk Road, a series of trade routes across the land and water that linked major trade cities together. Issyk-Kul Lake was a major resting stop along the way. Between the 17^th–19^th centuries, this area was also controlled by the Mongols, the Chinese, and the Uzbeks before Russia moved in and took the land for themselves. Many of the nomadic tribes continued to travel across the mountains between Kyrgyzstan and China. Under Russian rule, the Kyrgyz saw many improvements such as literacy, economic stability, and improvements in infrastructure. They renamed the capital to Frunze. Tensions between the Uzbeks and the Kyrgyz in 1990 were the beginning of a larger movement toward independence. In 2005, an uprising known as the Tulip Revolution took place in the capital of Bishkek. Several Parliament members were killed over the course of the next year and were linked to illegal business ventures and organized crime; the city was looted during the riots that ensued. Part of the results and findings of this revolution is what places Kyrgyzstan among the most corrupt countries in the world. Ethnic clashes continue to occur, and at one point Kyrgyzstan asked for Russia’s help in dealing with this, but this was denied and caused a big stink between the two countries. However, Russia did send some humanitarian aid in the end.

You can see the remnants of Russian architecture.

The capital and largest city in the country is Bishkek. The city was originally founded as a fortress city called Pishpek. According to some historians, the name is thought to have derived from the word for the churn used to make their national drink of fermented mare’s (female horse) milk. (I read about this drink when I did Kazakhstan as well.) The city was later renamed Frunze after Lenin’s close friend who was born in Bishkek. Today, the city has many universities spread throughout it along with sporting venues, a public transit system, traditional markets, shopping centers, and parks. The city is also the center of government and financial services. There are still many Russian-inspired buildings still standing throughout the city.

Kyrgyzstan is the second-poorest country in Central Asia, and it’s also the second-poorest country in the former Soviet countries. Roughly one-third of its people live below the poverty line. Most of their economic woes are due to the break-up of Soviet countries and the subsequent loss of established trading partners. In the past 20 years, a significant portion of the economy comes from remittances from Kyrgyz workers who moved to Russia (or other countries) for work. However, the country is rich in mineral reserves: gold, coal, antimony, uranium, and others and has an established hydroelectric power industry. Kyrgyzstan also exports a large amount of wool, meats, dairy products, fruits, and nuts.

The vast majority of Kyrgyz people—roughly 80%—are Muslim. The remaining 20% are made up of mostly Russian Orthodoxy and a number of smaller pockets of other religious followings. During the Soviet years, atheism was encouraged, (and by “encouraged,” I mean “mandated”), but today, Islam is more of a cultural practice rather than so much of a devout religious one.

Saying Hello/Hi in Kyrgyz

Russian remains an official language of Kyrgyzstan along with the Kyrgyz language. Kyrgyz is a Turkic language that is related to Kazakh and a number of other languages. It originally used the Arabic script, later switching to the Latin script in 1928, and switching again to the Cyrillic script in 1941. Although most business and politics are still conducted in Russian, the use of Kyrgyz is becoming a growing trend and is often simultaneously translated along with Russian. Russian, Uzbek, and English are the most common second languages studied in Kyrgyzstan.

While Kyrgyz culture remains relatively unknown to many around the world, there are things about this country that stick out. For one, it has one of the world’s largest epic poems written (the “Manas” epic comes in at around 500,000 lines). If you’re a fan of walnuts, Kyrgyzstan has one of the largest walnut forests in the world. The glaciers of the Tian Shan are often watched and studied by scientists as evidence of climate change: there is evidence showing they are slowly starting to retreat. The Kyrgyz people are also a horse-loving people like their Kazakh neighbors, and they are famous for the sport of kok-boru (like polo, but played with a headless goat instead of a ball--I found out that it's also called buzkashi in Afghanistan, which I already knew of). And while Kazakhstan is attributed the home of the apple, Kyrgyzstan boasts itself as the home of prunes and cherries. I’m sure there will be more things I discover while researching Kyrgyzstan this week. I’m certain of it.

Up next: Art and Literature

Sunday, August 16, 2015

KAZAKHSTAN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

Whenever I think of Kazakhstan, I think of that movie “Borat” that came out a few years ago. I never watched it just because it gave me the feeling that perhaps it was putting the country of Kazakhstan in an unfair light. Purely based on the trailers, it just seemed that it was making these people seem so backwards and unaware of any American customs (or anything outside of their small village). Granted, this is a comedy. I get that. And there are always customs whenever you go to any country that may be new. I get that, too. Maybe I should give it a shot, but it just seems like there are so many other movies out there worth watching first.

Following in the same format of several other countries, the ending –stan means “land of.” So, essentially this is the Land of the Kazakhs. The term “Kazakh” itself was stemmed from an Old Turkic word meaning “independent or free spirit” and was in reference to their nomadic horseback riding traditions. (In the popular Game of Thrones, the fictional Dothraki people were thought to be based on these horseback riding cultures. The Rohirrim of The Lord of the Rings also draws inspiration from this as well.)

Kazakhstan is a very large country. In fact, it’s the world’s 9^th largest country by land. Not only that, but it’s THE largest landlocked country in the world, which should go right at the top of its résumé. It’s bordered by Russia to the north and west; China to the east; and Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to the south. Kazakhstan’s land is quite varied with mountains, steppes, canyons, deserts, rivers, lakes, and hills. It does claim quite a bit of coastline of the Caspian Sea on its western border, across from Azerbaijan and Iran as well. Incidentally, the Caspian Sea is also the world’s largest lake, despite its misnomer. I wonder if they have ever used the tourism slogan “Everything’s Bigger in Kazakhstan,” or if Texas would get mad if they did.

The earliest groups of people living here were Indo-Iranian nomads, the most well known being the Scythians. They domesticated and trained horses early on and many of the people of Central Asia became adept at their skills in riding. Later the Cumans and Kipchaks (both nomadic Turkic groups) joined forces and ruled the area. Although there were a few cities that benefitted from being near the famous Silk Road, they were more concerned with the Mongol invasions, which eventually did happen because the Mongols kind of took over most of Asia during the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Real estate moguls would be an extremely euphemistic term (I mean that sort of sarcastically, although their empire was twice as large as the Roman Empire). By the 15^th and 16^th centuries, the Kazakh people began to emerge with their own identity along with their language, economy, and culture, and the next couple of centuries would consist of fighting between various other nomadic groups in this region as they began to establish themselves here. During the 19^th century however, the Russian Empire began to start stretching the boundaries of its territory. Not only did they push their way into other European countries, they also pushed their way into Central Asia including Kazakhstan. They would stay in control until Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991 (they were the last to break away from Russia). Even though there were many unpleasant things that happened while the Russians were there (as if forcing your way into another country wasn’t bad enough, there was also the stifling of the Kazakh culture in order to assimilate to theirs, forced collectives and mass hunger causing mass emigration, assassination of anyone involved in the arts, academics, and other people who think for a living, Soviet labor camps, using their land to test nuclear bombs, etc.), there were other effects of the Russian occupation: they adopted Russian cuisine, culture, and the Cyrillic alphabet and the Russian language as well as the building of schools, hospitals, train lines, roads, and other governmental buildings in an effort to modernize the country. The interesting part is that Kazakhstan has only had one president since 1991. Six years into its independence, the capital city was moved from Almaty along the southeast border to Astana, which is more centrally located albeit slightly north.

Astana is the current capital city of Kazakhstan, and like Canberra, Brasília, and Washington, D.C., it is a planned city. It’s also had as many name changes as P. Diddy or whatever he goes by now. Located along the Ishim River, it was once a small village known as Akmoly. When it was actually granted a town status, the name changed to Akmolinsk. In 1961, the Russians changed its name to Tselinograd. After the country gained its independence, it was changed yet again to Akmola. However, once the decision to move the capital here, they agreed to change its name to Astana, which means “capital” (just so there’s no confusion). Today it’s quite a modern city filled with universities, world-renowned architecture, an economic and commercial center, sports venues, government centers, shopping and arts districts, and modern public transportation. Astana is known for its modern, futuristic skyline.

Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan’s economy is the largest and strongest in the region. Economic drivers include crude oil and agriculture, and the country is also a leading exporter of uranium. Even during the economic crisis of 2008-2009, Kazakhstan’s economy remained fairly stable. The government implemented stimulus packages to the banks and other financial entities to promote growth. Part of what makes their economy strong is their abundance of natural resources. The country has large reserves of chromium, lead, uranium, zinc, iron, gold, copper, coal, manganese, petroleum, natural gas, and diamonds. They are currently working toward expanding their housing market and infrastructure.

Nearly 70% of the population is Muslim while only a quarter is Orthodox Christian. Many times, countries will retain a large number of followers of the colonizing or occupying country. Not so in this case. Because the Russians banned religion during those Communist years, many Kazakhs looked to their own heritage and history once they gained their freedom back. There are several different denominations of Islam practiced in Kazakhstan as well as smaller populations of Roman Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Bahá’ís, Buddhists, and others.

Kazakhstan has two official languages: Russian, which is the language used in education, government, many businesses, and often as a lingua franca between peoples of different ethnicities (although Kazakh is slowly replacing it on that term) and Kazakh, a native language that is spoken by roughly 65% of the population. Although currently, Kazakh is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, there are plans in place to change over to using the Roman alphabet within the next decade (I’ll be interested to see how easy of a change this will be, but since I live in the US, I’ll hear nothing of it here. I’ll be lucky if I happen to see it mentioned on BBC or Al Jazeera.). There are several other minority languages spoken throughout the land: Tatar, Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Ukrainian, and Uzbek. English and Turkish are popular second languages learned in Kazakhstan. However, unlike many other countries, there is very little that is translated into English, so you better brush up on your Kazakh or Russian if you want to survive your visit.

Kazakhstan does have a lot of rural areas. The barren, flat areas called the steppes can attest to that. And there are many things they do differently, like I saw that many areas have their water pipes run above ground. (It would certainly make repairs easier, and according to my husband, it still has the same chance or slightly less of a chance of freezing whether it’s underground or above.) The other thing I read about is that it’s widely thought that apples originated from Kazakhstan, and many apple forests are still found there. It’s interesting because in the US, we have the legend of Johnny Appleseed who was actually a real person traveling across the eastern portion of the US planting apple trees; his grave is in Fort Wayne, Indiana, about two hours northeast of where I live. However, I didn’t choose any apple recipes this go around, but I did choose several other tasty dishes. And as I read on someone’s blog, “This country is nothing like the movie Borat.” For that, I’m glad to know.

Up next: art and literature