Yurt building holds historical and cultural significance to the Kyrgyz people. My class visited the national museum after school then during a trip to Issyk Kul, we got to build one with local experts.
The lives of families that live in the countryside differ quite drastically from those who live in the city. Most of the families we came across were pastoral families who were living in a Yurt for the summer. They stated that once it became too cold, they would pack up all their belongings and herd their sheep down the mountain. Even though we were 11,000 feet up, the children we passed were full of energy. I realized as we ate lunch in the mountains how far we were from the nearest town. The families that lived up in the mountains were miles away from the next neighbor and the only way to traverse the mountain was by horse.
Camping up in the Tien Shan mountain ranges was unlike anything I have ever done before. It became frigid at night and I realized then why we were told to bring snow pants. During the horse trek, we learned to trust our horses as they continued tirelessly for hours at a time. They also walked narrow trails along cliffs and across roaring rivers. When we stopped for the second night, we met a family who invited us over to try Kyrgyzstan’s national drink: кымыз. кымыз is mare’s milk. It was sour and salty leaving a strong aftertaste. It was interesting how naturally the taste preferences of the Kyrgyz people leaned towards salty and sour things. Most drinks and even snacks reflected this and I never came to like кымыз, but I am glad I tried it. кымыз I later found, is more strongly preferred by people living in the countryside.
In Kyrgyzstan, I drank tea with almost every meal. Wherever we went, tea and snacks were a popular way of fostering connection.
