2 November 2008 Turkmen Funerals and Swimming in an Underground Cave

            Well, I have officially finished up the first half of PST! Week 5 is down and I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to fly really fast. Unfortunately, for my group this week was a very sad week. We went to language class on Tuesday and learned that Mayagozel’s (our teacher) father’s health had taken a turn for the worse and on Wednesday morning he passed away. Obviously, seeing as how we bonded a lot with Mayagozel, this news was very heartbreaking and we were all very sad for our friend. We were able to learn a lot about how death is handled here in Turkmenistan through the PC Language and Cultural Director, Zohre, who taught our class this week in Mayagozel’s absence. Zohre told us that Turkmen/Muslim funerals are very important to the culture; it apparently shows more respect if you go to a funeral than a wedding. I guess when someone dies in a family the immediate family does not leave their house for 7 days as in Islam they believe the spirit of the deceased remains in the house for 7 days. So they mourn there for 7 days. They also do not change or shower during that time and women are expected to be completely covered in long sleeves with a scarf covering their heads and men wear traditional Muslim prayer hats. Also during this time friends and neighbors stop by to give the family food and comfort them in their mourning, I found this very similar to US culture. For the first day following the death, the body of the person remains at home so people can come and pay their respects, it’s usually not kept there for more than a day… the only reason they would keep it longer is if an immediate family member had not yet arrived due to a long distance to travel. Once immediate family has paid their respects they take the body, wrap it in a white clothe, and carry it to the cemetery where the Ruhman (Muslim Priest) says prayers and the body is buried, this usually happens on the 2^nd or 3^rd day of mourning. The remainder of the week for the family is spent at home mourning the loss of their loved one. Finally, on the 7^th day after the death the family has a prayer service/wake I guess, at their home to remember their loved one. They will then have a wake/remembrance prayer once a month for the next year on the monthly anniversary of the passing. Our class has yet to visit Mayagozel, but after persistence we were told we could visit her and her family sometime this week with Zohre.

            So obviously, the week has been a sad week. Yesterday was pretty fun though. In light of the fact that we had finished half of PST the Peace Corps staff arranged a visit to Kow Ata, Turkmenistan’s famous underground lake. It was cool because you had to hike down into this cave in this big mountain (by hike I mean walk down a huge set of stairs) in pitch-black darkness until you reached this hot springs lake. The down part about the experience was that it smelled like rotten eggs because the spring was full of sulfur, but it really warm, like swimming in a hot tub (not as nice as the hot tub at home, but still cool). It was cool because you were literally swimming in the darkness. It wasn’t completely dark, there were lights placed at the beginning of the water, but the further back you swam the more darkness you encountered. I was able to make it all the way to the back of the cave, and I’ve got to tell you it was really scary (being in the darkness) and really fun at the same time. We all realized however just how weak our bodies had become over the course of the 5 weeks because our arms and legs were so sore from treading water. Come to find out there is a second part of the cave that will take you to another underground lake, but to get there you have to know where the entrance is at the back wall and have to swim down to go through it. Given the extreme darkness none of us even thought about trying that one. Also interesting fact about Kow Ata, if you do swim all the way to the far wall, as I did, you will reach the Iran border! So I technically touched the Iran border yesterday!

            So that is my update for the week. Look for more frequent updates, as I am now able to travel to Ashgabat on my own and can get to the Internet easier. I hope to update every 2 weeks at least. Wednesday this week is an exciting day for PSTs, first we get to find out who will be the next US President (we’re all rooting for Obama) as we are 9 hours ahead of the US, then we will find out where we will be living for the next 2 years! I requested to be in the region I am currently living in because I love the traditionalism and I love seeing the mountains everyday. So hopefully, I will be placed in a town or village close to the mountains (I also would be really close to Ashgabat). So please pray for God’s will in my site placement and pray too for Mayagozel’s family. I know that this is a really difficult time for her and she could use all the prayers she can get. Thanks a lot everyone! Have a good week and please remember to vote on Tuesday. No matter whom you’re voting for, it’s your civic duty and one of the only substantial ways your voice gets heard in our government, plus people in Turkmenistan would love to have that privilege. So for that reason alone, don’t waste your right to exercise your right to vote.