Day 2: Nowruz Celebration

Prior to the sun rising, we embarked on our epic and beautiful excursion through the open, yet lively and bustling Kazakh landscape. After a pre-7am departure, we first arrived at the Kizilsharik village, where we were put to work popping popcorn and serving the children (while some in our group helped with blowing up and tying balloons for the little ones). After our initial opportunity to serve this village of Uyghurs and Kazaks, we watched their children perform traditional folk tunes and dances. I was starstruck by the exciting melodies, which I wished I could have added to my gym playlist. However, because there is no way I could have remembered the names of the foreign songs, I had no other choice but to appreciate the performances as they were, for I knew that I would never get to experience the phenomenon again. After waiting twenty minutes to perform, we seized the opportunity to showcase our American culture to the sea of Kazakh villagers, dotted with numerous balloons. We rocked the house with Elton John's "I'm still standing." It was a beautiful contrast, American pop culture and the eccentric harmonies of Kazakh folk tradition. We saw horse wrestling, walked the local village, drove to rural nowhere (actually within 90 minutes of China's western borders) and watched young boys race horses. The destination was far and while off a dirt road, its remoteness was beautiful, calming and captivating. We had come here in order to learn about a foreign culture that we may never be able to experience again. But, in this process I also came to a realization that this amazingly diverse community of several

Wrestling while horseback riding