Dagestan

I was recently perusing the shelves of a bookstore (the children's section) and a particularly beautiful book caught my eye. Pulling it out, I was immediately drawn into the watercolor world of the illustrations. The landscapes were mountainous with counterintuitive colors, and the animal characters were dressed in costumes I didn't recognize. It felt Middle Eastern, but yet completely different. The title was, "Folk Tales of Dagestan". I fell so in love with it that I bought it, even though I had no idea what Dagestan actually was. 

As soon as I got home, I looked it up to find that it was a small republic of Russia on the shores of the Caspian Sea. I read the entire book that evening and found the stories to be very different from traditional Russian tales, and surprisingly refreshing. I was fascinated by this world and read the tales over and over again, and I also read more and more about Dagestan. 

Dagestan means "Land of the Mountains" from Turkish 'dag' meaning 'mountain' and the Persian suffix 'stan' meaning 'land'. It is located in the northern Caucases, with the Caspian Sea to the east, Chechnya to the west, Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south, and the Kalmykia republic to the north. The geography is very mountainous, especially in the north. Very little of the land is suitable for cultivation, due to the terrain, thus most of the population relies on raising livestock for a living. The region is one of the most ethnically diverse in Russia with over thirty separate groups and languages. It is also unusual that no ethnicity forms a majority. The city of Derbent, on the Caspian Sea, is a very interesting city and regarded as the oldest in Russia (8th century B.C.), with some buildings being over 5,000 years old. The fortress and walls surrounding the city have been continually maintained longer than any other on earth--more than 1,500 years. 

The area of what is now the Republic of Dagestan began as a state of Albania in the first centuries A.D. The area has always been a war torn, conflicted area being conquered by the Huns, the Persians, the Arabs, the Mongols, and then the Persians again. It remained under Persian control until the Treaty of Gulistan (signed in 1813) established it, along with modern day Azerbaijan and Georgia, as part of Russia. From the beginning of Russian rule, the people of Dagestan have struggled for their independence, which resulted in the Caucasian War that continued for about three decades from 1828 to 1864. In 1917, Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya declared independence from Russia and created the state: United Mountain Dwellers of the North Caucases. They were forced to join the Soviet Union in 1921 and Dagestan quickly became the poorest region in Russia. Renewed violence and uprising sprang up in the 1980s and again between 2010 and 2012. The troubled violence stems mainly from tension between various ethnic and religious groups within the republic or from attacks and invasions from Chechnya, whose Islamist extremists continue to try and make Dagestan an Islamic state. The Russian military has been involved trying to suppress the violence and to this day it remains a very troubled region. 

Below is a translated (as best I could) tale from the book I bought. I found it, and the others, very interesting and different from traditional Russian tales. Traditional Russian folk tales have many story elements grouped in threes and are usually about the evil witch Baba Yaga or the Tsar's young son Ivan. It was interesting to see another side of Russia, one we rarely think about. Russia is actually a very ethnically diverse place, and due to its sheer size, traditions and lifestyles can be drastically different from one place to another. 

I found the tales unique in that I couldn't predict the ending.  They all had odd twists at the end that left me thinking, "Huh?" Some of them seemed to have no plot at all, and it was hard to determine whether or not they were supposed to illustrate a moral. In general, they were fascinating and refreshing to read. Here is one of them entitled, "Culmalaguza": 

There once lived in this world a rich and important beetle by the name of Culmalaguza. Culmalaguza had everything except a faithful friend. 

"Life is not sweet without a friend," thought Culmalaguza. "I will go throughout this world to find him."

He took with him Moroccan slippers and a wrung Astrakhan fur cap* and went out of his white stone palace and set off on his way. 

Whether a long way, whether a short way, Culmalaguza went along the road and met Frog. 

"Eyes like a lake, slippers from Morocco, an Astrakhan fur cap, which road are you keeping Culmalaguza?", asked Frog. 

"I am going, Frog, to find myself a friend. But not just any kind of friend. A friend sincere, equal to me in mind and wealth", answered Culmalaguza.

"I have heard of your dignity and I am ready to become your friend", said Frog. 

"And what? Are you rich? And what can you do?"

"All springs--mine! All lakes--mine! All rivers--mine! I can swim in the water and jump on the land and sing beautifully", answered Frog. "And most importantly, I am ready to become your faithful friend, in trouble and joy."

Culmalaguza looked on the nondescript Frog and laughed proudly. 

"You boaster, Frog! All of your wealth and all your abilities are not worth even my cap!", said he and went on. 

Whether a long way, whether a short way, Culmalaguza went along and met Mouse. 

"Hello Culmalaguza!"

"Hello to you too, Mouse!" 

"Eyes like a lake, slippers from Morocco, an Astrakhan fur cap, which road are you keeping Culmalaguza?", asked Mouse. 

"I am going, Mouse, to find myself a friend, but not just any kind of friend. A friend sincere, equal to me in mind and wealth." 

Mouse's heart leapt for joy. 

"You are rich, and I am rich. There you go! You and I will be faithful friends, sincere!" 

"And what? Are you rich? And what can you do?", asked Culmalaguza. "Are you worthy to be a friend to one such as I?"

"All shops--mine! All store rooms--mine! All hay stacks in the field--mine! Barns full of grains--mine! Pitchers full of honey--mine! Jugs with smetana*--mine! Wine barrels--mine! All sweets, any kind in the world--mine!"

"Pretty! Pretty!", cried Culmalaguza, who had once heard how many sweets were in the storerooms of mouse. "I agree to be your friend!"

Out of joy he even forgot to ask what Mouse was able to do. So decided Culmalaguza to become friends and live together. They lived, eating and drinking together, and were satisfied with each other. 

Once Mouse was invited to a wedding in the neighboring ayul* beyond the great River. Mouse got ready, and stepping out onto the road said to Culmalaguza,

"My sincere friend! If I do not return in three days, harness the cart and come to me."

"Okay, my faithful friend! Go to the wedding, but just take care of yourself. Don't eat and drink too much."

Mouse took a gift for the bride and went to the wedding. Three days went by and Mouse did not come back. Homesick Culmalaguza harnessed the cart and went after his friend. He went along and when he reached the banks of the great River he fell into the water-filled track of a horse hoof and began to sink. Culmalaguza cried with all his might, but couldn't get out. A fly flew above him and he called out to it,

"Dear fly! I ask of you, report to my faithful friend Mouse that I am sinking in an ocean!" 

The fly flew to the wedding, sat on a plate of plov*, and told Mouse what had happened. Mouse was at this time eating plov with such an appetite it gnawed at his bones. But when he heard that his friend had fallen into trouble, he forgot about his appetite and quickly rushed to help. Mouse rushed to the place where Culmalaguza was sinking. He rushed and bustled about but could not help him as he himself was afraid of sinking. 

Completely in despair, Culmalaguza cried more than ever. Mouse cursed and scolded. But then up ran Frog. He saw Culmalaguza and seemed to be his saving hope.

"Merciful Frog! Whether or not we are friends, save me! I will give you all my wealth!", he pleaded.

"Give Frog all your wealth? You are crazy!", cried Mouse.

"Yes. I will give you all if you only save me, Frog!", prayed Culmalaguza desperately.

"How can I not help one in such trouble?", thought Frog, and rushed to help Culmalaguza. 

But there was Mouse who clung to him, and with his sharp teeth, held him tightly. Hardly able to manage, Frog finally grabbed his tail and threw Mouse into the raging current of the great River. Frog was exhausted from his wounds.

And there was no one to save Culmalaguza.

Only the curious fly spun above him as he went to the bottom. 

The End

*Astrakhan fur cap: while Astrakhan is another republic of Russia, also situated on the Caspian Sea, in this case it refers to a special kind of fur used to make karakul hats, which originated in Afghanistan. The fur is from the qaraqul breed of sheep. The hats became popular in Russia during the Soviet Union, but is part of the traditional costumes in the southwestern republics of Russia. 

*smetana (сметана) is the traditional Russian sour cream, but is much thinner and sweeter than that found in the United States. It a staple in their diet and is traditionally eaten with Blini (Russian pancakes) and pelmini (Russian dumplings).

*ayul is a mountain top village in Dagestan. They are literally perched on the summit of a mountain or hill. The houses are made of stone and are grouped closely together. 

*plov, ploff is a traditional Russian dish made of rice, meat, and maybe some vegetables. 

Another aspect of Dagestani culture that I found very interesting was their traditional dance, the Lezginka. The music is lively and fast paced, and the dance is incredibly acrobatic. 

This is a link to a Lezginka performance. This is done by the Georgian Ballet, but is a great short clip. 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ry67AnEklVM 

This is done by a group from Dagestan, and while it is longer, gives a great idea of costumes and the dance.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1deFVudZhsc

The Hazards of Inner Tubing

The sun was just going down as my friend, Sveta, and I walked through the snow from the cabin. There was not a cloud in sight and the bare trees rose black against the pale sky. I was with Sveta and her family for the weekend, at a remote village in the mountains to do some skiing. We headed to where their car was parked, on the edge of a large field, blanketed in fresh snow. Sveta's mom stood ready with the camera, as Sveta and I climbed onto the innertube. I was on the back, and clung to Sveta, giggling all the while. The car slowly rolled away and we whooped as we were pulled along. It was exhilarating, we went faster and faster, hollering louder and louder. The car turned and we went whizzing around in a long arc. It was fast, so fast I had to cling to the handles with all my might to stay on. I saw it for a moment out of the corner of my eye: the wooden staircase leading to the platform of the tubing run. We had clean forgotten it. I slammed sideways into the corner of the stairs, as the inner tube was ripped away. 

By the grace of God, Sveta was not hurt, and was at my side immediately as I lay, unable to move, in the snow. I hadn't hit my head, which was a miracle in itself. However, my left side was in too much pain to move. Sveta's parents were there in a flash, lifting me up into the van. We zipped around to the cabin, where they carried me to a bunk. They gathered their things, while thinking of what to do next. We were much too far away for an ambulance. There was nothing else to do but drive right away to Vladivostok, to get to the hospital.

With the initial tears cried, the pain was bearable as I was carried in the blanket by four people and slid into the back seat of the van. We set off, along the back roads to Vladivostok, three hours all together. With every jolt came pain, but thankfully it gradually subsided. I was concerned that I couldn't move my leg, but I was grateful it wasn't worse. It could have been my head, or my back. 

We eventually pulled up to the hospital. There, we waited while Yulia (Sveta's mom) went in. I was actually extremely interested to experience the Russian health care system, as I had heard so many horror stories. At the very least, I was expecting the usual deal: the stretcher, the sympathetic concern and instant response. I mean, after all, we were at an emergency room in a major city. 

Yulia came out after about twenty minutes, and Slava (Sveta's dad) picked me up once again and carried me into the hospital. The waiting room had several people there, sitting on benches. We looked around for a place to put me, and, with no other options, pulled two benches together to lay me down. We waited for a while for the doctor to come. The few nurses that were there walked by me, barely sparing me a glance, going in and out of rooms. There was one doctor, and about three nurses. We had attracted the attention of the rest of the patients, who crowded around, asking if I was okay. 

At long last, the doctor emerged from his office, and asking who was next, everyone pointed to me. He came over and simply started patting me down, while Yulia explained what had happened. "Does this hurt, how about here..." was all he said, as he none-too-gently patted my left side. Within about thirty seconds of this, a stretcher was brought. By stretcher, I mean a rolling metal table. Slava and some of the other people in the waiting room lifted me up onto it, with the doctor barking how they weren't holding me right. I was rolled away into the X-ray room. It seemed to me like they had put the monstrous machine into a store room, as boxes of medical supplies were stacked to the ceiling on one side of the room. I was slid from the "stretcher" to the X-ray table.

I don't know if the machine was old or what, but instead of position-the-machine-over-the-person, it was position-the-person-under-the-machine. By now the pain had returned. With every transfer: from the van to the bench, from the bench to the stretcher, from the stretcher to the table, and being moved around on the table, it had gotten worse. 

The X-rays were taken quickly: one of my hip, which took most of the force of the hit, and one of my chest. They had no lead protection and they took the X-rays like someone would snap photos. The nurse said barely anything, and I waited again on the freezing table while she took the films to the doctor. After fifteen minutes or so, a wheelchair was brought. Slava set me down, and I found sitting to be more comfortable. However, the wheelchair had only one arm rest, and no foot rests, so Sveta hadto bend down and shuffle along, holding my legs up. What an angel!

We returned to the waiting room area, where we waited yet again. When he was ready, we all shuffled into the doctor's office, where he promptly said nothing was broken and asked me to stand up on my left leg. He seemed genuinely surprised when I couldn't, and then felt my hip again. He sat down and wrote instructions down on a sticky note.

I was to not move my leg for at least five days; after that, if I couldn't stand on it, I was to simply lay there until I could, for however long that would take. I was to wear a bandage on it for two weeks. I was to drink two packs of a powdered painkiller twice a day. I was to be given a shot twice a day for three days, and a special rub for where the skin broke (it's green, not red like ours). They sent us off to buy everything at a pharmacy, and once again I was carried back to the van. We bought everything,and at long last headed home.

I wasn't even sure who was home when I called. My host mom and dad, as it turned out, were working in the other city, and it was my host brother and his wife, and Anna, at home. One last time, I was carried up to the apartment, and set on the bed. Sveta's mom administered the medication, and the shot. I was not looking forward to the shot, especially when I saw the sheer size of the needle. It was administered to the bum, and my sister and brother's wife thought it was absolutely hysterical, as I lay gritting my teeth in pain through the whole process. The needle was ready, and when the question arose of a sterilizer, the vodka bottle was promptly brought from the kitchen. With the vodka applied, the shot was administered, and it hurt like a bullet (at least how I would imagine a bullet would feel). I couldn't believe it. The pain lingered for an hour, and the solution to that: cabbage leaves, applied directly to the area. 

When all was said and done, it was one in the morning. I lay on my cabbage leaves, my bum stinging, leg throbbing, and feeling grimy from the weekend. No one in my family felt they could give me the shot twice a day, so Yulia would have to come morning and night to do it. Sveta stayed with me the first night, and spent the next day, Sunday (her one free day of the week), with me. It was clever Sveta who came up with the brilliant idea of using the rolling office chair as a wheelchair so I could get to the bathroom and kitchen. Along with my sister, Anna, we watched movies and played games. I directed them in the making of an apple pie, and by the time evening came, and Sveta had to go home, I felt like she and I had been friends forever. 

I am so grateful I was with Sveta and her family. They were with me every step of the way, holding my hand and assuring me that everything was going to be fine. They took such good care of me, and really welcomed me into their family. I do feel close to them. After all, they saw me at my best, laughing and enjoying their generous invitation to join them for the weekend, and at my absolute worst, crying and in pain. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and dedication of these people I had met only a few times. 

I will be fine; I just need some rest. On the bright side, it was very interesting for me to experience the ER in Russia. It turned out fine for me, because my injury was not all that serious, mostly a whole lot of pain. However, had it been serious, I don't know how they would have handled it. They had very few staff on duty, it was just in a regular apartment building with some walls knocked out, and it had limited accessibility for a wheelchair or stretcher. The doctor sent me home, unable to walk, with no type of crutches, or way to get up and around. He didn't check to see if there was going to be anyone at home who would be able to take care of me. There just didn't seem to be any comparison between the medical system here and in the United States. I'm grateful for the great care we get in the US. 

Hope in an Unlikely Place

It was Saturday morning, and I had been invited to go with some friends of mine from the church to volunteer at the hospice in Vladivostok. Like everything else here, I had no idea what to expect, as we drove to the hospice. It was in a poor part of town, behind the vast, sprawling Chinese Market. The building was small, off to the side of the regular hospital. The outside was quite dreary, with grey paint peeling in great swaths. The front doors hung open. "Few people come here," said one of my friends. "Even the people in the church don't want to come. They'll come to the door, but they won't go in. They say they aren't ready. They don't want to see the suffering."

As we entered the building, the first thing I noticed was a man, old and thin, sitting on the floor, his back to the wall.  He had striking blue eyes that followed us as we moved. He was dressed in a mismatched sweatsuit, and huge boots. He simply sat there and watched us as we came in and passed by him. I saw only one hallway, and all the rooms opened up off of it. The hall floor was rotting out, and they had put down boards to walk on, so you didn't sink too much. The paint on the inside was no better than on the outside. 

Forty people live there, and there are four nurses on duty at any one time. My friends told me of how the nurses' salaries get cut regularly. The four nurses came out to meet us. They were smiling, upbeat people, but looked tired. They were happy to see us, and we quickly set to work. I started out making open-faced sandwiches, which were fish liver paste on stale bread. I took them around to the rooms. 

Each room was roughly twenty feet by fifteen feet. There were four beds per room, and they were basic cots. That was it: nothing else, not even any personal items. Just a grimy window and bare walls. The residents lay in their beds, flat on their backs, all day. Most of them were too weak to sit up by themselves. They were helped to sit up by the nurses to eat their meals, then laid back down again, and that's it. That is their life. There are no televisions to watch, there are no radios to listen to, there are no pictures to look at. It is hard to read books while lying down, and family members rarely visit.

Lunch that day was described as "the usual." It was a watery soup with buckwheat and a few shreds of chicken, with bread, a banana and, for those who could stomach more, a plate of cabbage mush. I had never fed anyone before, and it was a humbling experience. My charge was Baba Zoya. She was too weak to even spoon soup into her mouth, or hold the cup while she drank. She was silent as she ate, sometimes demanding bread, or more water. The time of day she probably looked forward to the most seemed a burden for her. She lay back down afterwards, and I stayed a while. I tried to start a conversation, but she wasn't very talkative. She stared at the ceiling. I described what was outside the window for her, and talked about my home. I asked her about her family, and her childhood. There was an ornament, a snowman, sitting on the table. I held it up for her, and she turned her head to look at it. I will never forget the emptiness of her eyes. 

You could feel it in every room, and every corner of that place: the emptiness. Some of them had faith, and for them it was the only thing they had. And to think that they were once just like me: young and full of dreams. But now they were here, living a half-life. Simply existing, with their thoughts always in the past, because the present was four bare walls and there was simply no future to dream about. At one point I stopped outside a closed door. Through the window I saw the upper half of a pale face peeping out. Her hair was the color of the snow outside, and her eyes the color of the ice on the ocean. We just watched each other. "Her mind has been going lately, so they've started locking the door," said my friend, coming down the hall. "But she has faith, she believes in God." 

However, there was one man who lay on his cot in room number two, who was different. He was younger, maybe mid-forties. My friends introduced me to him, and I sat with him while he ate. His name is Peter. Peter had once worked in the Russian Navy, as a chief engineer on a ship. On November 5th, 1995, his ship was transporting cargo between Magadan and Anchorage. The sea was rough, and Peter was standing near an open hold when the ship hit a wave and he lost his balance. He fell straight through to the bottom of the hold, shattering his elbow, and cracking his skull. His shipmates were able to make contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, which flew a helicopter out to the ship. Peter was flown to Anchorage, where he lay for three months, in a coma and on lung support. His skull was operated on there, but nobody knew if he would ever wake up. 

By a miracle, he did wake up, and was immediately taken to Washington state, where he had a second surgery on his head at a Tacoma hospital. From there, he went to Puyallup, where his elbow was operated on. He lived in Puyallup for a year and a half, undergoing physical therapy. He was in a wheelchair and his left arm was severely crippled. His wife came to live with him in Puyallup. After the year and a half, he returned to Russia, at which time his wife left him and he was left in the care of his mother. Unfortunately, his mother recently needed surgery and it was discovered she has cancer. With no one to take care of him, he was put in the hospice. 

While his story is incredibly sad, and seemingly hopeless, Peter is very much alive and optimistic. Perhaps the most incredible thing about this is how much he remembers. He remembers the names of every hospital he had been in, every doctor who operated on him. He remembers the names of every nurse and every physical therapist. He remembers his home address, what he did, the people he met. He remembers everything. "I have lost contact with them," he told me. "I just want to say thank you. I want to let them know I am well; that my arm is better and I am alive! I want to say that I haven't forgotten them. I want to say thank you." 

He wants to say thank you. He said this to me while he lay helpless, in an old cot, in a bare room, in a rotting building, not knowing if he will ever leave. "I was born in Vladivostok, but reborn in Anchorage," he told me. What hope he has to be able to say that, to be thankful for life! He is still thankful, even after everything has been lost: his family and his job. His very body is broken. He is just glad to be alive, even though his life is more of an existence than anything else. 

I will never forget Peter, nor his character and courage. The courage to be at rock bottom, facing an impossible future, and yet filled with gratitude.