The more I read Apples, the more I want to visit Kazahkstan. I want to see those apple orchards. I want to see those people who know more about their own family history than I know about anything. I want to experience that whole other world!
Their culture is so rich and filled with mystery it certainly could have given birth to so many great things here in the 21st century. I am in awe of what these people have accomplished and I empathize with the ones who are terrified of losing their identity. It's scary to not know if your children will be as free or as knowledgable as you. Some of the men Robbins talked to were certain their children would learn Russian and not Kazah. And it's really sad that things like that are happening. I can only hope that they have found/find a way to keep up their traditions and not lose themselves along the long journey to self-discovery.
How sweet would it be to couple a course like this with a trip to Kazakhstan? *sigh* Dare to dream. I am trying to put together a study tour to the Baltic for Summer 2010--maybe someday I could take a group of students to Central Asia. How great would that be?!
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I definitely see what you are saying with the whole wanting to go to Kazakhstan thing. The book really did make me think a great deal about what it must actually be like there. I have this image in my head partially compiled from thoughts that I made up and then combined with images and flashes of clips from various scenes in the films. I wish I knew what it was actually like to go there and see the place for what it is and make my own decisions on what I think about it. It would be strange however to try to explain to a friend why exactly you were taking your Spring Break vacation to the frigid mountains of the steppe!
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