City Versus Village

My friend and counterpart from Aliabad school invited me over for her son's 4th birthday.  I've learned that village people are the hardest working people I know. In their home, since the weather is getting warmer most cooking is done outside with wood burning stoves (they actually have two wood burning stoves).  The family (my friend lives with her parents, a sister and a brother and her son) is the kindest and most giving people I know. They have very little but they are always sharing it with me.  The mother was making noodles from scratch, chicken that was in the yard the night before and now in a pot cooking and I helped make dolma, beef put through a sieve (no hamburger here in markets!!) with onions, peppers, and eggs.  This mixture is then wrapped in grape leaves (which they picked right from the yard).  Then it is boiled and fried (like everything). This is very traditional for them.  They also make a potato salad with carrots, peas, eggs and a whole lot of mayonnaise.  They were making all of this for me as well as family that will be coming over to celebrate Ali's birthday. I have to leave by 4:30 because that is the last marsh out of the village and her family will come around 8-9 pm.  My friend calls them her generations (if you read one of my earlier posts "My first Encounter" 1-9-12 of when I first arrived in Aliabad, you would have read of hundreds of her relatives!!).  I saw their garden, they had planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin, beans, potatoes, herbs such as basil, dill, cilantro, and oregano. They seldom go to the market. They make their own cheese, butter and yogurt from sheep.  The cheese is extremely good and is a white cheese with very little salt. They have an outside stone oven for Georgian style bread that they make for themselves and for local markets in the village.  Aygun's mother also milks about 100 sheep a day.  Her father is putting an addition on the house as well as tends to the cow, horse and chops all the wood.  I'm in aah just watching this family work like a fine oiled machine, they all work together and without fighting or quarreling. I want to share a few pictures that I took.

Family's back yard



Cooking area behind the pole is the bread oven



noodles and chicken



Mama and chicks and soon to be dinner!!
 



Family

Life Challenge: You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you as you are to them.... Desmond Tutu