KYRGYZSTAN | Friday, 11 January 2013 | Views [893] | View Larger Image
My grandmother lives in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. Life here reverts back to the Soviet era. In this photo my grandmother is offering steamed dumplings on my last day there, she was emotional, nervous, sad and yet eager to please. Everything is made by hand, and there is no such thing as an electric mixer in my grandmothers’ world. In fact almost all the equipment she owns dates back 15 or 30 years. This is a place where wires hang exposed from walls, washing machines are like gods - and are even given rest breaks ( meaning we revert to hand washing) to ensure that the washing machine doesn’t over work. My grandmother somehow turns into a comedian when I bring western travelers to their place to stay, she becomes the charismatic centre of attention as she sits in her kitchen happily questioning and joking with a room full of young travelers.
