My Sewing Lesson

I reached a new level of local domesticity this past week andsimultaneously discovered that knowing how to sew is not merely asouthern woman necessity, it is also equally important in Kyrgyzstan.My organization put on a handicraft training that focused solely onneedlework. I had previously mentioned that it would be fun to learnhow to make souvenirs to bring home and they took this comment ratherseriously seeing as they graciously included me as an attendee in thetraining. This was an excellent idea excepting the fact that it meantI sat in a room listen to instructions in Kyrgyz and Russian from9:30AM until 4:30 in the afternoon.
Life was not all cupcakes and roses, however. Apparently I sew toometiculously. I was jokingly instructed that if I did not learn to sewfaster my husband and children would starve. This comment of coursebrought up questions about American families. People here are alwayscaught off guard by the fact that Americans get married so late inlife and wait a few years before having children. Here women arenormally married by the time they are 24 and have a child within theirfirst year of marriage. I vote that my slow pace was due to the factthat I was being hauled into conversations at the same time I wastrying to sew. My brain simply vetoed this multitasking venture.
The trainer gave me several projects to take home and I am sincerelygrateful for my new hobby.