Home Customs in Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz are really kind people. If a Kyrgyz family welcomes you over for dinner, you should bring a little present, like some fruit or flowers, and remove your shoes before entering. Most of the time, visitors are expected to remove their shoes in the hallway before entering the rooms when they enter someone's home. You would wear your socks because sometimes slippers are provided and other times they are not. At huge gatherings in the more traditional south, men and women frequently sit in separate rooms. It's rare for boys and girls to become friends.
When you initially offer anything to eat (such as chocolate or sweets) to a Kyrgyzstani individual, they frequently reject it, leading you to believe they do not want it. They would actually like to taste what you have to give, and many people around here believe it would be rude to decline right away. If you exert a little pressure, say: "When you demand," "Oh, please, take a piece of it and taste it," they will eventually give in and respond, "Oh, OK." I'll sample it. I'm grateful. "However, it's possible that they had been daydreaming about it all along. Therefore, if you find yourself in a scenario like this and are offering someone something, try to convince them to taste or accept your offer numerous times. People would probably feel embarrassed to ask for it themselves if you just gave them one chance, and if they decline, you don't offer again.
Russians and Kyrgyz people prefer to sit on stools, benches, or chairs rather than the floor. Fantasticasia.net reports that most senior citizens believe sitting on the ground or on the floor in place of a chair or bench is rude and bad for their health (due to the risk of becoming chilly). Of course, young people are considerably less concerned with such things, but generally speaking, sitting on the ground or the floor is not considered appropriate. Another reason for not sitting on the floor would be that the floors are usually not covered with carpets like they are in foreign countries, and are usually extremely unclean to sit on. You'll note that many young people (both men and women in villages) squat rather than sitting on the ground. The fact that some people can hold themselves in this position for a solid 30 minutes amazes foreigners the most.
