Day 1: Arrived in Arizona! Photo Post to Start the Journey

Assalomu alaykum!

I've made it to Tempe, Arizona to being my 7-week journey here and I'm really loving what I see so far! Currently I'm staying with my parents at Tempe Mission Palms Hotel (really nice!) for a few days until we can move in and get everything settled.

Today was a travel day so I'm definitely wiped but am already enjoying the energy from being in such a cosmic place full of vistas, fresh air, open spaces, and interesting sights. Here are some photos to kick-start the journey. As I learn more about my program and get started with activities I'll post more in detail.

Philadelphia airport, departed 8am

Approaching the horizon of Phoenix

Made it here! Nice airport

Really cool cacti and mountains near airport

Stopped at Whole Foods in Phoenix for some grub (fruit lover here)

Abundance of nectarines in the hotel room!

Cool outdoor pool at Tempe Mission Palms

Official ASU student for the duration :P

Overlooking Tempe and ASU at sunset

So there we have it! More coming soon. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for more photos (these are from my account, @geckogreco) or check for updates on Twitter @brianonhealth or @uzbekbrian.

Xayr,
Brian

Video: Intentions and Introduction to Summer 2012 Uzbek Studies

Assalomu alaykum!

Brian here with a fun talky blog on my intentions for studying Uzbek this summer. The program is approaching soon, very excited!

Was hoping to get more lessons up but have been busy getting things set for finishing school and preparing for Arizona. Hoping to get lessons 4, 5, and 6 up, and maybe continuing during or after while I'm down at ASU.

Feel free to check out the video and leave a comment at the blog. See you soon!



Xayr,
Brian

Fruit in Uzbekistan: Photo Collection from A Fruitarian's Perspective

At Robert is Here tropical fruit stand in Homestead, FL by papayas and mamey 

Assalomu alaykum!

Brian here with a fun photo post to take a break from Uzbek self-study lessons. So far I have posted lesson 1, 2, and 3, and will be continuing with the next ones tomorrow. I'm making a lot of progress with introductory Uzbek material and am really enjoying it, very excited for Arizona!

One of my greatest interests is healthy living as I blog about at my main website Brian on Health and will talk more about here at this site too. I have been involved with vegetarian, vegan, raw food, and other natural health movements for over 7 years now and have come to adapt many parts of these eating styles into my life.

I basically identify my diet these days as fruitarian. In other words, I eat fruit — as fresh, ripe, and sweet as possible — and a LOT of it. While I do eat other natural foods too, as far as most people are concerned, I am a fruitarian. (You can learn more about my food ideas here or email me here, many questions are beyond the scope of this post.)

A fruit-based diet is one of my passions and is something that many people who know me remember me for. Learning to purchase, manage, ripen, and eat fruit has been an incredible journey. I've faced some challenges in the past but have amassed quite a few tips and tricks along the way at this point and it's a very enjoyable way to eat for me.

As a fruit lover and connoisseur (they call us "Fruit Hunters"), my main interest when it comes to traveling and cuisine hence is to learn about the kinds and quality of fruit that is grown at my destination. I love to visit markets, try new varieties, find familiar favorites, bargain with vendors, take pictures, make videos, and even post goofy photo blogs like this one, all about my obsession with fruit.

At a durian stall in Chinatown, NYC in the winter (holding box of persimmons, yum!)

Uzbekistan and Fruit

Uzbekistan is a beautiful and generally warm country that has a climate well suited for growing many delicious fruits. Its cuisine and agriculture is particularly reminiscent of that of Mediterranean countries like Turkey or Greece, with a little bit of Middle East and Asian influence as well.

Though I have not yet visited there myself, from what I have seen online, Uzbekistan looks like a great place for fruit eaters with an abundance of very high-quality ripe tree fruits, melons, grapes, figs, stonefruit, and so on available in markets anywhere for good prices. This post is dedicated to sharing some of the images of Uzbek fruit culture I have found thus far. Please enjoy!

Tip: Click on a photo to browse the collection as a set in theater mode.

Fresh tree fruit grown on fertile Uzbek land

Abundance of fruit for sale at Samarkand market

Rich Uzbek fruit crop on display

Bargaining for apples and grapes at market

Beautiful image of ripe tree fruit in Samarkand

Shiny lemons and apples and oranges for sale 

Buying fruit at a roadside market in Uzbekistan

Delicious grapes, apples, and more 

Dried apricots and prunes from Uzbekistan

Bustling fruit market in Urgut

Gourmet melons hanging in Khiva

Impeccably carved Uzbek melons

Inside juicy Uzbek pomegranates

Local vendors selling fruit in Tashkent

Man proudly displays melon crop

May strawberry harvest in Uzbekistan

Melon seller at fruit market in Samarkand

More juicy melons at market scene in Samarkand

Pomegranates in lovely Uzbek-style box

Fresh quince harvest in Uzbekistan

Red pepper vendor at Uzbek market

Rich harvest of gourds and squash also

Selling fresh cherries at market

USAID Uzbekistan fruit sampling event

Delicious fruit selections at market

Uzbek tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and squash

Uzbek women smiling at peach and grape stall

Woman selecting fruit at Urgut bazaar

Beautiful, aren't they? I will post more about my lifestyle here soon at Uzbek Brian, especially as my summer program begins and I get everything set up with sourcing food while I'm in Tempe (I'm currently seeking out good wholesalers who can deliver cases).

Keep in touch, and eat fruit!

Thank you to the following resources for information:

• Uzbek fruit pictures Oriental Express Central Asia
• Uzbek fruit harvest flourishing at Uzbek Daily
• Uzbekistan among top fruit suppliers to Russia at Fruit Inform
• Sultonfrukt fruit farmers and exporters in Uzbekistan
• Information on Uzbek National Cuisine, including fruit
• Uzbekistan traditional food site, including fruit
• Sunny Fruit company: Uzbekistan dried fruit products
• Information on Uzbek agriculture from Country Studies
• Interview with Uzbek farmers with USAID Ag Links Project

Be sure to drop me a comment if you have any photos or stories to add.

Xayr,

Brian

Uzbek Pre-Study Lesson #3: Days of the Week, Numbers, Ages of People

Assalomu alaykum!

About these lessons: My Uzbek summer language program is approaching in just under a month and I wanted to get started with some self-study so I'm a little bit ahead of the game when I arrive. My goal is to run through the 20 lessons in my Uzbek textbook available free here by the Defense Language Institute before the end of the month in addition to some extra practice with Uzbek culture and grammar.

Here are my notes and exercises for the third lesson today.

Haftaning kunlari, raqamlar, va yoshning ifodalanishi

Lesson 3: Days of the Week, Numbers, Ages of People

Days of the Week

Monday = dushanba*

Tuesday = seshanba

Wednesday = chorshanba

Thursday = payshanba

Friday = juma

Saturday = shanba**

Sunday = yakshanba

* Think: Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, which actually means Monday in Persian. 

** Think: sounds a bit like "shabbat" or "sabbath" for Judaeo-Christian "Saturday". 

Days of the week are not capitalized in Uzbek.

kun = day

bugun = today (think: "this-day")

qaysi = which

Q: Bugun qaysi kun?

A: Bugun payshanba.

Q: What day is today?

A: Today is Thursday.

+da (in/on/at suffix) is NOT used ex. for "on Sunday".

Instead, add +i third person possesive after kun.

Ex: yashanba kuni, "on Sunday"

Think: Sunday as adj. preceding/modifying "day", literally "Sunday day's".

telefon = telephone

raqam, nomer (Ru.) = number

necha = what, how many

Uzbek phone numbers are 6 or 7 digits. XXX-XX-XX or XX-XX-XX

Ex: 123-45-67 read as "one hundred twenty-three, forty-five, sixty-seven"

Uzbek Numbers 1-10

0 = nol

1 = bir

2 = ikki

3 = uch

4 = to'rt

5 = besh

6 = olti

7 = yetti

8 = sakkiz

9 = to'qqiz

10 = o'n

A: What is your telephone number?

A: Telefon raqamangiz necha?

B: My telephone number is 45-67-93.

B: Telefon raqamim 45-67-93.

A: What is your house number?


A: Uy raqamingiz necha?


B: My house number is 10456.

B: Uy raqamim 10456.

For numbers 11-19, add o'n for "ten", followed by single digit. Hence:

Uzbek Numbers 11-19 

11 = o'n bir

12 = o'n ikki

13 = o'n uch

14 = o'n to'rt

15 = o'n besh

16 = o'n olti

17 = o'n yetti

18 = o'n sakkiz

19 = o'n to'qqiz

Uzbek Numbers 20-29

20 = yigirma

21 = yigirma bir

22 = yigirma ikki

23 = yigirma uch

24 = yigirma to'rt

25 = yigirma besh

26 = yigirma olti

27 = yigirma yetti

28 = yigirma sakkiz

29 = yigirma to'qqiz

Section 10

1. Mening ismim Sayorra. Men Toshkentda yashayman. Men ofitsiantkaman. Mening hovlim bor. Mening uy raqamim yigirma bir.

My name is Sayorra. I live in Tashkent. I am a waitress. I have a house. My house number is 21.

2. Odil soldat. U domda yashaydi. Uning uy raqami yigirma besh.

Odil is a soldier. He lives in an apartment complex. His house number is 25.

3. Uning ismi Nafisa. U o'qituvchi. U hovlida yashaydi. Uning uy raqami o'n olti.

Her name is Nafisa. She is a teacher. She lives in a house. Her house number is 16.

4. Samarqandda Otabek va Nasibaning uyi bor. Ularning uy raqami o'n to'rt.

Otabek and Nasiba have a house in Samarkand. Their house number is 14. 

Uzbek Numbers: 30-100

30 = o'ttiz

40 = qirq

50 = ellik

60 = oltmish

70 = yetmish

80 = sakson

90 = to'qson

100 = yuz

yosh = age

Q: Uzbek: Siz necha yoshdasiz?

Q: English: How old are you?

Q: Literal: What age are you at?

A: Uzbek: Men yigirma to'rt yoshdaman.

A: English: I am twenty-four years old.

A: Literal: I am at the age twenty-four.

As for me: Men o'n oltii yoshdaman.

I am sixteen years old. 

End of Lesson Tasks

Section 1

A. Salom, mening ismim Abbos. Men yigirma olti yoshdaman. Men militsiyonerman.

Hello, my name is Abbos. I am twenty-six years old. I am a police officer.

B. Uning ismi Doniyor. U qirq yoshda. U soldat.

His name is Doniyor. He is forty years old. He is a soldier.

C. Uning ismi Rayhon. U qirq to'rt yoshda. U o'qituvchi.

His(her?) name is Rayhon. He(she?) is forty-four years old. He(she?) is a teacher. 

* Does anyone have any resources on Uzbek names, and if they are female or male? I am not familiar with them, and since the Uzbek third-person pronoun u does not distinguish gender, it is difficult to translate these sentences. Drop me a comment if you have any ideas.

Section 2

Ask what day it is:

Bugun qaysi kun?

Say what day it is today:

Bugun juma.

Ask someone's age:


Siz necha yoshdasiz? 

Say how old you are:


Men o'n olti yoshdaman.

That's it for lesson 3.

Click here to go forward to lesson 4.

Click here to go back to lesson 2.

Xayr,
Brian

Uzbek Pre-Study Lesson #2: Living and Working

Assalomu alaykum!

About these lessons: My Uzbek summer language program is approaching in just under a month and I wanted to get started with some self-study so I'm a little bit ahead of the game when I arrive. My goal is to run through the 20 lessons in my Uzbek textbook available free here by the Defense Language Institute before the end of the month in addition to some extra practice with Uzbek culture and grammar.

Here are my notes and exercises for the second lesson today.

Yashlash va ishlash

Lesson 2: Living and Working

uy = general term for house or home of any type
hovli = older, traditional brick Uzbek home with courtyard
karavot, so'ri = tables in courtyard for eating, conversation

apartment = kvartira (Ru.)
apartment building = dom (Ru.)
room = xona
home/house = uy/hovli
military camp = lashkargoh
tent = palatka  (Ru.)
barracks = kazarma (Ru.)
hotel = mehmonxona

big/large = katta
small/little = kichik

Section 3

1. Abbos lashkargohda palatkada yashaydi.
Abbos lives in a tent in the military camp.

2. Abdulla aka kichik kvartirada yashaydi.
Mr. Abdulla lives in a small apartment.

3. Otabek va Muhabbat Buxoroda katta hovlida yashaydilar.
Otabek and Muhabbat live in a large house in Bukhara.

4. Odil mehmonxonada yashaydi.
Odil lives (is staying) in the hotel.

5. Doniyor va Ahmad kazarmada yashaydilar.
Doniyor and Ahmad live in the barracks.

6. Abbos va Xurshid bizning uyimizda yashaydilar.
Abbos and Xurshid live in our home.

yoki = or (same use as in English)
Example sentence: Do you live in a tent or in the barracks?
Formal: Siz palatkada yoki kazarmada yashaysizmi?
Informal: Siz palatkada yashaysizmi, yoki kazarmadami?

1. A: Siz hovlida yoki kvartirada yashaysizmi?
B: Men hovlida yashsayma.

A: Do you (sf) live in a house or in an apartment?
B: I live in a house.

2. A: Ular mehmonxonada yoki domda yashaydilarmi?
B: Ular domda yashaydilar.

A: Do they live in a hotel or in an apartment complex?
B: They live in an apartment complex.

Section 6

1. Siz, palatka/kazarma
Siz palatkada yoki kazarmada yashaysizmi?

2. Ular, mehmonxona/uy
Ular mehmonxonada yoki uyda yashaydilarmi?

3. U, dom/lashkargoh
U domda yoki lashkargohda yashaydimi?

4. Sen kazarma/uy
Sen kazarmada yoki uyda yashaysanmi?

5. Biz kvartira/mehmonxona
Biz kvartirada yoki mehmonxonada yashaymizmi?

There is no word for "to have".
bor = exists (use noun which is possessed + bor)
Uzbek: Sizning uyingiz bor.
Literal: Your house exists.
English: You have a house.

yo'q = does not exist, no (opposite)
Uzbek: Mening kvartiram yo'q.
Literal: My apartment does not exist.
English: I do not have an apartment.

Cool way of expressing things, isn't it?

Section 9

1. Mening uyim bor.
2. Sizning kvartirangiz bor.
3. Sening kvartirang bor.
4. Uning kvartirayi bor.
5. Bizning palatkamiz bor.
6. Sizlarning palatkangiz bor.
7. Ularning palatkayi bor.

The economy of Uzbekistan is not robust, work hard to find.
Taxi-drivers, bazaar vendors, or day laborers (mardikorlar) are popular.
Men are usually breadwinners, women take care of home or nurse/teacher.

profession = kasb
doctor = vrach (Ru.)
nurse = hamshira
laborer = ishchi (think: "do/make"-er)
teacher = o'qituvchi
student = talaba (think: Taliban)
soldier = soldat (Ru.)
mechanic = mexanik (cognate)
farmer = dehqon
police officer = militsiyoner (Ru.)
waitress = ofitsiantka (Ru.)
waiter = ofitsiant (Ru.)
interpretrer = tarjimon

+lar = plural suffix
Possessive/preposition suffixes follow it

For example:
ism = name
ismlar = names
ismlarim = my names
ismlarimda = in my names

So overall order is: noun+plural+possesive+case

End of Lesson Tasks

Section 1

Mening ismim Brian. Men amerikalikman. Men Pensilvaniadanman. Men Malvernda uyimda yashayman. Men o'qituvchiman.

Section 3

1. A: Mening ismim Feruz.
Q: (Sizning) ismingiz nima?

2. A: Men O'zbekistondanman.
Q: Siz qayerdansiz?

3. A: Ha, Samarqandda yashayman.
Q: Siz Samarqandda yashaysizmi?

4. A: Mening hovlim yo'q. Mening kvartiram bor.
Q: Sizning hovlingiz yoki kvartirangiz bormi?

5. A: Ha, men mexanikman.
Q: Siz mexanikmisiz?

That's it for lesson 2.
Click here to go forward to lesson 3.
Click here to go back to lesson 1.

Xayr,
Brian

Uzbek Pre-Study Lesson #1: People and Geography

Assalomu alaykum!

My Uzbek summer language program is approaching in just under a month and I wanted to get started with some self-study so I'm a little bit ahead of the game before I arrive.

I have collected a list of free online Uzbek language resources and have particularly enjoyed looking through the Defense Language Institute's Uzbek textbook that is available here.

My goal is to run through the 20 lessons there before the end of the month in addition to some extra practice with Uzbek culture and grammar. Before my notes and exercises for the first lesson today, please see below.

Here is how these posts will work:

• I will be doing an introductory run through each of the 20 lessons of the Defense Language Institute Uzbek textbook as linked above.

• On the blog I will posts my exercise responses as instructed within the textbook, but only those that involve a written component.

• This is because I do not have the audio that accompanies the book, and I am studying on my own so cannot do group activities. Also, I am typing and posting online, so will not include exercises involving drawing, circling, etc.

• To make the lessons useful for reference and thorough self-study, I will include key vocabulary and summarize culture and grammar points as I see fit also.

• Vocabulary words will list English first, then Uzbek, while explanations and other notes on specific words or grammatical functions list Uzbek first.

• All Uzbek words are italicized to distinguish them easily. In addition, I have included any mnemonics or word notes (such as “Ru.” for Russian loanwords) to help make vocabulary acquisition simpler.

Looking forward to learning, hope you’ll join me! Let's begin.

Odamlar va jo'g'rofiya

Lesson 1: People and Geography

Hello (general)  = Assalomu alaykum
Hello (response) = Vaalaykum assalom
Hi (to friends) = Salom
Are you well? = Yaxshimisiz?
How are you? = Qandaysiz?
How are things going? = Ishlaringiz yaxshimi?
How are you doing? = Yaxshi yuribsizmi?

I = men
you (si) = sen
you (sf) = siz
he = u
she = u
we = biz
you (pi) = siz
you (pf) = sizlar
they = ular

Sen is used for young children and close friends.
Siz is used for anyone else in a more polite context.
The plural of sen is siz. Sizlar means more than one siz.

to be = bo'l, no written form, only irregular verb
Men +man = I am
Sen +san = You (si) are
Siz +siz = You (sf) are
U * = He/she/it is
Biz +miz = We are
Siz +siz = You (pi) are
Sizlar +sizlar = You (pf) are
Ular * = They are

-da = in/on/at
-dan = from
-ga = to/towards
qayerda = where at
qayerdan = where from
qayerga = where to

-mi? = question suffix
Attached at end of final word, except for second person (any number or formality).

Example: Am I  Uzbek? Men o'zbekmanmi?
Example: Are we Uzbek? Biz o'zbekmizmi?
Example: Are you (sf) Uzbek? Siz o'zbekmisiz?
Example: Are you (pf) UzbeK? Siz o'zbekmisizlar?

va = and
ha = yes
yo'q = no
emas = not

ism = name
nima = what
aka = Mr. (older brother)
opa = Mrs. (older sister)
-(n)ing = genitive suffix
-lar = plural suffix

Tanishgandan xursandman = Nice to meet you
ham = too, also
yasha- = to live
-ma = not (in verb construction)

Men +man = First person singular
Sen +san = Second person singular informal
Siz +siz = Second person singular formal
U +di = Third person singular
Biz +miz = First person plural
Siz +siz = Second person plural informal
Sizlar +sizlar = Second person plural formal
Ular +dilar = Third person plural

Section 14

1. Otabek Qarshida yashaydi.
Otabek lives in Qarshi.

2. Siz Nukusda yashaysizmi? Ha, Nukusda yashayman.
Do you (sf) live in Nukus? Yes, I live in Nukus.

3. Feruza Samarqandda yashamaydi.
Feruza does not live in Samarkand.

4. Qayerda yashaysiz? Men Buxoroda yashayman.
Where do you (sf) live? I live in Bukhara.

5. Lola va Abbos qayerda yashaydilar? Ular Termizda yashaydilar.
Where do Lola and Abbos live? They live in Termez.

Section 17

1. Q: Siz Termizdanmisiz?
A: Yo'q, men Termizdan emasman. Men Samarqanddanman.

2. Q: Siz Buxoroda yashaysizmi?
A: Ha, men Buxoroda yashayman.

3. Q: U Xivadanmi?
A: Ha, u Xivadan.

4. Q: U Toshkentda yashadimi?
A: Ha, u Toshkentda yashaydi.

5. Q: U Qarshidanmi?
A: Yo'q, u Qarshidan emas. U Shahrisabzdan.

6. Q: Sizning ismingiz Doniyormi?
A: Ha, ismim Doniyor.

7. Q: U Ravshan akami?
A: Yo'q, u Ravshan aka emas.

8. Q: Siz Andijondanmisiz?
A: Ha, men Andijondanman.

End of Lesson Tasks

Section 1

A. My name is Tanya. I am from Moscow.
Mening ismim Tanya. Men Moskvadanman.

B. Do you live in Seattle? Yes.
Siz Sietlda yashaysizmi? Ha.

C. His name is Joe. He lives in America.
Uning ism Joe. U Amerikada yashaydi.

D. We are from Canada.
Biz Kanadadanmiz.

E. My name is Maurice. I am from Germany.
Mening ismim Maurice. Men Germandanman.

F. His name is Bob. He lives in Boston.
Uning ism Bob. U Bostonda yashaydi.

G. Her name is Susan. She lives in London.
Uning ism Susan. U Londonda yashaydi.

H. What is your name? My name is Tony.
Sizning ismingiz nima? Mening ismim Tony.

That's it for lesson 1.
Click here to go forward to lesson 2.

Xayr,
Brian