On marrying a foreigner in Kazhakstan:
For some reason, my relatives decided that Im getting married to a millionaire and asked him to pay kalym (traditional payment for a bride) with a helicopter, for grandpa, since he is old and a veteran of World War II and apparently its hard for him to take a bus. For you, it may be funny, but it wasnt funny for my relatives, and especially for my grandpa who really hoped to sell his granddaughter for a helicopter. And then I understood that I have to save my future husband from the claws of my relatives, or else something bad might happen. When my grandpa found out that he wont get a helicopter, and that a maximum on what my relatives can count on is a bicycle, they were really upset, and didnt even try to hide it.
Translation is not always necessary:
When Kazakhs and foreigners get really drunk, they can understand each other without a translator.
Leila via Global Voices