Greencastle native expands knowledge in Central Asia

By DAVID CLUCAS
Banner-Graphic Staff Writer
After working two years in Central Asia with the Peace Corps, Greencastle native Wes Steele must now watch the region possibly face war.

The 24-year-old had just returned from his service in Kyrgyzstan when on Sept. 11, 2001, the world changed.

With more than 6,000 presumed dead in the worst terrorist attack on U.S soil, many Ameri-cans are pointing the finger of blame towards the Muslim community in Central Asia. But, upon encountering this resentment, Steele holds out all five of his fingers and says they are all different. It is a useful saying he learned in Kyrgyzstan, which describes items which may have the same name, but are markedly diverse.

"Muslims all over the world are different, just like Christians are different,"Steele says. He explains that the Kyrgyz are not the gun-bearing and U.S. flag burning Muslims frequently shown by the media. These publicized radical and extreme Muslims are only a small minority. Rather, Steele describes the Kyrgyz, and many other Muslims he encountered, as a friendly, family-oriented and hospitable people. And as interactions amongst religions should be, it didn't matter that in the small town of Ak-Muz, Kyrgyzstan, Steele was outnumbered-- 3,000 Muslims to one.

Born and raised in Greencastle, Steele graduated from GHS in 1995 and went on to study Russian and Literature at Oberlin College in Ohio. After receiving his college degree in 1999, Steele yearned to use his Russian language skills. He contacted the Peace Corps and requested to be placed in one of the former Soviet Republics. Steele expected the Balkans region, but when the call for enlistment came in June of 1999, the officer told him: Kyrgyzstan. Admittedly, Steele had to refresh his memory and look the country up in the atlas. Located in Central Asia, the mountainous state of Kyrgyzstan is surrounded by China on the west, Uzbekistan on the east, Tajikistan to the south and Kazakhstan to the north. Afghanistan is near to the southeast, so if the U.S. does strike back against the Afghan Taliban government, Kyrgyzstan may feel the side effects of war.

"I feel like I was really fortunate to go over there,"Steele says. "Because otherwise, I wouldn't have known much about Central Asia at all."

Like Greencastle, Ak-Muz is a small farming community, but make no mistake, these two towns are worlds apart. Ak-Muz's snowcapped mountains and only four working telephones contrast Greencastle's lengthy plains and growing telecommunications. For many years, the Kyrgyz people farmed collectively for the Soviet State and Steele was surprised to see the Russian influence still present. When Kyrgyzstan claimed independence in 1991, many of the farmers became self-employed, but still kept their specific farming jobs.

"People seemed to be much more relaxed with time,"Steele also noted. "It was very unusual for my schedule to slow down." Engulfing himself further into the culture, Steele lived with a host family and noticed several differences between U.S. and Kyrgyz society. "The people take pride in their hospitality,"Steele says. "Instead of letting the guest choose or ask... the host (of a party or just visiting of neighbors) is obligated to offer endlessly. If they don't, they can be viewed as stingy. It was like a bombardment of goodwill."

Steele taught grade 8-11 English and started an after school Russian language club. At first, frustration set in when some of his students frequently missed class.

"Each family had different obligations for their children,"he explained. "They had different priorities before school."

But while teaching was difficult, it was also rewarding for Steele. One of his students won a scholarship for a month of study and travel in the United States. "He's been to places in the United States that I haven't been to, Steele says with a smile.

His students and others also asked a lot of questions about Americans. For many Ak-Muz people, Steele was the first American they had encountered.

"What they knew of Americans came from reruns of shows like ŒDallası and Jackie Chan movies,"Steele says. Hollywood's show of materialism and action-adventure pinned all Americans as wealthy and and violent. The misinterpretations of cultures can go both ways.

"The American press usually links tragedies and political strife with Muslims... they are not interested otherwise,"Steele says. "Had I lived in Greencastle my whole life, that is perhaps all that I would have known of the Mid-East."

Steele said that he is concerned how the United States will respond to the recent terrorist attacks. "I'm afraid that it might be seen as a war on Islam and the radical extremists may use the pending attack as a recruiting tool ."

However, Steele also believes that the U.S. will receive support in the region. Even before the attacks, he encountered anti-Taliban sentiments. And a few days after the attack, he received an e-mail from a Peace Corps friend that had grown up in Afghanistan. "Dear Friends, Our hearts are with those who suffered in the tragedy of the World Trade Center,"the letter read.

"I was deeply touched by that,"says Steele.