Uzbekistan

Greetings

Men greeting Men – Men shake hands or do a forearm grip. It is also common practice to ask a bunch of questions about one’s health, family, work, etc., during the greeting.

Women greeting Women – Women shake hands or do a forearm grip. It is also common practice to ask a bunch of questions about one’s health, family, work, etc., during the greeting. For friends and family, most women exchange two kisses (one on each side) on the cheek.

Greetings between Men & Women – Sometimes people will do a handshake or forearm grip. If people don’t know each other well, they’ll usually just exchange a nod and say hello.

Note: With greetings, people generally ask five or six questions about one’s family, health, marriage, children, etc., without expecting any sort of response. It’s just polite to ask. This can prove hard for some Americans and other Westerners because most fully expect to answer every question asked. Hello is “assalomu alaikum” or “salom”.

Communication Style

• Uzbeks tend to be more indirect in their communication style. Conversations are kind of a wandering path, and there are a lot of underlying meanings you have to pick up on.
• With greetings, people generally ask five or six questions about one’s family, health, marriage, children, etc., without expecting any sort of response. It’s just polite to ask. This can prove hard for some Americans and other Westerners because most fully expect to answer every question asked.

Personal Space & Touch

• Most Uzbek’s tend to be close talkers and closer than arms’ length of personal space is common. More space is typically given between genders.
• People of the same gender tend to be pretty touchy when talking. Another woman would generally touch another’s woman’s arm or sit really close when talking. Men often have their arms around another man’s shoulder when they’re hanging out and throwing back the vodka.
• Both men and women will hold hands with friends of the same gender in public. The opposite sex is a completely different story. Parties are often separated by gender and there is usually no touching of the opposite sex during conversation.
• Older people tend to be more touchy feely than the younger generation. Uzbeks don’t usually initiate the touching with their elders as much as the elders do with them.

Eye Contact

• A good deal of direct eye contact is common when interacting with the same gender. There tends to be a lot less when it’s the opposite sex as well with an elder or a supervisor.

Gestures

• A flick of the middle finger to the underside of the chin means “drunk.” (Like, you’d talk about a party the time before, and say “Oh yeah, Tom?”

Views of Time

• Punctuality doesn’t tend to be a big deal. You show up when you show up. Because unemployment is rampant, too, there’s less value placed on being to work on time or being a slave to the clock.
• People tend to have a lot of free time, especially compared to the.
• It’s common to sit around for 3 or 4 hours in an evening, just chatting and drinking tea. It’s also fine to just drop by at somebody’s house unannounced and hang out for hours.
• The trains are generally on time and most city buses don’t have a really strict schedule. There generally aren’t schedules for the buses and vans. They go whenever they have enough people to fill a car.

Gender Roles

• Women are usually housewives, teachers or nurses, but mostly housewives. Women shouldn’t drink much, should be home by 8 or 9 in the evening as it’s bad news for their reputations to be walking alone after dark. They generally should be escorted places, but it’s not totally shunned to be alone, either. It’s more socially acceptable for women to be passive. This is more the case in rural vs. urban environments.
• Many women have their spouses chosen for them by their families. Being a mother is very highly valued, and most women are married at a fairly young age. Many young (16-year-old female students) drop out of school to get married.
• Women usually wear skirts and have long hair, especially in the more traditional areas. Wearing pants may be problematic.
• Women very rarely live alone, and if they do, there is a lot of gossip about their morals and marriagability.
• The rules tend to be different for foreign women, to a point. Most can wear pants, have short hair, live alone, etc., but being out alone in the evening and too much drinking is frowned upon by many.

Taboos

• It’s quite bad when you’re a host to fill a guest’s teacup more than half full. It means you want them to leave.
• Respect for elders is HUGE and it’s very rude not to add –opa (for a woman) or –aka (for a man) to an elder’s name, even if the person is just two years older than you. So, Dilorom would be Dilorom-opa, Dilshod would be Dilshod-aka. If you don’t know the person’s name, you can just say opa or aka. –Jon is also a term of endearment added to a man’s name, --hon for women.

Law & Order

• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Uzbek prisons are a very scary place. The country has a very low ranking when it comes to respect for human rights.

Dress

• For Men: Conservative suits or tie and jacket in the cities and when dealing with government officials. Business casual may be appropriate in certain areas.
• For Women: Stylish, yet somewhat conservative business suits or dresses and blouses are appropriate. Pants may be acceptable in certain situations.
• Being well-groomed and having clothes neatly pressed is important.
• Jeans, t-shirts, and other less casual clothing is inappropriate in business situations.

Meetings

• Greet and talk to the most important person in the room first.

Negotiations

• Bargaining is expected at the market and in most shops. It usually goes on for a while and it is common to show emotion, leave and come back, and/or ask around until the prices go down. People may even come get you if they decide to give you a cheaper price than someone else.

In the Classroom

• Women generally wear long skirts and blouses. Men wear trousers and button-up shirts with dress shoes. The Russians tend to dress a little skimpier; short skirts, tank tops, etc.

• Grades are usually given on a scale for 1-5 with 5 being the highest.

• Most teachers use a lot of lecture and lots of dictation. It’s a Soviet model of teaching and there is not much group work or discussion.

Other Observations

• It's a good idea to haggle for every purchase.
• Do not pay too much for cabs. They will try to overcharge you. Refuse to go with them until you get the price you want.