Also, take off your shoes before you enter a Turkmen or Russian home, and be sure you place them pointing inward. If you give a Turkmen family a gift, try not to give a knife or spicy food. They are both considered offensive. Good small gifts are electronic things, toiletries, picture books, and clothing. You usually can't go wrong with a present that you bought it in the states.
Guests have a special status in Turkmen culture.
So don't be surprised that you get the red carpet treatment. Expect to sit and do nothing while you're there. Your host will probably put out enough food for twenty people and continually ask you to eat all of it. This isn't a serious request of course - it's just an attempt to be as hospitable as possible. Sometimes it's best just to say you can't drink because you have stomach problems.