Postcard from Bishkek

A year ago I wrote a postcard about World Autism Awareness Day, (WAAD), which is commemorated annually on 2nd April. For those in Bishkek, the Public Association of Parents of children with Autism, Hand in Hand, is staging an event to commemorate the date at the intersection of Erkindik and Bokonbaeva, (near the monument to M. […]

These days of the ubiquitous computer … most of the time when we want to ‘write something’ we use a keyboard, touch or touch screen … although if there isn’t one around we might reach for a ‘ball point’ – a Biro. Occasionally you might find someone who actually relishes in the use of a […]

On March 24, Kyrgyzstan along with the rest of the World will be marking World TB Day with the aim of building public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and a renewed call to reach, treat and cure everyone with the disease to accelerate progress towards eradicating it. World TB Day is one of […]

Today happens to International Clients’ Day … It is another one of those ‘unofficial holidays’ which seem to abound … although this one seems to be quite a young one, having been ‘celebrated’ for the first time only in 2010.  It seems that a a company in Klaipėda, (the third largest city in Lithuania), was looking […]

I know that I going on about Social Media, but it’s a great thing for someone like me – an expat thousands of miles away from ‘home’ … allowing me to keep in touch with family and friends, to keep in touch and find out what’s happening in their lives. Sometimes it’s good news – […]

There is a saying that “to err is human; to forgive divine“. It come’s from Alexander Pope’s lengthy poem An Essay of Criticism, written in 1709, (which is also the source of several other epithets, such as: “a little learning is a dangerous thing” and “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”). It is […]

I sometimes receive emails from people who offer to write postcards for ianbek – guest blogs.  I normally turn them down, (after all, ianbek is my blog … I used to refer to it a ‘personal’ website), but sometimes they give me idea for posts. Last month I received an email which didn’t offer to author […]

There’s an old joke routine that goes: When is a door not a door? I don’t know, when is a door not a door? When it’s ajar … … which, when the ‘answer’ produces nothing more than a look of bemused confusion, is usually followed by something like: Get it??? … when is a door […]

In the US, March 3rd is known as National Anthem Day … a day for celebrating the patriotic music that is thought to represent the history, traditions and struggles of a nation, as recognized either officially by its government as the official national song … or by convention, through use by the people. In Britain, […]

March has arrived – Spring is here … so now we turn our attention to a number of annual tasks … in particular, Bakchilik -or  Gardening. When we built the Silk Road Lodge, back in 1999 and 2000, we were allocated the land on which the hotel stood … it’s leased to us for 49 […]