Archive sections: ‘Kyrgyzstan’
I am aware that there has been a somewhat depressing turn to the postcards recently, in that there have been quite few references to deaths and funerals. I have mentioned several times that last year was the year of the “black tie”. It wasn’t just a case of the number of people that died in [...]
Every now and again, I come across a reference to Kyrgyzstan in the news which takes me aback. It happened again earlier this week in a news report from the Marion County Record – a provincial newspaper from Kansas, USA. The reference was in a short article about the singer John Denver and his local [...]
When I first came here I often ran into problems over names. Back in the UK, for example, as a school teacher, I would have “hit the roof” if one of my pupils had dared to call me Ian. The correct form of address is “Sir” or “Mr. Claytor”. The use of the given name [...]
Tuesday lunchtime and we closed the office to go to a special Birthday lunch. I have said before that Birthdays are a big deal here in Kyrgyzstan. This one was especially important as it was a 30th Birthday – a landmark, a round figure.
Yet another international survey has been released – this time by Freedom House. Their annual survey, “Freedom in the World” showed some progress for Kyrgyzstan, which managed to buck the general global trend which, according to Freedom House, indicates a “fall” in the level for the fifth year running. This five year trend is a [...]
I was watching the news on the TV the other day when an item caught my attention. It was about yet another anniversary … they are very hot on anniversaries here in Kyrgyzstan. This time it was marking the anniversary of the adoption of the State seal, or Gerp as it is known here, as [...]
January 13th is not only Stariy Noviy God, it also marks the anniversary of one of the strangest events I have encountered here in Kyrgyzstan. Back in 2003, before the two revolutions which we have experienced, the front pages of the local press carried stories and photographs of strange lights seen in the skies over [...]
In a postcard a few days ago I mentioned the fact that the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection here in Bishkek has the tomb of St. Irakily – Kyrgyzstan’s only Saint. Actually, I was a bit unfair, because Kyrgyzstan may also be the final resting place of another Saint, with a much more grandiose claim [...]
We’ve added three new spherical panoramas to our website www.see.kg … The entrance chamber to the Kan-i-Gut caves in Batken A beach at Bosteri on the Norther shore at Lake Issyk Kul The square outside the Philharmonia in Central Bishkek at nighttime
This is quite a long postcard but I hope that, (especially given my background), you’ll bear with me. I have been asked some questions about the educational system here in Kyrgyzstan … so, here are some notes and some thoughts on the subject: . The first thing to say is that “Education is a highly [...]
