Archive sections: ‘From an Expat’
There is one task that I really dislike and tend to put off if I possibly can … going to the bank. Today I didn’t really have much choice.
There is a lot of truth in the old saying: “There are two sides to every story”. It’s something I learned very early on as a young, novice, schoolteacher. A fight in the playground, and “Sir” descends to break it up … “So, what’s all this about?”, “He started it!”, “No, he did!”, and so [...]
In Britain we have a children’s rhyme which runs … Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot …
Sometimes, people get a little confused when they come to see me in my office. There are the things you might expect to see in an office: computers, papers and so on, but the decoration is, I admit, a strange and eclectic mix. As well Traditional Kyrgyz crafts, represented by a Shyrdak and a Mongolian [...]
November 1st is Police Day! Police Day is another one of those peculiar “unofficial”, “professional” holidays that seem to abound here in Kyrgyzstan, it marks the creation of the Kyrgyz Police Force, some 86 years ago, although the Criminal Detection service was apparently established six years earlier! .
At the end of 1941, a new American “romantic comedy”, Sullivan’s Travels, was released – starring Joel McRae and Veronica Lake. It wasn’t a great success at the box office and enjoyed mixed reviews. With the passage of time, however, it’s reputation has improved and is now considered to be a classic. I remember watching [...]
During the week the “baseball kids” have been making plans for the weekend. Sunday – October 31st, Halloween – seems to have caught their imagination. Katya, for example, is a member of a dance troupe and they had a show in one of the city’s youth centers, (but as I was in Naryn for my [...]
Some of you will know that one of the charities that I support here in Kyrgyzstan is the Karakol Orphanage. I was introduced to the orphanage by a British (Irish) consultant, Hugh Coulter, who was working on an EU project which was based up in Karakol. You can find out more about how he came [...]
Those of you that know me will know that one of my favourite pastimes used to be playing “Trivial Pursuits”. I have that sort of mind that “collects” trivia … I loved the Geography questions but I also enjoyed History ones as well. Although I am interested in History, my knowledge of the subject is [...]
A couple of days ago the postwoman arrived and plonked a small packet onto my desk. Now, we don’t get that much post, so it there is usually a sense of excitement when we do get a letter. Usually it is a formal notification of something, like a summons to appear in court as a [...]
