Archive sections: ‘Life In Kyrgyzstan’
“When I was a lad, I served a term, as office boy in an attorney’s firm …” sings Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular operetta, “HMS Pinafore”. I sometimes joke that this is really “my song” because, although I wasn’t exactly a lad when I arrived here in [...]
People were genuinely surprised on Monday when the city witnessed a march by crowds of young people demanding that they be allocated land in order to build houses. It’s funny that people don’t remember that we faced the same sort of incidents back in 2005. The incident got reported in the Russian press and we [...]
It’s a week since I last wrote a postcard about the recent events here in Kyrgyzstan … and as the former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, once commented, “A week is a long time in politics.” It has certainly been a long week … an eventful week.
The events in Bishkek of April 7th, 2010, had a number of unfortunate consequences. Of course, the chief of these was the untimely deaths of over eighty people … most seem to have been in the thirties, but some were noticeably older, and not necessarily the typical image of “rent-a-mob” … and the injuries suffered [...]
As I look at site history log, it seems as if I had nothing else to do all month … and I wouldn’t blame you for coming to that conclusion based on that evidence. The month is not half way through and there over thirty pages have already been added – more than in any [...]
Yesterday Sultan, one of our staff, wished me “Happy Holiday”, which took me a little bit by surprise, because it wasn’t a public holiday and I couldn’t think what he was talking about. I shouldn’t have been that surprised, because it happens quite a lot and I should be getting used to it. The locals [...]
This is an email that I sent out to family and friends, colleagues and clients following the events of April 7th, 2010, when Kyrgyzstan found itself in the headlines once again as the result of what one newspaper called the “Easter Revolution” Let me start this “postcard” with some thanks, an apology and an explanation: [...]
April 7th, 2010, and once again Kyrgyzstan hits the headlines in the world’s media. Disorder, violence and bloodshed provide good material for journalists.
I remember on my first visit to Bishkek, back in 1994, wandering through the city center and being brought up short, surprised to hear a soprano practicing her scales as we passed some classical edifice. Tony turned to me and asked why I was surprised … “You are not in a cultural wilderness you know.”
The list of official holidays in Kyrgyzstan is an eclectic mix of secular celebrations (such as New Year), the commemoration of national events (such as Independence Day and Constitution Day), holidays held over from the days of the Soviet Union (such as Army Day, International Women’s Day, May Day, Victory Day and the anniversary of the [...]
