That promise of sunshine was one of the things that caught my attention when I was asked if I wanted to come out here to help a friend open an office in the newly independent country, some sixteen years ago.  It wasn’t by any means a deciding factor.  I am not a great one for sunbathing, and I don’t like extreme temperatures of any sort; hot or cold.  On the other hand, a sunny day always makes you feel better, more optimistic, especially when the British climate is so changeable amd such that it can be overcast and rain virtually any day.

In Kyrgyzstan, the weather this year has been decidedly English – that is: changeable.  Indeed, during the Spring we had a standing joke in the office … “the sun is out today, I suppose that means it will snow tomorrow.”  We seem to have entered a cycle where, after two or three days of soaring temperatures, there has been a swing to downpours, thunder and hail.  A friend of mine who lives in a small town about half an hour from Bishkek tells me that, a couple of weeks ago, they experienced a hailstorm that resembled a tornado.  All the crops in her garden were flattened; the vine tree was uprooted and a branch of an apple tree came crashing down on her roof.  She only moved to this small town a couple of years ago, but some of her neighbours assured her that they had seen nothing like it before, “not in fifty years!”.

In recent years, of course, Europe has seen some very warm summer weather.  A couple of years ago, France  saw an outbreak of heat related deaths and last week some thirty towns and cities in France saw record temperatures.  Moscow also saw record temperatures last year and a friend of mine who was in Moscow at the time told me several “horror stories” about “baking” in the car whilst it was stuck in traffic jams.

High temperatures can present serious problems.  High temperatures can be good for ice cream sales, but I remember being taken as a schoolboy on a school trip to visit the Cadbury’s Chocolate factory in Bourneville, just outside Birmingham.  It was very interesting and we all welcomed the chance to get out of the classroom, but  it was also a bit of a disappointment because the factory had come to a standstill.  It was too hot, or so we were told, for making chocolate bars as they would not set after rolled out from the machinery.

Every year I receive a newsletter from a Health and Safety consultancy service about the precautions that we should advise our staff to take to avoid health problems associated with extreme Hot Weather.

Those problems can arise here in Kyrgyzstan, where summer days can be very hot and the sun can be very strong, as anywhere else on the globe.  From relaxing on sandy beaches on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul to trekking in high mountain jailoos or climbing lofty mountain summits, sun protection is essential.  It sometimes surprises people to learn that altitude is an important factor which affects the intensity of the power of the sun.  For every 1,000 feet above sea level, ultra violet radiation increases about five to six percent.

At the very least, a bad case of sunburn causes pain, discomfort and dehydration – and has ruined many holidays in the sun.  I know, because I have sensitive skin which burns easily. In more serious cases the sun’s rays can cause skin cancer, which has emerged as a major health issue around the world and is by far the most common cancer in the United States.  That’s another problem for me, because I have vitiligo and I have to cover up the patches where my skin lacks pigmentation.  I do know the Australian campaign, “Slip, Slap, Slop” – “Slip on on a T-shirt, Slap on a hat and slop on some sun cream”, but to be honest, at my age I don’t often go about bare chested, I am not used to wearing a hat and I simply forget to rub in sun cream, so I often find myself caught out and regretting my carelessness for several days after only a few hours in the sun.

The term intern always causes me some difficulty.  It summons up images of doctors in hospitals in TV series like Emergency Ward 10.  This is partly because, when I grew up back in the UK, this was the only place we ever really came across the term.  It seemed to refer to students who had recently qualified but were gaining experience – people on the bottom rung of the ladder.

The first time the term seemed to force itself on my consciousness in a more general context was the infamous Monica Lewinsky case.  She was an intern working in the Clinton White House.  One again the image of Doctors in white in white coats sprung into my mind, but it didn’t seem to fit in this case.  So I looked around and discovered that it basically meant the same as we called “work experience”.

Internships are a system of on-the-job training, mainly for what are termed “white-collar jobs”, similar to an apprenticeship – which is a system I was well acquainted with as mainly of my school friends left school to take up an apprenticeship in engineering firms back in Malvern.

Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career; they may also be as young as middle school students in some areas.

The idea is to give students experience which will give them a feeling for and understanding of the professional world of work – covering issues such as: Time keeping; Health and Safety and Personal Interrelationships, as well as seeing how what they learn in school, college or university has application in the “real world” and providing valuable information to include on a CV.

It is often an integral and compulsory part of a course of study.  It can be paid, but usually is not.  As such, it offers employers with cheap or free labor for (typically) low-level tasks.  For both the employer and the internee, it can sometimes provide an introduction which can lead to future employment.

Here it is called Practica.

We have several students on Practica every year.  Some have been merely “going through the motions” and failed to impress in anything other than their lack of initiative and drive.  Others have shown themselves to be responsible, reliable and hard working, eager and willing to learn and also to contribute to the success of the enterprise.  They take pride in what they do and being able to achieve something worthwhile and make a difference.

The thing that caught my attention in the article was the answer to the final question, which was the usual catch all, “any final thoughts or recommendations?”, and was “Success means getting up out of your seats.”

This is something that I have long held, and advice I have often given to people, although it is often phrased in different terms:

• Maths is not a spectator sport
• It’s down to you
• The world doesn’t owe you a living
• It’s important to show that you have done something to help yourself
• Those who sit on their hands don’t achieve anything
• You get out of life what you put into it

… and so on.

There’s a temptation, and even a tendency, tendency to take literally Jesus’ words, “Ask and you shall receive … “, but life isn’t like that.

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Although many people think of the IMF working in poorer “Underdeveloped”, or Developing” economies, in the past the UK has also found itself in need of assistance from the IMF on a number of occasions, and several European countries are currently in receipt of assistance from the Fund.  In return for a “bailout” the IMF imposed certain conditions on the British government’s handling of the economy.

Here in Kyrgyzstan, the IMF has played a considerable role over the years in helping the country’s economy in transition from the Central Command system of the former Soviet Union into a Free Market economy.  They have provided support in the form of advice as well as funding – indeed, they have a mission in Kyrgyzstan at the moment to study fiscal sustainability over the medium term period and possibility to fulfill state budget revenues scheduled for year 2011.  There is, however, some misgivings amongst the local people as they have seen over the years, under the tutelage of organizations like the IMF, factories close with the concomitant rise in unemployment and the fall of living standards – especially once you get out of the capital – and the apparent burgeoning of corruption.

Whoever does get the job as the Fund’s Chairman, Gordon Brown or someone else, they don’t face an easy task.

Part of the problem is the fact that people all over the world are not particularly good when it comes to handling money … and I suppose that I have to admit, that includes me!  Maybe one reason people have trouble managing their finances is that it involves figures – and an awful lot of people have a fear of numbers: be it called numerophobia or arithmophobia.  Some people actually take pride in their lack of ability or understanding of mathematics, or more specifically arithmetic, or to be precise: numbers.  Financial Management, however, is a subject that spreads far beyond pure number theory … and is embroiled with all sorts of complex abstract concepts, especially as the numbers get bigger, (and hence the rewards and risks are greater), and the systems and schemes become more intricate and sophisticated.

In school, classes are taught how to read statements and calculate interest, and although most children have little difficulty coping with the appropriately titled “Simple Interest”, fewer seem able to get to grips with “Compound Interest”, yet alone grasp the difference between a quoted interest rate and the equivalent APR, (Annual Percentage Rate).

Now, I am not afraid of numbers, and I do understand one key principle: Cash is King.  If you have cash, then you can do something, but if you don’t … then you can’t.  I spend a lot of my time worrying about Cashflow.  Although I have a basic understanding of the concepts, I’ll let my accountants worry about the details of technicalities on the Balance Sheet such as Depreciation and Currency Loss … but I do spend many hours worrying over payment schedules and overdue accounts.

I keep in mind the words of advice from Wilkins Micawber to the young David Copperfield:

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

Indeed, the kids are sick and fed up of hearing me ask the question, “How many times can you a spend a som?”  By now they know the answer and reply parrot fashion: “Once.  Once you have spent it, you don’t have it any more.  It’s not yours to spend, it’s somebody else’s and only they can spend it.”  They can even add the corollary: “So, it is important to spend it wisely.”

I’m not, however, so keen on the other notable quotation associated with Wilkins Micawber: “Something will turn up,” although that does seem to be a popular philosophy here – especially in the local variation of: “vsye budet horosho“, (“everything will be OK”).

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I came across an article recently about our attitudes to money which identified five archetypes of people, even those who are “financially astute”, who have bad “money habits”:

• misers fear becoming penniless and have trouble enjoying the benefits of their money
• spenders shop in an often uncontrolled manner, particularly when feeling low – and get a short-lived high, often followed by guilt
• tycoons see money as a route to power and approval, and believe wealth will make them happy
• bargain hunters feel superior when they get discounts, and feel angry if expected to pay full price
• gamblers feel exhilarated when taking chances, and find it hard to stop – even when losing – as a win brings a sense of power.

As I read that list I found myself thinking, “That sounds just like ‘so-and-so’”, although I wasn’t sure which one best describe me.  Although the research identified five archetypes, I think there is a little bit of each in everyone.

The article pointed out that that people don’t always behave sensibly when it comes to money matters, and suggested that those graduates who have followed courses which included units on Financial Management were more likely to make mistakes with their investments, perhaps because they thought that they knew what they were doing and so, were tempted into rash decisions.

Another issue highlighted in the article was the ready availability of “easy money”: credit.  With credit, people are able to buy now and pay later, but, unfortunately, they don’t always think of the difficulties that can arise and the implications of having to meet the repayment schedules, yet alone the consequences of failing to do so.  There is predisposition to think, or to hope, like Wilkins Micawber, that “something will turn up”.

I know of several cases where a family’s home has been under threat because it was pledged against a loan and the borrower was having trouble with making the repayments.  As a result, the kids have also become used to hearing me say: “never a borrower or a lender be …“, (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3), and the follow up that “every som borrowed has to be repaid – with interest”, (which is nothing to do with the bard – although his subsequent line, “For loan oft loses both itself and friend“, is also valid).

(Incidentally, the interest may not be monetary; there are, after all, such things as “interest free loans”, but “nothing is for free“, and “there is always a catch” .)

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Here in Kyrgyzstan, (basically, even now, a cash based society), the sage advice of Wilkins Micawber about the need to live within you means and the difference between “happiness” and “misery”, is likely to fall on stony ground.  There seems to be a distinct tendency for cash to “burn a whole in people’s pockets” … if someone has 100 som, then it isn’t long before it’s spent.

I used to think that this was a reaction to the financial crisis that followed the collapse of the rouble in the early 1990’s, (before the introduction of the local currency, the som), and several of the financial scandals and bankruptcies that left people with savings which turned out to be worth very little: “Better to spend now, rather than later, when it is worth less – if anything”; a case of “let’s enjoy it while we can.”

There may well be an element of that, but it also seems to be a case of … we haven’t had the opportunity before, so let’s “make hay whilst the sun shines”.

There seems to be a distinct priority on how and where money is spent.  People don’t have much disposable income, most of what they do have is spent on the “essentials”: food, housing, clothing.  I am often surprised, however, at how one piece of modern piece of technology seems to have been elevated almost to the position of an essential: the mobile phone.  The are ubiquitous.  They are everywhere.   Once the essentials have been provided, then the first “luxury item” that they purchase is a mobile phone.  Sometimes, it seems as if the phone takes precedence over some of the essentials.

It hasn’t always been like that, of course.  Shortly after we opened the guesthouse in Naryn, I got summoned by one the local officials for a “friendly little chat”.  She was very pleasant as she explained that she was concerned about one particular aspect of our business.  She didn’t exactly say so, but she clearly thought that we were being cheated by our staff.  She told me: “Ian, you have to understand our local mentality.  If someone comes into money, then they spend it. They buy some clothes – preferably foreign clothes.  If they come into more money, then the buy a car – preferably a foreign make.  If they come into even more money, then they build themselves a house.”  She looked around at members of our staff in the room, dressed in new clothes – some of them foreign; some of whom had bought a car – one of them a foreign make, and one of whom was building an extension to their house.

(For the record: In reply, I pointed out that I had told them that they had to dress smartly, and that we had even helped to subsidize them by buying “uniform”; that unlike so many of the local population, they had jobs which paid them a regularly salary, (and a reasonable salary by local standards, although still low when compared to those in the UK), rather than having to wait months before being paid, and that we kept strict accounts and regularly checked their work.  As far as I was aware, we had no grounds to distrust them.  If she could find evidence to the effect that we were being cheated, then we would pursue the matter rigorously, but that we needed more than just a vague suspicion.)

The “local mentality” reminds me of the situation that Viv Nicholson found herself in, back in 1961, when she won over a hundred and fifty thousand pounds, (the equivalent of over three million pounds at today’s value), on the football pools, (a betting pool based on predicting the results of football matches).  When asked what she would do with her winnings, she is reputed to have replied: “I’m going to spend, spend, spend.”  Apparently, that’s exactly what she did, providing the tabloids with headlines until well after the money was exhausted.

These days, the companies in the West that run such systems as football pools and lotteries, offer an advisory service to winners on how to cope with the psychological and social pressures associated with such life changing experiences and Financial planning and Management to try and ensure that they gain the most benefit from their good fortune.

In her case, of course, it was her money, her winnings, which was frittered away over the course of time.  Apparently, after a while, she did try to manage her dwindling fortune but made but made some bad investments and eventually lost it all.

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The government, just the people of Kyrgyzstan in general, is in a difficult position in that it has limited resources, and faces many demands on the (tax) revenue that it is able to raise.  In order to meet the needs and expectations of the people it is forced into trying to run a deficit budget.  It is obviously faced with difficult decisions when it comes to managing its meager finances: the need to prioritize, to meet existing demands as much as possible but also – and, (probably, far more importantly), to plan ahead so as to avoid Wilkins Micawber’s “misery”.

One of the most difficult questions we get asked by clients is about tipping.  Should they give a tip? And, if so, how much?

Now, back in Britain, when I was growing up we never had a system of service charges imposed on the bill.   In a restaurant, the price on the menu was what you paid.  If you felt that you had received good service then you left a tip.  Often, people would just round up the bill and not expect any change. Then a few places started to include a service charge – a practice adopted from the States or Europe – I am not sure which.  Usually the service charge was 10%, but I have known a few places where it was 15% or even 20%.

Here, during the Soviet period, it was, apparently, not usual to ‘tip’ people like waiters and waitresses.  The official attitude was that tipping was a “capitalist” practice and it was frowned upon …  the salary was thought of as the reward for doing the job and tips were not necessary.  Some people even took the suggestion as not only unnecessary – but even as an insult.  Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, attitudes have changed and nearly everyone likes to receive a gratuity.

We, for example, don’t include a “service charge” at either the Silk Road Lodge or our Guesthouse in Naryn.  In our opinion, whether or not to give someone a “tip” or “gratuity” is a personal decision taken on the basis of wanting to reward someone for particular or exceptional service.

We actually ask clients NOT to put a tip onto the bill when charging to their room or paying by credit card, a common practice in the West.  We prefer people to give the “tip” to the person concerned because:

• it personalizes the gratuity (identifies both the “giver” and the “receiver”;
• identifies it with particular or exceptional service, thereby rewarding and encouraging further good service, (I remember a story about a diner who felt particularly unhappy about the service he had received at one restaurant and so he paid the bill and left without leaving a tip.  He hadn’t got far down the street when the waitress came running after him and said: “You forgot the tip,” to which he replied, “No I didn’t.  I didn’t leave because I didn’t think the service warranted it,” then turned around and walked away leaving the flabbergasted waitress standing, no doubt cursing him under her breath, but hopefully contemplating what needed to be done to improve the level of service so that it did warrant a tip.); and, just as important,
• it means that the person concerned receives the full value of the gratuity (If it is paid to us (e.g. by being charged to the room) then it is counted as our income and tax has to be deducted … VAT, retail tax, profits tax, income tax, social security contributions and others … so that less is available to be distributed).

Unlike the situation in America – where there are guidelines on how much to give when “tipping”, issued by organizations such as the American Society of Travel Agents, there are no “Tips on Tipping” for the Kyrgyz Republic.  Almost any sum will be appreciated – but please remember that the salary levels in the country are generally low, much lower than they are in the West.  For example, a teacher or a doctor may receive as little as 1000 som a month, (i.e. about USD25).  Indeed, a tour guide may well be a teacher working in their summer holidays … in order to supplement their income.

It is not necessary to tip Taxi drivers, although many people round up the fare such as 80 som and hand over a 100 som note.

Many hotels and restaurants, however, will add a Service Charge to the bill.  This can range from 5% to 20% – always check the menu!  If there is a service charge – then there is no need to leave an additional tip.

Now, there are many definitions for the term “service charge” and a number of heated opinions about when and where such charges are justifiable. A standard definition of a service charge is: “a fee for some service rendered that is in addition to fees already paid for that service”.

One type of service charge, in particular, that has many people confused is when a restaurant adds a set percentage of the bill as a service fee.  This is because, in the West, this is usually in lieu of a tip. A fee, of course, is not a tip and belongs to the restaurant owner and not to the waiter or waitress. This means the owner can distribute the fee in any manner he sees fit, or can keep all of it.  The Inland Revenue in both the US and Britain have investigated a number of catering establishments on just this issue and some have faced hefty supplementary tax bills as a result.

Here, the price on the menu is for the goods that you are buying – the food that you eat, and the overheads such as the cost crockery and cutlery, the energy used to cook the meal, the surroundings, (decoration, etc.).  It does not include an element for the waiter/waitress service.  Hence, the service charge in a café or restaurant is not in lieu of a tip.  It actually constitutes the fund from which the wages of the staff are paid.  There may be a formula for dividing it between the different members of staff – so much for the waiters, so much for the cooks and dishwasher, so much for the barman, and so on.  Perhaps more controversial, in my humble opinion, is the practice that several establishments operate whereby if there are no clients then the staff don’t get paid – even if they have been at their place of work for the whole shift.  The logic is simple: No clients, means no service charge, means no salary fund, means no salary.

This was written a few years ago and is based on an answer to an enquiry we received by email from someone who was planning to bring their own vehicle to Kyrgyzstan.  As such it is written in the first person.  It is not meant to be definitive advice or exhaustive.

Make sure you have all the right registration documents – we suggest you contact the embassy to check what is required.  If the vehicle is in transit (i.e. you will leave Kyrgyzstan in it) there should be no customs duties etc.  If the driver is not the registered owner of the vehicle (or the owner is not one of the passengers) then he will need authorization to drive – a “doverennost”.

You will also need an international driver’s licence.

In addition, by law in Kyrgyzstan, every vehicle is supposed to carry:

• A First Aid Kit
• A fire extinguisher
• An “Emergency Triangle” which can be placed as a warning sign in the event of an incident (accident or breakdown) to warn oncoming drivers
• “Wheel stops”, (2), to place under the wheels on a slope to prevent it rolling in the event of break failure.
• A tow-rope: (3m or 5m)

We also recommend that drivers carry a small shovel – especially in winter if travelling in areas where there is likely to be snow – and spare bulbs for the lights, indicators etc.  You will need to make sure that you have tools and suitable spares (it can sometimes be difficult to find spares – especially out of the main cities) and to know where the “jack” and “spare wheel” are, and bring a spare set of light bulbs with you.

In the event of a puncture – it is possible to have the tyre repaired.  A tyre-repair shop is called a “Vulcanizatziya”, and these can be found throughout the country … in some cities many of them work 24-hours – “Krugloosutochnaya”.

You should also remember to bring a spare set of keys with you.

The use of seat belts is compulsory for the driver and, if they are fitted in the vehicle, also for the passengers – so make sure that everyone “belts-up”.  Crash helmets are not compulsory, for motorcyclists of those riding scooters, but for your own safety you should still use one.

Technically, in Bishkek, and Osh you have to register the vehicle with the traffic police.

Vehicles in the Kyrgyz Republic are supposed to have been inspected for, and have a certificate of, roadworthiness – “techosmotre”.

Make sure that your International plate is clearly visible.

The use of lights when not in a settlement, (or built-up areas), became compulsory in 2009 – and in fact, many drivers now drive with their lights switched on even in the cities.

Insurance used to be “voluntary” and although a law has been passed making it compulsory, arrangements for the implementation of the law have not  yet been put into place, (as at the time of writing, August 2009).  However, drivers are sometimes asked at the border to produce their insurance documents.  You should make sure that you have suitable cover, that it covers you whilst driving in Kyrgyzstan, and in the event of an accident you should inform your insurers immediately.

Of course, you should take additional care when driving on unfamiliar roads: drive “defensively” and “expect the unexpected”; avoid driving when tired, (taking regular breaks on long journeys); don’t use your mobile phone when the driving; don’t overload the vehicle and make sure that you can see out of the rear window, and that mirrors are not obscured, (especially if you are in a right hand drive vehicle).

If you drive a vehicle in Kyrgyzstan then expect to be stopped by the traffic police (GAI or MAI – the State Auto Inspection).  They will be standing at the roadside and may point at you with a red or white truncheon.  They may want:

• to check your documents, (you will need your driver’s license – preferably an international one – possibly your passport and the registration document for the vehicle – and if it is not your vehicle then you will need an official document from the owner giving you permission to drive it.);
• to see if you have been drinking, technically, there is a zero limit.  Although there are “breathalysers”, you will probably be asked to breath into a paper cone, or the GAI will simply smell your breath.  If the GAI think that you have been drinking they can ask you to go to a hospital for analysis – and can confiscate your license and impound your vehicle.
• or they may want to give you a fine (a “shtraf”) – and they can be quite inventive for finding reasons for issuing a fine – such as :
  • speeding,
  • not observing the road signs,
  • having a minor error in the documentation (maybe the document was filled in using a blue pen but signed with a black one!!!),
  • failing to carry a fire extinguisher,
  • failing to have a First Aid kit,
  • having no light illuminating your rear number plate,
  • having too many people on the back seat,
  • having a dirty car (seriously, this can happen in Bishkek), or even
  • wearing a dirty shirt!!! (this is not an offence in itself – but one GAI thought that this was a sure sign that the driver had been drinking).

Fines are paid “on the spot” and there should be, but rarely is, a receipt.  It is possible for the GAI to confiscate your license, (although they should give you a replacement – valid for three days), or to impound the vehicle.

The speed limit in built-up areas is 60 km/hour, elsewhere it is 90 km/hour – but there are places where different figures are displayed on road-signs.  In rural areas it is not always obvious where villages start and end – don’t assume that because there are no houses immediately obvious that you not in a “built up area” – keep an eye open for village name signs and treat them as “60 km/hour” signs.

When estimating travelling times between two points – it is best to estimate on travelling at a speed of 60km/h.  For example: from Bishkek to Cholpon Ata, it is about 240km … so estimate on 4 hours – although the road conditions are good and it is possible to do it three hours, it is probably best not to rely on this.  Of course, the more stops you make, (photo-stops, toilet breaks, for meals, etc.), this will add to journey times.

In Bishkek, traffic humps, or “sleeping policemen”, are located by schools.

The sign to indicate that a vehicle is being driven by a ”Learner” driver is a letter “y” in a red triangle, or a “|_|_|” in a red triangle.

If you see a motorcade coming towards you with lights flashing – pull over to the side of the road until the motorcade has passed by.

At traffic lights – a green arrow means that traffic can proceed in that direction … don’t think that a green light (without any arrows) means that anyone can proceed – if there is an arrow pointing in the direction you want to take then you must wait for the green arrow.  The sequence will be Green – Flashing Green – Yellow – Red.

Don’t park overnight in the street – unless you want your car broken into, or stolen.  Use a car park, preferably one with a fence, it is worth paying the small fee involved.

Petrol in rural areas is likely to be 75 octane, or 86 (more rarely), and if you are very lucky you may find 93 or 95 – but don’t rely on it.  Diesel may also be hard to find.  In the petrol station – especially if there is no electricity – be prepared to pay something to the child or attendant who (literally) pumps the fuel for you.

A press report (March 2002) noted that the traffic police reported a lot of violations of traffic rules by both drivers and pedestrians.  They said that the situation on the roads could be classified as “alarming”.  Apparently 25% of road accidents were blamed on pedestrians – who, unlike drivers, bear no responsibility for violations of traffic rules.  Cited as another cause of concern, was the behaviour of the drivers of “marshrutka” mini-buses in the city, who often stop to pick-up or put down passengers at inappropriate points.

In 2005, the Economist Pocket World in Figures listed Kyrgyzstan amongst “the 20 worst countries in the world for traffic accidents”.  The full list was:

Malawi, Rwanda, South Korea, Costa Rica, Kenya, India, Honduras, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, Hong Kong, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Latvia, Italy, Canada and the Czech Republic.

We are often asked if it is possible to arrange “self-drive” vehicle hire.  Although Hertz “Rent-a-Car” had a franchise in Bishkek – and you can still find references to it on the internet – it has closed.  There is a new enterprise which claims to be offering a self-drive rental service … but it is not part of a major chain and is based in Bishkek.

Intrigued, I asked what he was doing.  OK, I knew what he was doing, he was making notes!

He had done the same when we had the “briefing” meeting before the tour “… you go here … they are particularly interested in x so make sure they see they see this … you have to go shopping for a picnic at y …” and so on.   He was making sure that he didn’t forget anything.  Even though the essential information was written on the tour notes that I had given him, he wanted to make a separate note of them for himself.  Some of the additional comments, however, were new … and so he was adding them.

What struck me as odd was that this was a debriefing meeting.  He was supposed to be giving me information about how the tour had gone, what went well, what problems there were, what we needed to pay special attention to in future … and so on … and I was supposed to be making the notes.  Here he was, however, grabbing his pen and notebook and jotting things down.

“Every now and again, ” he said, “when reading a book or an article, or listening to a talk, I come across something I didn’t know, or maybe a new idea, quotation or word and I think to myself something like: “That’s good, I must remember that.” … so, I write it down to help me remember.”

Here’s a budding author, I thought to myself … I was moderately impressed … and a little flattered – after all, he was taking the trouble to write down things as a result of a conversation with me … little gems of wisdom?, I wondered.  I decided not to ask … after all, it’s his private notes and, who knows, I may not like to know what he thinks is worthy of note … it could be all my gaffes, so that he could have a laugh at my expense later on.

I also refrained from asking the next crucial question? … did he ever to get to go over and review his notes, perhaps he copied them up, put them into some sort of order, or classified them,  or were they just things that he jotted down? … did he keep his notebooks – were they stored away, or did he throw them away?  It is possible that he had no intention of “keeping them for prosperity” … after all, the very action of writing something down can help someone to remember things.  It passes through their consciousness several times, three times at least: first when they read it, hear it or see it; then again when they organize their thoughts in order to commit it to paper; when they actually write it down, and the see what they have written …

Why did I think of him as a “budding author”?  Well, lots of writers keep – or rather, kept, – notebooks in which they jotted down ideas which might “be useful” some day.  Literary scholars spend hours pouring over them in research for learned articles.  I say “kept” because in these days of computers, many have taken to jotting things on their computer, they amend their drafts electronically, and the literary scholars no longer have access to the creative thought processes that result in masterpieces.

Perhaps the most famous notebooks , however, belonged not to an author but to a scientist, engineer and artist: Leonardo Da Vinci.

The people I notice use notebooks a lot, constantly taking them out and jotting down odd bits of information are researchers for guidebooks.  Telephone numbers, distances, GPS locations, names and addresses, opening times and specimen costs, drawings of little maps, the odd historical fact … and so on.

Now, it just that whilst reading an article in Forbes magazine, I came across a quotation that I thought was well worth a note: “Guidebooks go out of date even before they are published.”

How often have I met tourists who say things like “we have a love-hate relationship with our guide book.”

The trouble is that guidebooks may well be accurate, (more or less), at the time they are written – but they do get overtaken by events and get “out of date” very quickly.  As I understand it, the process of producing a guide book is something like as follows:

• Certain work can be done at home.  For example, basic geography and history can be researched and drafted in almost any good library.  Indeed, although it’s possible to compose a guidebook without having been to the place at all – and one, (very famous), publisher ran into a public relations disaster not long ago when it came to light that one of their researchers had written portions of a guidebook without having visited the destination – it’s not a good idea … the resulting work will lack vital practical information, “local colour” and advice.
• A researcher or a travel writer visits the location with a list of questions or issues which need to be addressed.  They gather the vital information about places to visits, names, addresses, telephone numbers, times etc., not to mention taking photographs if a professional photographer hasn’t been contracted.  Over the years, we’ve been visited by researchers for most of, (if not all), the major guidebooks to the region …
• They return home and work on drafts of the text, which are then put through an editorial process, to make sure it fits in with house style, is checked for legal issues and the like.  Sometimes they discover that there things that they missed … that need further checking or clarification.  There is a period of correspondence with people they have they met, (like us), with questions that need to be answered, such as: “Can you check the telephone for …?” and so on.
• When the draft is completed it is sent for typesetting … which is once again checked … before being printed and dispatched to shops for distribution.

All this takes time … and I suppose that it takes something like six months, or more, between the researcher’s visit and when the book actually hits bookshelves in your local bookshop or library.   Of course, in that time, things may change … for example: a cafe may have changed hands, may have closed – and another one opened up elsewhere; a museum may have changed it’s opening hours; costs may gone up, regulations have changed.  That’s why the writer in the Forbes article said that guidebooks may go out of date “… even before they are published”.

Then, unless they manage to obtain copy of the guide book on the first day of publication, time elapses whilst the book lies on the bookshelf before the tourist gets one in his or her hands … and more time before they actually arrive in the country.

That’s why guide books tend not to have a very big print run … they have to be updated regularly.  Many, for example, try to bring out a new edition every two or three years.   You can imagine that this can be quite expensive, especially sending researchers out to distant locations, so there isn’t much of a profit margin on guide books.  As it happens, the budget is not very large and research is often undertaken on a shoestring.   Indeed, very few guide book authors get rich from their endeavors.  As one seasoned travel writer put it when asked if writing a guide book was “worth the money” – “It’s getting harder to say Yes.”   So, they usually need “another string to their bow”.   So, you might well ask, why do they do it?  Well, the one big perk for the travel writer or researcher is that do get travel a lot and see new places, meet interesting people and garner interesting experiences … and so on.

Once this time lag between research and publication and eventual use is understood, then it becomes clear that a guide book is exactly that, what the name says – a “guide”.  It might well be authoritative, but it is not “holy writ” … infallible in everything it says or recommends.

Unfortunately, that is the way that readers often view their guide books. Infallible fountains of wisdom and knowledge.  I have actually seen situations where a tourists, guidebook in hand, has argued: “it says here that the cost is …”, or “it says here that you are open on …”, or “it says here that I don’t need a visa for …”.  On one occasion, (the visa example), the guide book they carried was two editions old … that is, about six years had passed since the researcher first jotted their notes into their notebooks … and here was the tourist quoting the resulting text as if it were Holy Scripture.  When they discover that things in reality are not exactly as written up in the guide book, they start complaining about how awful the book is – how useless it is – how it has got things wring – how it was a waste of money.

Of course, authors of guide books can make mistakes … for example, I once wrote that the dam at the head of the Toktogul reservoir can hold back nineteen and a half thousand tons of water … unfortunately I missed out one word and it wasn’t picked up by anyone in the editorial process until the fifth edition was being prepared and someone said, “that doesn’t seem much” and questioned it … it should have read “nineteen and a half thousand million tons of water.”  It happens … I made a mistake … sorry!

The problem lies not with the author but with the reader … and the way they are using the guidebook.

It is important to remember that guide books may indeed be “fountains of wisdom and knowledge” … but they are not infallible.

Actually, quite easily … It all depends on the circumstances: what I am asked to talk about?, if it is to be in English or Russian? … and so on.

Sometimes it is an English class, and they just want a native English speaker to deliver a talk and answer questions … basically they want practice with their English.  Now, I have a funny accent,  and I joke that even Englishman sometimes find it difficult to understand me … it’s not Oxford English but, all the same, they are quite glad for someone to come and spend an hour talking with them.  The level of English language skills can vary quite a lot and so it is important to speak slowly and use relatively simple vocabulary.  Fortunately, most of the time they seem to want some background about Britain and the differences between the two countries.  In a way that is quite simple, and I have a standard short talk, (and power point presentation) which I can give before we go into questions.

One of the first things I have to point out is that I haven’t lived in Britain for over fourteen years … and the last time that I went back, in 2005, I noticed a lot of changes and felt a little out of place.

The questions usually involve “How did you end up in Kyrgyzstan?”, “What are the biggest differences you notice?”, and “If you had the chance to go back … knowing what you know now … would you still do it again?”.

Other occasions involve groups studying Economics or Business Management, and the topics can be quite varied, ranging from Management Styles, to Business Ethics, Marketing and Personnel Management.  The biggest problem here is knowing what they have already covered in their lectures, and keeping things brief, to allow time for questions.  A straight question and answer session would be simpler.

Because I am a foreigner and I work in tourism, I am often asked to talk to students studying Tourism – especially for courses preparing people to work as guides.   I usually get asked to do a session on “working with foreigners”, covering such topics as their hopes and expectations, the importance of a welcoming smile and knowing names, as well as various aspects of their work as a walking encyclopedia, an ambassador for their country, (and their company), and the fact that they will need to know basic first aid and psychology.  All of this in the space of an hour or ninety minutes!

Every tourist is different, their reasons for visiting Kyrgyzstan and no two groups are identical.  What they think they might encounter here in Kyrgyzstan is just as varied.  Some think they are coming to “the back of beyond” – or as the Australians put it, “in the wops”, whilst others expect all the little luxuries and comforts of home – in reality the situation is somewhere in between.  Some tourists welcome humour but others find it an annoyance.  A person working in tourism has to be prepared for almost any eventuality and has to be remarkably adaptable.

There is only one way they can really cope … they have to prepare themselves … to expect the unexpected and be ready for anything.

I normally close with an exhortation and a quotation.

The exhortation: Don’t think that when you have finished the course that you are ready to be a guide … you are always going to be learning.  As the English proverb puts it: “Live and Learn”.  Sometimes you will learn new facts, and at others you will be gaining new skills and learning how to handle new and different experiences.

The quotation: this usually raises eyebrows around the room as I launch into it: “Remember the advice of  Vladimir Illyich: … ”

As their eyebrows shoot skyward, the faces portray puzzled and amazed looks … Vladimir Illyich? … there is no need to ask who he was, everyone knows: Vladimir Illyich Lenin – the Bolshevik founding father of the Soviet Union.  But what is this Englishman, this Westerner, this businessman, this bourgeoisie, this “capitalist lackey” doing, quoting the doyen of the communists, the scourge of the capitalists?

Now I am not a Marxist, never have been and never will be … and I’m just as likely to litter my talk with quotes from Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan, … but “the devil sometimes speaks the truth” – even if Banquo in Shakespeare’s Macbeth finds the notion incredulous.

Lenin was a revolutionary – he was expelled from University for being one and had to complete his studies, for a Law degree, as an external student.  He went on to lead the Bolsheviks in the Great Socialist Revolution of October 1917 which seized power in the weakened Russian state.  He was ruthless and dealt harshly with those who apposed him, and was well known for it as is evidenced b y the controversial “Hanging Order” – a document apparently written in Lenin’s own hand instructing local communists in Penza to suppress a kulak uprising by publicly executing “no fewer than one hundred known landlords, rich men, bloodsuckers”, publish their names and confiscate their possessions   Indeed, if it hadn’t been overshadowed by that of his successor, Josef Stalin, whose harshness and cruelty in sending millions of Soviet citizens to their execution, to the Gulags or into internal exile in what is known as the “time of the repressions”, then Lenin’s legacy and reputation might be even worse than it is today.  He was far from being universally loved and respected in his own day, and there were two assassination attempts in 1918.  Ironically, it was a result of the second attempt that led to his increased popularity in the country and the personality cult that eventually resulted in his embalming and the mausoleum in Red Square with the ever present (in Soviet times) queues of mourners waiting to pay their respects to the “great man”.

However, he was also a pragmatist.  His writings contain not only dogma but also a number of notable sayings such as “It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution. It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws.“  There is also an element of cynicism in his writing: “One man with a gun can control 100 without one“, “Sometimes – history needs a push”, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth. ” or “There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel“.  If the last one sounds like an echo of Machiavelli, the he sounds almost like a Jesuit when he says: “Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever” and “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”

So which his “golden nuggets” do I use?

“Remember the advice of  Vladimir Illyich: ‘Study, Study and once again Study“.

It usually brings the house down.

One that always seems to raise eyebrows when people hear it for the first time is: “Don’t close doors!”

When someone is young they have a myriad of opportunities open before them … think of them as doors, each leading to a different future.  The problem is that over the course of time these doors close, one by one, limiting the options available to them in the future.  Some of them close due to reasons beyond our control, but others close as a result of decision that we make.

As a schoolboy, for example, I failed the “11-plus examination” which meant that I went to a secondary modern school, which limited my future career options.  Although I was able to study for A-levels, (university entrance examinations), I studied Mathematics, Geography and Religious Education … which was quite an eclectic mix, but the school did not offer a course in Physics, or any of the other sciences.  That limited the options available to me at university, and in my later career.   I didn’t choose to fail the 11-plus examination, it may have been down to me, my performance, but wasn’t my decision, but the eclectic mix of A-level subjects was. Maybe my life would have turned out quite differently if I had not chosen to stay at school and study these three subjects, but had chosen to leave and go to a college somewhere else where I could have studied Physics.

Who knows how things will turn out in the future … I certainly had no idea when I was at school that I would end up running a hotel and tour business so far away from home in Central Asia.  Fortunately, as it happens, much of my experience up until my decision to come to Kyrgyzstan has been useful to me here and, rather than closing doors, (or even just keeping them open), has actually enabled me to open new doors which I had thought were closed to me.

For example, I am not particularly good at learning languages, and yet I have had to learn, and manage to get by reasonably well in, Russian.  At school, it took me three attempts to get a pass grade in French … I gave up on New Testament Greek at the earliest opportunity after the sixth month introductory course, on holidays I usually managed to learn only only a few basic phrases in the local languages: Please, Thank You, Two beers ….  However, the formal grammar that I had to learned when studying French and a variety of computer languages; the fact that I was already familiar with much of the Cyrillic alphabet and the fact that I had learned another of life’s important lessons, (“Don’t be shy … Seize the opportunity … Have a go!”), have all been helpful in this.

As a result, one of the maxims which I always keep in mind is: “Don’t close doors, but try to keep as many as possible open for as long as possible”.

When I was a teacher back in the UK, we often had to participate in parent-teacher consultation evenings.  Most of these involved a discussion about so-and-so’s progress in class … what was going well, what could be improved, and so on.

There were other evenings as well … maybe an evening dedicated to a particular topic in the school curriculum, such as when we were introducing computer awareness courses.  One of the regular annual meetings was the careers evening, when we talked to the children and their parents about what plans, what hopes, they had for their future … and started exploring the various possibilities and career paths may be open to them.

Sometimes the conversation on these careers evenings revealed a lack of understanding about the jobs that people do.  I remember, for example, the girl who said she wanted to be a barrister and when I asked, “Why do you want top be a barrister?”, I was somewhat taken aback by the response.  “Because I am sick and fed up of all these criminals getting away with things and I want to put them away!”  So much for for being innocent until proven guilty.

There were other surprises as well.  On one particular occasion a family sat in front of me: son sitting in the middle between mother and father.  They weren’t sure what subjects he should choose to study the following year … and they faced one big dilemma in particular – whether to choose German or Computing.  This had obviously been the subject of much discussion at home, and now they were looking to me for advise.  He was a good student and very keen on computing and also, apparently had a particular skill in German.  Now, I was Head of Computing and there was a certain amount of tension in the air … they obviously thought I would advise him to opt for Computing.  Instead, I gave him a question … what did he think he would be doing in ten years time?, what career plan did he have in mind?  I can’t recall his answer, but it was clear that neither German not Computing was essential for him to achieve his ambition.  To everyone’s surprise I said that the choice was his, but if I was in his place then I would probably choose German.  Neither discipline was essential for him, but both could be useful.  He was more likely to maintain an interest in computing in his everyday life than German.  Generally, once you give up a language then, (like sport), you don’t take it up again unless there is a specific reason, but computing and information technology is something that he was likely to continue using and learning – but there was no particular reason for him to learn about linked lists and the architecture of a CPU.  If, one day, in the unlikely event that it was important for him to learn these things, then it would be in a particular context and easy enough to assimilate what he needed.

The important thing, I said, was “Don’t close doors, but try to keep as many as possible open for as long as possible”.

Sometimes the hopes and ambitions which were exposed during these consultations were realistic and sensible, but all too often, unfortunately, they were optimistic beyond the realms of reality.   Now, don’t get me wrong … children all have their strengths and interests as well as their weaknesses and limitations.  Who can say what will happen in the future.  Although performance in school subjects can be a good indicator of success in university or elsewhere, there is no reason to assume that a child who is not achieving high marks at school cannot develop and “blossom” later in life when they see the direct relevance of learning something or acquiring a new skill.  Ambition is a good thing, but children always seem to think that life is easy … it isn’t.  Parents obviously want their children to do well and often had over inflated ideas, not only of the talents of their offspring but also of the openings that were available to them.

A similar trend is particularly noticeable here in Kyrgyzstan.  Everyone wants a university education for their child and Kyrgyzstan has one of the highest ratios of graduates to the general population in the world.  Laudable though that is, it is fraught with problems.

First of all, not everyone is suitable for an academic education … and it seems to me a disservice to push a child into higher education which is unsuitable for them, and in which they may struggle and likely to experience failure.  One of the less savoury aspects of Kyrgyz education is the number of students who, apparently, “buy” their grades.  It is not only bad for them, but it reflects badly on all the good students who work hard and do achieve good grades by stint of hard work … and that is probably the majority.

Secondly, many of the graduates have difficulty finding employment once they leave higher education.  The system here is quite rigid in that although there is a general core curriculum which is supposed to be followed by all students, whatever their discipline, every course also has a specialism which is supposed to fir the student for a particular career.  In the days of the planned central command economy of the Soviet Union, it was forecast that the country needed so many economist, so many accountants, so many lawyers, and so forth, and students were shepherded into courses to produce people with these skills and qualifications to meet the anticipated demand.  With the advent of the “Free Market Economy” in post independent Kyrgyzstan, such planning is a thing of the past and students have much greater freedom to select their chosen course and career.  However, the rest of the system hasn’t adapted to the new environment and courses are, for the most part, still heavily geared towards particular professions.  I remember sitting in a conference where a newly qualified graduate complained bitterly that he wasted five years of his life studying for a diploma, (degree), only to be unable to find work “in his specialism” upon completing his course.   Recently, a mother came to see me to ask if we had a vacancy for her son.  He had graduated in Banking, Credit and Finance and although he had applied to all the local banks couldn’t find a post … so she was asking everywhere she could think of to see if she could find a job … even hotels and tour companies.

I have been interested to see that President Barrack Obama has been advising the youth of America to “aim higher than rap or basketball”.   This might seem a bit odd, if not a contradiction, coming from someone whose campaign slogan was “Yes, we can!”, but as usual we have to look “behind the headlines” to get the full story.  Apparently, what he told a meeting of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP):  “I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers — not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be the President of the United States of America,”  Although he may well have been addressing a meeting of an organization which concentrates on issues related to racial discrimination, but the message is applicable to almost everyone.

America may well be “the land of opportunity”, but how many rap stars and basketball stars can the country sustain?.  Even if the children concerned do have talent, will they have the wherewithal to deal with the competition, and the pressures of the lifestyle?  The good thing about “the land of opportunity” is that people do have the possibility to achieve their ambitions and “live the dream”, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can, or will, do so.

The important thing is, as I said to that student so long ago: “Don’t close doors, but try to keep as many as possible open for as long as possible”.

I have been using the phrase quite a bit in the last two weeks.  It’s September and, like all children of school age, the “baseball kids”, (Maxim, Andrei and Sveta – see the post, A Baseball Match), have stared back to school.  Mum decided, however, to change their school, and that has led to a lot of conversations about education and their career plans.  She hopes that the new school will be better placed to give them the skills they need in later life.

One of them, Maxim, has long spoken about his ambition to work in films.  He is really keen on the cinema and goes to watch all the latest releases.  Kyrgyzstan does have a small film industry, but it is one thing to enjoy watching films and another to make them.  Also, because it is a small industry, their aren’t that many opportunities, that many openings, available to the would-be director, scriptwriter, cameraman, sound recordist, technician, etc.  If he is to achieve his ambition, and I hope he does, then it will take a lot of hard work, aptitude and effort.

The important thing for him, however, is: “Don’t close doors, but try to keep as many as possible open for as long as possible”.

One is that we have three quite distinct, self contained, units – the tour operation, a guesthouse in Nary and a hotel in Central Bishkek.  They are all geographically separate divisions.  For example, Naryn is some 350km from where I sit, in my office, in Bishkek, and I, physically, cannot deal with most of the day to day matters.  I am too far away.  The Silk Road Lodge and Tour operations may be based in Bishkek – and, geographically, close together – but even they are run from separate locations.

Each unit within the two companies operate as small teams – and teamwork is important.  I think that it is important that those who are going to work with their new colleagues should be involved in the process of selecting new staff … and I try to encourage this.  One person has to take the final decision, but this should be after listening to and considering the advice and opinions of others.  Even if I was the person with the final vote, I would still want to, (need to), involve the people I employ as managers.

Another reason is that I have managers appointed to run each operation on a day to day basis.  They carry the responsibility for running that particular part of the business, and so they need to have the necessary delegated powers to act effectively.  How can I hold someone responsible for doing their job if I am constantly interfering and attempting to micromanage everything within the company?

It is sometimes difficult to explain to local people that I will not “instruct” one of my managers that they “must” take on a certain person as an employee.  How many times have I heard the phrases: “But you are the Director … if you say give this person a job, it will happen.”  Yes, technically, that may be true … and it may be how many businesses work … but it is not the way we work.

Anyway, despite this policy, in the last year I must have reviewed about 200 CVs.  As it happens, they are not from applicants looking for work in our companies, but from people seeking jobs in one of the Associations of which we are members.  Executive Directors, Accountants, Journal Editors and so forth, for the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators, the Destination Marketing Association or the International Business Council.

Place an advert in the press – with a deadline for receipt of applications – and they start to flood in.  By the time the deadline passes, you can be fairly sure that you have received only half of the applications.   Some cases have been dealt with very quickly – within a week – and with such a brief period perhaps this is not surprising … but in others the selection process has been planned to take over a month, and plenty of time allocated for each stage.  Even so, the number of potential candidates who submit a late application is considerable.

Application Forms are not very common here, so an application usually involves a CV or resume.  Sometimes there is a covering letter, copies of certificates and diplomas, copies of “open” letters of recommendation (“Testimonials”), and sometimes contact details of people prepared to give confidential letters of recommendation (“References”).

One of the things that has surprised me in each and every case where I have been involved in the selection process is that few people seem to understand how to write – or how to read – these documents.  I don’t want to claim that my documents are perfect – but I hope that they are better suited to the task than most of the ones I have seen over the last twelve months!

One of the problems seems to be that there is something here called an autobiography.  Everyone is taught how to write one at school.  Essentially it is just a list of basic data: Name, address, gender, date and place of birth, schools attended, qualifications obtained, places worked.  It may serve as a basic Curriculum Vitae, but it won’t necessarily help you get selected for a job interview.  I suppose it might not matter if the basis for appointment is “blat”, (which roughly translates as “pull” … or personal connections), which often seems to be considered an (if not the most) important selection criteria that is likely to be applied.

There are many surprising features that appear in come CVs.  For example, I have no idea why some candidates insist on including their height or hair and eye colour!  As I understand it – they are NOT part of the traditional autobiography, so the candidate has either it was an important point – or they want to flesh out the document – adding a couple of lines to make it look longer.  (“Never mind the quality … feel the width”).

Some people attempt to turn this basic CV into a resume … especially where it is thought that a foreigner might read the document – and/or when someone has been shown some “Western” examples.  Most, however, have simply picked up on one or two individual items and simply included them, without thinking them through.  Sometimes there is no evidence of any logic having been applied.

The word “resume” means summary.  If many resumes resemble basic CVs, others try to be comprehensive (multi page) accounts of everything that someone has ever done – whether it is relevant or not to the application in hand.  Sometimes it is not clear that the candidate knows what job they are applying for.

On some occasions I see an attempt to add detail to the Employment Record section of the resume.  A sentence explaining the job title entails can be helpful.  However, a half-page long list of responsibilities, including minute details such as “making tea and coffee” (!) doesn’t seem too helpful.  Although examples of what has been done are helpful, I prefer to see the list limited with a phase such as “My responsibilities included: …” and two or three examples … preferably with something concrete about an actual achievement – which might be relevant to the post being sought.

There is one point that worries me that no-one else here seems to be concerned about.  I usually count the number of jobs the person has had, and look at how long they have stayed in each one.  The trend here seems to be for people to change jobs every year.  I know that people move on … they need career progression, that is no problem … (For example: as a teacher I worked in just two schools – one for three and the other for seventeen, although my job within the second school, my roles and responsibilities, changed roughly every three years).   To be fair, for many jobs, in many cases, it may not matter.  However, I ask myself, if someone changes their job every nine or ten months – then what chance have they had to achieve anything?  At first they have to settle into their new organization and role, and to learn the job, and then when they are able to contribute something to the development of the organization … they get itchy feet and move on and the employer has to start the whole process all over again.  What is more, if the post being advertised is for someone to take a strategic managerial role, then I would hope and expect that person to be in place for some time and for the successful candidate to see a task through to completion.  Even if someone is on the “career ladder”, seeking promotion, career progression, then I want to see something to help convince me that the applicant is not simply “filling time”.   For example: some candidates include notes as to why they left each post … such as: “the contract ended, because the international funding for the aid project come to an end”, “the firm closed”, “to start a family”, or simply “to take up a new, better, position in a different firm”.

In my opinion, a good CV or Resume, should provide enough information to make the selection panel interested in the candidate.  It needs to attract to attention.  I remember the CV I saw for someone applying for the post of security guard – who had trained as a circus clown … now – provided the rest of his qualifications and experience are appropriate for the job description – that’s an applicant I want to interview.  Not because I want him to make me laugh, but because this experience may mean he can bring other aspects to the job.  (By the way, he didn’t get the job – someone else was considered more appropriate – but he was worth considering and the CV did it’s job … it got him noticed).  Another example was the person who trained to parachute – not in the Army but as a hobby.

The Resume should also provide a basis for questions in the interview – but one of those questions shouldn’t be: “What happened between 2002 and 2004?”.  Unfortunately, in my experience, this is not an uncommon situation.  A gap in the employment record should be explained somehow … they were ill, having a child, made redundant, or were they sitting in prison?

To be fair each CV is different.  Although there are some general “rules” which can be applied – every person is different and every job has its own requirements.  One of the worst features of most of the CVs I have written is that they seem to have been throw together very quickly and lack any form of logic.  Above all they bear little resemblance to the job which is being applied for.

For example, there is often a heading on a “western style” resume: “Purpose:”  However, the number of times I have seen phrases like “… to improve my English …”.  In a job application the candidate is supposed to be offering their skills and expertise.  There is nothing wrong with seeking to improve their skills and knowledge, but if this is the stated purpose of the application, then what is the candidate going to bring to the organization?  I think it belongs, for example, in the covering letter to show that the person is interested in their own self-development and not seeking a safe haven into which they can stagnate.

“We have a problem …” is a phrase that I have come to dislike … if not, actually, to fear.  Not all problems are serious … some are easy to resolve … but others …

One of my friends says that the first Russian word I ever learned was probably “problema” – problem – because is a word I frequently use.  Maybe that is not surprising, because a major aspect of my job is to solve problems.  I always maintain that the best way to solve a problem is to prevent it happening – “prevention is better than cure”.  Hence I spend a lot of my time thinking about, predicting and planning for potential problems – and, more importantly, how to overcome them.  So much so that many of my friends think that I am a pessimist.  It’s not true – at least, I think that it is not true.  I prefer to think of myself as a realist.  I am always delighted when things go perfectly according to plan, but I am always aware that, as Robert Burns put it: “The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley, and leave us naught but grief and pain for promised joy”.

No matter how much I plan – things can still occur which interfere with those plans.  Even if I thought things through thoroughly, considered all the options, all the pitfalls, all the potential difficulties that could arise … there is always the possibility of something coming along which was not foreseen.

A surprise … I hate surprises …as far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as a “nice surprise”.

Some eventualities can be planned for – whilst others are well and truly out of my control.  I can make sure that every vehicle carries a spare wheel in case of a puncture, but there is nothing I can do to prevent an earthquake.  I can, however, think about what steps to take in the event that one does occur.  Another example: We won’t accept bookings for a Torugart crossing in the first ten days of May or October because the border can close, suddenly, at these times … although maybe not.  One year six groups, fortunately none of ours, were left stranded.  The border has closed, without warning, at other times as well – perhaps due to bad weather … but there is no way to predict this and I appreciate that this is a risk … but closures in May and October can be anticipated – and hence our caution … even if it means losing a potential booking.

When things do go wrong, there is a tendency here to try and avoid blame.  I suppose that is something that happens all over the world – but I am told that it was a particular feature of Soviet lifestyle and is encapsulated in the phrase: “Ya vinovat, shtoli?”, (“Am I to blame, Really?).

I have heard this phrase on numerous occasions.  Sometimes it is a fair question … and the answer is: “No, but we do have a problem – so let’s see what we can do to try and solve it.”  On other occasions it is simply a defence mechanism … an attempt to shift the blame.

When I first arrived here I was told by one interpreter that the difference between “Westerners” and “Locals” could be summed up in their respective attitude to problems.  The local attitude was to ask “Who’s to blame?” and the Western approach was to ask “What should we do now?”

My attitude when faced with a problem is to take things in steps:

1. Find out what the problem is.  Do we really have a problem? … and if so, what is it?  That might sound facile, but it represents an important issue.  It is importasnt to understand the real nature of the problem, the people and their emotions.  There is a saying that “problems come in threes” … and a common mistake is to focus attention on the immediate manifestation.  The way in which the problem presents itself may simply be a symptom of something completely different – and thus hide the “real problem”.  If we don’t understand the nature of the real problem then the action taken to resolve the issue may tackle the immediate issue, but do nothing to address the underlying, (the “real”), problem.  In some cases, it may even make things worse.  Then again, some problems are really serious, and require a drastic, immediate, response whilst others are less so – indeed, they may already have been resolved and so merely represent a lesson for the future.
2. Decide what needs to be done to resolve the situation – and do it.  After discovering the facts and analysing the situation it is necessary to find a solution to the problem.  It is important to address the immediate areas of concern … not simply to take action – any action.  One of the biggest dangers is that “in the heat of the moment” a decision is taken that addresses a similar problem that has been met before.  Each situation is different and has itsd own peculiarities.  In most cases there may be a choice of possible actions … which would be the best?  What are the implications for the future?, (for example, what might be the effect on meeting a particular deadline – such as meeting a flight).
3. Find out how it happened, there are two reasons for this:
   1. So that it can be avoided in the future.  One of the most important things is to learn from our experiences – especially if mistakes were made … so that the situation is not repeated.  It is not possible to “put the clock back” – but it is possible to take measures to make sure that a similar recurrence does not happen.
   2. Decide if it is necessary to take remedial action – and if so, take the necessary steps.  If someone is to blame, then they need to be told.  It is necessary for people to understand that their actions have consequences … some of which may not be pleasant.  Maybe a reprimand is in order – or some other form of disciplinary action.