Postcard from Bishkek

I am sometimes asked about my “sources” for these postcards – including being asked by the author of one of the standard guidebooks to the country … the answer is simple: I have been here for sixteen years with so much more access to information than people have back home: books, TV, newspapers, websites … people.  Much of this is in Russian – which I can read – or Kyrgyz – which I can’t read, but I can get help with.

I also read a wide variety of blogs about life here in Kyrgyzstan … especially one that are written by other ex-pats.  There are a lot of news services or sites offering analysis on current events and a whole host of blogs, (available in Russian and Kyrgyz), that are written by locals … and I scan quite a few of those virtually every day as well.  That’s not to mention a variety of blogs written by travellers outlining their experiences here.

That’s one of the great advantages that the internet brings to us in this modern world – instant access to huge amounts of information!  On the other hand, there is so much information available that, to be honest, I  sometimes feel that I am suffering from information overload.

In a way, that’s one of the reasons we created the portal website www.links.kg, to collect together the many different resources provided by visitors to Kyrgyzstan.

Some of the resources that I have available to me are quite specific, concentrating on News and Current Events, or on History, or on ecological issues.  Some of the most interesting, however, are the blogs written by individuals with personal accounts of their experiences, and their take or interpretation of the stories.

In response to one particular enquiry, I thought I would take the time to pay tribute to my fellow inhabitants of the Kyrgyzstan blogosphere and list just some of the myriad of different ones that from time to time I dip in and out of.

Some of them are written by people who have now left Kyrgyzstan, but I have included them as I found their posts written about their time here both interesting and informative.

(Disclaimer: Simply because I have listed a site – it doesn’t mean that I endorse everything that you’ll find there … but I think that they are all interesting and worth a look!)

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alecinbishkek | Just another WordPress.com site

Hopefully, through this blog, you’ll be able to get a flavour of what life is like – warts and all – in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan. If it doesn’t inspire you to come out here, perhaps you can enjoy it vicariously!

http://alecinbishkek.wordpress.com/

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Bishkek blog: life in the Kyrgyzstan capital

Blog about spending eight months in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan teaching English and learning Russian.

http://bishkekblog.wordpress.com/

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The Golden Road to Samarqand

Written by Amira Lace.  This blog’s been around since the end of 2004 and has followed her around the US and the world.  She is currently living in Tokmok where she and her family “are learning languages researching dispute resolution and Dungan food.”  There’s a bit about homeschooling, a lot about books, and even more about Central Asia.  She also has posts about Central Asian food and games.

http://amiralace.blogspot.com/

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Ivory Pomegranate

I’m Kirstin. I’m currently living in Bishkek, Krygzystan, attempting to transform this website from a baking blog to a travel/expat blog (among other things, of course)

http://ivorypomegranate.com/

 

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 Jane’s daily blah

My name is Jane. I’m a traveler, photographer, animal lover, and teacher of English as a second language. I’ve lived in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, and I’m currently living and working in South Korea. The last time I was in the US, I helped my mom set up a cat rescue called Brierpatch Cats, located in Waycross, GA.

http://janesdailyblah.blogspot.com

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A jaunt in the Kyrgyz Republic

The misadventures of a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, here in “the Switzerland of Central Asia.”

http://kyrgyzjaunt.blogspot.com/

 

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Keen on Kyrgyzstan

Dennis Keen was a Fulbright scholar here in Central Asia to research Eagle Hunters, but he has entries on a number of other topics as well.

http://keenonkyrgyzstan.com/

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Kurt in K-Stan

Kurt was in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on a Fulbright fellowship, learning Russian and studying the nation’s language policies and how they affect its education system.

http://kurtinkstan.wordpress.com/

 

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For those who read Russian, then this site is also  worth a visit:

kloop.kg

The Kloop Internet portal was launched in June 2007 with financial support from Holland and  consists of two main segments: journalism (citizen journalism, where individuals can write and port stories) and a blogging platform.  The blogs are in Russian and Kyrgyz.

http://kloop.kg/blogs/

 

 

Tags: Expat, internet, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan