Postcard from Bishkek

Some time ago I was invited to an event in one of Bishkek’s many Universities, the one named in honour of Ishenaly Arabaev. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in the country – based on six sites located in the city center – the main one being adjacent to the main […]

Last year we saw calls from leaders of the Muslim community for the faithful to refrain from participating in the celebrations as they bear no relation to Islam … nor to traditional Kyrgyz culture.  As it happens, the call was more or less ignored and the festivities progressed as usual. As the New Year Celebrations […]

There’s a growing conviction in the scientific community that “we are not alone“, that the universe is so vast that it is inconceivable that life could have emerged on just a small planet circling a small, almost insignificant star in one of the spiral arms of a galaxy, (just one amongst many), in a rapidly […]

I’ve mentioned before the work of Hugh Coulter in support of the private orphanage in Karakol – several times as it happens. He was working in Karakol on a project financed by the European Union and came across the orphanage almost by accident.  Impressed by the work of the orphanage, Hugh and his family found themselves getting involved in […]

Earlier this week I received a copy of the latest newsletter from Healthprom – a British charity that I have mentioned several times in different postcards. This one contained links to stories about: Their Donkey Ambulance used to transport expecting mothers to hospital in Afghanistan. Their new project in Russia which will support children with disabilities and their […]

One of the side effects of the postcards from Bishkek is that I sometimes get approached by a wide variety of people with diverse questions, which may be purely a request for information – (for example, for a school project – or maybe the contact details for the Minister of Tourism), or requests for help […]

On 30th October, 1947, The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), was founded … which became the foundation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which came into being on 1st January, 1995. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the […]

At the intersection of Prospects Chui and Molodaya Gvardia, (The Avenue of the Young Guards), in downtown Bishkek, there is a striking memorial depicting two soldiers on a granite pedestal – a young Russian in a Red Army helmet, dressed in an Army coat and boots, holding a rifle in his hands. Next to him […]

In Saturday’s postcard I mentioned that I had been invited to a ceremony at a school, Bilimkana, in Luxembourg, a village about 20 kilometers East of Bishkek. It was a two fold celebration, to mark Posledniy zvonok, the last day of the school year and also the an opening ceremony.  When I first heard about […]

Most days the doorbell rings and a little old lady hands over the newspapers which I eagerly take, and start scanning before anyone else gets their hands on them,  If I don’t, then there’s a good chance that I won’t ever get to see them as someone else will pick them up and that’s the […]