After a night of enduring mosquitoes gnawing on my forehead and sweating from the uncharacteristic humid weather, I awoke to a beautiful morning. The necessity of crawling out of bed after a scant few hours of sleep to go to Russian lessons could not diminish the beauty of the new day. Ah! Even the smoke seemed thinner than the last few days. In fact, I didn’t notice as many burning piles of leaves today—maybe people are finally realizing the futility of such efforts when the leaves just keep on falling.
An unfortunate calamity befell us a couple of weeks ago—my camera broke. I’m not quite sure how this happened, and can hardly believe it, after having that trusty camera never fail me for at least 10 or 15 years! But alas, these things happen I guess. Everything seems to be working perfectly, except that the film doesn’t catch and start winding. So of course, right when this happens, I keep spotting perfect photo opportunities and wishing that I had my camera at hand. I guess we’ll have to either venture into the world of disposable cameras or get a generous friend to loan us a camera.
Written by Cara
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
We’re spending another Monday night sleeping at the office- this is becoming a habit. The place is so busy during the day that sometimes it is difficult to have computer access, and as our work revolves largely around research and writing, this is essential. For example, right now it is 4:30pm and the office is teaming with people dashing back and forth working on preparations for next week’s human rights conference in Osh. Well, perhaps I exaggerate the hectic atmosphere of the office. I wouldn’t say that it is ever really stressed out here- in fact, I would characterize the YHRG as a relaxed office full of good-humoured and efficient workers. Which is why we love it so much here! It really is the ideal work atmosphere to be surrounded by good friends that you trust and enjoy working with. If only every work environment was quite so ideal….
8:00pm has just passed now and I am slaving away editing the English version of a report on Human Rights in Orphanages in the Kyrgyz Republic. I am actually learning lots of interesting (and disturbing) information about the conditions of orphanages in Kyrgyzstan, but I must admit that it can be tedious work. I don’t know how professional editors or translators do it- staring at grammar, grammar, grammar all day long. It is totally different from the creative process that goes into one’s own writing, and sometimes it can be quite challenging to technically correct another person’s writing without changing the content or the essence of the words. This is my big task for the week, as I want to finish this report before we head to Osh. It needs to be ready for publication.
Catherine is working on finding information about child protection and juvenile justice in the US right now, and I must admit that I am a bit envious because her task is far more interesting than mine! I’m not sure how exactly we assumed these duties for the week, but it just kind of happened…
I guess that’s a bit of background on the workaday routine here in Kyrgyzstan. Just to prove that we are actually working hard and not just flitting around paragliding, having dinner parties, and shopping at the bazaar-
Written by Cara
8:00pm has just passed now and I am slaving away editing the English version of a report on Human Rights in Orphanages in the Kyrgyz Republic. I am actually learning lots of interesting (and disturbing) information about the conditions of orphanages in Kyrgyzstan, but I must admit that it can be tedious work. I don’t know how professional editors or translators do it- staring at grammar, grammar, grammar all day long. It is totally different from the creative process that goes into one’s own writing, and sometimes it can be quite challenging to technically correct another person’s writing without changing the content or the essence of the words. This is my big task for the week, as I want to finish this report before we head to Osh. It needs to be ready for publication.
Catherine is working on finding information about child protection and juvenile justice in the US right now, and I must admit that I am a bit envious because her task is far more interesting than mine! I’m not sure how exactly we assumed these duties for the week, but it just kind of happened…
I guess that’s a bit of background on the workaday routine here in Kyrgyzstan. Just to prove that we are actually working hard and not just flitting around paragliding, having dinner parties, and shopping at the bazaar-
Written by Cara
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Bishkek is ablaze with Autumn. Literally. Leaf removal crews are out about the city clearing up the abundance of golden leaves from the streets in whatever way they can, be it with small, handmade straw brooms or enormous bulldozers. Heaps of golden leaves sit on the street corners, bidding goodbye to the remnants of summer- one last hoorah before incineration. Smoke tendrils curl up from the wilting leaves, creating a haze that drifts over Bishkek. The air feels a bit heavy during this time of year, and the expectation of impending winter is slowly creeping upon the inhabitants of this Central Asian city. Small children are bundled up to keep out the cold- their pumpkin faces sandwiched between fuzzy winter caps and warm jackets. Street vendors appear well-equipped for the crisp cool of morning.
Last weekend summer made an unexpected visit, and we greeted it joyfully by heading to the foothills for an afternoon of paragliding. Our second paragliding adventure was as exciting as the first- better in many ways because the gray clouds had disappeared from the horizon, and the towering white mountains came into view. Thus, we spent an ideal afternoon alternating between flying through the air against a backdrop of painted mountains, and sunning ourselves contentedly on the hilltop as we watched various paragliders take off and land in the distant fields.
The unexpected heat of the weekend has now crawled back into hibernation, letting autumn reign in full glory. We are celebrating the season by hosting various dinner parties this week, and cooking up a storm with the last of the fresh produce. Apparently, we will soon be subsisting off pickled vegetables (other people’s pickled vegetables since we have neglected to prepare any for ourselves) and the interminable bread and meat.
Written by Cara
Last weekend summer made an unexpected visit, and we greeted it joyfully by heading to the foothills for an afternoon of paragliding. Our second paragliding adventure was as exciting as the first- better in many ways because the gray clouds had disappeared from the horizon, and the towering white mountains came into view. Thus, we spent an ideal afternoon alternating between flying through the air against a backdrop of painted mountains, and sunning ourselves contentedly on the hilltop as we watched various paragliders take off and land in the distant fields.
The unexpected heat of the weekend has now crawled back into hibernation, letting autumn reign in full glory. We are celebrating the season by hosting various dinner parties this week, and cooking up a storm with the last of the fresh produce. Apparently, we will soon be subsisting off pickled vegetables (other people’s pickled vegetables since we have neglected to prepare any for ourselves) and the interminable bread and meat.
Written by Cara
Friday, October 10, 2003
"Lake Issyk-Kul"
We've been a bit incommunicado this week because we've been holed up at the Royal Beach Resort at Lake Issyk-Kul for a seminar on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights' Standards and Mechanisms. Will write more about it later, but basically we had a great time collaboring with and getting to know lawyers from around Kyrgyzstan, as well as diving into the frigid lake.........
-Cara
We've been a bit incommunicado this week because we've been holed up at the Royal Beach Resort at Lake Issyk-Kul for a seminar on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights' Standards and Mechanisms. Will write more about it later, but basically we had a great time collaboring with and getting to know lawyers from around Kyrgyzstan, as well as diving into the frigid lake.........
-Cara
Tried to post this earlier in the week, but had some trouble. But anyway, here it is-
Nearly a week has passed since our last entry and it is getting more and more difficult to remember everything we’ve done without writing a novel in order to include it all! But, do not despair, I’ll do my faithful best to relay all of our interesting exploits of the last week….
This has been a week of meeting interesting people and never lacking new things to do. It seems that nearly every night after work we had somewhere to go and someone to meet. In fact, George had to play absentee daughter for most of the week and crash at my place because of all the late nights on the town.
This chain of activity started on Wednesday night when we had the great fortune to attend a free concert at the Philharmonic. The concert was a special production sponsored by the Swiss Corporation. A music group called Tien Shan, which was composed of twenty musicians from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Khakassia (a region of Russia), and Switzerland, fused their music together to create one of the most unique and eclectic sounds we have ever heard. The low, guttural vocalizations of the Mongolians harmonized with the softly beguiling pipes of the Kyrgyz, while the Tajik drums simultaneously added depth to the jazz-tinged yodels of the Swiss. I don’t know if it’s really possible to paint this music into words, as it was the most unexpected combination of sounds that one can imagine! Each group on its own produced extremely beautiful music, and when they came together they had us entranced, eyes and ears soaking in the ethereal magnificence of the performance.
After the concert we weren’t ready to go home, so we went across the street to the newly-opened Metro Bar (formerly called the “American Pub”) to hang out for awhile before retiring for the night. I had visited this club with Masha the previous week, and I wanted to show the place to George, as it was apparently one of the “in” places in town (which has definitely been confirmed). We were tamely enjoying some tomato soup and water when a guy behind us asked us “if we were American missionaries?” Ha! That’s the first time anyone’s ever asked me if I was a missionary…. Apparently, he had taken in our appearance and ruled out the possibility of us being diplomats or another form as expat (we’re a bit too shabby to pass ourselves off as such) and he knew we weren’t peace corps volunteers, seeing as he was one, which left… missionaries. Well, we forgave him for this grievous mistake, and we had a nice long chat and received an invite to a dinner party the following evening.
So, Thursday night rolled around, we did our best to appear the least missionary-like that we could, and found our way to Ben’s (another peace corps volunteer) house, where we were surprised to find that we were the only girl guests in a crowd of around 10 or so guys. Unavoidable observation. But, these guys turned out to be a really friendly and interesting group, and we had a great time. We even had the great fortune to partake in some homemade apple pie, a pleasure that is rare in this corner of the universe.
Friday night passed by fairly uneventfully in preparation for the promise of a more exciting Saturday.
We had been looking forward to Saturday all week, as it was Nadira’s (one of the girls from the office) birthday. We all planned a big bash for her at Janae’s (an American foreign service officer) house, and then at Metro Bar afterwards. Cat and I wanted to surprise Nadira with a cake, so after spending the morning at the office, we bought everything we needed (not an easy task) and headed to Masha’s for a bit of baking. Now, this was probably the biggest accomplishment of the week, because the cake that we managed to produce was absolutely orgasmic…. who would have thought? A bit of creativity, and wow, together, we can come up with some incredible inventions in the kitchen. This one is definitely a keeper and will probably be passed down to our respective kids as a secret family recipe….
The party was really a lot of fun. To begin with, the embassy does very well by its employees, and Janae’s apartment was the perfect place to host a party for 20 or so people. And then Altynai had called over to Metro Bar earlier and specifically requested that they had the DJ ready to cater to our dancing needs. All in all, it was one of those fun and memorable nights.
Sunday was supposed to be a slow day of relaxing and getting some work done. It’s a really good thing that it turned out otherwise! John (the guy who made the apple pie on Thursday night) called us up and asked us if we wanted to “go flying.” Hell yeah! This meant that he took us out paragliding with him. He is in the middle of his training and takes weekly lessons from a daredevil Russian guy with a metal plate in his head, Sacha. Cat and I, as well as a former peace corps volunteer, Lucas, and Janae made up a merry party of paragliders headed for the mountains. Janae drove us all in her jeep (we were telling her that she ought to get her jeep sponsored by the company or something as the day was full of “jeep commercial” moments- jeep driving through herds of sheep across a field to pick up paraglider, jeep perched on hill top with towering mountains behind, mud-covered jeep at end of happy, active day…). I was particularly lucky to get to be the first person John ever took on a tandem ride. This meant that we had 3 crash take-offs before finally managing to make it into the air. Nothin like being dragged through brambles behind a runaway parachute, the smell of cow shit assailing the nostrils as the ground thumps by. Actually, as most of you can probably guess, I really didn’t mind having a few crash and burn experiences. I always think that it’s a great way to get rid of any fear that might be teetering on the edge of the mind- you know, it’s no longer unknown, so what’s there to fear? Anyway, both Cat and I agree that paragliding is one of the most incredible sports ever, and we are contemplating taking it up ourselves....
Written by Cara
Nearly a week has passed since our last entry and it is getting more and more difficult to remember everything we’ve done without writing a novel in order to include it all! But, do not despair, I’ll do my faithful best to relay all of our interesting exploits of the last week….
This has been a week of meeting interesting people and never lacking new things to do. It seems that nearly every night after work we had somewhere to go and someone to meet. In fact, George had to play absentee daughter for most of the week and crash at my place because of all the late nights on the town.
This chain of activity started on Wednesday night when we had the great fortune to attend a free concert at the Philharmonic. The concert was a special production sponsored by the Swiss Corporation. A music group called Tien Shan, which was composed of twenty musicians from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Khakassia (a region of Russia), and Switzerland, fused their music together to create one of the most unique and eclectic sounds we have ever heard. The low, guttural vocalizations of the Mongolians harmonized with the softly beguiling pipes of the Kyrgyz, while the Tajik drums simultaneously added depth to the jazz-tinged yodels of the Swiss. I don’t know if it’s really possible to paint this music into words, as it was the most unexpected combination of sounds that one can imagine! Each group on its own produced extremely beautiful music, and when they came together they had us entranced, eyes and ears soaking in the ethereal magnificence of the performance.
After the concert we weren’t ready to go home, so we went across the street to the newly-opened Metro Bar (formerly called the “American Pub”) to hang out for awhile before retiring for the night. I had visited this club with Masha the previous week, and I wanted to show the place to George, as it was apparently one of the “in” places in town (which has definitely been confirmed). We were tamely enjoying some tomato soup and water when a guy behind us asked us “if we were American missionaries?” Ha! That’s the first time anyone’s ever asked me if I was a missionary…. Apparently, he had taken in our appearance and ruled out the possibility of us being diplomats or another form as expat (we’re a bit too shabby to pass ourselves off as such) and he knew we weren’t peace corps volunteers, seeing as he was one, which left… missionaries. Well, we forgave him for this grievous mistake, and we had a nice long chat and received an invite to a dinner party the following evening.
So, Thursday night rolled around, we did our best to appear the least missionary-like that we could, and found our way to Ben’s (another peace corps volunteer) house, where we were surprised to find that we were the only girl guests in a crowd of around 10 or so guys. Unavoidable observation. But, these guys turned out to be a really friendly and interesting group, and we had a great time. We even had the great fortune to partake in some homemade apple pie, a pleasure that is rare in this corner of the universe.
Friday night passed by fairly uneventfully in preparation for the promise of a more exciting Saturday.
We had been looking forward to Saturday all week, as it was Nadira’s (one of the girls from the office) birthday. We all planned a big bash for her at Janae’s (an American foreign service officer) house, and then at Metro Bar afterwards. Cat and I wanted to surprise Nadira with a cake, so after spending the morning at the office, we bought everything we needed (not an easy task) and headed to Masha’s for a bit of baking. Now, this was probably the biggest accomplishment of the week, because the cake that we managed to produce was absolutely orgasmic…. who would have thought? A bit of creativity, and wow, together, we can come up with some incredible inventions in the kitchen. This one is definitely a keeper and will probably be passed down to our respective kids as a secret family recipe….
The party was really a lot of fun. To begin with, the embassy does very well by its employees, and Janae’s apartment was the perfect place to host a party for 20 or so people. And then Altynai had called over to Metro Bar earlier and specifically requested that they had the DJ ready to cater to our dancing needs. All in all, it was one of those fun and memorable nights.
Sunday was supposed to be a slow day of relaxing and getting some work done. It’s a really good thing that it turned out otherwise! John (the guy who made the apple pie on Thursday night) called us up and asked us if we wanted to “go flying.” Hell yeah! This meant that he took us out paragliding with him. He is in the middle of his training and takes weekly lessons from a daredevil Russian guy with a metal plate in his head, Sacha. Cat and I, as well as a former peace corps volunteer, Lucas, and Janae made up a merry party of paragliders headed for the mountains. Janae drove us all in her jeep (we were telling her that she ought to get her jeep sponsored by the company or something as the day was full of “jeep commercial” moments- jeep driving through herds of sheep across a field to pick up paraglider, jeep perched on hill top with towering mountains behind, mud-covered jeep at end of happy, active day…). I was particularly lucky to get to be the first person John ever took on a tandem ride. This meant that we had 3 crash take-offs before finally managing to make it into the air. Nothin like being dragged through brambles behind a runaway parachute, the smell of cow shit assailing the nostrils as the ground thumps by. Actually, as most of you can probably guess, I really didn’t mind having a few crash and burn experiences. I always think that it’s a great way to get rid of any fear that might be teetering on the edge of the mind- you know, it’s no longer unknown, so what’s there to fear? Anyway, both Cat and I agree that paragliding is one of the most incredible sports ever, and we are contemplating taking it up ourselves....
Written by Cara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)