Catching up on Spring Activities
I have been a bit hampered in my
blogging schedule by the unfortunate demise of my 2008 MacBook Air a
few weeks ago. My trusty companion had seen me through three trips to
Kyrgyzstan and back to the US, accompanied me to Film Festivals in
Los Angeles, New York, and Venice. Survived a fall early in its
career in the security line at LAX as I tried to put it back in its
case and numerous trips around Kyrgyzstan in snow, rain, and heat. I
will miss its convenience and lightweight portability. I have been
an Apple computer user since 1983 when I first used an Apple IIc and
then in my work life at Rice University in Houston, I was appled up
for the last 16 years of my time there. I am not sure I would be able
at my age to switch back to Windows Operating Systems. But that issue
has now been solved. My Kyrgyz friend lugged a MacBook Pro through
IAH (Houston Intercontinental), IAD (Dulles in Washington), LHR
(London Heathrow) and FRU (Bishkek Frunze) over a 72 hour trip, to
give me top computing power again. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It's been quite some time since I
wrote, so I will just try to hit the highlights and will abandon the
day by day approach I had been using. There have been some great
experiences over the last couple of months and some new developments
in older stories.
Spring is here, warm days, cool nights
First, Spring has come in Bishkek and
we are enjoying warm days and cool nights these days. Indeed,
sometimes the days seem hot to us for Spring. Indeed, by the end of
this week the metrologist are predicting a high in the low 90's F, or
about 34 degrees Celsius. We have had more thunderstorms than I can
remember from the other years I have been here this season. The heat
of the day seems to cause a buildup that gets trapped by the Ala-Too
mountains to the south and then it comes back in the late afternoon
and evening as rain, wind, thunder and lightening.
But that has been good for the flowers
and the trees, of course. The roses have bloomed now, we have seen
the fruit trees blossom, irises and daffodils were showy for awhile,
and the migratory birds have returned from their winter visits to
India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Africa, to sing their songs and find new
mates.
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| Bolgu Bolgu is a Hafazi Nightengale |
The nightengale likes to wake me at 5:05 each day singing a strong song. And later in the morning around six another returning visitor adds his call to the wakeup routine.
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| The common Eurasian Cukoo |
With the disappearance of the winter weather the kindergarten
children are back again playing outside my windows as I write today.
A burbling stream of constant excitement travels up from their school
playground to keep in alert to what is going on outside. I have to
schedule my naps when they take theirs.
I have been able to go to a number of
cultural events recently. I attended a ballet performance at the
Kyrgyz State Theater for Opera and Ballet that featured principal
dancers from Moscow in “Giselle”. The house was packed and the
dancing was good, especially from the Russian artists. And the local
corps de ballet was enchanting as always. I also have been attending
some interesting concerts.
A special night at the Philharmonic
Hall at Manas and Chuy on May 10th featuring 35 years of
Woman Power was great. Outstanding female singers and girl groups,
sextets, triple trios, and others performed wonderful pop music in
Kyrgyz to a full house. My favorite singer, Dunara Akulova, performed
and it was really good to hear her sing again. The concert, in a most
un-Kyrgyz fashion, started exactly on time at 6:30 pm and went
non-stop until its finale with all performers on stage at 9:30 pm.
We probably could have used an intermission, but it was great.
Afterwards my friend Marat Zhaparkulov and a friend of his who works
for the state television channel set off to find shashlik
(shishkabab) dinner. After not being able to e served at Restaurant
Jalalabad, we found a no table cloth restaurant on Gorky street near
the Vefa Center and had a combo plate of chicken and mutton shashlik
and a tomato and cucumber salad. It was very good.
I also attended an outdoor rock concert
at the Russia Kinotheatre on Chuy to see my friend Farrell Styers'
band Plov 4 2 perform. It was a strange concert. It was a fundraising
occasion for good cause. I went with some friends, but delays in the
start of the program (more typical than the Woman Power concert)
meant that it would be about an hour late in beginning. My friends
decided to go get a drink elsewhere. I thought getting a seat
somewhere might be a better idea for me, so I waded into the crowded
seating area, found two girls alone at a table for four and asked if
I could sit. So I had a nice place to wait for the concert. It
finally began with some sort of choreographed martial arts group
wearing fatigues, carrying mock weapons, and real knives began to
attach one another. Lots of judo, karate, and sambo moves set to
heavy rock music. It was well received by the crowd, especially the
younger ones (under 12's). I thought it was boring and that it went
on for way too long. Nearly 20 minutes or more of it. But finally,
the bands began to play and the break dancers provided some time for
stage shifting. Best band of the the night, the Rolls Rock Band, who
are a Beatles tribute group, but who also do 80's rock covers. Plov 4
2 brought its slamming sound onto the stage at around 10 pm. Concert
was over at 10:30 to 10:45. I never saw my friends again. They said
they came back but got bored and left. I had room at the table for
them since the girls had left. I did meet a new friend though.
Victoria. A beautiful auburn haired woman who brought me an ice cream
as part of her introduction. She was with Ruslan who was a great
dancer and we talked. I left and encountered a camel on the streets
of Bishkek who I think had been entertaining kids at the nearby
amusement park. He was on his way back to his yard with his
trainer-keeper. He gives rides and photo ops at the park. Fun night
with surprising conclusion.
That was on Wednesday night, May 9th. I
had taught some private lessons that day and by the time I got home,
I was really tired. Thursday was a very slow day and I woke up late.
I mostly stayed home and read and wrote some things. I prepared some
lesson materials for my EFL students for my Friday classes. Friday, I
taught the two groups of students at 11 am and at 2:30 pm. And ended
the day quietly at home.
Saturday morning I was able to go to
the Fatboy's Breakfast group and say final goodbye to my friend
Songbae Lee, who is leaving Bishkek after 2 years to return to the
USA. He was one of the prime movers in creating the Fatboy's fun and
I will miss him greatly. He had a nice going away party earlier in
the week at a restaurant with a great 4th floor patio at
Vefa Center for his co-workers and his friends. One of the recurring
issues for me in Bishkek is that those who come to work for NGO's and
Universities are usually only here for a year or two. I am always sad
to see them go.
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| Songbae Lee with Photographer Andrew Chin |
Sunday, May 13th, Mother's
Day for the USA. Not really observed in Kyrgyzstan. I sent email
greetings to all the mothers I know and gave flowers to women I know
here. They were surprised but thrilled when I explained that it was a
day in the US reserved for treating your mother nicely.
Monday, May 14, I was recruited to help
raise awareness of a new language center in Bishkek. There are a
growing number of facilities teaching English as a Foreign Language.
I met the owner of the British Language School at an InterNations
meeting in April. Monday we went to two schools to sell her programs
to the students. I hope it worked. I had a great time meeting all the
students and promoting English learning for the summer to them. I may
teach conversational English part-time for her center.
Tuesday, May 15, I was interviewed by a
professor at Manas University's Radio Manas for her program called
Kyrgyzstan Through the Eyes of our Visitors. I visited the new campus
of Manas University that is being created in Jal, a Western suburb of
Bishkek. They have a very large piece of land and are creating a
beautiful, modern new campus there. The school of communications is
located there, along with their radio station. They are available on
the internet at http://radio.manas.kg/
The audio file of my interview with
Professor Saltanat Mambaeva is available here.
It is about 20 minutes long. And is an mp3 file.
It is about 20 minutes long. And is an mp3 file.
A U.S. Air Force Rock-Country Band,
NightWing, came to town and gave a free concert as a part of Night at
the Museum in the State Historical Museum on Ala-Too Square on
Wednesday. As time for the concert arrived we had a little sprinkle
and ominous clouds, but the rain did not last long and there was a
full rainbow to the East just before the group performed. Great music
from a great band. I ran into Victoria again and her friends from the
Rock Concert at Russia KinoTheatre. We talked and listened to the
music. She is a really interesting young woman. She is a metrologist
at Manas Airport and has impeccable English skills. It was a great
concert. I am really glad my friend Seth Fearey send me a reminder
email about it. Lots of fun.
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| Victoria at NightWing Concert |
On Thursday, I used the day to work on
new lessons for my students and read some more of my current Kindle
Book, “Catching Fire, How Cooking Made us Human” by Richard
Wrangham.
And Friday, it was the beginning of the
American Studies Association of Kyrgyzstan's 9th Annual Symposium
where I moderated panels through two days of events. More about that
in a subsequent blog.
And here are some flora images and a rainbow from Spring in Bishkek.
And here are some flora images and a rainbow from Spring in Bishkek.
And a few images of the flora of Bishkek for you.
