We’re moving!
After nearly a year living in the same apartment (more than a year in the same courtyard), Farrell and I are shifting ourselves and the office to a brand new location.
But it’s not just the two of us. We’re currently sharing the office with the business of another expat. He and his wife are two of our closest friends here, and they suggested that instead of going our separate ways into small apartments and small office spaces, why not pool our budgets and go for something much bigger? So we looked for a house. A big house. Big enough to fit Farrell and me (and Mamajan), plus another couple (and a soon-to-be baby!), plus office space for our company, plus office space for their company.
(Plus a garden, lots of light, two kitchens, and a sauna would be super nice.)
(But, of course, we’re not too picky.)
Since this was my first time actually searching for a place to live, instead of just accepting the first apartment that’s available, I decided to thoroughly document it and compare it to the “reality” experience of House Hunters International.
This time around, the rental budget is $500 for each couple and each office, a grand total of $2000 per month. Unlike the show, we saw ten houses in total. And we have a real real estate agent this time! Svetlana is a tough chick and knew exactly the right places to show us, and she’s no joke in negotiations. (In other words, if you need a real estate agent in Bishkek, I’ll give you her contact info.)
Which one did we choose?! Find out soon!
Tagged as:
real reality
Farrell and I came to Kyrgyzstan with a nice bit of savings, which we sadly watched dwindle away while getting the business started. With some (very big) changes coming up in my life in Bishkek, I figured I would take a closer look at where my money really goes while living here. Plus, one of the most common questions I get emails about is how much it costs to live in Bishkek. It can be cheap, it can be expensive, and one-times costs can come and go depending on the exact situation. For example, I have unfortunately not been able to find an equal replacement for my 199 som hairdryer and might have to shell out at least 800 for a new one. Shoes and clothes can be expensive, as can appliances (preventing me from spending 1000s of som on a rice cooker for now). Plus, in my coffee snobbery, I get 2 kilos of Sierra Coffee delivered to the office every 1 1/2 months. (I’ll save a more elaborate post on my love of Sierra for a different day.) Transportation costs can vary; now that it’s cold, my laziness is willing to pay 100 som for a cab rather than 8 som for a marshrutka (shared van). In the spring and summer, I’m more likely to pay for the marshrutka or just walk. Food is generally quite cheap, and rent is more affordable than most major cities.
So here’s how many January expenses broke down:
[click to continue…]
Tagged as:
costs of living in Kyrgyzstan
When it rains, it pours. I have a recent blog draft outlining my fears that things at the company were fizzling out and it might be signaling the possible end to Kirstin in Kyrgyzstan.
Then we started work on a decent-sized project. Then we were awarded a bigger one. Then I got news about an exciting personal project. All of this points to 1) Kirstin in Kyrgyzstan for many many more months and 2) Kirstin being busy with real life.
So what do I do to unwind from long days in the office?
I make doughnuts.
Homemade doughnut therapy is a wonderful way to relax. I’ll be back soon with some actual posts, otherwise, I’m probably knee-deep in mining research.
Tagged as:
delicious
Just a quick post about some big news.
I’m so ridiculously excited to have been chosen as a Glimpse Correspondent for Spring 2012! As a photo correspondent I will produce two photo essays that will be published on Matador Network. I did, in fact, start sobbing when I saw the list (which should not surprise people who know me). I’m so excited! It feels great that all of my hard work toward improving my photography is gaining some validation and I can’t wait to work with Glimpse and Matador to produce something amazing.
And, in slightly less exciting news, I’m developing an official portfolio site. It was inevitable, but this weekend I was suddenly struck with panic that I should reserve kirstinstyers.com, which then seemed like a waste to own a domain without an actual page there. It’s still under construction, but in light of the Glimpse announcement, I figured I should start polishing it up more. What do you think?
(Have I confused everybody yet with the last names? Kirstin Schrier is my maiden name.)
Tagged as:
life is awesome
Here are some photos from the second (and last) of my field trips with the photojournalism students from the University of Nebraska. This time we met up at 8am to go stand in the freezing cold at the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border. The students were interested in documenting residents of Kyrgyzstan who get paid to carry goods across the border so that the goods’ owners can avoid paying taxes. For example, Kazakhs who come to Kyrgyzstan to stock up on cheap clothing and merchandise can hire Kyrgyz people at the border, who will divide the goods into smaller bags, claim them as their own belongings and pay much less in fees (if anything at all) than the Kazakh person would have had to pay. For their trouble, the carriers can earn anywhere between 1000 to 4000 som (~$20-85) a day making these trips.
Click for the rest of the photo essay
Tagged as:
documentary photography
Recently, a group of photojournalism students from the University of Nebraska come to Kyrgyzstan for three weeks for what must be the coolest class assignment ever. Through my connections at AUCA, I was put in touch with them and was invited to accompany them as they traveled around and took photos for some of the stories they were pursuing. Since I don’t actually have any photojournalism experience (Really? Yeah. But you taught photojournalism? Yes, I know.), I happily tagged along. Here are some photos from the first trip.
We drove to a village called Tuz, located about 30ish km east of Bishkek, to visit a working farm for recovering alcoholics and former homeless men and women.
The students had been working on a story about homelessness in Kyrgyzstan and had already visited the farm, but were invited back for lunch that day. The men prepared a giant pot of plov for us.
[click to continue…]
Tagged as:
documentary photography
On December 16, a friend and I went “on assignment” to an annual festival that celebrates the diverse group of ethnicities that call Kyrgyzstan home. It was hosted in the Kyrgyz Drama Theater and included an open house of foods, crafts and souvenirs from each group, as well as a performance of songs and dances.
click for more photos
Tagged as:
diversity in Kyrgyzstan
Temperatures have dropped again in Bishkek, another sign that winter is most definitely sticking around, despite certain predictions that Kyrgyzstan wouldn’t get a winter this year. With decreasing temperatures, Bishkek residents race to turn up their space heaters, straining the crumbling electrical infrastructure. This means more power outages and rolling black-outs.
Here are my tips to get through the dark, cold evenings:
- A good attitude. Power-outages can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours (or, if you live in the suburbs, a few days). And yes, your neighbors across the street might still have electricity. It’s certainly not going to get any better if you’re a grump, so enjoy the quiet time while you have it.
- Blankets and extra clothing layers to keep warm. The boiler station runs on electricity, so depending on how extensive the outage is, you may have just lost heat as well.
Not recommended: building a bonfire in your house. I’m almost positive your landlord will not approve.
Click for more tips
Tagged as:
how to survive Bishkek
(the title is shamelessly stolen from an email written by a good friend about her envy-inducing Southeast Asian Adventure.)
These are facts about Kirstin:
- She loves to cook and bake and eat
- She doesn’t particularly enjoy shopping
- She has a growing scrooge-ness toward owning too many things that she projects onto other people
Therefore, for the Chon-Kemin white elephant gift exchange, I decided to forego shopping for a gift and contribute something that would have a short lifespan. With a 1000 som limit (~$20), it had to be special.
Therefore, I made candy for Christmas. When done right, homemade candy is 100% successful in impressing everybody.
Click for more candy
Tagged as:
candy Christmas,
candy Kyrgyzstan,
making things in Bishkek
I think I did a decent job keeping up with my resolutions. All things considered, I’m achieving many things that weren’t on the list. For example, I’m earning a salary from the business and we’ve earned enough to repay ourselves for all of the start-up costs. We even treated ourselves to health insurance, which I suppose could come in handy in 2012.
I also made some serious leaps from a bumbling-wannabe holding a DSLR to an actual aspiring photographer. Seriously though. I taught two semesters of university photography and spent three weeks in Dubai taking photos every single day. Yes, both experiences were a bit surreal, leaning towards ridiculous and oh-geez-how-did-I-get-myself-into-this, but they were all experiences to learn from.
But now it’s time for a new year. 2011 was all about finding my footing in Bishkek. It was unsteady and awkward at times, but I’m getting the hang of it and feel like I’m finally starting to settle underneath Bishkek’s surface. That’s the thing about being an expat; it really does take that long to get situated. If your resolutions include anything about moving abroad, consider adding an extra year to your original plan.
Anyway. Here are my grand and ambitious resolutions and goals for 2012. I’m glowing with optimism.
1. Photograph the elusive Galactic Marshrutka. As you can see from my expertly constructed artistic rendition (above), this amazing specimen not only has a breathtaking mural of the cosmos depicted on it, but also the marshrutka itself is shown soaring through the universe. Then, even better, the painted marshrutka is accurately shown with its own galactic mural and its own tiny decorated marshrutka soaring through it. It’s an endless cycle of celestial marshrtukas, and I’m determined to get a picture of the real thing. I think it goes back and forth from Dordoi Bazaar, but if anybody has any leads, please let me know!
(1b. Photograph more wacky bus stops, like this one.)
Read the rest of my 2012 resolutions list
Tagged as:
galactic marshrutka,
goals for 2012
