absurdity

Cat Show in Bishkek

April 1, 2013

I first heard about a cat show hosted in Bishkek over a year ago (maybe even two), but news about the event had only ever reached me after it had already happened. Until now. I went to a cat show in Bishkek, and it may have been the best day ever. I had a few [...]

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Zil is a ski resort

March 6, 2013

One fine Saturday a couple weeks ago, a new friend (who has already left Bishkek) invited Farrell and I to go to the mountains. We learned two very important lessons that day: 1) Zil, the place he said we were going, is a ski resort. 2) In Russian, to “go to the mountains” implies skiing, [...]

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Kirstin gets sued (hypothetically)

September 12, 2012

The revelation that some House Hunters and House Hunters International episodes might not be as truthful as they first appear hit some people hard. When I was back in the states one woman’s account of making her episode was national news. But nothing was affected more seriously than the strained diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and [...]

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If there were ever a “purpose” for this blog…

July 5, 2012

…it would be convincing readers that Kyrgyzstan is, in fact, an incredibly normal (and sometimes absolutely wonderful) place to live (and visit). A pretty popular travel website recently posted that Vice documentary on bridenapping that I ranted about a while ago. My first reaction was “UGH!!!” How could they!? Introducing so many people to Kyrgyzstan [...]

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Bishkek Rock Festival

March 17, 2012

It’s necessary to set the scene with this music, a clip from the movie “From Dusk til Dawn.” The details of my night are a bit different from the movie. I walked into the Russian Drama Theater with my husband and members of his band. We’re late, having not known this event existed until it [...]

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Real Life House Hunters: Best of the Worst

February 23, 2012

Gold tunduk chandeliers? Offices with showers? Marble staircases? Houses only half-constructed? All of the above. Even though there were a few gems in our search for a new house/office, the majority were not even up for consideration. A few of them deserve special mention for their ridiculousness. This one wasn’t so bad, but it was [...]

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winter will not? winter is.

December 19, 2011

The temperature in Bishkek today reached an astoundingly chilly high of -16 degrees (Celsius). Snow fell steadily all of yesterday, although when the weather is this cold, I suppose it won’t have a chance to melt and refreeze into the hazardous sheet of ice that is now a permanent fixture on all sidewalks for the [...]

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watching myself on TV

November 6, 2011

I thought about never watching it. I was worried that all the ridiculousness that happened over the three days of filming in Bishkek and one day in DC would be a half-hour of embarrassing nonsense. Still, I had come to terms with the fact that other people, friends, family and complete strangers, would watch me [...]

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hello, new readers!

September 28, 2011

Our big television debut on House Hunters International is tomorrow night, and the amount of press we’re getting for it is just really overwhelming! So I thought I’d write a bit of an introduction to my multitude of new fans! (just kidding) If you happen to have made it to this page after reading about [...]

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cleaning out my wallet; dregs of forgotten voyages

June 22, 2011

In five days, I’m leaving Bishkek (again) to spend a month in Dubai. Didn’t I just get back here? Yes, and I’m a bit reluctant to move myself away from my current home again, especially to spend an undoubtedly warm month in an already humid region, but it’s for an opportunity that, in my opinion, [...]

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