expat blog
For this absolutely positively final* edition of Kyrgyz Music Friday, I’m posting all resources I can possibly think of so that you can keep track of your favorite artists from Kyrgyzstan. Step 1: use Chrome and take advantage of its auto-translate function (it won’t work for Kyrgyz-language websites, but it’s good enough to make sense …
Continue reading “Kyrgyz Music Friday: How to keep up with your favorite artists”
In an attempt to do as many Central Asia-related activities (and buy as many Central Asia-related things) as I possibly can before I move to Belgium, I went a bit crazy collecting different fabrics with the intention of getting some sweet threads made. Why? Mostly just because it seems like a ridiculous luxury to get …
OKAY GUYS. I get it. I’ve mentioned enough real estate-related terms on this blog that many of you end up here from Google looking for actual advice on how to find an apartment or a house in Bishkek. I receive an unbelieveable amount of emails asking for tips on apartment-hunting, or flat out asking if …
…to my growing collection of film cameras! I picked up this Smena-35 (Смена-35) at Orto-Sai Bazaar for 300 som (about $8). I was drawn partially to the packaging (it was one of the only cameras this vendor had that came with its original box and instruction manual) and partially to my recent desire to pick …
There are few options for flying into Bishkek from the US compared to many other destinations. For cities, your choices are essentially Moscow, Istanbul, or Dubai (you could fly to Almaty/Astana, Urumqi, or a few other cities, and then continue to Bishkek, but to me that seems more trouble than it’s worth). Istanbul and Dubai …
I bought my tickets, I’m leaving Kyrgyzstan (temporarily) on November 1st. I won’t get back until January 24, meaning I’ll be in the states for nearly three months. That’s practically a whole life chapter, an entire season in a different location. I’ve got about four weeks until I fly back and… you know, give birth …
…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 …
Continue reading “If there were ever a “purpose” for this blog…”
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 …
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 …
I’ve tried my best in recent weeks to stay informed about the candidates running for president in Kyrgyzstan’s upcoming election. It’s proven difficult, as there are 20+ candidates at the moment. Plus there’s the language barrier; despite my still-horrible-but-much-improved Russian skills, a lot of campaigning is done in Kyrgyz in what I suspect is a …