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Published: September 15th 2009
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The Park
The cyclists Day 15, July 9, 2009, Thursday, Beishembi: And it did turn out to be a fairly nice day yesterday after all. Timka and I walked to the nearby park and sat and watched the activity there around 1 p.m. There was not a lot going on at that time, there were couples of young people scattered in various places. A group of three young boys on bicycles riding through on the paths and off the paths. Intimate little tet-a-tet between couples of women. And the sweepers. The park has about 8 paths that lead back out to the streets around it. The major streets near it are Sovietsky and Atambiev which are truly major arteries that run North and South, and East and West repectively through the city. Sovietsky is always bustling with traffic and there is a great deal of pedestrian activity. With a few benches for visitors, the park's vegetation consists of mature trees that tower above you, with very little else having been planted. The centerpoint is what may have originally been planned as a flower bed, but now has become a dirt bike and tamped down dirt shortcut framed in a hexagon concrete curb. We lingered
The Sports University
A specialized University of Sport about a block away from the house. there for about thirty-five minutes. Timka went to get us a Coca-Cola and we drank small amount in the park. Then we went out to Sovietsky and walked back home. The distance to the park and back is about a mile, so at least we got in some exercise. It has been quite warm the last few days and the forecast for today is for it to be about thirty-six degrees centigrade or about ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit. But in the park under the shade of those trees and with a slight breeze blowing through them, it was quite pleasant. Not so the walk back. There is actually little shade along the boulevards and streets, and walking is a bit hazardous since the sidewalks are not maintained very well and there are potholes in them. But we made it back safely with me having to take a few rest stops along the way. Bishkek is situated at about 2500 meters in altitude, which is about a mile and half. I have noticed even after having been here for a couple of weeks and being even high at Lake Issy-Kul, that I sometimes have breathing problems. Emil says the issue in Bishkek
Hanging Gardens
As you walk through neighborhoods in Bishkek, you cannot help but notice these colorful gates is also pollution from the uncontrolled car emissions.
After the park I took a nap until about 6 pm in order to avoid the deep heat of the afternoon. Then I worked for a little while on the other projects I have underway. I also found yesterday that I was missing some of the radio listening experiences that would be normal for me in the United States. I have my Ipod with me and I had recorded earlier a number of the
This American Life podcasts from Itunes. I listened to some of them on the flights over. But I had not really listened to them since my arrival. I listened to two of them yesterday afternoon and found that there was something very comforting in the familiarity of the voices and the very American themes of the two programs. Unfortunately, I have ration them since there are not enough of them to last for the entire two months I will be here.
The next big adventure is a trip to the Southern city of Osh, where the Queen of the South once ruled. It is another big bustling city and a commercial center since the time of
Flowers, everywhere
And thereare flowers everywhere, like this miniature hibiscus the Silk Road. Emil's friend Faruh will take me there either Saturday or Sunday, inshallah. The family has relatives there. My favorite is a cousin of Timka's, Marat. He is the true jaman balla (bad boy) of the family. He is always in trouble. I like him very much. His father is a colonel in the Kyrgyz military who is partly responsible for maintaining the borders between Southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Osh sits at the border of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. There have been some recent incidents of terrorism in the border area between the two countries. And there is a constant issue of border incursions of Islamic militants from Tajikistan. It should be an interesting trip. The US State Department does not advise Americans to travel to Uzbekistan at the present time. I wish things were better, because I would like to see Tashkent, but perhaps it will have to wait until a better time.
After about 9 pm Gulnara arrived from work with a good friend of hers who is a famous singer in Kyrgyzstan, Dunara Akulova. I had met her twice before and she was on the Turkish Airlines flight with Emil and I in January that brought us to Bishkek from Istanbul with all the Haj pilgrims. It was good to see her. She is quite striking and I understand that she is a very good singer of Kyrgyz music. I need to get a CD of her music. We laughed and she cut up in that wonderful way that those who are used to having a public persona often do. She asked why I did not marry a Kyrgyz woman since there were many who would be ready to marry me. I explained again that my mother said I was too young to marry and that Allah had not found the right woman for me, yet. We told her about the offers of marriage with Gulsarra from Cholpon-Atta and the Cafe Chebek, and how she had won my heart by singing for me. Dunara then suggested that I could marry her since she was a much better singer than Gulsarra. I told her I would be ready to do so, but that the Chong Ata, Grandfather, in the village has also lined up some prospects and that I cannot make a decision until I have seen all the candidates. And that there is much to recommend village women who are used to hard work, cleaning house, washing clothes, cooking, etc, that I did not think Dunara would find attractive about married life.
It continues to amaze me that everyone in Kyrgyzstan thinks I should be married off. And that the offers keep pouring in. Family is extremely important here and it forms the basis for all relationships and for daily life. It is, I think, more important than one's professional or work-life in determining who you really are. Without a family, you are an independent soul, and probably viewed a little suspiciously, because you are unconnected and therefore a little unpredictable.
I plan today to head to the internet cafe again. Maybe leaving earlier that everbody expects. I may even try to run off without Timka, since I don't really need a translator of the activity. I need to check my bank balance, make sure that the deposit from the government has been recorded, and try to pay a bill that will come due shortly from the Citgo folks.
I also would like to go to the supermarket at the Vefa Center again today. We have already eaten all the M&M's, and it would be nice to have some more. I am also looking for cookies. Last year when I was here there were Raspberry cookies that were everywhere. But so far this year, I have seen none. It may be that I have to go to one of the bazaars to find them. And getting Timka to go to a bazaar may be a real challenge. I am a little determined about it today, though.
Ballot, enough, for this morning. I need to do the Said Nursi reading. Emil has also sent me by email a Qu'ran Sura, The Cow, to read. I have to download that to my usb portable storage and get it read before he arrives in August.
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