Day 31, July 26, 2009, Sunday, Jekshembi I had planned a couple of middle of the night calls early this morning to the West Coast of the US to get some updates from my friends Ray and Tariq. I had given myself one of those auto suggestions that allow me to wake up at a specified time for 2 am. There is a thirteen hour difference and I thought that calling around that time would be best for both of them. But when I woke up, the phone was not where I left it. Timka had struck again. He is a [View Full Entry]

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Day 30, July 25, 2009, Saturday, Ishembi The land of inshallah has really caught up with me. I am starting to lose my ambition to accomplish any meaningful tasks. I managed to sleep most of the day away again yesterday. My nose is in a mild cascade and I definitely have a sinus problem. I will try to find a couple of solutions at an Apoteka, pharmacy, today. I ran out of the Fluctinase spray, and have just taken the last of the Tylenol sinus caps I brought with me in case the dust and pollution proved too much. So far, [View Full Entry]

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Day 29, July 24, 2009, Friday, Juma I awoke early this morning, even for me, around 5:45 as a kind of cooling breeze moved through the window in my room. I also heard Organgul moving around upstairs in preparation for her morning prayers. She is a traditional Muslim girl, who wears traditional clothing and covers her head with a scarf, but no veil. She has a very pretty face. But she also has some irritating habits, one of which is to do her ablutions in the sink in the bathroom that is shared with everyone on the first floor and to [View Full Entry]

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Day 28, July 23, 2009, Beishembi It's election day in Kyrgyzstan. There is little question about the outcome. The current office holder has a lock on re-election. But the news today and tonight give the appearance of a contest. There have been a large number of man-on-the-street interviews and video of people going to the polls to cast a ballot. I woke up quite late for me this morning it was 9:30 when Timka came to the room and called me to breakfast. I managed to struggle through the well fried egg and a little more, but only one cup of [View Full Entry]

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Day 27, July 22, 2009, Wednesday, Sharshembi I awoke this morning at 6:25 and immediately headed for the shower to beat the crowd that might be interested later. I feel really good this morning. Nothing got done yesterday. I did not hear from my friends at all. I am waiting to hear about Ulan and his wife's baby so that I can purchase something nice as a baby gift. The baby is about a week late, but it is her first and that is probably not a problem. I also had hoped yesterday to hear from Nurbek, a friend of Emil's, [View Full Entry]

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Day 26, July 21, 2009, Tuesday, Sheishembi I was awakened at 6:20 this morning by a telephone call from Marat asking me who was at home here. Ainura, Orgungul, Gulnara, Timka, Asi and I were the only ones here. He asked me to tell Ainura to call him. Told me he was still in Osh but leaving this morning. Then he said goodbye. Then the house phone rang. Ainura answered. A few moments later, she came into my room to retrieve a military uniform from the closet saying that it was Marat's. And five minutes later in comes Marat, hair cut [View Full Entry]

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Day 25, July 20, 2009, Monday, Duishombu: I awoke this morning at 6 am, thinking that I was going to grab a shower, but for some reason, there is no hot water in the bathroom this morning. It is not uncommon for there to be either only cold or only hot water in Bishkek. It has something to do with the infrastructure problems created by the growth of the capital over the last few years. Extending services to everyone is a challenge for a country whose annual per capita income is probably about $150 a month. But it is not a [View Full Entry]

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Day 24, July 19, 2009, Sunday, Jekshembi: So, the schedule did get worked out and we bought a ticket on Kyrgyz Airline to return me to Bishkek today. That meant that most of yesterday was full of goodbyes including a visit in the late afternoon to the home of Amariam for an afternoon meal including a sheep's head. Amariam and I talked about what it takes to get accepted at an American University. She is preparing to take the TOEFL here and the SAT exam as she graduates. Her English is very good, with only an occasional difficulty. She would like [View Full Entry]

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Day 22, July 17, 2009, Friday, Juma: Three weeks in Kyrgyzstan and I never really know what is coming next. I am now told that Colonel Nurmatov as some plans for us to see the country, especially some fine natural spots, with water. That may or may not delay the return to Bishkek. Late yesterday I was told that Gulnara, who is the boss, after all, wanted me to go to Kyzylkia to see the grandparents at the village. Then I was to fly back to Bishkek on Sunday. We will see just how far that gets. I keep saying that [View Full Entry]

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Day 21, July 16, 2009, Thursday, Beishembi: I got home about 10 pm from yesterday's adventure into the heart of Southern Kyrgyzstan and the village of Aidarken. I was exhausted from the travel and the experiences and went straight to bed after unloading a bag full of goodies from the afternoon-long-into-the-sunset-dinner at the home of Faruh's wife's family. Travel to Aidarken was with Faruh's brother-in-law and his wife and baby, Mustafa. Faruh's brother-in-law studied theology for 10 years at Al-Azhar in Cairo and he works in the foundation that represents the ideas of Fetulla [View Full Entry]

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