yesterday after soccer practice jen and i stumbled upon a chinese restaurant. i say "stumbled upon" because as in all of bishkek, the sidewalks were terrible outside of the place... but also because we thought we were going into a kyrgyz style restaurant.
we sat down and attempted to order. menu all in russian. blank stare from the waitress. speaking slow and loudly in english didn't work. typical eating out experience for us.
it took someone who was sitting at the next table, who happened to speak english, to come over and explain to us that we couldn't order plov (rice with meat) or shashlik (meat on a stick) because we were in a chinese restaurant and not the typical kyrgyz/turkish/uzbek style place.
the chopsticks on the table should have given it away but are sometimes a little slow.
he helped us order as we threw out the name of "american" chinese dishes and he translated to the waitress:
sweet and sour chicken... no.
kung pao chicken... no.
orange chicken... no.
egg rolls... no.
fried rice... YES!
spicy mystery meat... YES!
spicy mystery pork... YES!
green tea... YES!
after about five minutes the food started to arrive. REALLY wish we had our camera with us (note to selves... never eat out again with the camera).
the first dish was spicy mystery meat. came out on a hot plate (the way that fajitas are served in the states) shaped like a fish. hot, greasy slices of meat. some of it cooked medium rare. some of it cooked medium. all of it tasty! mixed with the meat on the hot plate were onions and green peppers. very good.
the fried rice followed. another tasty find. jen loved it so much that we ordered a second helping of it.
the final course was spicy mystery pork... a big plate of thick, under cooked, bacon slices mixed with red chili peppers and other spices. i don't know how to describe it other than to say it was layer, upon layer of somewhat cooked bacon drenched with spices.
it was heavenly. and as my friend rex likes to say... "good and good for you."
spicy enough to make the back of my head sweat but not too spicy for jennifer.
we finished almost the entire plate and excitedly took the leftovers home for "lunch tomorrow".
we have learned that the key to eating in central asia is to not ask too many questions and to not spend too much time examining what you are eating. just shovel it into your mouth... if it taste good chew... if it doesn't taste good... just swallow.
overall a wonderful eating experience and i am sure the spicy pork dish had nothing to do with my diarrhea this morning.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
weekend update
we had a great weekend. the weather was perfect as it warmed up a bit and fall made a wonderful comeback.
friday after work, jen and i checked out a local bazaar that is really close to our house. we grabbed some veggies, went home, cooked dinner, and watched the movie "into the wild". had some good conversation (it is amazing how much good conversation you have with someone when you don't have internet and only have one cable channel that is in english). and it typical bishkek adventure fashion... we were in bed by 900pm.
saturday was a bit more eventful.
i am still in search of that ever allusive adult basketball game here in bishkek. working for the past four years at two different universities (based out of the recreation centers) and the three years before that at a middle school in austin... pretty much provided me the opportunity to play basketball everyday. and i mean everyday. i just to joke with the students at the university of houston that i was a "professional basketball player" as i was playing will on the clock and being paid for it. besides being my only form of cardio exercise and the only hope i have of keeping my pant size in the low 30s... playing basketball is an important stress release for me. not that i would go home and yell and jen and kick boone if i didn't get to play... but basketball allows me to unwind. plus... i like to kid myself that i got game.
anyway... basketball has been hard to come by in bishkek. gyms here tend to cater to leagues and not open gym. i have been to four different ones looking for a game. and other than discovering some really cool, old, don't fall down or you will get splinters all in your body courts... i haven't had much luck.
until saturday when i played with the kids (and some adults) from hope academy. we played at the "sports palace" which looks like at one time it could have been a really nice facility. and by "one time" i mean back when the soviets were in charge. but that is the case with most things in bishkek and worthy of it's own post later. it took us about 30 minutes of driving around the same block to find it. we tried asking people for directions and kept getting a response in russian that translated into "the opposite corner of this building". we would drive to the opposite corner, ask someone else, and be directed to "the opposite corner of this building". jennifer is so much better than communicating than me and is picking up russian really well. i tend to resort to the "speaking slowly and loudly in english" method which never works although i am being persistent about it.
we find the gym and show up just in time to play. the quality of ball was lacking but it still felt good to get a couple of runs in. jen made a couple of connections with some ex-pats who live here in bishkek and was invited to be a member of the bishkek international woman's club.
after ball, we headed over to the metro pub (which we heard was the closest thing to american food here in bishkek) and ate for the first time.
wow.
wow.
jen got french toast (yummy!) and i had a honest to god (real beef and real bacon!) bacon cheese burger with fries. it was heavenly.
we were so happy and so overwhelmed by the discovery of american food... that we rushed home afterwards and napped for two solid hours. good stuff.
saturday night found us at the home of an embassy parent from our school for a dinner welcoming our director to bishkek. more good food and the cool part was we got to meet the new american ambassador to kyrgyzstan. super nice woman but the best thing about her was that she was wearing berkenstock sandals. berkenstock sandals. i told her that she was the coolest ambassador that jen and i had ever met (never mind that she was the only one).
after dinner... we headed over to sasha and marykays for a game of nickels and an abundance of microwave popcorn and peanut m&ms. a great evening.
sunday, we headed back up to chui (it is so wonderful having a car) and decided to hang out at the metro while we did some school prep. but as fate... or more specifically... as is becoming par for the course in a country with serious power issues... the metro was open but didn't have power. that totally trashed the plan of two days in a row of bacon cheese burgers.
so instead we headed to fatboys, a british pub. comfortable couches, decent food, and a much better place to do school work.
we were there for 15 minutes and the power goes out.
work, work, work (jen is a superstar teacher... i am such a slouch) and then we head back home for my 400pm tennis match at the tennis center across the river from our apartment.
the courts, which we can see from our bedroom, are clay courts and really nice. i played with charlie, who is a bis parent who also works at the us embassy. he totally owned me on the court but we had a good time playing.
jen and i finished the evening by heading up to the vefa center (the local, western style mall... again... it is great having a car) where i got a haircut and we did some food shopping at the ram store.
it was one of our best weekends yet here in central asia.
friday after work, jen and i checked out a local bazaar that is really close to our house. we grabbed some veggies, went home, cooked dinner, and watched the movie "into the wild". had some good conversation (it is amazing how much good conversation you have with someone when you don't have internet and only have one cable channel that is in english). and it typical bishkek adventure fashion... we were in bed by 900pm.
saturday was a bit more eventful.
i am still in search of that ever allusive adult basketball game here in bishkek. working for the past four years at two different universities (based out of the recreation centers) and the three years before that at a middle school in austin... pretty much provided me the opportunity to play basketball everyday. and i mean everyday. i just to joke with the students at the university of houston that i was a "professional basketball player" as i was playing will on the clock and being paid for it. besides being my only form of cardio exercise and the only hope i have of keeping my pant size in the low 30s... playing basketball is an important stress release for me. not that i would go home and yell and jen and kick boone if i didn't get to play... but basketball allows me to unwind. plus... i like to kid myself that i got game.
anyway... basketball has been hard to come by in bishkek. gyms here tend to cater to leagues and not open gym. i have been to four different ones looking for a game. and other than discovering some really cool, old, don't fall down or you will get splinters all in your body courts... i haven't had much luck.
until saturday when i played with the kids (and some adults) from hope academy. we played at the "sports palace" which looks like at one time it could have been a really nice facility. and by "one time" i mean back when the soviets were in charge. but that is the case with most things in bishkek and worthy of it's own post later. it took us about 30 minutes of driving around the same block to find it. we tried asking people for directions and kept getting a response in russian that translated into "the opposite corner of this building". we would drive to the opposite corner, ask someone else, and be directed to "the opposite corner of this building". jennifer is so much better than communicating than me and is picking up russian really well. i tend to resort to the "speaking slowly and loudly in english" method which never works although i am being persistent about it.
we find the gym and show up just in time to play. the quality of ball was lacking but it still felt good to get a couple of runs in. jen made a couple of connections with some ex-pats who live here in bishkek and was invited to be a member of the bishkek international woman's club.
after ball, we headed over to the metro pub (which we heard was the closest thing to american food here in bishkek) and ate for the first time.
wow.
wow.
jen got french toast (yummy!) and i had a honest to god (real beef and real bacon!) bacon cheese burger with fries. it was heavenly.
we were so happy and so overwhelmed by the discovery of american food... that we rushed home afterwards and napped for two solid hours. good stuff.
saturday night found us at the home of an embassy parent from our school for a dinner welcoming our director to bishkek. more good food and the cool part was we got to meet the new american ambassador to kyrgyzstan. super nice woman but the best thing about her was that she was wearing berkenstock sandals. berkenstock sandals. i told her that she was the coolest ambassador that jen and i had ever met (never mind that she was the only one).
after dinner... we headed over to sasha and marykays for a game of nickels and an abundance of microwave popcorn and peanut m&ms. a great evening.
sunday, we headed back up to chui (it is so wonderful having a car) and decided to hang out at the metro while we did some school prep. but as fate... or more specifically... as is becoming par for the course in a country with serious power issues... the metro was open but didn't have power. that totally trashed the plan of two days in a row of bacon cheese burgers.
so instead we headed to fatboys, a british pub. comfortable couches, decent food, and a much better place to do school work.
we were there for 15 minutes and the power goes out.
work, work, work (jen is a superstar teacher... i am such a slouch) and then we head back home for my 400pm tennis match at the tennis center across the river from our apartment.
the courts, which we can see from our bedroom, are clay courts and really nice. i played with charlie, who is a bis parent who also works at the us embassy. he totally owned me on the court but we had a good time playing.
jen and i finished the evening by heading up to the vefa center (the local, western style mall... again... it is great having a car) where i got a haircut and we did some food shopping at the ram store.
it was one of our best weekends yet here in central asia.
illegal immigrant part two
last week i went with sasha to the office of foreign affairs. besides being a drab, soviet style building (the lights off in the hallway, old computers and desk blocking walkways)... it was a pretty uneventful visit. no vodka. no exchange of money. no budging.
i still have to leave the country.
the minister (in a government sort of ministry way) we met with did offer to extend my exit visa (an exit visa is a polite way of giving someone a target date to get the heck out of dodge) until the 8th of october - which would coincide with jen and my trip to almaty, kazakhstan for the central asian soccer classic. but of course... when returned the next day my passport contained an exit visa good until september 30th.
so not sure what is going to happen. we are going to find out today if i have to leave the country tomorrow or if i can stick around until the 8th. either way... i will have to leave and hang out in almaty for a day/week/month until i am able to get another visa to get back into kyrgyzstan.
my director, marykay, called it a paid vacation.
i still have to leave the country.
the minister (in a government sort of ministry way) we met with did offer to extend my exit visa (an exit visa is a polite way of giving someone a target date to get the heck out of dodge) until the 8th of october - which would coincide with jen and my trip to almaty, kazakhstan for the central asian soccer classic. but of course... when returned the next day my passport contained an exit visa good until september 30th.
so not sure what is going to happen. we are going to find out today if i have to leave the country tomorrow or if i can stick around until the 8th. either way... i will have to leave and hang out in almaty for a day/week/month until i am able to get another visa to get back into kyrgyzstan.
my director, marykay, called it a paid vacation.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
tennis with bishkek international school
on friday i joined the secondary pe class as they went and played tennis at the courts across the river from our apartment (the yellow building).
here are the photos
here are the photos
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
illegal immigrant
i found out yesterday that i am an illegal immigrant.
when jen and i arrived in bishkek, jet lagged and lost in translation, we applied for a three month, multi-entry visa... one that would allow us to be in the country until our employers at bishkek international school applied for a full time, work visa for us.
jen got her new visa no problem.
last night i got a call from sasha, my director's husband (who is also the bis office manager) saying that "my new visa had been denied... my old visa was expired... and that i was in the country illegally as of september 15".
outside of bribing some official with vodka and american dollars, the only way to get a new visa is to leave kyrgyzstan (before i get arrested.. but more on how that could happen in a minute) by flying to another country that doesn't require a visa and then fly back into kyrgyzstan. the local embassy keeps my passport until we "bribe" them or show a one way airline ticket out of town.
if bribes don't work... where should i go for a nice little vacation? i am open to your suggestions! i am thinking something in the pacific...
speaking of getting arrested. we heard "stories" about westerners (american's in particular) being harassed here in bishkek. nothing could be further from the truth as we haven't been bothered or even given a second look by the local police.
the only time it does happen... is when westerners drive... and then the game changes a bit as supposedly you will get stopped quiet often by the traffic police wanting to see your paperwork.
doesn't seem like we should have a problem then, no? what with us being the marshuka riding, taxi riding, walking around town couple that we are.
except for the fact that we just bought a car.
yesterday.
right before we heard from sasha.
so now i am an illegal immigrant driving around bishkek in a car that isn't in my name, without a local license, without insurance (people don't have insurance here... they just "settle" the matter right at the scene with the "help" of the police. "hey... you american hit me... give me 13,000 soms") and without a passport.
ah... life in central asia.
but we are both really excited about the "new" car. it is a 1992 vw vento. four doors. great shape inside and out. five speed. having a car will allow us to get around the city easier... explore the amazing country side right outside of bishkek... and when the local kgb come knocking at our door at night in search of illegal immigrant... run from the police!
when jen and i arrived in bishkek, jet lagged and lost in translation, we applied for a three month, multi-entry visa... one that would allow us to be in the country until our employers at bishkek international school applied for a full time, work visa for us.
jen got her new visa no problem.
last night i got a call from sasha, my director's husband (who is also the bis office manager) saying that "my new visa had been denied... my old visa was expired... and that i was in the country illegally as of september 15".
outside of bribing some official with vodka and american dollars, the only way to get a new visa is to leave kyrgyzstan (before i get arrested.. but more on how that could happen in a minute) by flying to another country that doesn't require a visa and then fly back into kyrgyzstan. the local embassy keeps my passport until we "bribe" them or show a one way airline ticket out of town.
if bribes don't work... where should i go for a nice little vacation? i am open to your suggestions! i am thinking something in the pacific...
speaking of getting arrested. we heard "stories" about westerners (american's in particular) being harassed here in bishkek. nothing could be further from the truth as we haven't been bothered or even given a second look by the local police.
the only time it does happen... is when westerners drive... and then the game changes a bit as supposedly you will get stopped quiet often by the traffic police wanting to see your paperwork.
doesn't seem like we should have a problem then, no? what with us being the marshuka riding, taxi riding, walking around town couple that we are.
except for the fact that we just bought a car.
yesterday.
right before we heard from sasha.
so now i am an illegal immigrant driving around bishkek in a car that isn't in my name, without a local license, without insurance (people don't have insurance here... they just "settle" the matter right at the scene with the "help" of the police. "hey... you american hit me... give me 13,000 soms") and without a passport.
ah... life in central asia.
but we are both really excited about the "new" car. it is a 1992 vw vento. four doors. great shape inside and out. five speed. having a car will allow us to get around the city easier... explore the amazing country side right outside of bishkek... and when the local kgb come knocking at our door at night in search of illegal immigrant... run from the police!
Monday, September 22, 2008
views from our neighborhood
thought we would share some photos that jennifer has taken that give a pretty good view of our neighborhood. the first six photos were taken from our bedroom window which looks out on some other apartments in microdistrict 10 (our neighborhood). it is a pretty great view as we can see the mountains (and ala-archa national park) in the background. we are right next to the river and across the street from the river is a tennis center. the last photos are taken from street level. marshuka 163 is the one we take back and forth from work.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
saturday night mexican night
for all the great food here (and contrary to our reports of mystery meat, diarrhea and throwing up... there really is good food here) we find we really miss mexican food. so earlier in the week we went to the 99 Som Store (kyrgyzstan's version of the 99 cent store... but keep in mind that 99 soms are equal to about $2.80) to try to find some ingredients. we struck gold with some enchilada sauce and chipolte sauce. add that to some fresh veggies from the local bazaar and a rotisserie chicken... and we created the best mexican dish ever eaten in central asia.some friends from work came over and a good time was had by all.
bishkek international school field trip to ala-archa national park
on friday bis took their (i should say "our") annual field trip to ala-archa national park. the park, as mentioned in a previous blog, is a 45 minute drive from bishkek and right in the heart of the mountains. a pretty amazing place... jagged peaks... glaciers... ice fields. jen and i are looking forward to backpacking into the wild and exploring (maybe in the late spring).we left school at 900am with all 100 plus of our kids in tow and spent until 200pm exploring, eating and playing games. jen hung out with the five year olds while i went on a hike to the climber's cemetery with the secondary students. a pretty amazing day. a little bit of snow fall and alot of sunshine.
here are the photos - part one
here are the photos - part two
Thursday, September 18, 2008
hurricane ike photos from my mom
i chatted this morning on skype with my mom (she has power and internet!) and she shared with me some photos she took of the storm's aftermath. all of the photos are from her neighborhood, her office, her home, and my sister's house.
the opposite side of clear lake from my mom's house.
the water is about five feet over the road.
boats and debris washed ashore out of the bay
the office of tops-n-towers, my mom's business
the damage is from floodwater and rainwater.
my sister deana and brother-in-law buddy wiped out from cleaning.
here are the photos
the opposite side of clear lake from my mom's house.the water is about five feet over the road.
boats and debris washed ashore out of the bay
the office of tops-n-towers, my mom's businessthe damage is from floodwater and rainwater.
my sister deana and brother-in-law buddy wiped out from cleaning.here are the photos
Monday, September 15, 2008
Marshutkas are a pain in the neck.
(marshutkas are the little mini-buses that we take to here and there)
The dang 163 seems to be elusive. It comes quite promptly in the morning but if we get on it after 7:15 it is piled up like sardines and in the afternoon when we hope to catch a ride we wait, and wait, and wait. But, when it does come, it is crowded-- little faces smooshed to the windows and armpits in faces if we dare to board.
Heighth-wise, marshutkas are a tad too small for "standing room" for the man of my life, which has left him with a crooked neck!
So, in all ways considered, marshutkas are a pain in the neck!!! (but they beat walking sometimes!)
The dang 163 seems to be elusive. It comes quite promptly in the morning but if we get on it after 7:15 it is piled up like sardines and in the afternoon when we hope to catch a ride we wait, and wait, and wait. But, when it does come, it is crowded-- little faces smooshed to the windows and armpits in faces if we dare to board.
Heighth-wise, marshutkas are a tad too small for "standing room" for the man of my life, which has left him with a crooked neck!
So, in all ways considered, marshutkas are a pain in the neck!!! (but they beat walking sometimes!)
Sunday night
We don't answer our door after 9.
Kids keep coming to sing to us in hopes of scoring some cash. It's as if the Ramadan Newsletter went out posting where the Americans live. I hope it also posted that we have no money.
When walking home from school last week we offered the money that we had in our pockets to a woman digging in the rubbish. Our offerings were rejected. It wasn't the first time we were denied. Why? Hmmm...
We have an idea.
Last night, David and I retired at 9pm. That was after trying to stay awake and laughing at ourselves that we were ready to sleep since 7pm. We watched episode after episode of Arrested Development and then an episode of Rescue Me that David had downloaded for nights just like last night. Just to make a tradition, those little rascals came and banged on our door. We silenced the tv, peered out the peep hole, Dave gave a hand gesture that it was indeed the little twirps, and then we resumed with our show that lulled us to sleep.
And that, my friends, was our Sunday night in Bishkek.
Kids keep coming to sing to us in hopes of scoring some cash. It's as if the Ramadan Newsletter went out posting where the Americans live. I hope it also posted that we have no money.
When walking home from school last week we offered the money that we had in our pockets to a woman digging in the rubbish. Our offerings were rejected. It wasn't the first time we were denied. Why? Hmmm...
We have an idea.
Last night, David and I retired at 9pm. That was after trying to stay awake and laughing at ourselves that we were ready to sleep since 7pm. We watched episode after episode of Arrested Development and then an episode of Rescue Me that David had downloaded for nights just like last night. Just to make a tradition, those little rascals came and banged on our door. We silenced the tv, peered out the peep hole, Dave gave a hand gesture that it was indeed the little twirps, and then we resumed with our show that lulled us to sleep.
And that, my friends, was our Sunday night in Bishkek.
Effects...
Houston is making Bishkek seem like paradise right now.
Our friends and family members there are unable to go to work and just today are able to leave their homes. We are so thankful that everyone is well and not injured. Some trees have fallen and there is water damage but those things are secondary.
It has been hard to be away.
We love you guys are very thankful that you all evacuated and stuck together.
Our friends and family members there are unable to go to work and just today are able to leave their homes. We are so thankful that everyone is well and not injured. Some trees have fallen and there is water damage but those things are secondary.
It has been hard to be away.
We love you guys are very thankful that you all evacuated and stuck together.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
hurricane ike update 2
ike is crashing into houston right now.
i was able to speak to my dad earlier this morning (evening for them) and they were doing fine and hadn't felt the effects of the storm yet. i haven't been able to get in touch with him for the past three hours.
i have been able to talk to my mom and sister several times (calling them on their cell phones) and they are being slammed right now. their business, tops-n-towers, was flooded before the storm even hit as the storm swell had swept water from clear lake and galveston bay and into the surrounding communities. they didn't have any news on their homes (they are staying at my brother-in-laws house) other than they are hearing that some two story homes in the area were already submerged. not good news.
they are without power and the earlier reports are that over 1,000,000 homes are without electricity due to downed power lines and blown transformers. my mom said the news is reporting that it could take weeks to get power back on.
no news from richard and boone. we assume (and hope) that they left montrose and are out of the storm. our apartment never flooded but this is the first time since we have lived their that we had to worry about a storm like this.
live news feed here
seabrook... a couple of miles from my mom's house
surfside... about 12 miles from my dad's house
both of these photos were taken before the storm even hit land.
the flooding is from the storm swell.
i was able to speak to my dad earlier this morning (evening for them) and they were doing fine and hadn't felt the effects of the storm yet. i haven't been able to get in touch with him for the past three hours.
i have been able to talk to my mom and sister several times (calling them on their cell phones) and they are being slammed right now. their business, tops-n-towers, was flooded before the storm even hit as the storm swell had swept water from clear lake and galveston bay and into the surrounding communities. they didn't have any news on their homes (they are staying at my brother-in-laws house) other than they are hearing that some two story homes in the area were already submerged. not good news.
they are without power and the earlier reports are that over 1,000,000 homes are without electricity due to downed power lines and blown transformers. my mom said the news is reporting that it could take weeks to get power back on.
no news from richard and boone. we assume (and hope) that they left montrose and are out of the storm. our apartment never flooded but this is the first time since we have lived their that we had to worry about a storm like this.
live news feed here
seabrook... a couple of miles from my mom's housesurfside... about 12 miles from my dad's houseboth of these photos were taken before the storm even hit land.
the flooding is from the storm swell.
Friday, September 12, 2008
hurricane ike update
forecasts are now calling for hurricane ike to make landfall directly over galveston island and then continue up galveston bay through clear lake (where my mom lives) and into houston (where are apartment and dog boone is living).
we haven't been able to get a hold of my dad and gloria to see where they are. last we heard they were with gloria's sister in deer park (which is now in the path of the storm). my mom is going to ride out the storm with deana, buddy and colton in friendswood. as she told me when i talked to her a couple of minutes a go... "the window's are boarded and we will hang out on the second floor when it starts flooding." in typical mom fashion (which is a good thing) she couldn't talk much when i called as she was "cooking bacon" in preparation for the storm!
i also called our friend richard who is living at our apartment in montrose and who is taking care of boone. he had just returned from galveston. while others were evacuating... he went down to surf! he wasn't sure of his plans yet but thought that he might head out to his parent's farm in victoria. before i could ask... he assured me that he would take care of boone.
this is so another one of those moments where i find myself saying that i should be home right now back in texas with my family.
we haven't been able to get a hold of my dad and gloria to see where they are. last we heard they were with gloria's sister in deer park (which is now in the path of the storm). my mom is going to ride out the storm with deana, buddy and colton in friendswood. as she told me when i talked to her a couple of minutes a go... "the window's are boarded and we will hang out on the second floor when it starts flooding." in typical mom fashion (which is a good thing) she couldn't talk much when i called as she was "cooking bacon" in preparation for the storm!
i also called our friend richard who is living at our apartment in montrose and who is taking care of boone. he had just returned from galveston. while others were evacuating... he went down to surf! he wasn't sure of his plans yet but thought that he might head out to his parent's farm in victoria. before i could ask... he assured me that he would take care of boone.
this is so another one of those moments where i find myself saying that i should be home right now back in texas with my family.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
hurricane ike
hurricane ike is barreling down on my family in texas. my dad and stepmom gloria have already been placed under a mandatory evacuation from their home in brazoria, texas. my mom and sister are thinking that they will take off from league city tomorrow as it appears that ike is on track to hit around houston.
you can follow the path of the hurricane here
you can follow the path of the hurricane here
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
deana watson
my sister deana got married this past saturday (september 6) in las vegas to her longtime sweetheart buddy. they had a small wedding with family and friends on a yacht on lake las vegas.
deana, we are really happy and excited for you and we wish that we could have been there. we love you and can't wait to see the photos!
deana, we are really happy and excited for you and we wish that we could have been there. we love you and can't wait to see the photos!
first day of athletics
today is the first day for the athletic program here at bishkek international school. since we are a smaller school with only about twenty students at the secondary level (we have just over 100 students total), we combine our program with that of hope academy (a local, parochial school).
our first sport is soccer and we have four weeks to prepare for the central asia soccer classic. jennifer will be coaching the girls team and i am really excited to see her out on the field playing and coaching. when she was younger, jen was a superstar in club and school soccer.
i am taking on the role of athletic director which is just a fancy way of saying that i am responsible for scheduling practices, tournaments and arranging travel. which brings us to the really cool part of the athletic program - we get to travel! we will be going to in almaty, kazakhstan for the soccer tournament this fall. once basketball starts in the spring (i will be coaching the boy's teams) we will return to almaty as well as travel to uzbekistan.
good stuff.
our first sport is soccer and we have four weeks to prepare for the central asia soccer classic. jennifer will be coaching the girls team and i am really excited to see her out on the field playing and coaching. when she was younger, jen was a superstar in club and school soccer.
i am taking on the role of athletic director which is just a fancy way of saying that i am responsible for scheduling practices, tournaments and arranging travel. which brings us to the really cool part of the athletic program - we get to travel! we will be going to in almaty, kazakhstan for the soccer tournament this fall. once basketball starts in the spring (i will be coaching the boy's teams) we will return to almaty as well as travel to uzbekistan.
good stuff.
one month...
today is our one month anniversary.
wow. it feels so much longer than that! i mean that in a good way. i believe that jennifer is truly the person that my life has brought me to AND SHE IS SO AWESOME. everything i have done and been up to this point has led me to her. she is my best friend and my soul mate and i can't imagine being anywhere else but here with jenny .
i love bishkek. love living in central asia. but we could move back to houston or to redlands. or start fresh in portugal or croatia. we could even move to detroit and i would feel blessed.
i love you jenny and thank you for being my wife and best friend. i am so excited about our life together and starting a family with you (three cheers for kyrgystanly and grant).
we finally got our wedding photos. here are a couple of our favorites...
wow. it feels so much longer than that! i mean that in a good way. i believe that jennifer is truly the person that my life has brought me to AND SHE IS SO AWESOME. everything i have done and been up to this point has led me to her. she is my best friend and my soul mate and i can't imagine being anywhere else but here with jenny .
i love bishkek. love living in central asia. but we could move back to houston or to redlands. or start fresh in portugal or croatia. we could even move to detroit and i would feel blessed.
i love you jenny and thank you for being my wife and best friend. i am so excited about our life together and starting a family with you (three cheers for kyrgystanly and grant).
we finally got our wedding photos. here are a couple of our favorites...
Monday, September 8, 2008
update on david's dad
just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has emailed and offered up kind words and prayers for my dad. just recently, he was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer. on friday, he went into surgery to have his right lung removed but the doctor's aborted the surgery when they discovered that the cancer had already started to spread to his left lung and chest. that said... my dad and step mom (gloria) are strong, resolute and confident that god is looking after them and that his plan is a good plan. jen and i would appreciate all the positive energy and prayers that you could continue to send my dad's way.this news has been very trying on our family as you can imagine and being halfway around the world and away from my dad has been unbearable. jen and i are looking at options for flying home in october for an extended stay. my dad is strongly against this idea and believes that we should stay here until our three week christmas break. we will see.
in a gesture of solidarity, i have told my dad that i will shave my head bald when he starts chemotherapy next week.
nothing like making a first good impression when living in a foreign country...
monday
it is another lovely day here in bishkek. for the past week, the temperature has been in the low 80s during the day and in the 60s at night. absolutely wonderful. the skies have been amazingly clear and blue since we arrived (almost) a month ago and it is nice to live someplace lacking in smog.
matt (our couch surfer), jennifer and myself went to a sports bar located next door to our apartment (it is built over the river) last night in hope of watching some american football. our plan was to watch houston vs pittsburg and use their "wifi" to skype home and talk to my dad (who was watching the game back home). unfortunately the only game they could pick up on satellite was tampa vs new orleans. so we ambled back home after sharing a basket of fries. it would have made for a late night anyway as there is a 13 hour time difference between central asia and the central usa.
there is an open house at the school this evening so we will be stuck here all afternoon. we have a break from 400pm until 630pm and instead of running home, i believe that we are going to head over to a new restaurant called "damack" that serves pretty much the best lebanese food east of beirut.
matt... our couch surfer departs today (or maybe tomorrow) to continue his two year bike ride around the world. he has been delayed here in bishkek for the past ten days awaiting his visa into china. we've enjoyed his company and wish him well on his journey.
couchsurfing.com has been a pretty cool site. jen and i have been amazed at the number of request we get from people asking to crash at our place. while on one hand we are suprised that bishkek has so many visitors (being off the beaten path and all), we can understand the appeal for people to come and visit as the city is a good, good place.
we are feeling pretty blessed to be here.
one of our goals for the week is to take photos of our classrooms, our apartment, and of our daily routine so our loyal readers (all three of you!) can get a better idea of our life.
matt (our couch surfer), jennifer and myself went to a sports bar located next door to our apartment (it is built over the river) last night in hope of watching some american football. our plan was to watch houston vs pittsburg and use their "wifi" to skype home and talk to my dad (who was watching the game back home). unfortunately the only game they could pick up on satellite was tampa vs new orleans. so we ambled back home after sharing a basket of fries. it would have made for a late night anyway as there is a 13 hour time difference between central asia and the central usa.
there is an open house at the school this evening so we will be stuck here all afternoon. we have a break from 400pm until 630pm and instead of running home, i believe that we are going to head over to a new restaurant called "damack" that serves pretty much the best lebanese food east of beirut.
matt... our couch surfer departs today (or maybe tomorrow) to continue his two year bike ride around the world. he has been delayed here in bishkek for the past ten days awaiting his visa into china. we've enjoyed his company and wish him well on his journey.
couchsurfing.com has been a pretty cool site. jen and i have been amazed at the number of request we get from people asking to crash at our place. while on one hand we are suprised that bishkek has so many visitors (being off the beaten path and all), we can understand the appeal for people to come and visit as the city is a good, good place.
we are feeling pretty blessed to be here.
one of our goals for the week is to take photos of our classrooms, our apartment, and of our daily routine so our loyal readers (all three of you!) can get a better idea of our life.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
osh bazaar - our second visit
we visited osh bazaar again, our second visit since living in bishkek. we took more time to look around and explore this time but still feel like we didn't see half the place as it is huge.
lots of good, inexpensive veggies. for instance... a kilo (2.2 pounds) of tomatoes costs about 17 soms (50 cents) and a kilo of eggplant cost about 10 soms (30 cents).
we are planning on making a huge vat of veggie lasagna tonight!
here are the photos
Friday, September 5, 2008
ala-archa national park
last saturday we went with some friends from work to ala-archa national park... which is about a thirty minute drive from bishkek. huge, jagged peaks. glaciers and ice falls. a pretty amazing place.
here are the photos
Thursday, September 4, 2008
teaching abroad
teaching abroad at an american school is much, much different than teaching stateside.classroom size - in the states most classes have 30 plus students in them. i have one "large" class of 12 students. jenny's does have a fairly large five year old class of 14 students (with one teacher's aide).
classroom materials - the materials we have to use in our classrooms (other than textbooks) are fairly sparse. basic items like lined notebook paper and three ring binders are hard to come by.
diversity - in the states, a diverse school is one that has an equal mix of whites, african americans, and hispanics. here... we have students from kyrgyzstan, kazakhstan, the united states, australia, switzerland, finland, germany, india, the united kingdom, canada, china, south korea, japan, ukraine, uzbekistan, armenia, croatia, pakistan, and russia. it is pretty amazing to hear students communicate with each other in a variety of languages although it makes me feel like a stupid american for only being able to communicate with them in english. hello... anyone speak spanish?!
class schedule - in the states when i taught middle school... i taught 7th grade and 8th grade science and one course of advanced placement science. so three different classes in total. here... i teach two or three different course during the same class period
815am... homeroom
830am... 1st period - 12 year old math and 13 year old math
915am... 2nd period - biology and advanced placement biology
1000am... recess
1020am... 3rd period - earth science and life science
1115am... 4th period - biology
1200pm... lunch
1230pm... 5th period - algebra 2 and geometry
115pm... 6th period - yearbook, newspaper, blog and technology
200pm... 7th period - prep period
300pm...clubs - i october i will start teaching a yoga club
400pm... athletics - soccer and basketball
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
kerstin's farewell dinner
our friend kerstin left this week to move back to germany. while we didn't know her for too long, she was our first friend in bishkek and we feel very lucky to have met her. we are also positive that we will keep in touch with her as she starts her life and family back in germany.
for a farewell dinner, we went out to eat on tuesday night at stari gorad, a very good local, kyrgz style restaurant. we sat outside, listened to three performers sing karaoke all night, ate amazing food and had good conversation.
we are going to miss you kerstin!
here are the photos
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
jen's students
some photos of the student's in jen's five year old kindergarten class at bishkek international school.
here are the photos
Monday, September 1, 2008
more details and photos to come soon
it has been a busy but good week here in bishkek. four couch surfers staying at our apartment. a trip into the mountains. the kids showing up at school. as a result... we have fallen behind in the blog.
oh... and it hasn't helped that i have had three days of alternating my face and my backside in the toilet. the "bishkek bellyache" has hit me full force.
more details and photos to come soon (not of the bishkek bellyache... don't worry).
oh... and it hasn't helped that i have had three days of alternating my face and my backside in the toilet. the "bishkek bellyache" has hit me full force.
more details and photos to come soon (not of the bishkek bellyache... don't worry).
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