I found another mystery novel

Yesterday I found a novel by Alex Cava for 80 som. Again I read the whole book in a day. Now that the number of foreigners in Bishkek is rapidly dwindling it is possible to find small parts of their former libraries for sale. I do not know how many Americans are left in the city, but it is not many.

Thank You

I would like to thank all of those people in the US, Canada and elsewhere who have stood by me and helped me in my recent time of need. Your support is greatly appreciated. Things are much better for me and my family now than they were in June in large part because of this assistance. I am truly grateful.

A New Start

Now that I am over 40 I am hoping to be able to get a new start on life. Granted it is not a very promising start at the moment. But, I am a lot better off than I was a couple of months ago. So I am hoping that the rate of improvement will continue and I can find a job at a university somewhere in the next year. If not then I need to reconsider my career. Maybe I can go back to making coffee. It certainly paid a lot better than teaching.

Political Islam in Central Asia

I noticed that Islamic militants staged an attack in Tajikistan recently. It is very unlikely anything like that will happen here soon. But, I do think there is a potential for an Islamic political movement to develop here. I have noticed that people have become increasingly religious recently. Most Kyrgyz still drink vodka during the day during Ramadan, but a growing minority have started actually practicing the tenets of Islam.

It has gotten cold here

The weather here in Bishkek went from boiling hot to freezing cold in a single day last week. It would have been nice to have had a short interval of moderate weather. But, overall things are much better now than they were in the summer.

A Small Treasure

It has been a long time since I read a mystery novel. But, yesterday while walking Askarbek to school I found a Lawrence Sander's novel for sale on the street for 50 som (a little over a dollar). I can not say it was the best piece of fiction I have ever read, but I did devour it in one day. The amount of English language literature available in this country is quite limited. Popular novels in particular are hard to come by.

Update on my status

Now that I have solved the problem of impending starvation for a few months, I am trying to deal with more long term problems. I am applying to jobs in the US and elsewhere even though getting work in a US university seems like a long shot. I have also started writing a little bit again after work. But, most of all I have been trying to keep a positive attitude. Not having to worry about my family going hungry helps a lot.

Aftermath

I fixed my visa and registration problems in July. It now looks like I can cobble together enough paying work to sustain us at least until December. Longer term I hope I can find something steady that pays decently before next August. I am willing to travel anywhere in the world so if anybody has any suggestions please let me know.

One Month Old

Mary Lynn is now over a month old. The last time she went to the doctor she had gained a kilogram in weight since her birth. I am not sure what the future holds for her, but for now she seems happy.

Askarbek was on TV

Friday Askarbek was on TV here. One of the local channels filmed a piece at his kindergarten and there is a segment with him and a teacher doing an art project. It was filmed over a week ago, but we knew before hand so Oksana could dress Askarbek up.

Improvement

I think things are going a little bit better now. I am pretty sure that my family is not going to go hungry now. For a while I was not sure.

Happy Birthday Askarbek

Today is Askarbek's birthday. He has been fascinated like the rest of us with the new baby. She spends most of her time sleeping quietly. But, she does eat a lot.

A new addition to the family

Early this morning Oksana gave birth to our new daughter, Mary Lynn. She weighed in at 3.3 kg (about seven and a quarter pounds). 

Things are more stable now

It looks like I have taken care of my most immediate concerns now. For a while things looked very bad. Now things look considerably better. Thank you to those people here in Bishkek that helped me negotiate this very difficult time.

I am still alive

For those wondering, yes I am still alive. But, recently my life has been very hectic. I will post more when things settle down somewhat.

Second half of Interview up at Moon Brothers

The second half of the interview with me is now up at the Moon Brothers' blog.

Update on Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek is still safe. But, there have been reports of ethnic clashes in Talas and Tokmok as well as Osh and Jalabad. The official toll of dead in Osh given by the government is over 2000. The UN estimates that some 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes by the recent events. This is definitely the worst violence Kyrgyzstan has seen in many decades.

Heat Wave

It has been really hot in Bishkek the last week. It has also been very humid. I do not mind the heat itself, but the humidity is very uncomfortable.

Moon Brothers Interview of me

A couple of months ago the Moon Brothers conducted an interview with me by e-mail about the history of the Russian-Germans. The interview is meant to provide historical background to their forthcoming movie Under Jakob's Ladder. The interview can be found here.

http://amoonbrothersfilm.blogspot.com/

Trouble in Osh

Other than what I see on the news and read on the Internet I do not have much information on the recent events in Osh. But, it looks very bad. This is certainly the worst ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan since 1990 and may end up being worse. Already the news is reporting that more people have been killed in Osh in the last few day than were killed in Bishkek on April 7th. So far Bishkek has not been too badly effected. Prices are going up noticeably, but other than that things still seem fairly normal. That could all change if we start getting waves of internally displaced peoples fleeing the violence in Osh.

What little information I do have that I have gotten from sources other than the news or Internet is that the attacks on Uzbeks were motivated by the rumor that a gang of Uzbeks raped and mutilated some Kyrgyz girls. I am sceptical of the veracity of this claim since it sounds like the justification for a lot of lynchings and pogroms. But, even if it does contain a kernel of truth the racist ascription of these criminal acts to Uzbeks in general by some Kyrgyz and the subsequent violence is truly disturbing.