Laguna Hills Mall

Today I walked down to Laguna Hills Mall for the third time since I have been here. The mall has suffered from the US economic downtown since I was last in Southern California two years ago. The book store has closed along with most of the outlets in the food court. The two Japanese restaurants that used to be in the mall are also closed or gone. Laguna Hills Mall did not get looted like the Vefa Center, but it is not looking a whole lot better.

Conspiracy Theory

It has been a couple of years since I have seen any American television programs. So I have been doing some catch up recently. A lot of US television programs remain rather insipid, but some are quite good. My current favorite television show is Jesse "The Body" Ventura's Conspiracy Theory. Today I watched him cover global warming, water theft, Wall Street, and of course the assassination of JFK.

Merry Christmas

This Christmas I am back in the US for the first time in two years. Southern Orange County now seems very different from Kyrgyzstan, much more so than it did during the winter of 2008-2009. It is sometimes hard to believe that Bishkek is on the same planet as Southern California.

Now for some very good news

This is not exactly fresh news, but I have held off on blogging about it until now. I have been appointed as a Visiting Scholar in the History Department of the University of Ghana in Legon. I start teaching classes on 31 January 2011. I am very excited about this opportunity. It will be my first time in Africa.

Weather in Southern California

The weather in Southern California has been rainy and windy since I got here. I hope it gets sunny soon. Day after day of cloudy, cold and wet weather is not what I expected here.

In the US for the Holidays

Yesterday I flew Turkish Airlines from Bishkek to Istanbul and then to Chicago. I then flew to Los Angeles by American Airlines. The trip is extremely long and security in Istanbul is very tight. I had six passport checks during transit in Istanbul. But, some people only have to do five. If anybody in Southern California wants to see me between now and late January let me know.

Another Visit to the Volksrat

Yesterday I went with a research assistant to the Volksrat der Deutschen der Kyrgysischen Republik to return some books and let them know how our interviews in Kant and Ivanovka went. They were happy to see us and told me they wanted a copy of the book I was writing when it was finished. As always they were very friendly and their assistance is greatly appreciated.

Interviews of Russian-Germans in Ivanovka

On Sunday I went with two research assistants to the village of Ivanovka (formerly Johannesdorf) to interview elderly Russian-Germans. We talked to two women and one man. Despite being founded as a German settlement by Mennonites from the Talas Valley, Ivanovka has almost no Germans or German influence left. We had to actively seek out the few remaining elderly Russian-Germans there. The town is now mostly Kyrgyz and Dungan.

Winter has arrived

The other day we had a massive snow storm here and the temperature dropped significantly. It has now stopped snowing, but it is still quite cold. The city is now covered in snow.

Weather and Book Manuscript

It has been unseasonably warm in Bishkek recently. Most days it is sunny and not too cold now. We have had a little bit of rain, but no snow recently.

I am up to almost 120 pages on my book manuscript now. I still have to add most of the information from the interviews in Kant. I also hope to finish typing up most of the background material in the next couple of weeks.

Interviews with Russian-Germans in Kant

Yesterday I went with three research assistants to interview elderly Russian-Germans in the nearby town of Kant. We interviewed four women and one man. I thought the interview with the man was the most interesting. He was born in Crimea, then deported to the North Caucasus in August 1941, and then exiled to Kazakhstan in October 1941. The Stalin regime then mobilized him into the labor army in 1942. He worked in Bakalstroi and noted that he only survived because he was small and did not need much food. All the large men perished. After his release from the labor army in 1948 he returned to Kazakhstan, then went to Uzbekistan, and finally ended up in Kyrgyzstan. For a guy in his 80s he was remarkably energetic and sharp.

Book Project

I have gotten up to 106 pages double spaced on my book manuscript dealing with Russian-Germans in Central Asia. The project is coming along faster than I expected. I hope to get a rough draft completed in a couple more months.

Kyrgyz Fast Food

On days when I have to work all day and do not have time to go home for lunch I have taken to eating at Shumkar, a chain of cafeterias here in Bishkek. It has the advantage of being fast and cheap. I usually get their manti, a smoked duck salad, and compot. I have taken to calling the place McManti since their manti is the equivalent of a Big Mac in the US, tasty and filling, but very high in fat. On days when I tire of manti I get their plov. It is not quite the Golden Arches, but it is close enough on most days.

A relatively unexplored aspect of Soviet deportations

One overlooked commonality between the various whole nationalities deported by the Stalin regime is the difficulty the Soviet government had in asserting economic control over them. In different ways the Russian-Germans, Chechens, and others managed in part to do an end run around central control over their economic affairs during the 1920s and 1930s. I have not done a whole lot of empirical research on this yet, but I think it is another motivating factor in the mass deportations.

Cold Front

It has gotten very cold  in Bishkek. This week we had a snowstorm. The snow has all melted, but it is still quite chilly for October.

Progress

So far I have gotten over 21,000 words or 72 pages double spaced written on the new book manuscript. I hope to be able to finish a complete draft before the year is over. Currently I am averaging about two pages a day.

Russian-Germans in Kyrgyzstan

Thursday I visited the Volksrat der Deutschen der Kyrgysischen Republik as part of my research for my book on the history of the Russian-Germans in Central Asia. The people there were very friendly and helpful. They let me use their library and agreed to assist me in finding people to interview about life during Soviet times. According to their figures there are still around 11,000 Russian-Germans left in Kyrgyzstan. But, they have become very dispersed. The isolated and compact settlements that previously existed in places like Nikolaipohl (now Leninpohl) in Talas Oblast have largely dissipated due to emigration. Despite these losses, the community is very well organized and has a number of regional centers throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Working on a new book

I have been working on a new book recently. It is a history of the Russian-Germans in Central Asia. I have 54 pages double spaced written so far. I still do not have a cool title for the work yet. If anybody has any suggestions please let me know.

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.