To the South

After two days acclimating in Bishkek where fortunately I am overlapping with the visit of the acting director (and nutrition expert) of a project with which we are to collaborate (and strangely we have worked at two of the same organizations), I headed south to Osh City.  I traveled via an inter-country flight with our project chief-of-party (COP).  Initially we were attending a stakeholder meeting and then I was staying on to train and work with my team on planning project activities.  Because this event brought together all the staff from our three country offices, aside from work, there has been opportunity to socialize and get to know people. 

The first night we went out for shashlik (shish kabob) with some staff from our main partner organization.  Apparently this area is well known for their shashlik.  What I found more interesting was the restaurant consisted of small private dining rooms facing a central courtyard, so that the waitresses have to run around outside in between diners and the kitchen.  Given the weather here in the winter, I'm not sure that's a comfortable line of work.  Each dining room has a call button to summon your waitress. 

The second night, all our staff when out for pilav (pilaf).  The type served is unique from this area.  I don't think I can appreciate the finer points of pilav because it really reminded me of what I had in Afghanistan.  The staff said that the rice they use here is very special and only grown in this area - and indeed it did have a slightly different texture.  The evening consisted of speeches (yes I had to give one) and toasting with vodka and local cognac.  Having tasted the vodka from the night before, I opted for the cognac and was much happier.  What was especially nice was there was a set end time to the evening.  The highest ranking person opened and closed with a speech and then someone led a prayer and that was it!  Back to the hotel in time for some end of day work. 

On the road again

It has been 14 months since my last international trip and the break has been nice.  This trip has been postponed numerous times but finally I am in Kyrgyzstan.  I'll be in Bishkek on the front and back end and in Osh for the rest of the two weeks.  Routing took me on a direct 9 hr flight to Istanbul, short layover and a 5 hr flight arriving at 3:30a.  My seatmate across the Atlantic was a bit of a riddle.  A young guy, he was friendly enough for me to find out that he was on his way to Yemen.  Not anyone's travel destination of choice and apparently he wasn't thrilled about it.  Stranger still was the large computer case he kept on his lap for the entire trip, and even took with him to the lavatory.  When I asked if he wanted to put it overhead, he replied that his life was in there and he couldn't part with it.  This, in addition to the fervent prayers he recited upon take off, gave me pause.  But trying to keep in mind cross-cultural sensitivity, I managed to keep my imagination in check.

Fortunately, my travel coincides with two acquaintances, one who is managing a project with which we are to collaborate and has been able to provide me with very useful intel and another who used to work in Kyrgyzstan (now in DC) and is very familiar with the country.  Turns out the former and I have worked at the same organizations at different times and know many people in common.  Today she took me to a local grocery store and gave me a brief history lesson on why the country contains such diverse cultures - Korean, Chinese muslims, Russians, Germans and Kyrgyz.