Soaked Sponges pack a punch

This is me after a soaked sponge got me right in the eye: all part of a fundraising initiative by our student council. Students suffering from Shakespeare were my primary attackers, and some of them can throw hard! All the secondary teachers subjected ourselves to this treatment, in the name of a good cause.

Elections

We have elections coming up in a few days, and everyone is in a tizzy about them. Political parties that we have never heard of have in the last few weeks sprung into sudden action, and there are posters, rallies, and advertisements on taxis all over Bishkek. Apparently there are over twenty political parties running in these elections, a great number of which are but a few months old. We are all hoping for peaceful and just elections, and that the new government will have the collective good rather than material goods in their eyes.

The Rubbish Revolution

Okay, maybe this is over-stating it. But I was excited recently to discover new, professional, grey bins lining the street just outside my apartment. Unfortunately, the line of dustbins stops at the end of the block, so they are clearly not a government initiative, but rather one funded by the institution whose fence runs the length of aforementioned block. Who knows, though? Maybe this is a start of a rubbish bin revolution: soon they will line every street of Bishkek. Well, one can only hope.

Kyrgyz Independence Day

Last Tuesday was Kyrgyz Independence Day. It was a national holiday and a hot day, so there were hordes of excited children playing in the fountains near the central square. Notice the contrast of the recently festively festooned building with the burnt out shell behind it - a remnant of April's turmoil.

My walk to school

Some mornings are smoggy, some mornings are foggy.
Some mornings are cloudy, some mornings I'm drowsy.

But on other mornings, this is the view I get to enjoy on my way to school.

My reading nook

I have dreamed of having a reading nook in my classroom for years, and finally, this year, I was able to make it happen! When we read novels in class, students love sitting in this nook, but to date, alas, my vision of students curling up with a good book at lunchtime or after school has not come to fruition. Instead, I've had students curling up for a nap. Oh well: at least the nook's being appreciated!

Beshbarmak

Beshbarmak means five fingers, and it's a Kyrgyz dish (traditionally eaten with five fingers, hence the name). It comes in many forms, depending on where you eat it. At this restaurant, it came in a bowl with noodles, soup, beef pieces...and five huge pieces of congealed fat. (Yes, all that yellow is fat.)