#223: Saunapore, Singlish, and Good Food

I just wanted to share my first impressions (which might as well be wrong) of my first couple of days in Singapore.

It is Saunapore, not Singapore. So far it has been about +30 during the day (+25 at night) with about 90% humidity, which is extremely humid for people coming from the dry Central Asian region. I have to take shower 3-4 times a day. But glory to whoever invented the air conditioner, which are omnipresent (buses, elevators, classrooms, malls, etc). But the good side of humidity is that I don't have to use moisterizers here unlike in Bishkek.

People here don't speak English as good as I expected. Singaporeans speak English with strong Chinese, Indian, Malay accents. Just imagine Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Tajiks, Georgians, Armenians, etc. who speak Russian with strong accents living on an island. But in family, among friends, or street people speak their own languages (Mandarin, Tamil, Malay,) with lots of English words. All four languages are official in Singapore, which means that all the signes are duplicated in four languages. This also means that people speak Singlish (Singaporean English) with their specific accents and words from their own languages. They add meaningless "lah" to the end of ALL sentences. I am afraid that my English will deteriorate if I continue listening and trying to understand Singlish. Hopefully, I will be saved by professors once the actual classes start in August (I am taking math and economics classes right now).

Food is excellent here. It is the paradise of very delicious and relatively cheep cuisine with Chinese, Indian, Malay, and various other SE Asian flavors. Since a bunch of us are staying in one area, we found a 24/7 food court with excellent halal Thai (Halal!), Chinese (from different provinces), Malay, Indian, Korean and other food. I have been trying different dishes for every meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and I have not been disappointed or had problems. You have to love spicy food though, but you can ask for less spicy version of dishes which negates the whole point of eating local food.

As for the cleanliness of the Singapore, yes it is clean, but not as clean as people say. Singaporeans, as people everyone, throw trash on the ground, but their system of fines and efficient cleaning system keeps the how city, especially downtown, very clean. The place where we live (20 min on a bus from the central Singapore) has trash (one paper cup here and there) on the lawns and streets. But, don't get me wrong, it is much more clean than Bishkek.

Second impressions (that might prove the first impressions wrong) will come soon.

#222: Last Day in Kyrgyzstan

This is my last night in Kyrgyzstan before I move to Singapore to study for the next two years. I apologize for the 3-week hiatus; and I have excuses for it. I quit my job, started refurbishing my apartment, drank lots of beer when Spain kicked Russia's ass in Euro2008 (twice), visited bunch of relatives, and spent one night in Issykkul. I will write more about each of these stories and more once I settle in Singapore.

#221: Euro2008

The Euro2008 craze hit Bishkek when cafes started charging visitors money, in addition to the drinks and food ordered, for watching the game. The only problems is that the games start at 1am. But, people are zealously watching the games, or closely following the results. I am predicting that Portugal will meet the Netherlands in the final at the end of the month.

#216: Lazy Test Takers

Last week my boss asked me to prepare a test for people who had applied for my position. I decided to give them a text in English drafted by some of my colleagues for editing. Judging from the test results, it is obvious that none of them had bothered to look on our website, where an edited version of that text was posted. In fact, one of them just moved one paragraph to the end.

I am so ready to leave my job, because the closer is the last day of my work (next Friday), the bigger the workload.

#215: Untitled

Many interesting and disturbing things are happening in Kyrgyzstan, but I don't want to write. Desperation? Maybe. Hopelessness? Maybe. Disinterest? Maybe. Laziness? Maybe.

#210: Russian Singapore

Thanks to friends of friends of friends I found a forum of Russian-speakers in Singapore. To my amusement, I found that there are three things that Russians miss while living in Singapore: buckwheat, Russian crackers, and marshmallows, while some also try to make condensed milk and kefir in their kitchens. The rest of the Russian diet or their substitutes seem to be available in stores. I am not fanatical about any of these products and can do without them, but I am thinking of taking some of the famous dried fruits (apricots, prunes, etc.) and mountain honey from Central Asia.

#208: Pioneers...

I would not have written about this if I had not seen the firework near a cafe in Bishkek and later, as I was driving by, a group of people in their 30s wearing red berets, red ties, and white shirts, and the Pioneer pins (below). It was apparently the 86th anniversary of the creation of the Pioneers, which represented the one of the stages (Oktyabrenok in 1-4th grades, Pioneer in 5-10th grades, and Komsomol in university) in becoming a member of the Communist Party in the USSR.
I remember myself when in 3rd grade the whole system disappeared along with the Soviet Union. That year I was really excited that I was moving up from Oktyabrenok to Pioneer. I was really sad that I did not get to become a Pioneer and never wore the red tie. Not that I regret it now, but a lot of people feel pride in those "good ole times" when everything was (seemed) good.

#202: Posner

Vladimir Posner, the host of Vremena (Times), the only more or less independent talk show left on Russia's 1 kanal, is coming to Bishkek. He is apparently also meeting with students of AUCA, my alma mater, and I am hoping to make it to the meeting with my alumni card as he is a very interesting person to listen to.

#193: Best News

Today is one of the best days in my life. I am so happy. I received a letter from the University of Singapore saying that I was accepted to their 2-year Master in Public Policy program. Not only that, I also received a full scholarship. After I read the letter today in the morning, I could not stand in one place. I was literally hopping. I walked around in the office. I had bought two Russian pancakes with blueberry stuffing for breakfast, but I was too excited to eat. They are still on my desk. Anyways, I am so happy. Today I am going to meet scholarship people to discuss the details.

#183: Turkish Presence

The Economist had an article about the Gulen network around Kyrgyzstan. Very interesting piece. The articles says"'If you meet a polite Central Asian lad who speaks good English and Turkish, you know he went to a Gulen school,' says a Turkish observer. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, the movement runs a university and a dozen high schools, which excel in international contests.'

I know from personal experience that this network is very strong in Kyrgyzstan. Graduates of Turkish lyceums (boarding schools) and the Manas Kyrgyz-Turkish University - I had a post about the university's 12 millions construction project - were able to build a very close-knit community through charity, business, religious, and other associations.

In fact, there educational institutions were able to compensate for the collapsing education system around Kyrgyzstan. Their high school students have on average higher scores in standardized tests and do better in various competitions than students from public schools. My younger brother went to all-boys boarding school in Kyzylkia. A cousin studies in another one in Osh. Another cousin graduated from the Manas University. One thing, as the Economist pointed out, is that they instill religiosity and certain level of nationalism in their students. My cousin, who graduated from the Manas University, came out praying at least twice a day.

#176: Phone Interview

I have not written much about applications to gradschools lately. Well, in January I was turned down on a fellowship program in the U.S. I was disappointed. I did not even make through to the second stage.

I also took the official iBT TOEFL for the first time in my life (I have done a half a dozen institutional ones) for another program in Singapore. Surprisingly, I did pretty well on it. And today I received a letter that I was shortlisted for selection. Next week they want to do a phone interview, which would be followed by a test of quantitative skills. I've NEVER been interviewed on the phone, not to mentioned tested for quantitative skills. I don't know how might that go. Now, I really have to understand what I wrote in my essays for admission and memorize my CV. Any other tips?

#162: Happy New Year!

Forgot to congratulate all the "western" Christians with Christmas ("eastern" Christians will celebrate it on January 7). Merry Christmas! This week many people are recapping the past year and making plans for the coming year. Was my life better this year? I don't know. Changing jobs was the biggest event of 2007. Other than that everything was ok. Politically and economically, I am disappointed with the way Kyrgyzstan is developing.

At least 2007 was very good for the 53 $billionaires and 119 000 $millionaires in Russia.

#161: Snowboarding in Kyrgyzstan

The last weekend I went with friends to snowboard/ski in Karakol, the easternmost town in Kyrgyzstan. For most of us it was the opening of the season.

The ski base replaced their old (probably Soviet) T-bar lifts with "new" French chairlifts, thus making our lives much easier. Although chairs were for 3 people, they only allowed two because of difficulties with getting off. This is the view from the lift.
Apparently it used to be somewhere in the French Alps.
Me, Boris, and Beka on the top of the ski base with Karakol Gorge behind us. Stunning and breath-taking view.
Boris preparing to cut through powder snow.

A few people went back country skiing. They made it up to the summit and returned 4 hours later.

I started to experiment with jumping and making tricks. I can barely make a 180.
A small video of Boris and Beka.

#159: Debating Politics

As a Kurman Ait tradition, my extended family (uncles, aunts, and their children) slaughtered a sheep and had an evening dinner. As a tradition, we ended up discussing Kyrgyz politics with the family divided into two groups of supporters and opponents of the current government and its policies.

One group argued that it was southerners' turn to rule Kyrgyzstan (my family is from the south) because northerners Turdakun Usubaliev, the former Secretary of the Kyrgyz Communist Party ruled for 30 years during the Soviet Union, and Askar Akaev ruled for almost 15 years after independence. During these years, the southerners were treated as second sort citizens and economically the south lag behind the more developed north. Therefore, Kurmanbek Bakiev, a southerner, should be given a chance to consolidate power at any cost. The other group challenged it by arguing that nothing really changed since March 2005. The whole system of corruption, family rule, accumulating power and money through deception still remains. That there is no long-term policy of developing Kyrgyzstan (building homes, schools, protecting land on borders, etc.) However, we all agreed that not a single asset of Askar Akaev and economic misdeeds of his family are being investigated right now. We just assumed that it was divided up among the new rulers.

The most frustrating thing is that before 2005 many of my relatives used to say that Askar Akaev was the only person who could run the country and nobody else could do as well as he did. The same logic is being applied right now. And again, I am blaming the Kyrgyz people. Kyrgyz people forget things easily and like sheep blindly follow the shepherd. At the end of the dinner, we decided to continue the discussions at the Near Year dinner in 10 days. Who know what might happen before that.

#140: Rock in Kyrgyzstan

After the hard work of writing essays and sending off my application to a graduate fellowship program, on Friday night I made myself a present. I went to listen to Chizh & Co, a Russian rock and blues band, who were playing at Promzona. They were very popular in the 90s, especially after they released their ballad About Love in 1995. The crowd was accordingly older than the usual visitors of the rock club.
I was a bit disappointed in their performance. They did not play many of their songs, especially About Love. Primarily because Chizh (below) was too high and wasted. He even made a vodka shot between songs.
The drummer was good. He gave a long jam session closer to the end of the night.
Being a fan of rock music, I admit that rock in Kyrgyzstan is unfortunately mostly a Russian thing. 90% of visitors of rock clubs are ethnic Russians. Other non-Russians, including members of rock bands, are ethnic Koreans. You don't see many ethnic Kyrgyz, who actually prefer rap and hip-hop to rock.

#138: Grad School

This Friday is a deadline for a graduate fellowship program in the US. Finished the first draft of my statement of purpose. Waiting for two more reference letters from a former employer and a former professor, who actually said we [AUCA graduates] never change and do things at the last moment. Damn procrastination!

I am applying to programs on Public Administration/Policy. Found several good schools in the U.S. and one in Singapore.

Last week I went to see three European films, picked by their embassies in Bishkek. Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's The Man Without a Past, nominated for Academy Awards and a Grand Prix winner in Cannes, was the best of all. If you get a chance, try to watch it. Good humor.

What really pleased the Bishkek crowd was when an employer at a steel plant in Helsinki said that 80% of her workers were from Kyrgyzstan, when the man who lost his memory said he did not know his name to fill out the necessary paperwork. Bishkek viewers did not care that Kyrgyz workers were being portrayed as illegal workers. Kyrgyzstan is rarely mentioned in Western movies (Asian movies are not popular, because we are a Russia-oriented country) that we are happy when we are mentioned at all.

#130: Football

Thanks for everyone who bought tickets, donated money, and cheered for the teams. We raised a bit more than $1100 for the Uchkorgon Orphanage.
This is a picture taken just before the game started.
Boris, captain, is talking to players about making the game more interesting.
Another of our offenses.
The expat team made the biggest donation that day.
By the way, we won. 4-1.

#128: Brutally Murdered

Prominent journalist killed in southern Kyrgyzstan
Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, October 24, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s murder in southern Kyrgyzstan of Alisher Saipov, editor of the independent Uzbek-language weekly Siyosat (Politics) and contributor to several regional news outlets. Saipov was shot three times at a close range at around 7 p.m. in downtown Osh, a city bordering Uzbekistan, by an unknown gunman using a silencer, according to CPJ sources in the region. He died at the scene.

Saipov, 26, covered Uzbekistan’s political and social issues for Radio Free Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, and the Central Asia news Web site Ferghana. He had interviewed members of the banned Islamic groups Hizb-ut Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, according to local CPJ sources. Exiled opposition activist Shakhida Yakub, who was close to Saipov, told The Associated Press that the journalist had recently become politically involved with Uzbek opposition groups.

“We are shocked and saddened by the brutal murder of Alisher Saipov and send our condolences to his family and friends,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. “Saipov reported extensively on repression in neighboring Uzbekistan and criticized Uzbek President Islam Karimov. The authorities in Kyrgyzstan must now launch a thorough and timely investigation into our colleague’s murder and bring those responsible to justice.”

An ethnic Uzbek, Saipov lived in and reported from the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, just across the border from the Uzbek city of Andijan. Saipov covered the aftermath of mass killings in Andijan in May 2005, when government troops shot at crowds of civilians protesting Karimov’s regime. He reported on Uzbek refugees who fled and resettled in Kyrgyzstan. The Uzbek government put the Andijan death toll at 187; human rights groups say more than 700 were killed.

Prior to his murder, Saipov had received anonymous threats warning him to stop his press and political activities, a local source close to the journalist told CPJ. A state television channel in the Uzbek city of Namangan recently aired a program smearing Saipov as a provocateur who tried to destabilize Uzbekistan with his reporting. Several state publications ran similar articles, the same source told CPJ.

Following the Andijan killings, Uzbekistan has moved aggressively to expel, drive into exile, imprison, and harass independent jouranlsits, human rights defenders, opposition activists, representatives of international nongovernmental groups, and witnesses. Many found refuge in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, but Uzbek security services have infiltrated the area and continue harassing them there, according to human rights groups and local news reports. According to local press reports, Uzbek security agents have been spotted in the heavily ethnic-Uzbek city of Osh.

Saipov had helped scores of Uzbek refugees in southern Kyryzstan, assisting them with lodging and linking them with resettlement agencies, the AP said. He had also reported on the fate of Uzbek refugees in Iran for Ferghana, the news site said.

#124: Ole! Ole!

As I promised earlier, I am posting more information about the chairty game this Saturday. Boris, who annually organizes the game, said that it is more important than all that referendum and politics crap. He is right. The game at least makes the orphans happy. If you are in Bishkek, enjoy the game and donate! If you are abroad, just send your money! :) Contact Boris at bpilipenko@irex.kg.
THIRD ANNUAL CHARITY FOOTBALL MATCH -- COME OUT AND SUPPORT!!
IREX and alumni of exchange programs would like to invite you to the Third Annual Charity Football Match, which will take place on Saturday, October 27th, 2007, at 11:00 AM in Bishkek's Spartak Stadium, rain or shine!

IREX staff and alumni organize this annual charity football match between alumni of US government-sponsored exchange programs and representatives of international organizations working here in Kyrgyzstan.

The purpose of the charitable event is to collect donations to buy winter clothing, footwear and educational games for the children from Uch-Korgon orphanage in Batken oblast.

In addition to supporting your team, you can look forward to various competitions and games during this match, as well. This year, gifts for the competitions and raffle that will be held during halftime will be provided by Hyatt Regency--Bishek, Metro Bar, Soros Foundation - Kyrgyzstan, Embassy of the USA, and the Network of cinemas "Синематика", Fashion City.

In 2005, proceeds bought winter footwear to 74 children of the Uch-Korgon orphanage, and in 2006, they helped to buy the Nizhe-Serafimovsky nursing home an electric water pump and a hand cart for their heating facility.

Invitation cards for the game are available from Boris Pilipenko, Educational Programs Coordinator, contact him at tel: (+996-312) 65-68-48; 61-08-11, or email: bpilipenko@irex.kg. Suggested minimum donation is 50 som for locals and 100 som for expatriates. Invitation tickets also will be available at the gate.

P.S. 100som is about $3.

#120: Football

For the past month we've been playing football in one of the rundown fields in Bishkek. It is a preparation stage for a charity game between the alumni of US government-sponsored programs (I joined because I studied briefly in the States, but not through US government programs. I don't owe anything to it, yet!) and the expat community (Americans, Englishmen, Germans, a Serb, a Macedonian) in Bishkek. It was initiated and is being organized by a friend of mine, who works for IREX in Bishkek. The actual charity game is on October 27. Thanks to AA, who took these great pictures on my camera, while I was playing.