Bishkek is much more Russian than I expected. All the signs are in Russian; everything at the stores is from Russia; everyone on the street is speaking Russian; everyone in my office speaks Russian both for business and beside the water cooler (which heats for tea, but doesn't cool the water).
I finally felt like I wasn't in Russia this week. I went out last Sunday for a hike in Ala-Archa (Canyon of the Junipers) National Park. Then I had my first field visit (to examine fencing, winter storage, and toilet facilities in a couple of existing communities served by the microfinance bank) to the area around Lake Issyk-kul. I had done one toilet tour already, but just to a squatter community in the 'burbs of Bishkek. I'll get some pictures of the national park at the lake (which is a UNESCO "biosphere reserve") on my facebook page as soon as I find an internet cafe that can take a USB drive (facebook is blocked at the office).
Luckily, the rest of the country isn't quite as Russian as Bishkek. However, it does cause some communication difficulties. (I ask questions in Russian, they get answered in Kyrgyz, then translated back to me in English.) It's much more sparsely populated than either European Russia or the Caucasus. With the roads, it's easily half an hour to an hour between villages while in a 4WD vehicle. I can't imagine how far it is by shared taxi or scheduled mini-bus.
Fun cultural things: I think I can finally do the "amin" properly with slapping my neighbor at the end (never been known for coordination). I got to try both Kamiz and Tan (fermented mare's milk and fermented mare's milk mixed with cow's milk, respectively) while I was on my field visit. I've never eaten so much pasta or mutton in my life.
Things I've been doing research on: urine-diverting dry toilets, root cellar construction, brucellosis, early childhood nutrition, preservation temperatures for root crop storage, different types of sheep wool dips, the market for wild harvested walnuts, and the market for sea buckthorn berries. So if anyone has any tips, please, pass them along.
I hope everyone is well, and I look forward to seeing y'all in late August.
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It sounds like you have a lot of different things on your plate! The PCV's are doing some microfinance programs here with local prducers of stuff, and they recently held a craft show of sorts at the "American Club" pool and tennis club. They probably make the walnuts and berries into something, like juice or flour or something, and the expat community might be something they could try and tap into. Any local distributors, or export opportunities? I just looked up brucellosis and it sounds horrible. I've looked at pics from there and it looks beautiful, hope you're having fun.
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