Corrupted Kyrgyzstan

Have you ever thought why the street traffic in Kyrgyzstan is so horrible? Drivers do not know how to drive and therefore they periodically break the rules.

If one knows basics of driving a car and has $100-150 (bribe) in a pocket, he/she can easily get a driving license without even passing a test. Moreover, these people can freely drive in the streets without a fear that GAI (traffic police) can take away their driving license for breaking rules.

How and why? You can get the answer by watching this short video that was made in Bishkek about a month ago.




This is a reality of streets in Kyrgyzstan. Just imagine what is happening in the offices of high ranking people, where it is impossible to install hidden cameras…

I prefer a real apple :)

I have never worked on Mac before. Till recently, all I knew was Windows XP. Now, I use (have to) Vista, as the drivers of my laptop are not compatible with XP. Today, for the first time I have tried to work on an Apple laptop, and after 10 minutes of me sweating heavily trying to learn how it works, I came to a conclusion that I prefer a real apple to machine Apple :)





















Photo by me

P.S. Mariko, thanks for using your laptop :)

Interesting license plate

I would have the same license plate, when I get a car, but in Kyrgyzstan one can get only those boring license plates the government gives, like B4562S.

Flash Mob to the commemoration of the murdered journalist

On Tuesday, December 4, 2007, it will be 40 days since the death of a journalist Alisher Saipov, a prominent journalist, who was shot dead on October 24, 2007, in southern city of Kyrgyzstan for his journalistic activity. Alisher Saipov was a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. However, in his analytical articles and reports, he mainly covered Uzbekistan and Uzbek minority group in Kyrgyzstan, as he was an ethnic Uzbek himself. Alisher was a severe critic of Uzbek government after the Andijan massacre happened in May, 2005, and published several articles about slaughter.

According to Uzbek traditions, 40 days after the death of a person, relatives and close people of the departed get together and commemorate him/her praying the God. Bloggers of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan also want to commemorate the murdered journalist and organize a flash mob in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in front of the White House. The flash mob will be held on Tuesday, December 4, 2007. There will be a young plant torn off with roots, which will be a symbol of death of the young journalist. Everyone, who wishes to commemorate the Alisher Saipov and say no to the pressure on media, can come and tie up a piece of a black fabric to the tree.

The president of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev promised to take the investigation under his control. Therefore, it was to decided to held the flash mob in front of the White House. Please, disseminate the info about the flash mob among those, who may be interested to take part in it.

Testing blogging via Vista Microsoft Office

I just found out that Microsoft Word in Vista has a special feature that enables posting directly from Word document. And I am testing it at the moment. So there is nothing special in this post. Just a test. And my Kyrgyz kalpak (hat) J

Whooops. For some reason I cannot upload images. Sad...

Problems with simultaneous translation

Have you ever translated/interpreted from one language into another? If yes, you know how difficult it is. The hardest one, I would say, is a simultaneous interpretation, when you have to concentrate very much. The problem with simultaneous interpretation is that sometimes the interpreter does not have time to think of what is said, and as a result the translation becomes very interesting. Here is the list of most common mistakes made by simultaneous interpreters from English into Russian. Have fun :)

Can You hear me - Ты можешь меня здесь
Manicure - Деньги лечат
I'm just asking - Я всего лишь коpоль жоп
I have been there - У меня там фасоль
We are the champions - Мы шампиньоны
Do You feel alright? - Ты спpава всех чyвствyешь?
Bye bye baby, baby good bye - Кyпи кyпи pебенка,pебенок хоpошая покyпка
To be or not to be? - Две пчелы или не две пчелы?
I will never give up - Меня никогда не тошнит
Oh dear - Ах олень.
I saw my Honey today - Я пилил мой мед сегодня
I'm going to make you mine - Я идy копать тебе шахтy
Finnish people - Конченые люди
Bad influence - Плохая пpостyда
Phone seller - Позвони пpодавцy
Good products - Бог на стоpоне yток
I know his story well - Я знаю истоpическийколодец
Let it be! - Давайте жpать пчел!
I love you baby - Я люблю вас,бабы
Take it easy - возьми это,Изя
By the way - купи дорогу
Merry-go-round - Мерри пошла по рукам

Infak (FWL), sorry for antireklama :)
Infakovskie, take it easy :)

Problems with Uzbek latin alphabet

Don't get surpised. It is not a filthy word at all. In cyrillic alphabet this would look like "электощит", which is an Uzbek word originally borrowed from Russian that means an electric panel.











And this is not the only problem that latin alphabet created in Uzbek language.

My trip to Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of some 450,000, the country's largest city; the population of the entire metropolitan area (Bratislava Region) is around 600,000. Bratislava is located in the south west of Slovakia, lies on both banks of the Danube, and it is the only national capital in the world that borders two other countries - Austria and Hungary. (Wiki)


















Bratislava is a cool city. I had a great chance to visit it as I had to go there to extend my visa to Czech Republic. Though, it was not a beauty if the city that left such wonderful impressions on me - it was the striking beauty of the scenery on the train route Prague-Bratislava-Prague. I took a train and during the whole trip I did just one thing - enjoyed the beauty of the nature leaning to the window of the coupe.

Prague - a city with high living standards

I am really enjoying my time in Prague. One of the things I like here is that the living standards of people are really high. The simple example is the public WCs in the center of the Old Prague. Have a look.

It is near the Charles bridge. I have never seen such a beautiful WC built in medieval style. Does not it show how wealthy people of Prague are and how Prague municipal institutions take care of the residents and guests of the city? Here is another one that shows the high quality of the services.

The photo was taken in one of the jazz clubs of the Old Prague. It shows that unlike other palces of the Old Prague they do not have a person in WC who helps people do their "job" - it is a self-service!

Of course, this is a joke. I just tried myself in photoreporting. The nice building in the first photo is the National Theater, the awesomest theater of Prague. Those who havent been there, I highly recommend to pay a visit to it. You will not regret. The second photo is taken in the Redutta Jazz Club in the Old Prague. Good place for those, who like jazz, beer and absinth. Btw, there are no "personal helpers" in Prague WCs :)

Isn't it beautiful?

Prague is a beautiful city with its cool old bridges, houses, castles and narrow steets. It seems that even the sky is contesting with the beauty of the city. I guess the sky will never be as nice as the city is, though, together they create a very beautiful scenery.

This is a picture of the sky, a tower of the Charles bridge and the king Charles' statue. Isn't it strikingly beautiful? I think it is.

Prague from above. Beautiful.

Charles bridge at night.

Me in the Old Town square in Prague.

My first time ever to McDonald's. It is cool, but will never be as cool as the Uzbek cousine. I miss plov very much! By the way, does anyone know if there is any cafe or restaurant in Prague with Central Asian cuisine?

Stay tuned for more photos :)

Video of the day "Crazy Americans at Uzbek Wedding"

Do you know who these "crazy" Americans are? They are my friends Joanie and Sean, who used to work in Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan, as a Peace Corps Volunteers. The video was taken at the Joanie's host sister's pre-wedding party. The day before the party Joanie had had to go through a quick course on Uzbek dance. That is the reason why she moves so well :)

I am back!

You may have got an idea that I have gave up my blog, as I havent been updating it for a long time (more than one month!). The reason is that in the beginning of the summer several really crazy things happened in my life. I was soooo busy that didnt have time even to go to the barber shop and have my hair cut.

For the past month I have done so much work that would normally take me a year or even more to get done with. First, I am done with my university where I had studied for five years. I took all final exams, successfully submitted and defended my thesis paper. So now I have a bachelors degree on Linguistics with the diploma of a teacher of English language and literature. Second, I achieved my goal that I have been dreaming about for almost two years - I got a scholarship to study at OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 2007/2008 academic year, where I will work hard on getting Masters degree on Political Science. Third, I am in Prague, Czech Republic, improving my journalistic skills.

Thats all for now. Stay tuned. I promise to post some awesome material very soon.

Again about corruption...

Sorry for writing about corruption a lot of times, but I want others to know what is happening in Kyrgyzstan, especially in its educational sphere, in reality.

I have a state exam on History of Kyrgyzstan next Tuesday. Today, we (graduating students) were told that each student must give 500 som (app. $13) before going to exam. We were told that it was to examiners for not asking too many questions during the exam. This has been practiced for a long time. The person who gave this info to us works in the administration of the department where I study. He has a really good sense of humor as he referred to this "unwritten law" as "booking a seat for exam." I asked people, who graduated last year. They confirmed it. They told that if a student doesn't not pay (bribe) there is a zero chance s/he can get A, even if s/he deserves it. Actually, you can get good grades without bribing, only if one of examiners is you relative.

I don't have any relatives among examiners and I don't have any extra money. Moreover, I do not support tribalism and I also don't support corruption. The only thing I have and the only thing I support is studying. Knowledge is the only weapon against those who are corrupted. Knowledge is the only weapon I have!

Damn exams… and corruption…

Just find me a person who likes to go through such horrible torture as exams. I am graduating from a university this year and now taking my last final exams. Actually, they are not final finals (sorry for repetition), as we have so called “Gos exams”, state exams that you take before graduation and I am graduating in mid of June. Gos exams had been a nightmare of all students from long ago. I think from the time it was introduced in Kyrgyz education system. They are way more difficult than ordinary exams as they make you remember the stuff you learned four or five years ago. If you don’t take Gos exams or fail them, then you are not given a diploma. It is too early to Gos exams and I dont want to talk about them, cuz I am already getting scared :(

So I am being tortured now. I have the last exam tomorrow (the last, till Gos exams). Actually, I have never complained about exams, but still i hate them. You know what is the thing that freaks me out most all the time in exams? It is bribery. It is when you get ready for exam for weeks reading, learning, and spending sleepless nights, and finally, after being tortured during the exam test, get your deserved grade, but someone who has never studied or had worked in Russia or Kazakhstan for 2-3 years comes, pays (bribes) and takes A or B, the same grades that you got after so many work, and sometimes such people get even higher grades than those who really study. Is not it horrible? It kills enthusiasm in those who want to learn, at least in me. Corruption is getting more and more developed in Kyrgyzstan, especially in its education system, which may have really bad consequences in future. The worst thing I think is that corruption is became a part of a culture in Kyrgyzstan. It is everywhere... Conclusion, I dont hate exams - I hate corruption!!! I will write about corruption in Kyrgyz education system more in near future. Now, back to the books lazybones!!!

My Punk Friend

Meet my punk friend Mikhail Gorbachev, a laureate of Nobel Prize for Peace, originator of Perestroika and Glasnost. He was also a Secretary General of Communist Party of Soviet Union. Despite the notable gap between ages (he ruled the USSR when I was six years old), we get along really well.

Amendment to the Law on social insurance

Today, I found out that Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) made an amendment to the Law on pension and social insurance. After signing of the amendment by president, the retirement age of citizens of Kyrgyzstan will be 60 for man, and 55 for women. Before it was 63 and 58 respectfully. I guess government is trying to change the working force, i.e. "youthening" it by offering more chances to youth to get employed. It may be a good idea, as it is high time to get rid of soviet ideology that most older people still stay closely attached to, and "refresh" the working atmosphere with new ideas and views. It is time to change!!!

Missing summer...

I bet that looking at the pictures below you cannot say that summer is not your favorite season. I cant wait when I can go to the open air swimming pool with my friends again. I am counting days. There are just 75 days left...





















My friends: (from the left) Jorabek, Emil and Shuhrat






















Me "flying high"

Democracy seen from CA perspective

Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, recently elected president of Turkmenistan who has "more open ideas" than previous president Saparmurat Niyazov, told in one of interviews about his views concerning democracy. He said,

"As for democracy, this tender substance cannot be imposed by applying ready-made, imported models. It can only be carefully nurtured by using the wise national experience and traditions of previous generations.”

I liked his views about democracy. In Central Asia, where people stay closely attached to their culture and traditions, which are different than western, and who have an experience of being ruled in totalitarian regime for more than seven decades, it is impossible to introduce western "ready-made" democracy. There will be little or no results. The western democracy that is now being introduced in CA countries should be trimmed or shaped, however you call it, so that it can suit local standards marked by peoples culture, traditions and mentality. Otherwise, there will always be a clash between the notion of democracy and local views.

Joy of Google Earth!

I just found out that there is a software program by Google Inc. called Google Earth. I have never heard of that before. It is really useful device, and it is a lot fun too. For the first time, I can see places where I live, work and have fun from above.

















Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Home, sweet home. The place I love and the place where I spend most of my time. You can see the bridge that goes to the left. It is a famous bridge of Osh city, and recently was decorated with garland like lamps. It was a part of the project on the illumination of streets of Osh. The city administration had informed that they had assigned 600 thousand KGS (appr. 15385 USD) for this project. However, city officials made local entrepreneurs buy illumination devices that costs 3200 KGS (appr. 82 USD) each. A friend of my who runs a small hotel had to purchase two of such device. I can give more cases, but this is another story.

Again about the corruption in education in Kyrgyzstan

I found an interesting article about corruption in education system in Kyrgyzstan by Jessica Jacobson. She writes about the roots and reasons of bribery and why it is flourishing becoming a system that students, teachers, administrators, and even employers know how to work it. The author gives thorough analyses of the problem. I totally agree with the author’s view point.

There are three different reasons why people bribe at the places of higher education. First when students pay and teachers accept. Mostly because students work and don’t have time for studying or just do not want to study. Teachers accept the bribes as they don’t see other alternative options to punish the students who do not study. In this case, if student studies, he/she gets deserved grade, but if not, students has to pay. Usually, the sum of the bribe is high, as teachers’ sole reason to accept it is to make students feel that it is easier to study than buying a grade.

Second case is when teachers ask and students pay. It is when teachers do not earn enough for living and have to “punish” students who do not study or study bad (the interpretation of the word “bad” solely depends on teacher) by taking money or other valuable things from them (there were cases when teachers asked rice and oil from students from rural places). I this case, teacher often makes students fail giving the tests in the final exams on the topics that they have never or slightly learnt during the course. The only way out is to bribe the teacher. Usually, the cost of bribe is not high in such cases, though, it again depends on teacher.

Finally, third case is when the previous two are mixed, i.e. students want to pay for grade and teachers accept the payment as they need money.

It is an absolute horror to think about possible results of the present situation in education system in future. Students who are today paying to gain their degree tomorrow will rule the country. They are future of Kyrgyzstan and when I think about this the only images of future I can imagine are like the scenes from the horror films.

My friend

She is the most cheery, jolly, smiling and optimistic; meanwhile, she is the most sad, melancholic and lazy. She is the most beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, striking and smartest, bright, brainy, intelligent. She is a person who has all features, even those that usually don't go in unison in one person. Though this person is one of my best friends, it was always hard for me to describe her, because she is so indescribable. As she describes herself, she is "a bit nonchalant, sometimes too emotional, lazy or hardworking... depending on situation". She is a real puzzle to me, as I cannot tell her state and what she is up to. This feature of hers makes her even more unique and interesting. Her name is Tamara Tashbaeva. Tamara is my best podruga (rus. female friend). There are a lots of things that unite us. You can find more about Tamara visiting her personal blog. In her blog, she mostly writes attention-grabbing stories about her personal life, work, and her philosophy in life, which is matchless. Her blog is under construction at the moment, as she is doing her best to make it look better.


















Tomorrow, Tamara is coming to Osh! And this Saturday, we are going out to have fun. I miss her really much and I cant wait to see her.

Happy Valentine's!!!

Today is a very special day for those who are in love! It is a special day during which you should make compliments to others like: "You mean to me more than you'll ever know"; "Thank you for always being here for me, sweetheart."; "I love you more than anything!!!"; blablabla.... In short, it is a wonderful day when you have a chance to tell to the person you love that you Love her/him. But if you don't have anyone to tell you love, remember Cupid's aim is still pretty good. Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Here is a nice holiday wish for those "kto ne bleshet oratorskimi kachestvami":

If a day 36 hours i'd spend 12 picking u flowers,
If we had 48 life would surely be great,
And if it was 72?
I'd climb a mountain just to tell the world I love you,
But...all we have is 24,
Which means i will keep the message short,
And simply spend every precious our with you,
Today n Forever.

See you all in the Party!

Party at Nirvana!

Dear citizens and guests of Osh city,

on February 14, 2007, at 7:00 PM there will be a wonderful party at the Pub Nirvana to Celebrate St. Valentine's Day. There will be a great show with lots of surprises and gifts. Few tickets left. Hurry up!

See you all there!

Voice from Uzbekistan - "Daughter of Bukhara"

Today, while searching for other bloggers from Central Asia, I came across with Gulasal's blog "Дочь Бухары" (rus. Daughter of Bukhara). It is in Russian. In her blog, Gulasal mainly discusses her personal life and news around her. Cool blog. Drop in if you got free time.

Omurbek Tekebaev's reputation in his home village

I have recently traveled to Jalalabat oblast (Kyrgyzstan). Specifically, I have been in Bazarkorgon village of Jalalabat, where Omurbek Tekebaev, Kyrgyz parliament deputy, is from. Tekebaev is one of the VIPs of kyrgyz political arena, and has a firm position in the list of top 10 statesman. Maybe thats why I had an idea that Tekebaev's reputation should be really high in his home village. But to my great surprise I found out that most people (approx. 8 out if 10) of Bazarkorgon village did not agree with his policy. They say that his work is not up to expectations. A school principal, a really clever person and I am really glad that I had a chance to talk to her, said that people of Bazarkorgon tried several times to recall Tekebaev from his office, but in vain. Nevertheless, they keep trying to do get his dismissal from Parliament.

Note: According to the new constitution, the parliament will not be dismissed till 2010, so they have to wait.

This kid gonna make me CRAZY!!!

You know my nephew Rustam. I have introduced him to you recently. So, today, his math teacher, who is the most tyrannical person (as he says), gave him an assignment.

"There are 9 ticket booths in a metro station. At the end of the day each booth had by 8000 coins of 5 "tiyin" (cent) value. As usual, coins were put in bags at the end of the day. Each bag was full and a bag can contain only 2000 coins. So the questions were:

1. How many full bags were there by the end of the day?
2. What is the value of the full bag in Som (dollar)?
3. How many Som were there at the end of the day?"

It took me 15 mins to explain him how many tiyins are in one Som, and how many 5 tiyin coins are in a Som, why the teacher used metro as there are no metros in Kyrgyztan, hence, where the situation took place, why they were so stupid to put money in the bags not in safes as normal people do, why people gave only 5 tiyin coins when 5 tiyin coins never existed in Kyrgyz currency, etc. Eventually, I got tired of his questions that were falling to me like a raindrops during the storm. I sad him that I needed some rest. Rustam said ok and went to another room. He didnt show up 15 mins. I assumed Rustam forgot about his assignment and was playing his toys. But soon he came out of the room making a proud face. Rustam handed me his copy book where he had done some calculations. And you know what? He solved the task and the answers were correct! This kid someday will make me crazy!

Police is trying to win people's hearts

One of the "New Year resolutions" of police (militia - милиция) department of Bishkek city is to obtain politeness in communication with citizens. This and other "resolutions" of police department were discussed in the press conference of Information Agency "24.kg" (rus) that took place on January 18, 2007. Chief of department of internal affairs of Sverdlovsk district of Bishkek city Medetbek Mametov told that along with the new goals for the new year, police will do their best in achieving their main aims and targets - struggle against extremism, corruption and crime.

As I wrote before, police doesn't have a good reputation among citizen. It will be correct if I say that from long ago people lost their trust to police and don't consider them as "security service officers", but vice versa. I think that this "resolution" of police department must be renamed as "New Decade resolution" - as a minimum. Because I think it is not possible to make such radical changes in people's perception of police service in a year period.

If police really wants to make constructive steps towards gaining people's trust and respect, and fight against evil, they should start with changing themselves. For better results their "New Year motto" must be changed to "Be the change you wish to see in the world" of Ghandi.

Pragmatic Japanese: Baby Mop

Everyone knows how pragmatic Japanese people are. Due to their hard working and rational use of resources they achieved such high level results. It is a reason why now Japan is one of the leading countries of the world. Now, they are even over-pragmatic. But is it good?

info on the page:

Baby Mops: Make your children work for their keep.

After the birth of a child there is always a temptation
to say "Yes, it's cute, but what can it do? Until recently
the answer was simply "lie there and cry". but now babies
can be put on the payroll, so to speak, almost as soon as
they are born.
Just dress your young one in a Baby Mops and set him or her
down on any hard wood or the floor that needs clearing. You
may at first need to get things started by calling to the
infant from across the room, but pretty soon they'll be
doing it all by themselves.
There's no child exploitation involved. The kid is doing what
he does best anyway, crawling. But with Baby Mops he's also
learning responsibility and a health work ethic.

Find scholarships to study in Sweden

International organization AIESEC with great pleasure invites you all
to come to the meeting, which will be conducted on 13 of January in
Manas University, at 2:00 pm.

International interns from Sweden Tomas von Matern and Maria
Bendegard will tell you about the possible ways of finding
scholarships to study in Sweden.

If you are interested in studying in Sweden or making internship
there just come, you will not regret!

AIESEC Kyrgyzstan, m-r Djal, campus of Manas, Faculty Economics, room
A-102 720040 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, phone: +996-312-552783+1243,
email: aiesec.kg@gmail.com

Internship with Regionalised EC Delegation in KR

Regionalised EC Delegation in the Kyrgyz Republic is looking for adynamic and highly motivated intern to join the EC Delegation.

His/her responsibilities would be to assist the charge d'affaires,political officer and project managers in their duties.

Requirements and qualifications:
- University studies in the relevant field
- Good human relation skills
- Strong sense of responsibility, reliability
- Proficiency in English and in Russian is required, atleast minimum level of Kyrgyz language would be an asset but notobligatory.

Internship is non-paid and will last 2-3 months. Part time work possible(to be negotiated).
CVs and letters of motivation in English can be sent by letter, fax ore-mail. It should be addressed to:

Regionalised EC Delegation in Kyrgyzstan, for the attention of Ms TaruKernisalo, Attachée, 236 Abdumomunova Str., 720033 Bishkek

Fax No: (996 312) 901266, e-mail: taru.kernisalo@ec.europa.eu
CLOSING DATE: 18 JANUARY 2007 AT 17:00 Bishkek time