Bishkek blog on tour: Osh
And so, after a mad but pleasant dash to Almaty in Kazakhstan for a new Kyrgyz visa (I couldn’t renew in the country) I’m writing this in what is essentially a comfortable bedsit in Osh, where I’m volunteering at a local langauge school for a month. I did my first classes today, and they went very well; the students here have had almost no time with native English speakers but their English is pretty good, and they are very motivated. Osh is pretty warm now – low 30s – and feels very pleasant. The tranformation with five months ago, when I was here for new year is amazing; formerly burned-out shops are up and running as web cafes and restaurants and in the evening the park at the foot of Mt Solomon is really lively, with fountains, restaruants and plenty of people promenading. People say there is still plenty of tension around but I haven’t noticed it, and indeed my classes have both Kyrgyz people and some Uzbeks. Maybe things are looking up here.
