Tag: Alay

Swarm Of Earthquakes Strikes Chong-Alay Region

Published on by Mark Jahnke

It didn’t make headlines internationally, but the Chong-Alay region that I’ve been doing so much work with has in the past week has experienced a swarm of 11 earthquakes above 4.5 magnitude (out of 16 total recorded).  The largest of these, around 5.9 magnitude according to USGS (initially reported as 7.0 by local authorities, now said to be 6.5) on May 3rd, was strong enough to evacuate some buildings in Osh, and several of the aftershocks have been up to 5.8 in magnitude.  Technically, they were centered in Tajikistan, but their heaviest impact has been felt here. They may not have made international headlines or even local headlines, but they have been devastating nonetheless.  I want to share with you a bit of what I’ve been able to learn about the situation. Continue reading “Swarm Of Earthquakes Strikes Chong-Alay Region” →

Day Tripping to Chong-Alay

Published on by Mark Jahnke

Today was one of those days that reminds me why I absolutely love where I am and what I’m doing. I’ve mentioned a few times before that I do some work on the side at the Osh American Corner, including talking clubs, movie clubs, an art club, and even a talk about Alaska Native art from my hometown. All of this works towards the second goal of the Peace Corps, which is to share American culture with the people of Kyrgyzstan.

Well, the American Corner program has a really cool even that’s happening right now called American Corner Book Caravan. Basically, the American Corner hires out a marshrutka (making it a literal caravan), and fills it with toys, games, books, and performers (and the occasional wayward Peace Corps Volunteer) and brings them out to regional centers and villages to set up mini-carnivals to share American culture and to share information about the resources available at our library in Osh.

Today, we went to the most distant rayon centre in Osh Oblast: Daroot-Korgon. Continue reading “Day Tripping to Chong-Alay” →

Kyrgyzstani Movie Night: “Kurmanjan Datka: Queen Of The Mountains”

Published on by Mark Jahnke

UPDATE: The film’s producer (Altysh Film) recently uploaded the full film to YouTube with English subtitles!  You can watch it here.

Kyrgyzstan’s cinema is not the most famous in the world. Its films only rarely garner international attention, but those that do are striking and extremely unique. In a new occasional feature, I’ll be blogging about some of Kyrgyzstan’s most famous films, and how you can watch them at home. First up: Kurmanjan Datka: Queen Of The Mountains. Continue reading “Kyrgyzstani Movie Night: “Kurmanjan Datka: Queen Of The Mountains”” →

Nomad Horse Games Festival

Published on by Mark Jahnke
Horsemen rest near the end of the day.
Horsemen rest near the end of the day.

There are a few things that most people, upon first glance at their Central Asia Lonely Planet, will remember most vividly about Kyrgyzstan: yurts and horse games. Most people who come to Kyrgyzstan get to see or stay in a yurt and drink kymyz to their heart’s content. But not very many get to see the traditional Kyrgyz horseback games. And yet this past weekend, I and several other volunteers found ourselves high in the passes of the Alay region south of Osh at the Nomad Horse Games Festival, one of the first of its kind in the world, organized by the Community Based Tourism organization here (If you’re planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan, CBT is one of the best ways to go).

Continue reading “Nomad Horse Games Festival” →