Across the world, people have come up with a variety of ways to keep clean, from the humble bucket bath familiar to Peace Corps Volunteers across Africa to fancy shower rooms and face masks of South Korea. In Kyrgyzstan, many are surprised to learn that most locals have adopted the Russian banya, a type of sauna, as the bathing solution of choice. But what exactly is a banya? Continue reading “The Russian Banya in Central Asia”
It’s New Year’s, and just as in the United States people are watching Love Actually It’s A Wonderful Life on repeat, here in Kyrgyzstan as across the former Soviet Union, people are watching a charming film from 1976 called “Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!” which literally translates to “The Irony Of Fate, Or Enjoy Your Bath!” Continue reading “Sovietski Holiday Movie Night: “The Irony Of Fate””
I was at a New Year’s party the other day with some of my students, and they invited me to play a little game that is simple enough that I figured you might want to learn it as well. Continue reading “What Is It? Why, It’s The New Year’s Truck!”
