MSO to KG

It’s been six weeks since we left Montana and we’ve managed to (mainly) keep the train on the rails.  We packed up and flew out of Missoula during the January snowstorm that dumped a couple feet of snow in town, complicating our last minute errands but lending an extra air of adventure to our departure.  We landed in Colorado to celebrate Ethel Ashley’s 90^th birthday (happy birthday Grammie!).  In Denver, we managed to get us and all our luggage on the shuttle bus and made it half way to the car rental before realizing that we’d left the car seat base back at baggage claim.  Rookie move.  Following wonderful family festivities in Colorado we loaded the rental car back up (and I mean loaded) and returned to the airport where a really nice woman decided not to charge us for our extra baggage.  This was awesome given that we had 96 (more or less) bags.  Zoe turned three months somewhere between Chicago and Istanbul.  (And now she’s already four months.  How does this happen?)  In Istanbul we had to keep a tight rein on her after we realized that the adoring and rambunctious Turks were apt to take off with Zoe if we didn’t stop them (ok, well one did but only briefly).  After many hours of travel we landed in Bishkek just in time for a two hour wait in line for our visas on arrival.  The line had nine people.  Back at our apartment baby jet lag set in; brutal.  We were worried that Zoe had become a grumpy baby but luckily once she figured out that night was now day and day was now night she cheered right up. 

We’ve settled into Bishkek.  Zoe and I take a lot of walks in the park on icy treacherous sidewalks, the roof leaks whenever the temp gets above freezing (a bucket is catching the drips), and we get out to the mountains every weekend.  Friends here have been really good to us, throwingwelcome Zoe parties and providing us great support.  And we have a car.  It’s kind of like magic, which probably sounds crazy unless you’ve lived in Bishkek for over a year without a car.  In which case the simple ability to turn the key and drive out of town seems pretty miraculous.  That said, we haven’t been pulled over yet which is likely to be a somewhat less magical experience.  Chad is getting it done at UCA, we hired a sweet nanny for Zoe who speaks Kyrgyz to her, and I begin work back at AKF in another week.  Some other Bishkek highlights are that we can now find spinach, locally roasted coffee, and decent hamburger (all at different shops) on a regular basis.  Check out the slideshow for some pics.  If you don’t enjoy pics of other people’s kids, realize we’ve completely become those people.  We miss you all a ton and are eagerly awaiting your next visit to Kyrgyzstan.