Happy Halloween From The Cradle Of Revolution

In case it wasn’t all over the American news- papers, Jalalabat turned 130 last week. That’s right. I was shocked too. Oh, how quickly they grow-up. It was absolutely incredible. The Kyrgyz do not skimp when it comes to partying. All the bread, sheep, and other various sheep-fat-fried delicacies you could imagine were on display anxiously anticipating a visit from none other than Kurmanbek Bakiev (With whom I’m sure you’re all familiar, but in case you’re not, he’s the president. And also a fellow Jalala-buddy, whose family, except for those he has employed in the White House, still lives here. And, yes, they do refer to their grey capitol building as the white house).

My first-ever in-person sighting of a head of state was, well, lackluster. My fellow denizens and I were on our way home from the yurt-filled stadium when we saw a group of people surrounding a newly erected statue to commemorate the big

1-3-0 (although it was not nearly as large a group as the crowd crammed onto the nearby, outdoor dance floor) who were listening to someone speak over a loudspeaker (although not nearly as loud a speaker as those blaring music at the
outdoor club less than 100 yards away) when we realized it was none other than the main man himself. We hurried over and tried to distinguish his words from those of Pussy Cat Dolls’ “Buttons”. I couldn’t. But I did notice the sign behind him that translated to “Jalalabat: the cradle of revolution,” which is referencing the origin of the revolution that ousted the incumbent and hoisted Bakiev into power almost three years ago.

Thanks to the Pussy Cat Dolls, I also began to notice the other signs plastered throughout the square reminding people to vote on the constitutional referendum, proposed by their fellow Jalala-buddy, the following day. The timing of such an over-the-top birthday bash on the eve of a huge constitutional amendment and Bakiev’s presence is a little…ummmm…sheepy.

The referendum passed with an astounding 90-percent approval. And for their loyalty, my fellow Jalala-buddies were allowed to vote twice—once with a Russian language ballot, and once with a Kyrgyz language ballot—and, according to locals, if you voted “no” on the referendum, it was just thrown away anyway. Two days later, with his new powers, Bakiev dissolved congress and started his own, new political party, which, ironically, is the same reason he lead the revolution against his predecessor Askar Akiev. There will be an election in mid-November to decide which political party should take power of the new congress. And judging by the fact that state-run universities are forcing their students to sign-up as members of Bakiev’s new political party, I have a hunch as to whom the victor will be. $100 on Bakiev. Any takers?

Nonetheless, even amongst his fellow Jalala-buddies, whispers and rumors of civil-war and revolution abound. Corruption, rigged elections, and skyrocketing cost-of-living should make for an interesting winter. Maybe we will be home for Christmas.

Happy 130^th Jalalabat!

No real segue for this, but here are some pics from Halloween. Sarah and I found some real treasures from the local second-hand store. She was one of the Holograms from Jem and the Holograms (the ‘80s all-girl rock band cartoon that was the bane of boys’ existence who would much rather have filled the time-slot with GI Joe) and I was a ‘70s or ‘80s skier (maybe you can help me decide which decade).