Happy (Orthodox) Christmas!

Today, 7th January, is Christmas Day! As Brits living in Central Asia we get to celebrate Christmas Day in both the last week of the old year and in the first week of the new year, which seems a very good way to start and finish! For most people in Kyrgyzstan however, Christmas is not much celebrated, and the New Year is a much bigger holiday: schools, businesses and cafes close, and this year we watched Father Frosts and Snow Maidens gather in the city’s central square on New Year’s Eve for a procession through the streets. And at midnight it seemed that everyone all over the city let off fireworks which was fantastic and which we watched with friends from the various windows of our second floor flat.

Over the holidays, we have enjoyed some time off together and have enjoyed a few trips to the nearby mountains to play in the snow! Kyrgyzstan is a very beautiful country, and although we very much enjoy living in the city, getting out and into the hills (which are only 20 minutes away!) is always refreshing and invigorating.

As we step out into 2014, the big thing on our (Oasis) horizon is the further development of anti-human trafficking work. This is something that we are both excited about and daunted by, but Oasis has worked in this area before in Kyrgyzstan and has significant experience in confronting this issue in other parts of the world and we believe that the time is right to get more involved again. We look forward to sharing some of the stories and developments that come out of this initiative.

Finally, we want to wish you all the very best for the challenges, surprises and joys that lie ahead in 2014 and to thank you for being a part of our lives and adventure here in Kyrgyzstan. And of course, on this particular day, we wish you a very Happy Christmas!