I lived in Kyrgyzstan on two occasions: From 2003-2004 and, later, from 2010 to 2013. That first time was as an English teacher in Bishkek, in a neighborhood that would become nearly unrecognizable to me only a few years later. I passed through briefly again, as a tourist, in 2007, but moved to Osh in 2010 following the clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. My experiences there led me to write The Beekeeper of Osh and had a profound impact on my life and worldview. I travelled to Uzbekistan a number of times, but only once to Tajikistan (to see the horse games in Murgab).
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