I picked up this book on a whim when I saw it under the "new non-fiction" at my library. And I'm glad I did. The author, a journalist, decided to spend one year teaching "American-style journalism" in Kyrgyzstan as part of the Fulbright program. Her journey at first paints a picture of a place many of us have probably heard little about. She tells us, for example, of the struggle to find edible "non-delicacies" in a country where customarily goat brain is served to guests. The author and her husband had also planned to travel extensively around the region, but then 9/11 struck. Instead of ditching what they considered a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, they proceeded on their trip to Afghanistan. The author's encounters with the people of these countries, as well as others, including Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan show us how very alike- and different we are. She also tries to paint a picture of how these countries view the USA, before and after the attacks of 9/11. My only gripe with this book is I felt the end, where she traveled across Russia, China, and Vietnam, seemed a bit rushed, and I wasn't ready for the story to end.
Just finished Elinor Burkett's So Many Enemies, So Little Time.
I liked it a lot. It's really a Marco Polo travel diary for today. Burkett provides needed background to world events, in a lively personal style. Fun to read, and you can think about it afterwards, too. The book recounts Burkett's adventures in Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, Burma (officially Myanmar), China, Vietnam, and Cambodia during the 2001-2002 events, when she was a Fulbright Scholar. I agree with her view that the Fulbright program is one US government initiative that really works as it was intended. She explains how her view of the world changed after her experience teaching abroad in the wake of 9/11--just the kind of growth experience Senator Fulbright wanted. Burkett has a real gift for noticing the interesting detail. Her description of the little things at her university in Bishkek--such as wandering around the hall trying to find a classroom after being kicked out for some sort of seminar--tracked pretty exactly to my experience at UWED in Tashkent (which I was pleased to see she called the Harvard of Central Asia). Burkett's observations are generally acute, the most telling ones based on her personal confrontations with age-old traditions.
Most of all, I enjoyed Burkett's Kyrgyz anecdotes, which I think reflect a certain mentality--and reality--in the region. Here's a sample:
While walking in the countryside, two Uzbeks and two Kyrgyz fell in a hole. "I'll give you a hand up," the younger Uzbek said to the older. "Then, when you're on solid ground, you can pull me up." The older man agreed, the Uzbeks freed themselves and then went on their way.
The two Kyrgyz men looked at each other grimly, and one began climbing out of the hole on his own. "Hey, you can't do that," yelled the other man, pulling on his companion's legs. "If you get out, I'll be alone and stranded."
