July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Presents take long, rugged journey (6/4/03)
Dear Reader
It figures out to less than a tenth of a cent per mile, which is quite a bargain.
Except for one thing. The package was never delivered.
Let me explain, or try to.
After returning from a press development project in Central Asia early last month, I wanted to send some gifts back to folks who had been particularly helpful.
As it happened, both were in Bishkek, the somewhat funky little city of about a million people which is the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek’s a relatively modern city, and it’s laid out on a grid. But for some reason — probably because the buildings are so similar and most of the streets are lined with identical trees — it took me awhile to get the hang of the place. It seemed remarkably easy to get lost or turned around.
In that sort of situation, you rely on local support more than ever. And in Bishkek, that support came from a young woman named Tursunai and a young man named Denis. She’s a staffer at Internews, which was hosting the seminar, and he’s graduating this month from the American University of Central Asia. He found time between studying for final exams and defending his thesis to act as my translator for a week, and he was outstanding.
Both represent the future of their country, and both deserved some special memento. So on May 5, I sent two packages to Bishkek. Each contained a fleece scarf with the newspaper’s logo on it, and each contained a book. Tursunai was sent a copy of the novel Ali and Nino as a present for her 24th birthday, and Denis was sent a copy of Catch 22 as a graduation gift.
One made it safely, and Tursunai e-mailed her thanks. But Denis’s package never showed up at his parents’ apartment on Manas Street.
Or if it did, no one was home to receive it.
My guess was that it had been stolen.
But a battered bundle appeared on my desk over the weekend. The address has been marked out, and there are indecipherable chicken scratches in a couple of different handwritings. A pink form was attached which had printing in Russian and French, but it had been damaged so it was unreadable.
The good news is that it made it safely home, having traveled nearly 14,000 miles there and back at a cost of $12.45.
The better news is that it’s now in the mail, on its way back to Bishkek. This time, it’s been sent to Tursunai’s office.
It probably won’t make it in time for graduation. But it’s the thought that counts.[[In-content Ad]]
Except for one thing. The package was never delivered.
Let me explain, or try to.
After returning from a press development project in Central Asia early last month, I wanted to send some gifts back to folks who had been particularly helpful.
As it happened, both were in Bishkek, the somewhat funky little city of about a million people which is the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek’s a relatively modern city, and it’s laid out on a grid. But for some reason — probably because the buildings are so similar and most of the streets are lined with identical trees — it took me awhile to get the hang of the place. It seemed remarkably easy to get lost or turned around.
In that sort of situation, you rely on local support more than ever. And in Bishkek, that support came from a young woman named Tursunai and a young man named Denis. She’s a staffer at Internews, which was hosting the seminar, and he’s graduating this month from the American University of Central Asia. He found time between studying for final exams and defending his thesis to act as my translator for a week, and he was outstanding.
Both represent the future of their country, and both deserved some special memento. So on May 5, I sent two packages to Bishkek. Each contained a fleece scarf with the newspaper’s logo on it, and each contained a book. Tursunai was sent a copy of the novel Ali and Nino as a present for her 24th birthday, and Denis was sent a copy of Catch 22 as a graduation gift.
One made it safely, and Tursunai e-mailed her thanks. But Denis’s package never showed up at his parents’ apartment on Manas Street.
Or if it did, no one was home to receive it.
My guess was that it had been stolen.
But a battered bundle appeared on my desk over the weekend. The address has been marked out, and there are indecipherable chicken scratches in a couple of different handwritings. A pink form was attached which had printing in Russian and French, but it had been damaged so it was unreadable.
The good news is that it made it safely home, having traveled nearly 14,000 miles there and back at a cost of $12.45.
The better news is that it’s now in the mail, on its way back to Bishkek. This time, it’s been sent to Tursunai’s office.
It probably won’t make it in time for graduation. But it’s the thought that counts.[[In-content Ad]]
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