Beat the Heat ... with fountains!

Cooling off in downtown Bishkek

Monday was a holiday (the end of Ramadan), so the kids were home. We were uninspired to play outside because of the heat, and Josh was suffering from terrible allergies, but by evening, I was determined to get out of the house. I popped Sebby in his stroller so Misha and I could power walk all the way down Erkindik boulevard to get to the ploshad (square) in downtown Bishkek. The square is filled with beautiful fountains, so in anticipation, I had told the boys to wear swim trunks instead of shorts.

 A feast of color: Bright red flowers bloom in Erkindik boulevard.

Ice cream stop: Stracciatella for Misha, and chocolate for Sebby

It worked out perfectly. Right before arriving at the ploshad, we stopped for some Italian-style ice cream and finished eating it by the fountains. The plaza was filled with people milling around leisurely or resting on benches, children perched on the ledges of the fountains, and vendors selling everything from candy and toys to rides in battery-operated kid cars. The sun, on its way down, glinted off the buildings to create a cozy glow as the wind-blown sprinkles from the fountains cooled the warm air. The deafening Kyrgyz pop music drowning out the buzz of conversation inspired Misha and Sebby to start dancing and marching among the fountains. Groups of people watched them from afar, smiling at their antics.

The great thing about Bishkek is that no one gives you dirty looks if your children actually go into the fountains. What could be better? They are shallow enough for children, equipped with their own sprinklers, and completely free! The boys dipped their feet, waded, and slid their way along the slippery sidewalks between the fountains. Other children joined them, hiking up dresses or stripping down to boxer shorts. They had a blast. 

Sebby struts along the slick cement as the sun strikes the building.

Another dance move

Misha goes all in

Summer joy!

Other kids join in

Sundown

The Kyrgyz flag waves over the ploshad

The statue of Manas, the Kyrgyz national hero, also watches over the square.

Home again, home again. Jiggity jog.

Finally, as dusk neared, I cajoled them out of the water and we made our way back home, their suits drying in the night air. Sebby shrieked as Misha pushed his stroller as fast as he could. By the time we got home, it was dark and time for bed. It was one of those evenings where everything turned out perfectly - the kids were content with simple pleasures, and so was their mother.

Oh How Lovely is the Evening

Summer evenings are always my favorite time of the day. The sun's glare softens and the air cools to a pleasant temperature - calling us to come out and enjoy the end of the day.

Sebby delights in watching leaves or other objects get whisked away in the current.

After school, the kids usually want to play outside, a great time of day since I don't have to worry so much about sun screen. Lately, we've been fascinated by the water gushing down the huge cement gutters. Kyrgyzstan doesn't have a lot for natural resources in comparison with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but it DOES have water. From summer rains and snow melting in the mountains, the water rushes in torrents, filling the gutters sometimes knee-high.

Little gutters feed into bigger ones. All the gutters are open, except for where they disappear through tunnels as they continue under roads or sidewalk-crossings. These gutters pose endless opportunities for a kids-museum-like experimentation. Sebby never tires of dropping leaves in one side and watching them come out the other. I got all excited and made several origami boats to release into our canals. But even though I "waterproofed" my paper on both sides by coloring with crayon, the boat didn't even last one trip down the gutter. By the end of the block, the current had unfolded the entire boat and left the paper bedraggled.

Alternately, we drop plastic Coke-bottle lids, balloons, or balls, which we pick back up again instead of letting them get stuck in the mass of garbage that builds up at various points along the river. And we discovered another project as well - collecting all the abandoned popsicle sticks that litter the ground to weave into a raft. I must admit, I am no less enthused by these gutters than the kids!

So much for the paper boats ...

Jump!

Away it goes!

Our popsicle raft

There it goes!

On our follow-the-water walk

Dropping leaves

I also recently bought a plastic picnic blanket, which we take outside to sit on as we eat crackers, chocolate, juice, etc. I keep meaning to do a picnic that's a bit more involved!

Misha and Vladik decided to play "shokoladni shashki" - chocolate checkers. They ate up their captured pieces.

We also head over to the school park near us for biking, scootering, and badminton.

Is this a winning shot or what?!

Cool and confident

As it's been raining a lot, Sebby has had lots of opportunities to play in the puddles.

The joy of mud! 

And, of course, the sand.

Sometimes Vladik manages to convince Misha to play soccer ("futbol" to the rest of the world) for a little bit.

We also have a little outdoor pool in our neighborhood. The water is on the cold side, but nonetheless, the kids had fun. Misha and I were ready to get out LONG before Sebby was! He was kicking around in his little inner-tube with a huge smile on his face the whole time.

The hot weather is also perfect for squirt guns.

Water gun gangstas

Another park - Yujnaya Vorota.

When I get tired of staying around our same area, we take walks. This week, we got together with an old friend, who was one of our very first Russian teachers the first time we came to Kyrgyzstan. After returning to America, we had lost track of Svieta and I had feared she had long since moved to Russia. But then, in another great coincidence, we bumped into each other on the street not long ago. This week, we met up in a park so our kids could play and we could chat. Her daughter Vika is the same age as Misha, and although Misha doesn't remember it, he played with her when he was a baby! Vika has a five-year-old brother now.  Unfortunately, they are moving to Russia next month along with both sets of grandparents, so we won't have a chance to see them very much. But there's always Facebook, right?

Sebby, Misha, Vika, and Nikita.

Svieta and the kids

 

More than six years ago, it was Vika who gave Misha his first kiss! (not counting his mama)