Kyrgyz State Opera and Ballet Where else in the world can two people spend an afternoon - performances usually start at 5 pm - at the opera for US$10? Making the most of this we have had a full weekend of culture. Madame Butterfly on Friday evening. Cavalleria Rusticana on Saturday evening. And the Kyrgyz National Ballet dancing Cholpon on Sunday evening. The productions are lavish and the performers talented but, sadly, performances are not well attended - there are more people in the orchestra and cast than in the auditorium. Is this because opera and ballet were Soviet imports and not really a Kyrgyz thing? Nonetheless, the standard is impressive. We enjoyed a superb performance from a Kyrgyz soprano in La Traviata a few weeks ago and have been delighted that subsequent performances have generally not disappointed. The theatre itself is amazing and recently renovated. We intend to enjoy it to the full while we are here. This weekend was the culmination of the season but we have been told to watch the Times of Central Asia for announcements of visiting productions during the summer. We will.

Planning workshop Staff from the three campuses - Tekeli in Kazakhstan, Naryn in Kyrgyzstan and Khorog in Tajikistan - came to Bishkek last weekend for a planning workshop for the School of Professional and Continuing Education. Courses in English for Business and Accounting Technology are planned to start in October this year. There's a lot still to be done and we'll meet again in August.

Living in style Our apartment in Bishkek is straight out of Homes and Gardens, a stark contrast to our little house in Dushanbe. That's once across the threshold! Step outside the door and the stairwell is unpainted concrete and the lift - we're on the sixth floor - doesn't work. But those 112 steps are good exercise. As for our baggage, the last report is that it was still held in Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, it is part of a consignment that includes helicopter spares for the AKDN helicopter that will be based in Bishkek. So far, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the Ministries of Defence, have got involved. Fortunately we don't need our winter clothes yet and the apartment is pretty well equipped with the basics.