From Central Europe to the Tien Shan: TEFL Programs to Kyrgyz Yurts

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Having been worn thin on sales jobs, paltry paychecks and a mundane Middle-America existence, I hopped a London-bound flight in December of 2001. The main destination was meant to be Prague for a TEFL certification program and then elsewhere in Central/Eastern Europe to begin teaching English. Somewhere after the former I got sidetracked on the latter and wound up a few months later staring at the Caspian Sea aboard a Turkmenistan-bound ferry. 'Twas a fine decision in hindsight all the same!

Disclaimer! This is a travelogue of map pins for now. I hoped to scan my old photos from this trip back when I last in the US, but unfortunately couldn't find the time. Hopefully someday I can upload some and write a bit to fill this out.

• 1

  An English Christmas   London, United Kingdom on Dec 20, 2001 0 pictures 0 comments
• 2

  New Year's in Picardie   Amiens, France on Dec 29, 2001 0 pictures 0 comments
• 3

  Stowing some gear with hospitable friends   Braila, Romania on Mar 2, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 4

  Fed up with an ugly situation   Bucharest, Romania on Mar 6, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 5

  Stopping off in a wee old Saxon town   Sighisoara, Romania on Mar 8, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 6

  Land of the whirling dervishes   Konya, Turkey on Apr 18, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 7

  Fairy chimneys and giant phalluses   Göreme, Turkey on Apr 20, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 8

  Monuments and bazaars of old thrust into modernity   Kayseri, Turkey on Apr 23, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 9

  Relics of the old amongst the new   Sivas, Turkey on Apr 24, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 10

  A stunningly-set Ottoman town   Amasya, Turkey on Apr 26, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 11

  Slapped in the face by bureaucracy   Ankara, Turkey on Apr 28, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 12

  Georgia's second city   Kutaisi, Georgia on May 4, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 13

  An ancient city of caverns   Akhaltsikhe (and Vardzia), Georgia on May 6, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 14

  Up in the soaring Caucasus   Kazbegi, Georgia on May 11, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 15

  A final day in Georgia   Tbilisi, Georgia on May 12, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 16

  An overnight trip to an old Alpine resort town   Dilijan, Armenia on May 18, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 17

  Procuring the elusive Turkmen visa   Yerevan, Armenia on May 22, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 18

  Avoiding the conflict zone   Tbilisi, Georgia on May 23, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 19

  The sunbaked wastes of the eastern Caspian   Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan on Jun 1, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 20

  The run-down charm of Romania's biggest port   Constanta, Romania on Jul 16, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments
• 21

  Closing time   Bucharest, Romania on Jul 18, 2002 0 pictures 0 comments