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deadmantalking117 · 7 years

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ONE OF "THOSE" PEOPLE

I'm on Social Security Disability. S.S.I. Medicare. Have been a long time. I'm putting that right out front because what I've learned in the past 35 years is this... Most of Americans haven't got the first clue what that means or what's involved. The staggering amount of misinformation going around out there is truly impressive. So today my diseased maniacs we're going to cover some of that misinformation. Maybe clear up a couple things. This is going to a longer one. Everyone stay frosty! PEOPLE ON DISABILITY ARE SCAMMERS WHO ONLY WANT A FREE RIDE FROM US REAL TAXPAYERS! I've refered to the disability system as ThunderDome. There is nothing easy about it. It's an ordeal like no other. No job I've ever heard of can match the unbridled carnage of working through the disability system! To begin with... you don't just decide.. "I don't feel like working anymore!" Only a doctor can decide that.. several of them actually. Plus a bunch of government types. People hear about disability scammers and think that some lazy dude is sitting around.. drinking beer.. collecting his checks. The real scammers are anything but lazy.. they are usually doctors actually.. and they work their asses off! The people they use are usually ignorant dupes. Getting on disability is so daunting it discourages lazy people from getting it. Even when they really need it. I've known several people who were genuinely sick or injured. But they just gave up because it was too overwhelming. There was a really popular article going around facebook about these people who got disability so they could get free money from some other agency which got them more money from this place..which got them even more money from that place. It was like 10 different money grabs and they were living in a mansion raking in over a quarter million a year. Plus food stamps. These things dont exsist. While some of the programs might exsist. Having one cancels the possibility of getting some others.. there are different agencies that have their own programs.. but unless they were using multiple IDs.. I highly doubt it. And after i show you next, the ordeal to just get started.. you should doubt it too. But if they were able to pull this off.. they worked their butts off for it! I'm not saying it right.. but it's impressive. Years ago I worked for an electronics store. We had VCRs hooked together to copy tapes. A guy came in a couple times to make a copy of surveillance tapes he'd made. He was an investigator for the government.. he followed people who'd been "injured" and tape them. I personally watched 12 different cases of fraud. My favorite was the really hot girl he videoed hobbling out of the court house on crutches. With a neck brace. Cut to the very next day.. in a bikini.. doing actual cartwheels on the beach. He had a dozen more. My point is. Of course there are always going to be lazy people who want to take advantage. But its really not that simple. And not as many people get away with it as you might think. YOU'RE THINKING.. HEY, DISABILITY STILL SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST DEAL EVER! WHERE DO I SIGN UP? You get sick or injured You have to be permanently sick or injured.. Meaning you're never going to get better. If there's any chance you'll get better.. You're out Next you're doctor has to decide that you're not ever going to recover..that usually takes a few years.. hundreds of tests.. thousands of dollars. If he doesn't think you're disabled.. You're out Now the fun part. You apply for disability . Send off for your forms and applications. With your doctor's blessing you gather up all your medical records from all of your doctors. And oh yeah.. if you only need 1 or 2 doctors.. You're probably out. When I started applying.. I had 3 file boxes with records.. just the past 2 or 3 years. I imagine that's a bit different today.. computer records weren't around then. But if you do apply.. You'll still need lots of your medical information at your fingertips. You get your first official government envelopes. Actually big stuffed things with information pamphlets and more forms than you've ever seen. Massive amounts of new information that you have to learn. More about forms later... Be sure to read and fill out EVERY line.. every space. Write neatly. Spell check. If theres any confusion on any questions... Or any missing info. They can't read or understand what you're writting..You're out. Start over again. Somehow you've done it.. all your forms are filled out neatly and correctly.. you've provided tons of proof about your illness.. you've provided them with every single scrap of financial information about you since you were born. You have your doctors blessing.. all 3 of them in fact! They now know everything there is to know about you.. seriously.. EVERYTHING . Those forms are extremely comprehensive. No one disputes your claim.. everyone agrees.. you are disabled. You get your reply after maybe 90 days DISABILITY DECLINED Because of course! Everyone gets turned down the first time.. or two. It's kinda built into the system.. by turning down everyone at first.. it weeds out the scammers! Remember that lazy beer drinking scammer.. he's done with this shit. He just spent the past couple months working his butt off for NOTHING! But not you.. You're not faking it.. you are seriously sick. You can barely get out of bed some days. And you have a family to take care of. So.. You file an appeal.. and you have 90 days to start that.. so get to it! You send in your appeal application and sometime in the next 90 days or so. More giant envelopes arrive with more forms. And more information to absorb. But whats funny? A lot of these forms have the exact same information as the forms you've already filled out! They already have all this information.. remember that after the first round.. they know everything there is to know about you.. but ok fine.. we'll tell the tale again. And you submit your appeal.. this time it's a bit easier.. but still time consuming.. and don't forget how sick you still are. This is it! You get your official government envelope. APPEAL DENIED You look at your 3 boxes of files. Your two file folders for your copies of the applications and the appeal.. plus the separate file for all your current financial info. All your financial info has to be current. Every utility bill.. bank statements.. credit cards.. receipts.. you have to prove where every dime goes and it must be up to the minute. You just wanna go have a beer with lazy scammer guy now. But cant do that! You got a family to take care of.. and you've barely been able to work at all the past couple years. Besides.. now you're kinda pissed. No one disputes that you should be on disability.. except apparently uncle Sam. Time to get a T.V. lawyer! Disability lawyers serve a useful function to the system. Their job is to review all of your information and get it up to government specs. When you hire a disability lawyer they don't charge you to take your case. They'll only take you if they're sure you're actually disabled. That's because they only get paid if you win your new appeal. The good part about applying for disability is that everything starts from the date of your first application. Meaning, once you do get approved.. you usually have a couple years of back pay coming. The lawyers get a quarter or third of that first check. You get say ten thousand dollars.. they get three of that. It's actually a good deal for both of you. The lawyer doesn't have to do much. You've already done every bit of the work for them. They review it all. Make sure you dotted your T's and crossed your I's. Then pretty it up and file for round 3. It's a good deal for you.. because if a lawyer does take your case on contingency.. You're probably going to get approved (eventually) The hearing before a disability judge. You meet your lawyer again at whatever government building your hearing is being held in. And she leads you into a conference room. You chat for about a half hour or so before the hearing starts so she can review your testimony. You're going to have to to convince a judge that you're sick.. not just with your boxes of files.. show him what that means for you. My lawyer told me.. if you feel like you have to have a bowel movement. Or you get nauseous during the hearing.. be sure to ask the judge for a break. These hearings are stressful on people. Especially people with Crohns. So dont hesitate to ask for a break. ( ok.. I thought.. thats aweful considerate.. but I'm fine right now) The she took my hand and looked me in the eyes. Speaking very slowly and deliberately she says again...You need to be sure to ask for a break if you feel any need to go to the bathroom at all. Understand? ( aaahhh.. ok got it ! Wink,wink, nudge, nudge, say no more!) The hearing last less than an hour or so. The lawyer and the judge review some legalese. Most of what they're talking about is gibberish to me. After a half hour.. I asked to be excused to go to the bathroom. I actually did have pee a little. But afterwards while we're walking out she smiles at me and says.. that went well. Finally after almost 2 years I got approved! But thats only the start of the real work. Now I'm officially one of "those" people. A drain on society.. a sponge.. a parasite. At least now I can be sure that I have a few hundred bucks coming in each month. I still work part time.. You're allowed to make less than a thousand dollars per month in income when you go on disability.. so the very most I can bring in between my S.S.I. and whatever I can still earn is maybe 20,000 dollars per year. This is what they mean by living in a fixed income. We're livin large now baby! But the more important issue is.. I have some kind of insurance finally! But theres so much more in store for you. YOU'VE DONE IT.. YOU'RE ON DISABILITY. THE CASH IS ROLLING IN AND THE DOCTORS ARE GETTING PAID. IT'S MILLER TIME! RIGHT? Not quite. Over and over you'll get envelopes from good ole Baltimore Maryland. Home of the social security administration. They need this.. or they don't have their copy of that. Random letters with some new form. The thing about government forms is.. their meaning isnt always clear. They seem a little convoluted sometimes. "Add the total of lines 17b to lines 17c and 17h. But only if it is in direct opposition to the tertiary algorithm from form 3768-d. You may need to reference your proprietary issuance schedule to access the proper formula to make this claim. (U.S. Government Form 6009)." I don't know how they could make that any clearer.. I'm just saying.. I'm not really that smart. Which one was line 17b again? Regular updates on your income from the local offices. Gotta bring copies of all your newest bills.. and oh yeah.. that 3000 in stocks you saved from your last job? That's gotta go!. You can generate income from stock ownership.. You're not allowed too much income remember? And we need to double check every bank accout you have.. verify that you dont have a dime. The guy who checks under your mattresses will be out sometime on Tuesday. Then of course the reviews. Occasionally they'll want to have you checked out by their people to make sure you didn't accidentally get better. Now, because my disease has been well documented for 35 years and it's incurable. I've only had 2 reviews. The first one after a couple years. He just reviewed my charts. And signed off. No exam .. no tests. Barely said a word. My last one was about 3 years ago. He was awesome. We went into his office and just made fun of the system. He couldn't believe I was there. He gets paid by the government to check the patients the computer sends to him. He said.. "I get a few people in per week that have incurable diseases.. what do they think is going to happen? I'm going to say wow! His intestines grew back.. he's all better now!" He said he did get some questionable patients. They get completely retested for whatever they supposedly had. But the vast majority were legit. We had to spend a half hour together for the interview and records review.. we talked about movies for 25 of those minutes. One more thing. Never change your job. It confuses everything. "You mean.. You're working less hours at a more convenient job. And you still aren't making over $1000 .. right? We'll need to see all your financial info since 1954. " But I wasnt even born til 59! "Oh.. in that case.. we'll need your 6472-g25 Waiver issuance request. For amortization of residual issuances notwithstanding any prior findings of such issuances. (U.S. Government form 77684)" OOPS ! I DID IT AGAIN - I THINK I MIGHT HAVE SCREWED SOMETHING UP. usually with all the forms flying back and forth. The government is actually quite reasonable about you handing in your homework. On most forms and information requests. You get like 30 days for this or 90 days to reply to that. But always more than enough time. If you do screw up something, you get a warning shot.. but honestly I wouldn't push it.. Keep up with your paperwork.. be timely. Once there's a problem. It takes time to iron it out. You may not be getting paid while you do. Years ago.. we had moved to a new place in the same town. My checks have always been direct deposit. So I never thought to file with social security.. stuff got forwarded automatically anyway. But one month. My account is empty. And I call to ask why. They've temporarily suspended my check until they could investigate potential fraud. Right after we moved. The very next month actually. The street we used to live on got it's name changed! We had lived at 133 main st.. but now there was no such place. I could prove that I was in fact living now at 768 elm st. But the previous 5 years? How could you have been living at 133 main when there's no such place? So I had to go down to the local office and explain that 133 main st. Is still there... it's just called 133 terrace ave now. I offered to drive the guy over and show him the house. But he was familiar with the situation already and was actually able to get into the system and fix it. Next month I got 2 checks. A DEAD MAN'S REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM The Social Security system is actually as far as I've seen and in my vast experience . Not all that bad. It's kind of an unwieldy beast. And I'm sure there are many areas that could be improved upon.. but there's a lot to say good about it. After a couple years of grinding persistence. I got in. No one ever for a second denied that I was disabled.. like I said. It's just how it works. Once you're in.. there's still work to be done.. lots of it. But you can deal with that. For doing your homework on time. You get a check on the third of every month. Without fail. I have direct deposit. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Your check goes in promptly on the 3rd. And in months where the 3rd is a weekend or holiday, you get it earlier. In the bank. No waiting for the mailman. Medicare takes care of your doctors. So you don't have to stress over all that. They keep all your records. I just go to my appointments. Or the ER. Or hospital. The doctors know what Medicare covers. Medicare takes care of the bills. Better than any insurance.. I don't have to stay in network. No pre approvals. No deductibles. Usually no copays. Insurance companies are a horror to deal with. And they can say no anytime they want.. it's their job to deny coverage. I've never been denied treatment, ever. When I had heart issues out of the blue last year. I got wheeled through a battery of tests. Never saw a bill. I get statements from Baltimore that say on the envelopes NOT A BILL. I'm sure there are many things that require some discussion. But all the regular stuff is covered. Prescriptions are usually a dollar or two. Government employees.. contrary to popular belief.. are usually efficient and helpful. The vast majority of people that work for the administration are quite good at their jobs. There are people who suck at their jobs.. in every job. Even doctors! ( Dr Pencil Mustache) but the main issue with employees at social security offices is. There are so many claimants and so many rules.. and so much paperwork. Bring a book! Usually they're quick getting you in and out. Say.. better than the DMV. Not as quick as the post office. But then the post office doesnt have to deal with "form HG563-d/5 special dispensation for administrative assessment facilitates as they pertain to cost distribution for the amortizing schedules for the year 2018. (Reorder form 7887)" so they got it pretty easy over there. Being one of "THOSE" people used to bother me a lot. Being a welfare parasite, feeding off the teats of good hardworking folks... It's embarrassing for people to know. And the reaction from some people is scary. Most people understand that - I didn't do anything wrong. They're glad we live in a country where we try to look out for each other. And everyone agrees that things could certainly be improved upon. But some people are cruel. It would be better if I just threw myself onto a funeral pyre and saved the taxpayers some money. But the thing is.. I'm a taxpayer too.. for over 40 years.. and I really enjoy irritating assholes. So.... Dead Man Talking!

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pc-notarzt · 6 years

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From a 9-to-5 to the open road, this local couple is taking a risk on the past

There’s a young couple in West Palm Beach fighting against the 24/7 digital era that is their lives. They don’t want to be victims of it, and who can blame them? It’s exhausting.

Being connected all day, every day is a drag. And while, yes, a "company" phone is a luxury these days, let’s be real: It’s never really a perk. Because of it, there’s no “clock out” button in 2018 — unless you create it for yourself like the Burgoons have.

The traveling thrifters and owners of Something Good Boutique are breaking free from the digital, 9-to-5 workday, one mile and one piece of clothing at a time. The online resale boutique in West Palm opened in 2016, and for the couple, the small business venture means sending fewer texts and taking more trips. It also means more focus on the old and less on the new. What a life.

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on Aug 15, 2017 at 6:38am PDT

By picking through thrift shops across the country, the Burgoons up-cycle what they find, hoping to reduce their textile waste and ours.

“Brands used to produce for four seasons, now there are 52 seasons. Every week there’s a new line coming out. That’s so much clothing and so much waste. It’s not just that these brands are low quality, but they’re pumping [the clothes] out so fast,” said Christina Burgoon.

One scroll through the boutique’s Instagram account and you see their mission and their vibe. The couple takes the tediousness out of thrift-hopping, giving the eco-conscious fashionista a curated shopping experience. And this is just the beginning. Tap on over to Poshmark to get the full, vintage digs experience.

“I have such a passion for vintage clothes because those clothes were built to withstand the test of time. And I know that that piece of clothing has a story, and I don’t want that story to end at a landfill,” Christina noted.

I’m still in love with mixing patterns. (Peep

the amazing bag she got on @poshmark)

shop patterns in the closet today!

#gotsomethinggood

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on Oct 3, 2017 at 6:27am PDT

Christina Burgoon, 28, made the first step in February of 2018 by quitting her full-time job and dedicating her time to building the boutique’s brand. Meanwhile, her husband Paul, 30, keeps the dream alive and the family-of-four fed with his full-time engineering gig in Vero Beach. The Burgoons married in 2016 and have two rescued dogs.

Last fall, after emptying out their savings, they purchased a 1987 Toyota Sunraider. And they put that baby to work. From exploring the open road to storing vintage merch, their Sunraider is life, and the Burgoons, like their generational peers, are supporting brighter ideas of this "entitled" group.

Millennials are more than the selfie generation. They’re hustlers. They don’t just dream — they live. Big — or small — depending on your perspective.

Y’ALL!! I’m the fastest packager on the East Coast!!

no, but for real – I did this time lapse to show how much love goes in to a posh package. And, I’m not just tooting my own horn. There’s so many poshers who have such adorable packaging. Just look up #poshpackages and you’ll see! Anyone can throw up an item on Poshmark sell it and ship it BUT what’s making you stand out among the rest? Is it a business card? A free gift? A stamp? Pretty tape? I know a lot of successful poshers have gotten to the point where they’ve become lazy and only care about the purchase and not all the steps before and after. Y’all, these buyers WILL come back. I promise you that. Stand out, be different, go the extra mile. Even if it means standing up for 3 hours making sure everything is perfect. Even if it means lint rolling for hours to make sure there’s not a SINGLE speck on the item. Even if it means running out half way through packaging because you ran out of tape AGAIN. For me, it’s not about shipping off an item and collecting your money. I’m trying to brand myself and you should be, too. And at the end of the day, if I made someone’s day because I sent their package with glittery tape then it’s all worth it, right?

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on May 8, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

So when it comes to their smartphones, they’re not completely disconnected. They can’t be. These hustlers have to get the word out. And unlike days of old, they can own the commercial space with their exact target audience for little financial investment.

There’s no such thing as being "anti-internet," not with a business just beginning to the bloom. Something Good Boutique banks almost 90% of its sales from website purchases. And people find this website through the boutique’s social media.

“We were looking for an outlet to travel and to do what we like to do, and that’s re-purpose [clothing],” said Paul. “The internet allows us to have an income on the road, and the RV gives us storage for the clothes.”

Because they carry their finds in their vintage ride, they can ship them from anywhere as soon as someone makes an online order. Talk about near-instant gratification. This flexibility means they can keep moving and avoid paying rent for a physical store.

The RV is basically the fifth member of their family, which is why it’s affectionately been named “Marty.” And Marty’s loaded: queen size bed, full bathroom, living room, water tank, kitchen and plenty of storage.

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on Mar 12, 2018 at 6:33am PDT

The Burgoons have traveled to several states on the East Coast, and the Midwest is their next target. The couple says that every location keeps things exciting, and not just because of the natural beauty and state parks.

“Every single state that you go to has a different niche. In Daytona Beach [Florida], we’ve found a lot of vintage Harley Davidson and Nascar. Here in Palm Beach County we’ve found a lot of retro Chanel items,” said Christina. “Just one state up, in Georgia, the fashion is much different. You’ll get a more hip-hop vibe in Atlanta, vintage snap back hats, etc.”

The Burgoons want to continue traveling and hopefully join pop-up markets where they can share their findings. In West Palm , you can catch them at Elizabeth Station (if they’re in town.)

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on Jan 21, 2018 at 6:08am PST

The couple also says that traveling allows them to visit family and friends who live in other states. Though living on wheels is a dream for many, it isn’t an easy reality. The Burgoons say shopping can get very expensive and tiring. They can spend anywhere from one to five hours in a single store and may visit five to six stores in a day. Then there’s the hours spent driving across state lines, the money spent on travel expenses and the time lost on stops to walk the dogs or restock the kitchen.

“It’s not an easy life, by any means. It’s a lot of work. Road trips can be exhausting,” said Paul Burgoon. “If you go somewhere for like less than two days, it’s not even worth it.”

Something Good Boutique, at this moment, is still a seed in need of water, but the Burgoons aren’t shying away from the challenge. In small steps, they’re living the life they love, and they couldn’t be happier.

Every mile they travel and every store they visit is more fulfilling than any second could they spend sitting at a desk for someone else’s company.

“That’s the whole point… to be able figure out a way to work and also stay on the road,” said Paul Burgoon. “We want to be outdoors more, no cube-life.”

A post shared by Something Good //

WPB, FL (@somethinggoodboutique) on Dec 2, 2017 at 12:15pm PST

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wayneooverton · 7 years

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12 things you probably didn’t know about Kyrgyzstan

As we evolve into a more digital age, where information is shared in the blink of an eye, the mysteriousness of destinations around the world begins to shrink.

We plan our trips on blogs and get inspired on Instagram, and we often know quite a bit about a place before we ever step foot off the plane there. The more I travel the world, the harder it is I have found to be completely surprised anymore; that initial joy of “wow, I wasn’t expecting that” is much less frequent, the more stamps I collect in my passport.

When I hopped off the plane in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, I knew I was in for a lot of surprises.

While I did some planning and research before I flew halfway around the world to Central Asia, I avoided looking at visual sites and limited my serious planner side, hoping to be surprised.

And guys, surprised I was!

If I had to hanker a guess, I would say most of you guys don’t know anything about Kyrgyzstan, from where it’s located to how to spell it to what’s famous for, Kyrgyzstan has definitely been flying under the radar for international travelers for years.

But not anymore. With a strategic goal of boosting tourism, and knowing they’ve got a lot to offer, Kyrgyzstan is working hard to get the attention it deserves.

25 photos that will inspire you to visit Kyrgyzstan

While I didn’t know much about this stunning country, I certainly left two weeks later almost overwhelmed with things I learned and with a newfound love for this amazing land and people.

Bottled down, here are 12 things you probably didn’t know about Kyrgyzstan. Enjoy!

1. There are some huge mountains

More than 90% of Kyrgyzstan is covered in mountains. There are even three 7,000 meter peaks here. So if you are a mountain fiend like I am, well this is the place for you.

They are fairly accessible if you’re willing to walk or ride. It’s really cheap to hire guides and porters and horses to head into the hills, and trust me, it’ll be the highlight of your trip.

2. And also a ton of lakes

There are about 2000 lakes in Kyrgyzstan, most of them small mountain lakes. In Kyrgyz, the word for lake is “kul” something you’ll see a lot.

Lake Issyk-Kul is where we spent most of our time on the trip. It’s the region with some of the best infrastructure and tourism development, and the huge lake there is magical. It’s the second largest mountain lake in the world, 182 kilometers long and up to 60 kilometers wide. It’s a whopper.

But what makes Issyk-Kul really awesome is that it’s warm and never freezes. In fact, it’s a bit salty. Even more random, the Black Plague is thought to have originated here.

3. It is the definition of a cultural melting pot

One of the biggest surprises for me in Kyrgyzstan is the wide variety of culture and ethnic groups that make up the country. The main language is Russian but also everyone speaks Kyrgys too. Believed to be descended from 40 original tribes, the main current religion is Islam. But, if I’m being honest here, it didn’t really feel like any other Islam country I’ve ever been to before.

About half the people are ethnic Kyrgyz, the rest are Russian, Uzbek, Tatar, Ukrainian, and even ethnic Chinese Muslims called the Dungan people.

We spent a fair bit of time in Karakol with some of the local Dungan folk, and it was so fascinating to learn about how they ended up there. And don’t even get me started on the food.

4. Yurts, yurts everywhere

If you visit Kyrgyzstan, you will spend a lot of time in yurts. They are everywhere.

Though the area we were in was more modern, and while traditional nomadic culture is being preserved, most people live in houses and modern apartments in the cities. We only saw the more “authentic” kind of yurts once we were high in the hills among the nomad shepherds, and even then the yurt is often been replaced by a more modern tent.

One of the best ways to stay is at the yurt camps; they’re everywhere and super cheap. It’s a kind of accommodation that kinda reminds me of Southeast Asia but even better, holing up by the lake in a yurt of your own drinking .60 cent beers and getting a tan and gorging yourself on homemade meals in the communal yurt.

They are an awesome way to stay in Kyrgyzstan.

5. Bridenapping is definitely a thing

Now here is something I’ve never seen before and rarely, if ever, heard about on my travels. Bride kidnapping, ala kachuu in Kyrgyz, which means “grab and run.”

Despite being illegal in Kyrgyzstan, kidnapping brides is pretty common. It ranges from an elaborately staged consensual kidnapping between a couple have have been dating and are already engaged (usually in cities) to definitely not consensual grabbing a woman and forcing her into marriage (more often in rural places).

Even nowadays it’s estimated that half of all marriages in Kyrgyzstan resulted from bridenappings and two thirds are non-consensual. 1 out of ever 10 girls is married before they turn 18. So, um, yeah.

Watch two really good videos about it here and here.

6. It’s one of the easiest Central Asian countries to visit

Kyrgyzstan is currently visa-free for 45 countries (most of the EU, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Austalia etc.) for up to 60 days, making it the easiest of the Central Asian countries to visit as a tourist.

The United States has had strong ties to Kyrgyzstan since the collapse of the Soviet Union, giving over $2 billion in economic and tourism development through USAID (The U.S. Agency for International Developmen, with Kyrgyzstan being is the only freely elected parliamentary democracy in post-Soviet Central Asia. I traveled to Kyrgyzstan with USAID and was fascinated by the close ties with America.

Even more interesting, after decades, USAID is ending in Kyrgyzstan next year after the US State Department awarded a human rights award to Azimzhan Askarov, a journalist and activist currently serving a life sentence in Kyrgyzstan.

7. The food is delightful

My only comparison for Kyrgyz food before I headed over was Mongolia, and after a month there in 2014, I set the bar extremely low when it came to foodie expectations. My bag was stuffed full of granola bars in preparation for meals of sheep’s heads and horse meat.

However, let me tell you, the food in Kyrgyzstan is fabulous!

Barbecued meats, all the noodles, tons of flavor and spices, and of course, lots of dumplings, I definitely put on weight on the trip.

8. But the mare’s milk…

Forget Coca Cola, like Mongolia and many of its Central Asian neighbors, fermented mare’s milk is often the drink of choice. And to the untrained palate (mine), it’s revolting. And will probably give you the runs too.

Best avoided. From personal experience.

9. The World Nomad Games are a must!

Every two years the World Nomad Games are held in Cholpon Ata in an arena that rivals something from Gladiator, and it’s basically the Olympics for Central Asian nomad culture where they compete in 16 traditional games and sports.

While I missed it visiting in 2017, it looks like it’s on for 2018 and you can be rest assured I’ll be back for it.

Ak Zholtoi, the six year old eagle queen of Kyrgyzstan

10. Let’s play, naming your ancestor

One of our young guides told me that in Kyrgyzstan every kid learns and memorizes seven generations back of their fathers and grandfathers.

Growing up American (well I guess I’m still American) I feel like the respect for your ancestors has been culturally lost in recent decades. I certainly cannot name anyone past my grandparents, what about you? Be honest.

It’s refreshing and borderline jarring to be faced with a culture who’s primary importance, i.e. family and the past, is so different than your own which really just focuses on the present. It puts things in rather harsh perspective and it makes me wish I focused more on family. Sorry mom!

11. If you want to fit in, put jam in your tea

Tea drinking is a huge part of the culture in Central Asia and is no exception in Kyrgyzstan. You meet someone, you share a cup of tea. There are often elaborate rituals around how the tea is served, who serves is, what it all means, that’s almost incomprehensible to us outsiders.

But if you want to fit in with the locals, next time you’re offered a cup of tea, add a spoonful of jam into it. Go for the raspberry.

While I’m pretty sure this is a tradition that dates back to Soviet times (don’t quote me but I think they do the jam + tea thing in Russia too) it’s one I definitely can get behind.

12. It’s the most beautiful place you’ve never heard of and now’s the time to go

We all know the phrase hidden gem is totally overused when it comes to travel, but in this case, it’s a perfect fit.

Tourism has only recently begun to be more established in Kyrgyzstan, and only in certain parts of the country. If you are an intrepid, curious traveler who wants to get off the beaten path (yes yes YES) then start looking at flights to Bishkek.

Now is the time to visit Kyrgyzstan. Just wait to be surprised.

Have you been to Central Asia? Is Kyrgyzstan on your bucketlist? What place has surprised you the most traveling? Spill!

Many thanks to USAID for hosting me in Kyrgyzstan, like always I’m keeping it real, all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me.

The post 12 things you probably didn’t know about Kyrgyzstan appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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