Where are we?

To our north is Russia. To our south we find the Middle East. To the west lies Europe, and to the east is China.

Intersecting these four giants is a vast region called Central Asia, a land that trades all these cultures but holds allegiance to none of them. As I write these words, I am sitting in a European style mall, watching as people with East Asian faces sip tea and eat shawarma. A woman in hijab sits next to another woman in shorts, wearing fake Nike’s. They are speaking Russian. Outside my window I see several gray high-rise apartments, built under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev during the Soviet era.

In a very real sense, Central Asia is right in the middle of everywhere. It has been this way for centuries, ever since the emergence of the Silk Road. Central Asia has always found itself at the heart of a great cultural conversation.

But at the same time, this region of the world has remained largely enigmatic to most living in the West. Many people struggle to find these countries on a map. Headlines may appear from time to time but only to portray the region as a growing child struggling to find its place in the world. And to a certain extent this may be understandable. Centuries of conquest and colonialism have left many Central Asians questioning their own identity, wondering what it means to be Kyrgyz, or Kazakh, or any other of the many ethnic groups within this area.

But aside from these difficulties, Central Asia still has much to offer, especially for those who look for it. A benefit of being in the middle of nowhere is that you can find treasures only the middle of nowhere can provide. A treasure is only a treasure when other people don’t have access to it. The fact that only a handful have accessed Central Asia is part of what makes it so valuable to us. At least to me.

I want to share this treasure with you. I would love for you to join me as we explore this mysterious region, full of fascinating and forgotten places. We’ll hear stories from all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds and values. We may even get the chance to participate in the great cultural conversation that has been happening here for centuries.

Let’s learn what it’s like to live in the middle of nowhere and everywhere.

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Exploring the treasures of Central Asia and its people, one story at a time.

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Travel writer exploring the hidden gems of Central Asia // Студент богатого русского языка