Bienvenue! This is the grand opening entry for Ryan and Becky's blog. We are two 30-somethings who have relocated for a couple of years to Kyrgyzstan. Early in 2010 Ryan and I got the itch to take our show on the road, namely to Central Asia. We tossed our names in a few hats at work and luckily it all came together late last year. Ryan got a posting in Osh and directly manages a field office for a national-level development project. I support my DC-based international development company in a variety of ways remotely, using Osh as a launching pad. I'll stop there as more details on our lives will be added throughout.
I also want to mention our inspiration for this blog - we wanted to keep our family and friends close to our hearts and in our lives. What better way than through short text posted on the internet along with supplemental, quirky images? But seriously, steady communication increases in importance with greater distance, and we live over 12,000 miles away from home. As for the title, Ryan and I happen to speak some Russian, have more than the average number of visas in our passports, and we can't really explain our day jobs to folks not familiar with US government aid work. When all that information is shared, we most often hear in response, "(puzzled look) Oh... I get it. You're like, a spy? (wink) That's cool." False. Ryan and I are not spies and we deny any intelligence-related activities! But our blog title is a cheeky nod to all those who may still harbor suspicions. :)
Now, onto our regular programming...
