Living in Kyrgyzstan

I have started this post many times over the past three and a half months, but figure it is time to actually post about life here.   We have learned most of the ropes to surviving here - thankfully there weren't too many and although it isn't our beloved Belgium it is starting to feel like home.
We have gone on a family vacation up to Kazakhstan and finally have our car so we can attempt to drive to more sites.  Before the car was here we walked and used taxis, which has been an experience in itself. 
The people here speak Kyrgyz and Russian.  I have had Russian lessons for the last couple of months, and can now read the letters and know some vocabulary to help with the day to day life. 
The kids are doing well, we are getting used to living in an apartment, and we are thankful for the parks in the area.  We can sill get Kinder eggs and ice cream is cheap enough that it has become a more common staple during these hot months.  We all miss our friends, but we are slowly getting a base of people that we can depend on, which i am thankful for. 
We are 13 hours ahead of the West Coast, which makes talking to family both easy and hard at the same time.
Dominic's work is going well and he is enjoying it, which I am thankful for.  The Ambassador retired this month, so we are waiting to see if and when that position will get filled, but until it is, work continues as before.
We have enjoyed wandering around and seeing the sites of Bishkek and the mountains that are to the south of the city.  Here are some pictures of the last few months, the first three collages are Bishkek itself, the last one is around the area.