Bill's Blog

Historical fiction brings history to life. The technique is simple. Imagine the day-to-day events, motivations, reflections, relationships (basically being a human being) that are behind the historical facts one can read on a Wikipedia page or history textbook. I never thought I would be interested in reading about the life of the Austrian film director G.W. Pabst, who died four days after I was born in 1967. That is the magic of historical fiction, telling the human stories behind history.

Daniel Kehlmann’s book is an easy read because the German-language author’s writing is elegant and engaging. G.W. Pabst’s life is interesting in several ways. His film career coincides with film moving from silent movies to sound. Early in his career, he was ahead of his time and was one of the first directors to use the idea of “continuity” in movies. Examples of this include showing an actor looking off to her left, and then showing what she is looking at in the next film shot (eyeline match in film jargon). Another is showing an actor reaching to open the door and in the next shot, move the shot close in to show his hand twisting the doorknob (cutting the action). Today we take this for granted, but in the early days of film, directors used to let the scene end with a single shot and then clumsily change to the start of the next scene. It fascinates me how people use new technology to advance their craft. AI is the latest advancement we are dealing with now.

Pabst’s life is also fascinating because he was visiting his sick mother in France at the outbreak of World War II. French authorities forced him and his family to go to Nazi Germany. Pabst made films in France and America prior to being forced back to his home in Austria and was not sympathetic to the National Socialist cause. Kehlmann captures the spirit of an artist trying to be creative and free under Goebel’s propaganda regime. I kept thinking of the Trump Presidency and his focus on culture in the USA. Nazi Germany is an extreme version of this. The book explores how people subdue their true beliefs and feelings in an authoritarian government. For many, it was comply and not offend, otherwise you would be sent to a work camp or worse.

The book also made me think about the fleeting nature of fame and pop culture. I have not seen or heard of any of the movies, actors, or directors featured in the book, except for the actress, Greta Garbo. I don’t watch movies from the silent era (1895-1929), and not many are popular almost a century after the era ended. I guess Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are the two actors that most people know who they are. I also don’t watch films from the Golden Age of Hollywood (1930-1960), and those classic black-and-white films will eventually fade from popular culture like the silent films of the previous era. Even movies from my childhood (original Planet of the Apes for example) will face a similar fate. I will try to watch Pabst’s most famous movie, Pandora’s Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks (below)

Kehlmann describes a large cast of characters on how they got by in Nazi Germany. From the people that were elevated (the lowly Pabst estate caretaker) to an English BBC journalist who made broadcasts aimed at England for the Nazis. One vignette that stood out was the use of concentration camp prisoners that served as extras in the two Pabst films he made during the war. I am interested in reading his other book about Alexander von Humboldt, the German geographer who mapped much of the interior of South America.

We had a nice weekend in Tashkent. It was a busy Saturday with our school hosting the Central Asia Federation of Athletics Volleyball Tournament. Ocean was watching her boyfriend Roman play on our U19 team. Sunday was spent cleaning, shopping and packing as we continue to wind our time down here in Uzbekistan. Nadia and I attended a performance of La Traviata, one of the most performed operas in the canon. I love the live music and singing, and Nadia tolerates it for me. This was a good one to attend because of the ties to one of her favorite movies, Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. We watched it together when we first started dating and it matches the story of La Traviota, a rich nobleman falls in love with a courtesan. The director of this version set it in early-20th-century Paris and included a silent ghost figure who came and went during scenes. My ear is not good enough to critique the singing. I thought it was a top rate performance!

I had a rare mid-week long run on Wednesday afternoon. The fresh green of the trees, a light rain, and the freshness of the canal made for an exhilarating experience. I will definitely miss the Ankhor Canal. I wonder how many kilometers I’ve run/cycled on it over the past 7 years.

The Class of 2026 Grade 12 students celebrated their last day of regular classes with an assembly, clap-out, and lunch this past Wednesday. It was the end of an era for Nadia and me, with Ocean graduating next month, we will no longer have our children at school with us while we are working. Ocean is ready to be done with PK-12 education, and we are excited for her next step. However, it is sad that we now join the rest of the working world by not having our children at our workplace. Every day is Bring Your Child to Work Day with international school teachers. It was probably the biggest “perk” of being an international school educator for all these years. Just having the opportunity to glimpse them at lunch in the cafeteria or to really understand their lives was special.

Ocean will now be on study leave until IB exams start next week. I accompanied her to watch the volleyball championships this weekend we are hosting at our school. Nadia and I are supporting her as she finishes high school on a strong note.

Last Sunday, my friend Aaron and I hiked through the beautiful Aksakatasay River Canyon. The spring is the best time for exploring the mountains of Uzbekistan. The snow melt supports new green grasses and wildflowers before livestock and the dry heat of summer make it all disappear. The highest peaks still have snow this time of the year, providing a picturesque background. The drive from Tashkent to the village of Shuldak takes about 90 minutes, and you are in a world away from the city. Spring is also a time for Uzbek families and friends to head up to the mountains for picnics and socializing. Very few people here are into mountaineering and at this time of year, we hiked by different family groups and university students setting up BBQ or picnic areas near roads or two-track trails that have vehicle access. Aaron and I were the only serious hikers in the canyon on a gorgeous, sunny spring day in mid-April.

The Aksakatasay River flows from the mountains, draining a watershed of 453 square kilometers. The spring snowmelt created a fast-flowing river. The Aksakatasay eventually flows into the Chirchiq River, which Russian engineers used to create the Ankhor Canal System that flows through Tashkent. As you can see by the photos, the valley views are spectacular! We started from the parking area outside the village of Shuldak and slowly made our way from the river bed to about mid-canyon elevation. Walking up the sloping marble slabs, we encountered many Mollusca fossils. They date back to the Paleozoic Era when the area was the Turkestan Ocean. The tectonic plate collision created the Western Tien Shan Mountain Range.

Aksakatasay is a mouthful and let me break it down. Aksak originates from the Turkic language family and means “lame or limping”. ata is an honorific meaning “father” or “ancestor” that is common in Central Asia. Say is Uzbek for a “stream” or “seasonal watercourse”. In English, the Akskatasay would translate to the Lame Elder’s Stream or the Limping Father Stream. Aksakatasay sounds much more exotic.

One of the highlights of the hike was stopping for a shashlik (grilled meat sticks) with some locals. They were having a birthday picnic for their friend and showed us some Central Asian hospitality and insisted we have some meat and of course, a shot of vodka. It was a nice break at the top of the canyon. I also took a short nap a bit further down the mountain on a grassy spot with the warm sun and cool breeze relaxing me. It was an awesome and rejuvenating day!

Earlier this week, Nadia and I travelled to Cairo, Egypt, for a transition visit to help us with the move to our positions next year at our new school. It was my second visit and Nadia’s first. The school was very gracious and showed us great hospitality. I am more excited about the move more than ever!

Expatriates live such strange lives. Very few generations of humans have had the opportunity to move around the globe every few years. We experience vastly different cultures, languages, topography, biomes, colleagues, friends, etc. with each new posting. Nadia and I have done this together five times previously, and the move from Uzbekistan to Egypt will be our sixth. I love it and embrace the new context. Nadia takes a while to warm up to her new surroundings.

I have not seen much of the city and country in my limited time in the country. My two visits have been mostly focused on learning about the school. I have not seen the pyramids or the Nile River yet, spending all of my time about an hour’s drive east of the famous cradle of civilization. New Cairo is a part of Cairo, carved out of the vast Eastern Desert. Up until very recently, Egyptians only lived in the relatively narrow band on both sides of the Nile and across the Nile Delta leading to the Mediterranean Sea. It is hard to come to conclusions or make insightful observations on Egyptian culture or live in Cairo at this time.

We went to dinner with the School Leadership Team at a delicious Lebanese Restaurant in the beautiful Cairo Festival City Mall. Al-Futtiam Real Estate developers from the UAE built the 3-million square meter mixed-use development in 2013. There are 81 restaurants and cafés and we visited “The Village,” a section of the mall built in the style of a desert oasis with 50 cafés and restaurants. The mall is also known for being home to the only IKEA in Egypt. It is very close to the school, where we will be living.

New Cairo, outside of the housing and retail developments, is not a picturesque city. Landing back in Tashkent on Wednesday morning, the explosion of green leafed trees and lawns near the airport surprised us after a few days in the Sahara Desert. On our second night, we went to a mixed Asian restaurant called Tao. The cuisine choices are vast in Cairo, and I am looking forward to exploring more of the city.

We will be back permanently in early August. It was a long overnight flight back to Tashkent on Tuesday evening. The connection through Istanbul was particularly brutal. Erdogan’s monster Istanbul Airport is huge and most transits, whether from the plane to the gate or through security checks to the gates, involves long distances. We had to jog/run to make the last call of boarding to our flight to Tashkent. It is enjoyable to run at 1:00 AM with an almost 60-year-old body. Ah yes, the thrills of a globally nomadic, cosmopolitan lifestyle. 🙂 Nadia and I were in the middle two seats in the penultimate row of a capacity flight, to top off the experience. We both made it to school on Wednesday, showing our dedication to our students.

“He said you exemplify a primitive form of masculinity. He said he was surprised that I ever found that attractive.”

The main character of the novel István, is a Hungarian immigrant to the UK. The book traces his life from his teen years in Hungary, to his many years in London, and his elderly years back in Hungary. In one way it is an immigration story. István is probably the typical Hungarian immigrant London, not well educated and getting by with blue collar jobs. After serving in the Hungarian army in the Middle East, he starts working as a night club bouncer, barely making ends meet in an expensive city. Coming home from a late night shift working the door of the club, he encounters a man being beat up by a couple of thugs and because he stopped to offer some help, the two ran off. The grateful victim takes István under his wing and helps him start a career in private security. Mervyn is an elderly gentleman who develops and provides bodyguards to the rich or famous of London. István eventually gets a job as driver and guard for an elite wealthy businessman (Karl) with a much younger wife (Helen). Istvan has an affair with the wife and when her husband dies of cancer, Istvan, marries her and they have a child. Karl’s son with Helen, David, become estranged from Helen and Istvan and trouble ensues over the inheritance of Karl’s fortune.

István is not a particulary likeable character for a protagonist. He had a deeply troubled youth and does not think too deeply about life or his career choices. In a way he represents to me, a significant number of young men around the world that have to make due in a world that rewards ambitious, intellectual, men focused on income generation while building a successful career. Szalay doesn’t get into what István feels or inner thoughts about the events of his life and most likely, he doesn’t really have any. Like many men, he does not express his thoughts or engaged in conversational reflections with signficant others in his life.

It was an enjoyable read, and the 3 and 1/2 hours spent reading the book in the evenings and on the plane, had me following the story and thinking about guys like István, uneducated, without commercial skills, trying to create a life in a new country. In this current economy, they don’t have many choices for work or finding a wife, that creates its own problems. This may change with AI taking out white collar jobs, but for now, men without a trade or degree, have a hard time. In that way, the book is an expatriate With his background and upbringing, I don’t think he could relate at all to his step son that causes his downfall. He did “make it” in many ways. Often people’s career advancement is due to luck, and his late night chance meeting with Mervyn was his break.

I learned two British English terms. A “dressing gown” is a bathrobe and “mews” which are former houses for horses and carriages converted to townhouses that are all over London.

We had a late-night flight out of Tashkent for a transition visit to Cairo, Egypt. We are preparing for a permanent move to Cairo in August, and these few days are for Nadia to sort out our living arrangements and for both of us to learn more about the school. We are not using a shipping container for this move due to the difficulty of large shipments to Egypt. Instead, we are taking excess baggage. This is the first time we’ve tried this, and it worked! We took a maximum of 10 extra pieces each, and all the bags made it from Tashkent to Cairo! Ocean’s boyfriend, Roman, was very sweet and helped us with the logistics last night.

On Thursday night, I was walking Obi in a tunnel under the Small Ring Road near our house. When we came out of the tunnel inside the Ring Road, we encountered a recent car accident. A badly damaged car smashed into a bus stop. It happened a few minutes before we appeared but I could not asses the extent of injuries and/or fatalities. It looked like a one-car accident with the damaged car facing into oncoming traffic. It struck an ATM and part of the bus stop shelter.

I see a lot of car accidents on the streets of the city. For many Uzbeks, they are the first generation to own private cars due to the end of the Soviet system and the opening of the economy. There are a lot of reckless and aggressive drivers. I don’t know if it’s “machismo” or the thrill of driving that inspires these drivers. I hope people eventually learn that high-speed driving results in life changing accident like the one above. Humans make errors, especially at higher velocities, which results in unnecessary deaths. I don’t understand why people are not more outraged at this. I wonder if any innocent pedestrians were injured? I wonder what caused the accident? With over 1 million cars moving through the city daily, I couldn’t find anything on the local news about the accident. It is another example of why autonomous cars will replace human drivers, probably in my lifetime, or at least in the lifetime of my children. I would like to check out a Waymo this summer in the USA.

On Monday, March 30, 2026, Ocean participated in the Tashkent International School’s International Baccalaureate Visual Arts Exhibition. This is cool requirement of the IB. Not many people in their lives host an exhibition of their art works. I find it illuminating into the personalities and brains of the students. The arts are personal and human (in this age of AI) and it was delightful to admire the works and talk to the student-artists about the inspiration behind some of the pieces.

I would like to thank our Artist-in-Residence, the Dutch painter Ronald Kleijer. He is a celebrated and known artist here in Uzbekistan and it is great for our students to work with such a professional. Congratulations to Ocean, your mom and I love you and your amazing works of art!

Our Spring Break 2026 ended this past weekend. The weather was just divine, with signs of spring and new growth everywhere around the city. We had a relaxing time in the city, although I did do a bit of work every day. On this last weekend, we spent most of it supporting Ocean for her IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts Exhibition. We drove around Tashkent with Ocean, taking photos so she could complete a photography work in her exhibition. We took photos of architecture, people and street scenes.

One of my favorite buildings in the city is the Romanov Palace. The Russian Emperor Nicolas I exiled his grandson, Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich Romanov, to Tashkent for stealing his mother’s diamonds to give to his mistress. Nikolai lived here from 1890 until his death in 1918. He was an avid hunter, and you can see the statues of hunting dogs on the balcony above the main entrance. The Grand Duke did a lot to spur the development of the city, including using his fortune to build several canals. He was buried at St. George’s Cathedral, which was destroyed by the Soviet government. A monument was recently restored there, and I will need to check it out before I leave Tashkent. Nikolai’s palace was a museum for many years and most recently a reception gathering place for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have never seen it open in my seven years in the city.

The other building of note is the nearby State Museum of History of Uzbekistan, formerly the Lenin Museum. It was built in 1970 and according to UNESCO, “The building’s monumental façade blends modular modernity with Islamic-inspired decoration, featuring pandjara-like sunscreens and honeycomb elements that recall the Islamic muqarnas, while the extensive use of prefabricated concrete and glazing speaks to its modernist roots.” I love the building and the neighborhood around it. It is one of my favorite localities in the city.

We went out to dinner a few times towards the end of break. We had a fantastic dinner at La Mer Restaurant on the recently renovated Shota Rusevelti Street. I did a lot of cycling over the break, including doing a few laps inside the Yangi Uzbekistan Park (below).