Bill's Blog

Daniel Kraus is most famous for his collaboration with the film director Guillermo Del Toro in writing “The Shape of Water” that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2018. Kraus in a podcast I listened to after reading the book, said we writes from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, six days a week. He is a prolific writer with over 20 books published. He also worked with Del Toro on the Netflix series “Trollhunters” and his 2023 novel, Whalefall, is being adapted into a movie directed by Ron Howard.

Angel Down was published in July of 2025. Kraus is fascinated by World War I, and in his usual weird way, this story is about American soldiers encountering an angel on the battlefield. I don’t understand how government leaders could allow for the slaughter of soldiers to go on for four years. It was the first time industrial warfare was used in battle, and military tactics had not kept up. Machine guns moving down advancing soldiers, poisonous gas attacks, horrible conditions in the trenches, and the introduction of tanks and flamethrowers into battle. Kraus captures the condition in gory detail. The story centers around 5 American soldiers with different personalities and how they interact with the angel. The main character is a slimy, con-artist character named Baggers whose heart is softened by a 14-year-old soldier, Arno, who lied to get into the army. I am not going to give the story away, but it is an interesting read to follow the small group of men try to save the angel they found in no-man’s land and what happens along the way.

It is a great historical fiction book! The action takes place during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. This was one of the final major battles of WWI and the deadliest battle in American military history. Over a million American soldiers participated, with about 26,000 killed. The Argonne forest is located in northeast France, near the border with Belgium. The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were abused by the more experienced British and French commanders and sent into the worst situations. What a useless and tragic waste of young lives!

I liked the use of authentic vocabulary from, over 100 years ago. Below is a list of terms I learned:

• lummox – a big, clumsy, dim-witted person, popular in the early 20th century
• Jerries – Allied slang for the German soldiers, from German, they were also called “Huns” and “Fritz”. My dad called them “Krauts” in World War II.
• Doughboys – refers to the American soldiers in World War I; various theories on the origin of the name
• trenchmouth – severe gum disease caused by poor dental hygiene, poor diet, and stress
• I liked this phrase, “look how the man’s sagged flesh maps all the places he’s been.”

The book mentions the legend of the Angel of Mons from World War I. In the first battle of World War II in the city of Mons, Belgium, the outnumbered British lost 10% of their entire force to the Germans. The scale of death shocked people at the time. Welsh writer Arthur Machen wrote a comforting short story about a young British soldier ascending into heaven from the battlefield after he was killed. This became the legend of angels appearing above the battlefields of World War I.

Kraus also brings up General John J. Pershing, the commander of all US troops in World War I. He is known as an American hero for guiding the Americans to victory. He also lost 26,000 soldiers in 47 days of battle (over 500 per day!) and like all the WWI generals, didn’t change tactics when faced with industrial style of warfare, tragically sending hundreds of young soldiers to their death with the goal of advancing across a scorched earth battlefield. He is viewed as a hero because we won the war and WWII overshadowed WWI, but it shows the need for adaptability in leadership.

I didn’t like the fantastical and strange, dreamlike sequences of the book. It was a good story and brought the conditions of World War I to life for me.

We started the long weekend with a chayhona with the local guys from work. It was a downpour for most of the evening. We had a good meal at the nearby Ulus Restaurant, just a few blocks from the school. They specialize in “milly tamolar” (national cuisine). I thought the lamb chops were delicious. It was good to have some laughs with male friends.

The sunshine and warm temperatures came back to Tashkent on Saturday. I went for a run around the Milly Bog National Park and soaked up the fresh air. My run was interrupted with phone calls from Oliver and Nadia, but I love walking and talking. I need to do more of that at school when I am talking to people. I noticed another large housing/retail development (Baku Towers) starting right next to the park. Just what Tashkent needs…

Nadia and I attended a reception hosted by the Kuwait Embassy on Thursday evening at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. We have several Kuwaiti families at the school, and it was nice to connect with them on their special day. Kuwait marks February 25 as the National Day. It marks their independence from British Protectorate Status in 1961 and the accession of the Amir (Ruler) in 1978. It has become the primary holiday to celebrate Kuwaiti sovereignty and identity. I always invite my friend and TIS teacher Ahmad, to any Arabic language event, as he is a native Arabic speaker and is a good representative of the school. Nadia usually doesn’t attend these events with me, but came because one of her students really wanted her to come to the party. It was a special evening for us.

I was a chaperone for the grade 10 ski day on Friday. Unfortunately, the snow conditions were not great. The slopes were very icy with lots of bare spots on the lower slopes and choppy conditions on the upper slopes. All of us were cautious to avoid injury. I fell once and feel it in my shoulder today, but I am glad all of us avoided anything serious. It felt like the end of the season, with temperatures in the mid-50s in the city and snowmelt all over the resort. I noticed some mud slides covering the road, depositing an inch or two of mud on the pavement. There were heavy rains in the city last night and I wonder if they had rain or snow at the resort. I belong to an English language Amirsoy channel and it looks like the upper slopes are OK and they have the groomers out.

I still enjoyed myself challenging ourselves with the students. The views of the Ugam-Chatkal Mountains are spectacular regardless of the snow conditions. The mountains feel a world away from the city! I will certainly miss the snow-capped peaks next year.

Ocean shared her graduation photo with us from earlier this week. What a beautiful, mature, young woman she has become! I like the nod to Uzbek culture with the ikat sash featured with the robe.

I took Obi for a walk late yesterday afternoon by the Savr Avenue Development. It is located on the former grounds of a pharmacuetical factory near our school in the Mirabad District of the city. It is a huge complex with three companies putting up complexes. I am not pleased with the development as it will increase traffic on the two main streets (Sarikol and Fitrat) that our community members travel on to get to the school coming from the center of the city. The apartments are like most apartments, very small and densely packed. Developers are greedy and put profits over quality of life. I would guess there are close to 1,000 apartments in the various buildings. Even with low occupancy rates, there will be many more families living in the neighborhood near the school. There are two more developments going up on the other side of the school near Furqat Park. I wonder what traffic will look like in the next 5 to 10 years.

The advertised apartments range from the largest (818 square feet – below left), which features two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room, all located on opposite ends of the apartment. The smallest apartment (300 square feet – below right) is a rectangular room with a bathroom and a living room/kitchen combination that would be more common in Japan than in Uzbekistan. Many of these apartments will be purchased by people as investments.

The highlight of my week was chaperoning the Grade 4 Ski Trip to Amirsoy Resort on Thursday. I spent the day on the intermediate “green” slopes of the mountain and had a blast skiing with the boys and girls. Conditions were great in the morning, with cold temperatures, slightly overcast skies, and decent snowpack. Conditions deteriorated slightly in the afternoon as it became warmer; the snow was a bit slushy. I always say any day I am outside more than inside, is a great day!

Last night, my friend Aaron and I discovered a new Russian-style баня (banya) called Stanitsya. They have two private lounges with a sauna, a Turkish steam room, a cold pool, a regular pool, a dining area, etc. The facilities are well finished and come with a spa master and a masseuse. Each lounge can fit between 6-10 people. It is a bit expensive, and they tried to charge us for 3 and 1/2 hours when we were there for 3 hours. This was after they told us upon arrival that the spa was fully booked. They had a late cancellation. One of the employees ran out to our car as we were pulling away and brought us back in. I would recommend the bath house to others if you have a group of people.

All of the snow melted in the city with temperatures getting up into the 60s earlier this week. We had a “wintry mix” on Friday with rain and temperatures ranging from 1 to 15 degrees C (highs of 50s F). Climate change is causing weather fluctuations between warm and cold all over the world. This is only the beginning and I wonder what the climate will be like for my children and grandchildren.

I am taking time to savor my final year here in Tashkent. I went for a run after work along the canal yesterday and captured this sunset photo on one of the side canals beneath the hill of the Uzbekistan Olympic Museum. The weather this week has felt like a mini-spring with temperatures reaching into the mid 60s with a high today of 64 degrees F!

Ocean had her senior photo day at school yesterday. The grade 12 students took their individual portraits with their graduation caps and gowns. Graduation this year will take place on May 22, and Nadia and I are both excited and dreading the big day! The photos took place in the administration building, and seeing 17 and 18-year-olds fret about their looks makes me laugh from the perspective of someone in their 50s. I’ve reached the age where anyone with skin with no wrinkles and all of their hair looks fantastic.

We had a wet snow storm on Wednesday afternoon. It was not enough to delay or cancel school . The subsequent melting caused wet conditions which is a hassle when walking our dog Obi. We need to wash the dirt off his paws, legs, and belly after every walk. We celebrated Nadia’s birthday this week. I got her a really nice gift. One of her friends, Nuriya, gave her a custom family photo puzzle that Ocean put together. It was a thoughtful gift!

I had two off-campus meetings this week. Yesterday I visited British Management University, one of the many new private, English-language universities that have opened in Tashkent over the past few years. With 60% of the population under age 30, higher education, and K-12 schools, are taking advantage of the growth students. Unlike the USA where universities and schools are closing due to less young people, Central Asia is a growth area. I snapped the photo below from the fifth floor of a building on campus. It shows the incredible growth of homes in the flat, east part of the city. None of those homes were there when I first arrived to Tashkent in 2019.

The highlight of the week was Novak Djokovic’s victory over Janik Sinner in the Australian Open Semifinal. We lived in Belgrade for 6 years (2008-2014) and are Serb-philes! Nadia had her sister in the Gold Coast on Facetime (she is dating a Serb), Owen in Costa Rica and Oliver in Green Bay on WhatsApp, and Ocean and me in Tashkent, watching the game. It was an amazing feat to win at age 38 years old against the #2 ranked player in the world. We are going to be glued to the television on Sunday for the final. Owen sent some photos from attending Raphael Nadal’s tennis camp in Costa Rica. He is an strong tennis player and loves the sport. One of the coaches was from Santa Cruz, Bolivia!

It was so nice to get back onto skis on Monday! Two chaperones couldn’t make the Grade 10 ski trip and I was able to replace them. Our school’s adventure program has a “snow” strand. It is our goal to have all students learn to ski. Conditions were perfect with soft, dry snow, sunny skis and cool, but not cold temperatures. It was rewarding to give advice and help the students gain confidence on the slopes. We have loved the Amirsoy Ski Resort over the past seven years in Tashkent. I continue to soak up the winter experiences. My big takeaway from the day is drier snow is much better than icy snow and makes it easier and safer to make turns

We had a quiet Sunday without Oliver with us. I had a full day of exercise, including yoga in the morning, a long walk with Obi around midday and then a bike ride along the canal in the afternoon.

Oliver got stuck in Newark, New Jersey, for two days because of the big storm. This was the photo he sent as he landed. He is now back at school!

We spent Saturday preparing Oliver for his long flight back to Wisconsin. Nadia, Ocean, and I were doing his laundry, packing his bags, and making contingency plans in case his flights are delayed. He is heading into the “arctic vortex” winter snow storms in the USA. As I write this, he is on his United Airlines flight from Dubai to Newark. We’ll see tonight if his connections to Chicago and then Green Bay will be able to go. The start of the second semester is Monday at Saint Norbert College. Oliver is a sophomore at the private, Catholic, liberal arts college in DePere, Wisconsin.

Nadia, Ocean and I then went shopping for Nadia’s birthday present. Her birthday is Monday and I’ve learned that Nadia knows what she wants in life, so we have a tradition of her picking out her own present. She was happy with her Dyson hair appliance. We also ate at KFC. We were looking for Burger King, but it was not open yet in the Poytaxt Strip Mall. We had a quiet night at home. The house was quieter with only three of us.

We celebrated Oliver’s last full day in Tashkent by going out to dinner at Manana, a Georgian restaurant in the Shevchenko area. The fish and my chicken soup were delicious, but everything else was below average. We had a snow day on Friday because of icy road conditions. I got caught up at work and took a few photos of the campus. It is so beautiful with snow in the trees and the bright sun shining. My office on the second floor of The House is surrounded by the tops of the trees, giving me an inspiring view as I held meetings, answered emails, and finished document preparation.

In the early evening, Oliver and I had our final session at The Bani before he leaves today. Ollie loves the intense heat followed by the 13C pool and relaxation. It really does make you feel better! I also like the higher humidities of a Russian bath compared to the Finnish sauna. He is taking back a шапка для бани (traditional felt banya hat). Unfortunately for him this winter, the nearest banya to DePere, Wisconsin is Chicago, Illinois. The next time we are in Chicago in cold weather, we’ll have to check out the Red Square Bathhouse.

Owen is getting ready for his week at Rafael Nadal’s tennis camp starting on Monday. He sent a short video of his serve. We watch Australian Open tennis in the mornings together. My favorite players on the men’s tour this year are Novak Djokovic, Tommy Paul, Francis Tiafoe, Danil Medvedev, and Ben Shelton. We’ll see if anyone else catches my eye. I look for entertaining styles of play and personality.