Teaching and learning in Kyrgyzstan

Have you ever heard of Kyrgyzstan? Two years ago I had no idea where exactly this country was. And this year it was already the second time I traveled to this amazing country in Central Asia.
Everything started when Gerrit Beine asked me to join him giving a workshop about agile software development in Bischkek (here some impressions from 2012).
This year I was offered the possibility to teach, inspire and learn again in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This time Michel Löhr joined in as the main coach for the agile workshop at KSUCTA University. And it was amazing this time I was already used to the not so good things like infrastructure or air pollution (which has improved in a good way over the last two years) and then on the other side I saw all this beauty!
The nature is stunning and looking to those massive mountains just outside of Bishkek is amazing. Hiking in those mountains was even more rewarding and then you had the people of Kyrgyzstan: Awesome! So friendly, hospitable, open minded and curious people it was a wonderful experience. Every day at least two students took care of us by doing activities to explore nature, culture, people or food. Thank you all for making this possible.
The 5 days agile software development workshop was a lot of fun where we taught the basics of Scrum. With a lot of games and interactive exercises so that the students could experience the agile culture first hand and learn to work and improve as a team and excel with each iteration.
I’m already looking forward to inspire, teach and learn more in this wonderful country called Kyrgyzstan in the next years.
- street impression in Bishkek
- Students playing the Marshmallow game
- Food was very delicous
- OK this is an interesting menu 10kg lamb (!!!)
- Madina our interpreter for the 10 days
- Yeah with my new Kyrgyz cap
- Part of the 1st student company contact fair in Bischkek
- Mounts outside of Bishkek
- Test driven development exercise
- mmmhhh how delicious
- Preparing the workshop agenda
- Thank you for showing me around
- Traditional meal
- Awesome nature 🙂
- Alina
- Our stand at the fair
- Delicous pizza I could have eaten each day
- Winner team of one of the many games we did to teach them real work life challanges
- Teamwork
- Our favorite restaurant with our favorite waiter (he did not speak english and we no russian but sign language and pictures are going a long way 🙂
- With Turkish Airline to Bishkek
- Winner team of another game, so much fun 🙂
- Michel and Sven on their way to Bishkek
- Thanks for the great day trip!
- 1 € = 70 Som
- Interesting experience and out of my comfort zone but it was fun 🙂
- Cinema
- Michel and Sven enjoying the hike
- Bazar impressions
- SCRUM Flow Overview
- Winner of the Marshmallow challange. Awesome iterative approach!
- Ok the space in this car is used well 🙂
- Our workshop participants
- Company fair
- Madina our interpreter for the time in Kyrgyzstan
Pura Vida

What a great tiny town is Montezuma on the Peninsula of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Here I spent 5 weeks to enjoy the “Pura Vida” (Pure life, slogan used from Costa Rician people to express their laid back lifestyle).
With so many things to enjoy and do this was a great treat for body and soul: Surfing, learning spanish, beaches, waterfall hike, Poi show on Thursday night, Cinema at 7:30pm, delicious food in the restaurants, Saturday market in the central park, zip lining, running on the beach, great conversations with fellow travelers, relaxing with the sounds of waves. Here some more impressions from the paradise like town:
- Bookstore in Montezuma
- Main road
- Great talks with Nicolette
- Thumb up
- Wow what is this animal? A flying giraffe?
- Monkey chilling in a Mango tree
- Sushi night
- Saturday morning market in central park
- Beach impression
- Street impression
- Montezuma beach
- Movie night at the restaurant
- Anna creates a smile for Poi Night
- Wow how awesome is that
- Thursday night Poi show at the main intersection in town
- Kelly in her fire poi performance
- turtle hatching in Montezuma
- BBQ Tico style
- Spend at least two hours per day with physical, mental, spiritual or social activities (here with the awesome Thompson family)
- Dinner time
- Montezuma Waterfalls
- time to do some waxing before we ride the waves
- Yeah thumb up for the great surfing at Playa Grande
- Enjoying a great smoothie with Kat
- Mmmhhh my favorite drink here in the restaurants
- Montezuma Pura Vida
- Dinner time next to the ocean
- Soccer match in Montezuma
- City of Montezuma, Costa Rica
- Pura Vida
- Julia writes down a recipe for the smoothie man
- Pura Vida on the beach
- Sunrise
- Sunrise Montezuma
- Smoothies after surfing with Petra, Marc and Lauren
- Dinner at “home” with Hope, Marc, Lauren and Amanda
- Blue is preparing the BBQ on the beach
- Delicious BBQ on the beach
- BBQ on the beach
- Delicious sunday breakfast
- Swimming under a waterfall
- Center of Education in Montezuma
- Yoga pose with Nicole in my favourite italian restaurant in Montezuma
- Surfing with Paul, Marc and Petra and our surf instructor Pablo
- Pura Vida with Kat, Nico, Lauren
- Yeah thank you for visiting me in Montezuma Janett and Jörg