1) Rural Kyrgyzstan - A Herder's Calling & 2) UNESCO World Heritage sites

After your dinner and our meet / greet / pass around the globe portion of our meetup, we'll have two presentations:

1. Rural Kyrgyzstan short film: "A Herder's Calling)
   The film's producer will present his film tonight.

In rural Kyrgyzstan animal herding has been a way of life for millennia, but things are changing. Herders, who traditionally followed the rhythm of the seasons - taking their herds up to high mountain pastures for the summer and to the lowlands for winter - are increasingly leaving behind this difficult life for the conveniences of the city.

Herders Calling offers an intimate glimpse into this shifting world through the eyes of two generations: the elder Akim Datka who since retiring has returned to his beloved pastoral roots, and Nazgul, his educated, city-born daughter-in-law, who came to the pastures only through marriage, and who yearns to return to modern life.
Through our characters the film provides an intimate look into life on Kyrgyzstan’s high pastures, its beauty and its challenges, in this serene and isolated part of the world.

2) UNESCO World Heritage Sites: What are the all about?
You've likely come across a few UNESCO World Heritage sites during your travels. We have one right here in Ottawa...

What are they exactly? How does a site get to become "World Heritage"? Who decides? What kinds of obligations are there for these sites? Can a site be removed from the World Heritage list? Under what conditions?

Learn all about World Heritage during this short but rich presentation.