Today marks my 10 day anniversary in Kyrgyzstan. Here are my top 10 first impressions.
The food is plentiful, affordable and delicious. I feel so lucky that my colleagues have taken me to try many different restaurants for lunch. Many of the ones I've been to have lunch sets which in total cost about $5. The sets vary but often there’s bread in a basket, and some salads on your plate in addition to your meat (if you ordered meat.
Cookies. In the supermarkets there is a section devoted to cookies and candies. They have boxes and boxes of cookies and sweets that you can buy as many or as little as you like. (sort of like Bulk Barn).
Dogs and cats roam freely. I don’t yet know if the animals I’ve seen are stray or just live without leashes. Twice now I’ve seen dogs cross the street at the crosswalk! It’s very cute and funny.
The internet. Wifi is available widely and data is cheap! I pay $4/month for 20Gs of data on my cell phone. TWENTY gigs!
Wear flat shoes. The roads and sidewalks can be bumpy at times.
Mountains. Despite the bumps in the road, keep your chin up and you’ll see mountains in the distance. They’re beautiful and grand.
The weather has been so pleasant. Last week, we had two days of light snow but even then, at noon, it's sunny and beautiful!
Credit cards. I was paying at the supermarket and the lady entered showed me the amount on the calculator as 709. When I pointed to my Visa card, the price she charged me was 690. Certain stores, there's a discount for using your credit card to pay as an incentive from banks. I think Canada should definitely adopt this!
Taxis are cheap. A 20 minute ride is less than $3. You can order them using an app similar Uber.
The history of the Kyrgyz Republic is rich. I'm excited to learn as much as I can though it may take me a lifetime!
