Things I'm afraid of in Kyrgyzstan

Three dogs pictured, but there were actually 5

1. Stray dogs.

The dogs here in Bishkek actually are not that large. Most are medium to small dogs. Also, I’m actually not sure if all of the dogs are stray or just unleashed. Sometimes friendly ones will follow you down the sidewalk, or more aggressive ones will bark at you as you exit the supermarket. In the parking lot next to my apartment, there are two dogs that live in the parking lot. One morning, I saw a little one try to enter the parking lot. It was aggressively chased away by the two resident dogs. I’ve also seen a dog run up to and bark at a lady who was trying to cross the street. She had to aggressively shoo it away. Because I don’t have my rabies shot, the fear of being bit lingers in the back of my mind. 

A happy example of both points

2. Slipping and falling on ice.

It doesn’t rain much here but it does snow. And while it doesn’t snow heavily, when it does, the streets or sidewalks are not shovelled or de-iced. So everyone walks on the snow until it becomes impacted into a hard crusty solid layer of ice. The entire city turns into a giant skating rink. Sidewalk? Sheet of ice. Driveway? Skating rink. Mall entrance? Slip and slide. Road? Toboggan central. One evening after stepping out of a pizza restaurant, I almost did a live action remake of my favourite Home Alone scene down a set of stairs…you know the one.

3. Crossing the street.

As a lawyer who has litigated 1,000's of car accidents, crossing the street can be more anxiety-inducing for me than the average bear. When I first arrived, I felt like a child needing to re-learn how to cross the street.  I have seen dogs cross the street smarter and with more confidence than me.  I’ve concluded that there are two main reasons why I am so nervous. 1. The cars go fast. 2. The cars are unpredictable.

The North American saying “look left and right before crossing” quickly turned into "look left then right, then take a small step forward, stare down the speeding car, then step back cowardly because they aren’t stopping, then try again, looking quickly left and right, then speed walk while doing a constant 360 degree scan, then just run."