October 2, 2025

Hi everyone! I’ve officially hit one month in Kyrgyzstan, which is so crazy! I spent one week in Bishkek, where I explored the city a bit (mainly ate Korean food), met my cohort, and had an orientation at the embassy. Bishkek as a whole is a very post-soviet looking city. There are a lot of random statues and large parks all across the city, and it’s a bit surreal to experience this for the first time as an American. I may have called someone “comrade” once or twice, but my dislike of Putin is still intact. During our orientation, we talked about some of the cultural norms here that are different from the United States. For the most part, it’s the normal stuff like different foods and language, but walking on the streets there were a few other things that stood out to me. The first thing is that people’s sense of personal space is very different here. You’re standing on a street corner waiting to cross? Vlad is standing literally right next to you. Sitting at an empty coffee shop or bus stop? Mariam is sitting next to you with her screaming baby and bags from the bazaar, even though there’s another space farther away. Then there’s the male friendliness epidemic here. You heard that right. Random men that have never met are shaking hands and telling their life stories all across town, and this is completely normal. Women don’t shake a man’s hand, unless he’s American and his name is Jeff Bunting from the embassy. The sense of time here is also different, because who would show up on time for an interview or meeting? If something is set for 2:15PM it’s not unusual for people to show up at 3PM or even 3:30PM. Although it’s been an adjustment, there are some parts about these new cultural aspects that are nice. I don’t feel as rude slightly pushing past people on the stairs or being late to a meeting. 

All jokes aside, the culture here is really one of kindness. I am trying to view my surroundings as a collective space instead of keeping to my bubble, and this has helped me understand some parts of the Kyrgyz way of life. I am really enjoying my little town of Tokmok. It’s much quieter here than in the city of Bishkek, and people are really nice. Everyone calls me beautiful and wants me to speak at events, and being me I secretly love the attention. It’s empowering to have your ideas heard and implemented, to feel valued simply for being an American, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity as I know many others can’t say the same in their institutions. 

The university I’m teaching at has a brand new building, but the old building is what you’d expect for a “developing” country. The classrooms are small, some with stand up whiteboards and projectors. There are a lot of computers, and most students use them to do personal work or learn how to code–no students have their own devices besides cellphones, which they are equally as addicted to as kids in the U.S.. Students pour in from surrounding villages, where their high school education didn’t afford them proper preparation for university level courses. This means that they basically have to take high school and college level classes while at university to earn their degree. 

Moving here has helped me to realize all the things I took for granted in the United States, which I was expecting but not on this level. I am so grateful for trained teachers and mandated curriculum in schools, and the beautiful school buildings I was afforded while growing up. I am grateful for a government that provides support to the elderly and the disabled, and for programs like SNAP food stamps. I’m grateful for the FDA and how our medicines and medical research are regulated, and the funding that’s afforded to these programs. There is a lot changing in the United States right now, but man am I grateful to be an American. You don’t have to be in love with President Trump to be grateful for the freedoms and privileges we have. If I showed any of these students my home in America, they would think it’s the Ritz. They have already told me my parents look like movie stars, so it tracks I guess. 

My point in saying this isn’t to shame or force anyone to check their privilege, it’s just an example of the little things I took for granted before, and all the “safety nets” I didn’t realize I had, whether that’s support from the government or my family. There is much to be said about the benefits of a simpler life for revealing what’s actually important, and that’s starting to become apparent to me. 

I will always be honest with my dear readers, and this month has not been easy. There are days I don’t get off my couch because going to the grocery store feels like a chore, and the counter clerk always looks at me like I’m the spawn of Satan (smiling at strangers is not a thing here). Most days I feel pretty lost (literally and figuratively), and some days I feel super lonely, but for the most part I’m riding the highs and lows and beyond grateful to be where I’m at. I’ve made some awesome friends who have bolstered me in ways I definitely didn’t expect, and I’m looking forward to making more memories with them. 

Thanks for tuning in to this really long blog post, I’m missing you all! Don’t hesitate to reach out, I’m on WhatsApp :) Oh, and I still haven’t eaten horse (1 month down, 9 to go). 

Some very Soviet style statues; you can find architecture like this all over Bishkek, especially in the parks that litter the city and surrounding areas.