From Finland to Kyrgyzstan; Arrival day

6.1.2018


Going to Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan in central Asia, is my first time traveling outside of Europe. So, a few days before departure I was really scared and nervous. I had done my research, but I had no idea how it would be like to actually live there. Well, I controlled my nerves by procrastinating with my packing. Maybe the plane would wait until I was mentally ready to go. There is something calming about the action of traveling though. After leaving home you just focus more on where you are going rather than what will you leave behind for 7 weeks.

Meeting old friends at Helsinki-Vantaa airport is a great way to start a new journey. I met Ludi, an old ballet friend I had not seen for many years, on her way back to Japan where she studies. I also met some interesting people on the plane from Helsinki to Istanbul. A couple from Finland on their way to Tanzania to try and climb Kilimanjaro. They had also been to Kazakhstan and complemented the beautiful mountain area.

I was originally supposed to be in Manas airport in Bishkek around 6 am. The weather was too foggy for the plane to land. We had to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan and wait in the plane around 4-5 hours for the fog to clear. When I finally arrived at Manas Airport my welcoming party had narrowed down to one person, Albina, from AIESEC in Kyrgyzstan. She took me to my host family who had also been waiting for me since the morning. I ate some delicious Pilaf and found my first “culture shock”. The host mom offered me tea and asked if I would like some jam with it. It had never occurred to me that tea with jam was even an existing option. Eager to get to know a new culture (and basically nervous to be impolite on my first day) I tried my first tea with jam. And it works, it is really good. I am happy to add this option to my tea drinking habits.

New Years decorations in Bishkek

After lunch Albina took me to the city and helped me to deal with practicalities like getting a local sim card and cash. I also met a lot of new people and got an amazing first look at the city 😊. Thank you Albina and host family for helping me to settle in! I don´t have much travel experience so I was really nervous and you made everything go so smoothly.

New Years tree in Ala-too square 




 

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