First 20 days or so of Bishkek

It's different than what I have imagined. I thought I would go out more, I thought I would be better at Russian by now, I thought I would be hiking those mountains, I thought I would be eating all these traditional foods. Fact is, I have done barely any of the above. But I don't regret any of the moment I have spent here, because I am still learning more everyday.

Okay, I like Bishkek. But maybe one day I'll love it.

Bishkek is the capital city of Kyrgyzstan with a population of less than a million. Most people here speak Russian in addition to Kyrgyz. In fact, Russian is very commonly used here, and you can survive here knowing only Russian, making this a good place to study Russian because you could practice anywhere. This is a pretty small capital compared to most, and it doesn't exactly have a "city center", which is interesting. But you can find history around almost every corner of the streets, from statues to museums, to squares to parks. My host lives pretty far from the school (like 4 miles), and I usually take the Marshrutka in the morning and walk home after school. It takes me around an hour and 15 minutes to walk home, but at the same time I am also giving myself a different tour of Bishkek each day. I stopped using a map after a couple of days, and I find something new all the time. It's actually not too boring of a walk as some might think. Only down side is I feel like I'm a vacuum sucking in all the dust. 

Ala-Too Square, surrounded by museums and statues and parks.

The Red Guards Memorial, dedicated to Red Guards who died for Soviet Power.

Monument of Mukhtar Auezov, a prominent Kazakh writer, scientist and academian.

Statue of Lenin behind the State History Museum, which is currently under renovation.

Tattybyubyu Tursunbaeva, a well-known Soviet artist/cinematographer.

A statue of Kurmanjan Datka, also known as the "Queen of Alai". She was a strong tsaritsa whom the people respected.
PS. she's also badass enough to reject an arranged marriage... back in late 1820s!

Manas (national hero) statue in front of the Philharmonic Building.

MiG Fighter Jet in front of the National Guard headquarter.

I'd say I've seen a lot of Bishkek city in these 2 weeks, just from walking literally everywhere. Now that I got a couple explore buddies, I will see even more in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan. It's gonna be a good 10 weeks, я думаю. Also, I got a multi-entry Kyrgyz visa, so maybe I'll go see some other countries, with Kazakhstan on the top of the list because it's visa-free!

Annie

Shortest flight I have been on

Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA) → Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (FRU)

Mountains between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

This flight is a maximum of 25 minutes, but it was the most breathtaking, jaw-dropping flight. Ever. I love mountains, and this flight is like a dream because we flew low and somewhat close to the mountains. 

Not much to say about this flight as it's really short, but shout out to the guy who let me take his window seat!!! 

But isn't this mountain range gorgeous! 

Interesting landscape.

What an adorable city with a majestic mountain backdrop.

These pictures don't even begin to describe the scenery, but hopefully you enjoyed them. There will be several opportunities for me to hike/trek in Bishkek during my study abroad, and I can't wait any longer! Imagine actually be on these mountains! 

Annie 

Layover in Amsterdam

On my way to the final destination, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, I had a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam. Last time I was here was about 2 years ago with a friend, but we didn't really "sight see" much. We enjoyed our time just strolling around, eating ice cream and stuff like that. I remember I really wanted to go to St. Nicholas Cathedral by Amsterdam Centraal station, but it was not opened. That became one of the reasons why I wanted to leave the airport, even though it would mean I have only, realistically speaking, a maximum of 3.5 hours to do things. If you didn't know, I love European cathedrals and churches, and I would never give up my chance of seeing yet another one.

That's the St. Nicholas Cathedral on the left

So off I go with my 12-pound backpack and purse.

Of course, the 3 hours that I am in Amsterdam had the best worst weather. It was cloudy and raining the  entire time; at times, it even poured rain. However, that didn't stop the umbrella-less me. After spending about forever trying to get Euros from the bank (note: DO NOT exchange money at the train station. I exchanged $20 and ended up with only 13.62 Euros) and buy the train ticket, I finally got to the city center. It was pouring rain, so I went into the tourist info booth right outside of the station and got myself a free map. Once the rain was slightly lighter, I speed-walked to the cathedral to find that IT WAS CLOSED. AGAIN. There goes my hopes and dreams, so then I spent the next 2 hours wandering around the side of town that I've never been. My map was in my bag basically just for added weight, because I did not touch it once. My path actually met a couple pretty nice places, such as the Rembrandt house and statue (they are actually quite far apart), the opera house, Bloemenmarkt (flower market), the Royal Palace and Dam Square. I especially spent some time at the Bloemenmarkt because tulips are pretty, and they are Dutch. With 4.22 euros left in my pocket, I also picked up some fries (without sauce.. because they cost extra money that I don't have) as my lunch.

Canals are almost always accompanied by boats, trees and houses.

Bloemenkart - would've been great for mother's day.

People in Amsterdam (and Europe) loves to have flowers outside / inside their home.

Some people actually stay in those boats.

You're looking at the Royal Palace in Dam Square.

I concluded my trip in about 2 hours because I really could not stand being in the rain and cold anymore. But it was also a good idea stopping early, because back in Schiphol Airport they actually scanned ALL electronics and even searched most passengers' bags. I made it just in time for the flight!

The beautiful Amsterdam Centraal - one of my favorite stations

Annie