Kyrgyzstan through eyes of Syrian Ammar Dubein

We present our readers a conversation with 22-year-old Syrian citizen Ammar Dubein. The hometown of the young man is Damascus, which actively opposes the terrorists. He is a third-year student. In Bishkek, the young man studies at the Faculty of Medicine (general medicine) of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.

— What surprises you in our country?

— The most shocking thing for me in Kyrgyzstan was that people drink alcohol in public places, and a terrible smell, which is felt when you pass them by. Also I can not get used to the fact that men spit on the street.

— What in Bishkek reminds you of your hometown?

— Two important holidays which are of great importance for every Muslim: Kurban Ait and Orozo are marked in Kyrgyzstan like in my homeland. Exactly on such days, when people gather, celebrate and treat each other with various dishes, I feel myself like in my hometown.

— What do you miss and what do you lack in Bishkek?

— Honestly, there are almost all necessary conditions for comfortable living in Bishkek. But I will lie if I say that I do not miss my national traditions, as well as my friends in Syria.

— Do you already have a favorite place in Bishkek?

— Kyrgyzstan has amazing mountains, and I fell in love with them. If there is an opportunity to go outside, I choose exactly those places where one can enjoy them. And I also love my university, which became my family, the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. I like to study and get knowledge from instructors.

— What do you like in the national cuisine? And what are you afraid even to try?

— The national cuisine is very fattening and nutritious, I like everything in it, but I prefer kuurdak and the liquid lagman. I often treat myself with these dishes.

— What has fascinated and disappointed you in close acquaintance with the local population?

-I really like the hospitable and kindhearted Kyrgyz people. And there are a lot of people of this nationality among my friends. My disappointment is associated with theft, when I was stolen a mobile phone in a minibus.

— What would you change in Bishkek or even in Kyrgyzstan?

— In Bishkek, I would like to replace all minibuses by buses. The technical condition of the minibuses is very troubling like the way they chaotically move on the roads.