13:00, 10 декабря 2017, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency
Katie Delgado came from the U.S Atlanta city. She is a Peace Corps volunteer. In the past 18 months, she has been teaching the students of Arabayev University English and heading the English talking clubs in K.Bayalinov library.
Story of Katie’s acquaintance with is very interesting. She learned about our country when she went to to work as a volunteer and got into the family of immigrants from . Her German family, instead of acquainting the American with European life, kept telling about all the time.
— They moved to in the 1980s, but are still missing , especially their grandparents.
We cooked Oriental dishes more often than the German ones, often ate plov, manty. They told me about their life in Kyrgyzstan, and I had a desire to come to this country.
But I also planned to visit , so after I lived in . Then I decided to visit .
— And did disappoint you? Did your German family not deceive you?
— No, it did not. At least I did not have any difficulties with the local cuisine. My stomach got used to it. Here I got into a family from Batken region, so now I’m a plov expert.
Some Turkish and Kyrgyz customs are similar, the language too. So I quickly got used to it. The German family was right: people here are hospitable and friendly. I found friends and acquaintances already in the first month of my stay here. Now I visit someone of them all the time.
— You speak Kyrgyz very well. How did you learn the language so quickly?
— I like to study foreign languages. Of course, there are languages that I can’t do. For example, it is the Korean. I studied it at the university. But, having arrived in , I realized that I did not understand this language at all.
Before coming to I have learned a few words in Kyrgyz. On the first day in Bishkek, when I got acquainted with my Kyrgyz family, my local mother could not remember the translation of the word «sometimes». She asked her daughter. I answered her in Kyrgyz: keede. Everyone laughed and said that, apparently, not they, but I will teach them Kyrgyz. We speak the Kyrgyz, Russian and English at home.
— What do you like to visit in Bishkek?
— I really like the multilingualism of the city. Young people speak English well. It is wonderful. I already know where and what language I should speak. For example, in a minibus — in Kyrgyz, with taxi drivers — in Russian, and I get a discount for my Kyrgyz on the market.
I like to visit and . I like the design of , especially in the summer, when with the help of lighting a wonderful flag of the country was made.
I often go to theaters. In winter, I attend theater performances at the Opera and Ballet Theater 2-3 times. Artists are very good.
I with my friends often visit Ala-Archa. I have traveled to Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Naryn, visited .
— What do you miss in Bishkek?
— First, I lack the sun in the winter. I’m from . Last year, winter in Bishkek began in the middle of October, and it was very cold. I also miss my father’s cooking. He cooks very tasty.
— What would you change in Bishkek?
— I think Bishkek should solve the problem with the public transport. Universities need repairs and good libraries. All universities should be like AUCA.
— Do you want to return to one more time?
— Yes. In a year, I’ll leave and stay in for a while. A daughter from my Kyrgyz family works there. After , I want to return here.