Living Conditions in Kyrgyz Republic

Communications

Mail

During pre-service training, your mail should be sent to the pre-service training post office box (this address will be provided before you depart for the Kyrgyz Republic). Once you have moved to your assigned site, you will use your residence or workplace as a mailing address. Advise your family and friends to number their letters and boxes. Also advise them to include “Airmail” and “Par Avion” on their envelopes. Be aware that you may incur customs charges on your personal packages.

Telephones

Cell phones are extremely useful here, though coverage can be spotty, even in the cities. Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic will provide you a smartphone, SIM card, charger, and service plan for official communications with staff and personal use upon your arrival to the country. If you wish to bring your own phone for personal use, make sure it is unlocked and has a charger that works with 220 V. Keep in mind that all Volunteers are required to use their Peace Corps-provided phone and SIM card for all official communications. You will also be responsible for completing the government-required registration process for any foreign-purchased phone brought into the Kyrgyz Republic. Any GSM quad-band phones: iPhones, Android phones, and most other smartphones will work, though some data services may not be available. You will be responsible for buying a service/data plan for your Peace Corps-issued phone and your personal phone if you bring one.

Internet

We encourage Volunteers to bring a laptop or tablet with them, along with other devices for external storage and backup, such as external hard drives and flash drives. Volunteers communicate by email or messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp) on smartphones and by connecting their laptop to Wi-Fi (if available) or a cellular network, sometimes with the help of a 3G/4G USB dongle modem/pocket mobile Wi-Fi router. There are three GSM mobile providers in country that provide 4G/LTE network coverage in cities/towns. However, in rural areas mobile networks are mainly 2G/3G.

Housing and site location

Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic assigns Volunteers to the sites with the greatest need and to schools and tourism organizations that demonstrate potential for making the best use of Volunteers’ skills.

All Volunteers are required to live with a host family or on the grounds of a family home in a separate building (compound housing) for their entire service. This is because Volunteers who live with families have more opportunities for daily language practice, deeper understanding of the local culture, easier integration into their communities, and direct support when needed.

Within the host family, Volunteers stay in a separate room with basic furniture such as a bed, table, chairs, and a wardrobe or bureau for clothing. A stove and a refrigerator will be shared with the host family. Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic will provide you with a water filter. Because winters in the Kyrgyz Republic are cold and sometimes heating systems can be inadequate, the Peace Corps may provide you with a coal allowance, depending on your living situation. Still, you will probably need long underwear and perhaps a warm sleeping bag.

You need to be very flexible in your housing expectations. Indoor toilets are rare in the villages and towns. Water may arrive by bucket from a well or public tap, and electricity outages may occur. The Kyrgyz Republic uses 220 V, 50 cycles; if you plug a 110 V (the U.S. standard) appliance or radio into a 220 V socket, it will be damaged and possibly destroyed.

Living allowance and money management

The Kyrgyz Republic is mainly a cash-based economy. Mobile money payments, such as Mbank app, are becoming more popular and widely used throughout the country. Mbank QR code payments offer a quick, safe and simple shopping experience. Peace Corps staff will help you set up an Mbank account. There are ATM machines in the major towns and cities, but credit cards are still usable only on a limited basis.

As a Volunteer, you will live at roughly the same economic level as your neighbors and colleagues. You will receive a modest monthly living allowance (deposited in local currency into a bank account that will be opened for you) to cover food, utilities, household supplies, hygiene products, clothing, recreation and entertainment, telephone calls, reading materials, and other personal expenses. The amount of this allowance may not seem like a lot of money, but you will earn more than many of your colleagues and their supervisors. You will also receive a one-time settling-in allowance in local currency to purchase household items when you move to your permanent site. The settling-in allowance is intended to defray part of the costs of items such as cooking utensils, dishes, towels, and blankets.

Food and diet

Once a nation of nomadic herders, today’s citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic have a diet reflective of this nomadic heritage; traditionally, herders got everything they needed to survive from their animals. Today’s diet still relies heavily on bread, meat, and a limited selection of vegetables, with much food fried or boiled.

There is a wide range of fresh food for sale in markets throughout the country during the spring, summer, and fall. Selection in the winter is limited, while carrots, cabbage, green radish, apples are always available. Most local markets have white, pinto, mung, and red beans; chickpeas and split peas; pasta, rice, peanuts, and other nuts. Cheese, eggs, and milk are available in many, but not all, markets. Tofu is available in larger towns. Oranges and bananas can also be found in larger towns, but are often expensive.

It’s difficult but possible to be a vegetarian in Kyrgyz Republic. The cost of purchasing fruits and vegetables out of season can be very expensive and preserving fruits and vegetables while in season requires planning, but previous Volunteers have managed. Due to the local diet and cultural importance of sharing meals with host families, Kyrgyz Republic would be a difficult placement for vegans. Those with gluten intolerance should be aware that bread has a role both in tradition and as a food staple.

Transportation

For safety and security reasons, Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic’s transportation and travel policy restricts where and how Volunteers may travel in Kyrgyzstan. Volunteers may not operate motorized vehicles. Road travel after dark is prohibited; violation of these policies may result in the termination of your Volunteer service. Certain areas of the country are off-limits, such as military installations and mining areas.

Peace Corps Kyrgyz Republic provides Volunteers private taxi service on a regular basis for travel between their communities to larger towns for shopping and personal errands.

Social activities

The Kyrgyz people are well known for their hospitality, and most social life at Volunteer sites centers on visiting friends’ homes, a custom known as “guesting.” Guesting means being invited to a home for a meal and conversation; this could last up to five or six hours, depending on the time of day. As the only American present in a community you will often be the guest of honor. Being a guest in a Kyrgyz home can be simultaneously rewarding and stressful. The local people, whether ethnic Kyrgyz, Uzbek, or Russian, are hospitable, charismatic hosts. This means that you, as the guest, will be constantly encouraged to eat and drink.

Professionalism, dress, and behavior 

You will be serving as a teacher, a role model for young people, and a professional. It is an important and a highly respected position.

Peace Corps is working at the invitation of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Volunteers are expected to meet the core expectations, uphold a high standard of professionalism, and be respectful of the host country culture at all times. One of the difficulties of finding your place as a Peace Corps Volunteer is learning how to fit into the local culture while also maintaining your own cultural identity. Additionally, you are expected to be a professional and to adjust to norms within the workplace.

Expectations for your professionalism start with your dress and appearance. This is a common expectation in professional settings around the world, but in Kyrgyzstan in particular, your dress and appearance is an important way to show respect for others. This includes a neat and clean appearance with conservative attire. You might be surprised by how much care people take to keep their appearance clean and neat; for example, you might see people cleaning/dusting their shoes repeatedly throughout the day.

Tattoos are becoming more common, but you should still be prepared to cover them, depending on your host family, community, and school/partner organization’s customs or advice. Piercings are not common for men. Women usually have their ears pierced; sometimes they have multiple ear piercings. However, both tattoos and piercings are not generally accepted in professional settings and are expected to be covered. You can expect cold winters and hot summers, so prepare to have appropriate clothing for a variety of climates. Winters are very cold, and many Volunteers dress in layers. Summers can get quite hot, so prepare to have some conservative attire suitable for hotter temperatures as well.

Inappropriate behavior, such as excessive drinking or other actions that compromise the safety and security of you and others, is not acceptable.