Sean Keller: “I have never been anywhere as unique as Kyrgyzstan”

May 20, 2015

Spring semester is going to the end, and the exchange students are returning home. Sean Keller is one of them. He lived four months in Bishkek from early January to early May 2015. He shares his experience studying at AUCA.

“My name is Sean Keller. I’m 21 years old, and I’m majoring in anthropology and Russian studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. My family currently lives in Pennsylvania, but I was born in Switzerland. My hobbies include creative writing, reading fantasy novels, and listening to history podcasts. I also enjoy biking, running, and skiing.

I knew that Kyrgyzstan was a former Soviet country, and I knew what I had read in the Bard Abroad handbook, but other than that, no. I wanted to go into it with no expectations or preconceptions, and learn as I went.

I experienced a lot of culture shocks when I first arrived. It was my first time traveling outside of North America or Europe, and I had never practiced my Russian in an environment of native speakers. My first impressions of my host family were very positive, though, and I knew it wouldn’t be a bad experience. Bishkek itself seemed kind of dismal in the winter, but my host family’s tea and cooking made up for it.

Right now I know more about Kyrgyzstan. I know about all the traditional Kyrgyz and Central Asian foods, I know how and when to greet people with a handshake, and I know some Kyrgyz phrases and grammar. I can ride a marshrutka with my eyes closed, I can go shopping in Osh bazaar, and most importantly, I know what kök-börü is.

The most amazing thing was when the whole city suddenly became green and incredibly beautiful at the beginning of May, when spring came. It was just stunning to watch the city come to life. I like the relaxed atmosphere – I could spend hours sitting on a park bench talking to a friend, without either of us feeling rushed or hurried. I also fell in love with the small details of Bishkek – the sound of the call to prayer from the mosque, the mix of Kyrgyz and Russian I always heard being spoken, and the smell of samsas coming from street vendors on Chuy. You know, the little things.

I like the city’s multicultural feel, and even more so the multicultural atmosphere of AUCA. At AUCA, I have several friends from various places in Central Asia – Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uighur, Tajik, you name it. It’s such a diverse place. I was really impressed with the way my classmates greeted me on my first day in class – they were really warm and welcoming, despite the fact that I was so quiet and reserved. I enjoyed most of my professors at AUCA, although sometimes classes seemed a bit unorganized. In general, though, many of the classes I took (Kyrgyz language, Islam in Central Asia) I could not have taken anywhere else, and in that respect the education I received at AUCA was invaluable.

I also experienced some difficulties. At first the primary difficulty was homesickness – missing my family, my girlfriend, and the food I was used to eating. After a while, that faded somewhat, and the biggest issue for me was how hard it sometimes was to get out of the city. I really enjoyed the trips outside of Bishkek, which I was able to go on, but sometimes I just wished I could spend all of my time outside of the city, and not go back. I’m a country boy, what can I say? In terms of good moments…I enjoyed going out to dinner with friends a lot, and as time went by I enjoyed walking around AUCA and constantly passing people I knew.

I have never been anywhere as unique as Kyrgyzstan, and I still feel somewhat shell-shocked to be home, having only arrived back in the U.S. three days ago. I’m sure the full significance of my time in Bishkek will keep revealing itself as time goes by.”

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