He works on a large cruise liner in Europe.
“I am 22 years old, I come from the rural district named after N. Isanova, located in the Nookat region of the Osh province. I graduated from school in my native village, after which I enrolled in the Faculty of Kyrgyz Philology and Journalism at Osh State University. Currently, I am on a cruise liner in Europe, where I have been for about two and a half months. I really enjoy my job. I came with the goal of seeing other countries and learning the language. At the moment, I am involved in service on the cruise, and I got this job thanks to acquaintances and friends. There are people from more than 70 nationalities and 150 countries working on this liner. Since most of the work is related to guest service, we use English and German. The working day is 12 hours long, with breaks — sometimes half an hour, sometimes three hours. We have been on the liner from the very beginning and do not stay in cities. The liner accommodates 4,500 people: about 3,000 guests and approximately 1,500 staff,” Tabaldiev shared his impressions.
Europeans Focus on Personal Development and Travel
Life here is radically different from life in Kyrgyzstan. Accommodation and meals are provided for free, but it doesn't resemble the familiar home environment — work takes up almost all of the time. People here are calm and simple, but unlike Kyrgyz people, they are more focused on themselves. They spend a lot of time on travel, education, and trips abroad. Europe impresses with its cleanliness and the kindness of the locals. The clothing and food here are quite simple, and no one pays much attention to what you are wearing.
Language Barriers
“The first and biggest difficulty was the language. It was also not easy for me to get used to the local cuisine and climate. On the first day, I had trouble communicating with guests, as they did not understand me, and I could not explain my thoughts,” he said.
Challenges at Sea
Another difficult moment was the strong waves in the ocean. Sometimes we had to be at sea for six consecutive days when the wind picked up and storms began. This caused me seasickness — headaches, nausea, and heaviness in my stomach.
Funny Adventures
There were times when we got lost in England and Scotland. The bus that brought us had already left, and we were late. We had to wait for the next bus for half an hour, and in the end, we were late for work. It was both scary and funny at the same time. In Scotland, we got too carried away with walks and lost a lot of time, which led to us getting lost.
Norway Reminded Me of My Homeland
I was lucky to visit many countries and cities. Liverpool made the biggest impression on me. The first country in Europe for me was Germany, followed by Scotland and Norway. The nature of Norway is somewhat similar to that of Kyrgyzstan, although the mountains are significantly smaller. We have many high mountain peaks, while here there are small hills. We also visited Iceland, England, Northern Ireland, and other cities in Europe. I would advise friends and acquaintances: learn languages and strive to travel abroad.
