Aydai is originally from the village of Kosh-Döbö, located in the Ak-Talinsky district of the Naryn region.
“I was born in a rainy autumn in 2003. My parents are simple farmers, and I am the eldest of five children. I run a blog on social media to bring joy to people and share useful information. At the moment, I live in Warsaw,” she says.
From an early age, my parents paid great attention to my education. I was sent to a Russian school and enrolled in additional English classes from the first grade. My father had a dream for his children to study abroad. After finishing the 11th grade, he directed me to America, but unfortunately, I did not get a visa. “This is not the end of life,” he said and took me to companies that helped with moving to Europe. This decision turned out to be successful, and for the past two years, I have been studying for a bachelor's degree in IT, combining my studies with work to make a living,” Aydai shared.
According to her, culture shock hit her immediately upon arrival.
“It’s quiet in Warsaw, people don’t pay attention to you, there aren’t many people on the streets, everything is strictly on schedule. I quickly learned how to get around: buses and metro trains arrive and depart exactly on time, so you need to be quick to get on and reach your station, as the ticket is valid only for a certain period,” she says.
Locals are friendly towards foreigners, although sometimes teenagers may tease her by greeting her with “Ni Hao” (hello in Chinese). “I take it as a joke,” she added.
At first, Aydai faced difficulties with food and the weather.
“Here, people prefer light and vitamin-rich foods that are quickly absorbed by the body, which is why they look slim. We, on the other hand, are used to more calorie-dense and fatty foods. As for the climate, it often rains in Warsaw, it’s cloudy, and the sun doesn’t appear often. In winter, there is almost no snow, and summer here is quite cool compared to other European countries,” she explained.
According to her, the Polish government has created many opportunities for people. Transportation is available almost everywhere, making it easy to get around the city. Warsaw is also adapted for people with disabilities. The living conditions here are good, and Poles actively engage in sports and care about their health.
“Once, there was a funny incident: when I was looking for an apartment, I tried to find out if there was a carpet in it. The owner asked: ‘Sofa?’. I replied: ‘No, not a sofa’. Later, I learned that in Polish, ‘carpet’ translates to ‘sofa’,” Aydai recounted.
She also noted that there are many Kyrgyz people living in Warsaw, both students and workers, but it’s not so easy to meet them on the street.
“We gather for holidays and hold joint events. In our free time, we meet and play games. After finishing my studies, I plan to return to Kyrgyzstan and work in my field; I have many plans for achieving success,” she concluded.
