One of the best ways to jump into a new culture is through the local food. The sheer act of sharing food experiences also gives you instant conversation starter material with locals. Central Asian cuisine, having developed largely from nomadic cultures, is often heavy on grains, pasta, dairy, and meat. We are sure that you […]

Some of our students report not feeling culture shock at all. Some are surprised by how much culture shock they experience. Often, those most affected are those who did not expect it. So how can you prepare to live in a new culture and get the most out of the experience? How do you prepare […]

A semester or year stay abroad requires considerable planning. You will need to consider the season and location as well as what you need to bring and what you should find abroad. If you will be spending winter months in most SRAS locations, luggage can quite easily become unwieldy, which can mean airline charges for […]

One might not often think of combining a spa day of pampering with study abroad. However, in many SRAS locations, the cost of doing so can be surprisingly low, making it a great way to decompress and improve your mental health. Plus, many locations share traditions of the banya, which is not only a cultural […]

What’s it really like to live in Bishkek for a semester? Staying long-term in a city is much different from just vacationing there. You’ll need to navigate more of the practical, everyday services of the city and you’ll need to budget for more miscellaneous and long-term expenses. Thus, this guide covers everything from haircuts and […]

While abroad, it’s natural to get a bit homesick and start craving the comfort foods we are used to. While we recommended that you dive into the local culture as much as possible, sometimes seeing foreign takes on American classics can be interesting and educational… right? Here’s a list of six fast food places that […]

Eurasia today is still quite affordable. However, students can also be surprised at how easy it is to run into troubles – like blocked bank cards or overspending while abroad. This guide will help you plan in advance to avoid these mistakes and make the most of your budget abroad. Its advice comes from SRAS […]

There are many ways to stay fit while in Bishkek! Below are suggestions for gyms and training clubs within the city that students on SRAS programs in Bishkek have found and would like to recommended. This resource is part of the much larger SRAS Guide to Living in Bishkek. Fitness Clubs and Training in Bishkek […]

Bishkek brims with shopping outlets. From large shopping malls to tiny kiosks and its traditional bazaars, from antiques to the latest fashions, this guide hopes to introduce you to some of the best opportunities that students on SRAS programs in Bishkek have found! This resource is part of the much larger SRAS Guide to Living […]

Bishkek has seen a wave of investment from many countries – many of them Asian. For this reason, it is not so odd to find international visitors and cuisines in Bishkek. From Indian and Chinese to Japanese and Korean, Asian food is not hard to find in the Kyrgyzstan’s capital. Below are several that students […]

Kyrgyz food tends to be heavy in dairy and meat. However, being vegetarian or even vegan in Bishkek is not impossible, but you should be willing to work to both check your foods and explain your needs to locals who may not understand. Below, Sophia Rhem (vegetarian) and Kathryn Watt (vegan) recount their experiences while […]

Almaty has many live music venues and all-night clubs, meaning that with a bit of asking around or internet surfing, one can find the perfect place to have a bite and a drink, catch a local band, and dance the night away. Some are holes-in-the-wall known mostly to locals while others are bigger venue places […]

At the end of my summer program in Bishkek, a friend of mine and I wanted a weekend getaway from Bishkek and decided to visit Kazakhstan’s largest city and former capital, Almaty, which is just over the border. A few other students had already gone and encouraged us to check it out. Almaty lies at […]

Bishkek sits in the heart of Central Asia, surrounded by natural beauty. SRAS programs in Bishkek offer two categories of travel components. All regular programs offer several trips to see more of Kyrgyzstan, particularly its rural cultures. Students specifically on SRAS’s Central Asian Studies program have an extended travel component that covers multiple Central Asian […]

I didn’t expect that during my time in Bishkek, I would have the opportunity to visit Southeast Asia (although it has long been on my bucket list). Taking a quick look at Google Flights, it appears that a flight from Bishkek to Thailand costs upwards of $800. However, thanks to the invitation from a local […]

Kyrgyzstan is a small country that abounds in natural beauty – many great locations are just a short drive away and can be experienced on a surprisingly small budget. Many of these independent student experiences were arranged through a company called Community Based Tourism, which seeks to use local guides and local resources to make […]

Kyrgyzstan is a small country that abounds in natural beauty – many great locations are just a short drive away and can be experienced on a surprisingly small budget. Here are several that students on our study abroad programs in Bishkek recommend! Issyk-Ata Hot Pools 1 Hour Outside Bishkek; ~$20 budget Review by Mikaela Peters […]

Travel to Georgia from Bishkek ~$400 for a 6-day trip I am currently a student in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan but I love traveling in general. Therefore, when my friend studying in Moscow asked me if I’d be interested in taking a trip to Georgia to meet up, I obviously said “Yes.” I planned out a six-day […]

After settling in with my host family, I’ve looked back on my notes from my first couple of weeks abroad and come to a realization – in a lot of ways, Abroad-Olivia is a child, just a little bit bigger. I’ve compiled these notes to make a list of seven reasons why living abroad is […]

Ossé Optical Shop Address: Toktogula 86 (corner of Toktogula and Sovietskaya) Phone: +996-312-662-763 Today I have become four-eyed. I bought eyeglasses in Bishkek. It was on my list of things to do before heading home to Washington in 48 hours, along with buying a kazan (a cast-iron pot) to make plov, and kalpaks (Kyrgyz felt […]

This past weekend, I visited Osh, the “southern capital” of Kyrgyzstan. I’ve always wanted to go because I heard the 620-kilometer Bishkek-Osh Highway, the only main road connecting Russia with the south of Central Asia, was gorgeous. I also wanted to see “the south.” People always talk about Kyrgyzstan’s cultural, linguistic, and political “north-south divide,” […]

The latest online video to have gone viral is “What Kind of Asian Are You?”, a comedy sketch co-directed by David Neptune and Ken Tanaka for YouTube’s Comedy Week extravaganza, a program that features live performances and video debuts from some of the top names in comedy.  In the video, a Korean-American woman is asked […]

This past week, I took a break from Kyrgyzstan and spent a few days traveling through Turkmenistan, visiting the cities of Ashgabad, Mary, Merv, Geok-Tepe, and Turkmenabad. This trip was arranged by The School of Russian and Asian Studies and The London School of Bishkek for participants of The Central Asian Studies study abroad program. […]