AIESEC Exhange in Kyrgyzstan | MEKTEP project

Muhammad Qashmal Abrar, student of Undergraduate Marketing Prasetiya Mulya batch 2014 shared her experience running Global Youth Ambassador Program in Kyrgyztan.

A few weeks ago, I was going to Kyrgyzstan. First impression when I told to my friends that I would like to go there, they were shock because they don’t know clearly where the country located is. Compare to other ‘stan’ countries, Kyrgyzstan is not very popular indeed. Located in Central Asia, we can found a small country that actually really interesting to visit for travellers, neither in winter nor in summer.

Living in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, I feel really enjoyed because of their warmth hospitality. I live in a small flat on the edge of the city for 6 weeks, with just only two brothers there for being my host family. They care me a lot during I stayed there.

I really interesting with the view when I first came, the city full of mountains around and were covered by snow. Yes, because when I came there, its winter seasons. My first cultures shock there of course the weather! It’s really cold compare to our daily temperature, almost minus degree every day. So I have to wear the crazy heavy coat every day, which makes me lazy to go out for work sometimes! Ha..ha..

Having a lot of new friends from different countries makes me really happy. I can work with them in a group, sharing ideas, laughing, and caring. In their Local Committee, they have 2 different projects. One of the projects is MEKTEP and the other one is Share Your Smile project, and I was in MEKTEP project. MEKTEP is the project that developed carrier for youth in range 16 years- 18 years old. Work with 5 others EP’s from Australia, Taiwan, and Malaysia, we make a comprehension to the youth what carrier they can takes, and how to makes their goal realized. The students are really loved us and they pay a big attention to our presentation because they knows how important their future carrier are.

Every morning I am going to work by public transportation like bus or marsyutka (it’s like our ‘angkot’ here). Despite their driver usually exceed speed limits, they still obey the traffic lights and people who wants to cross the streets. During on the way to the place where I worked, we can see a lot of people take a walk to their destinations. It’s really different compare to our country where peoples prefer go by transportation.

On the weekend, we took some refreshment to some place neither in Bishkek nor outside of the city. The place that we had been visited are historical buildings; you can see Kyrgyzstan has a lot of history and legend, riding a horse in the snowy mountain, eats as you like in traditional cuisine of Kyrgyzstan, soak in the hot pool on the top of a mountain which full of snow around, have a skiing, ice skating, and so many more excitement.

All of the activities that happen there change me in a person. Its improves my ability to speak in front of many peoples, ability to work in a group, and of course increasing my leadership potential.