Life abroad
Four international residents on their lives in Uzbekistan
There’s no doubt that Uzbekistan’s tourism industry has been experiencing a boom. The future is looking bright, not just for the citizens of Uzbekistan, but for the many international residents who live here. We spoke to a few foreign residents to find out what attracted them to Uzbekistan and why they love it here.
Words by: Kamola Makhmutkhodjaeva, Islyam Kabirov
There’s no doubt that Uzbekistan’s tourism industry has been experiencing a boom. The future is looking bright, not just for the citizens of Uzbekistan, but for the many international residents who live here. We spoke to a few foreign residents to find out what attracted them to Uzbekistan and why they love it here.
Alberto Díaz Burgos
Age: 22
Originally from: Ciudad Real, Spain
Profession: Spanish Teacher
When I decided to come to Uzbekistan, I knew nothing about this country. I imagined that Uzbekistan might be an old and poor place, but when I arrived, my opinion changed. I saw that Uzbekistan is developing very quickly, and Tashkent is a modern city. I have already visited Samarkand and Bukhara, and my next route is to Khiva. I believe that Samarkand and Bukhara are very beautiful cities, but Tashkent is very convenient for life, so I like it here more.
I originally only came to Tashkent for one year to teach Spanish at the university, but I really liked it here and decided to stay in this interesting country for a while. I really like the prices in Uzbekistan – everything is cheaper here than in Spain, and the people are very kind and polite – they always try to help. The downside, I think, is that most people do not speak English, and it is difficult for me to communicate with them because we do not understand each other. But, in any case, I consider this to be my problem, so I study Russian and Uzbek languages diligently.
There is one thing that I still haven't been able to get used to, and that is qurt (salty, hard cheese balls). Many people like it, but I cannot eat it. But in general, I am very pleased with Uzbek dishes – they’re tasty and satisfying.
If we talk about differences, Uzbek people are more natural than where I’m from. Here people want to help you without any privileges, everyone respects each other, and they value the elderly very much. In Spain, some young people have forgotten these values. I would like to add that I really want to find a permanent job in Tashkent in order to continue living in Uzbekistan, because I have already fallen in love with this country and its people, and I want to continue to discover new cities and people of Uzbekistan.
Yang Qing
Age: 33
Originally from: Xi’an, China
Profession: Telecom Engineer
I had no idea about Uzbekistan before my arrival. Today, I have been in Uzbekistan for almost five years, every year since 2014. I generally stay in Uzbekistan six to ten months of the year – this year, I have been here for eight months already. During my stay, I was very shocked by the exchange rate. In 2014, US$1 was equal to 3,000 som, but now it’s closer to 10,000 som. The infrastructure has improved significantly in recent years: many new buildings have been built and the roads have also been updated. Over the past five years, I have only stayed in Tashkent. Once I had the opportunity to go to Samarkand, but the trip had to be cancelled due to my work. After that, I got another opportunity to go there with colleagues, but sadly that trip was also later cancelled. My life in Uzbekistan is spent either at home or at work. Sometimes I go to the gym and shopping malls. I like to visit beautiful and interesting places in Tashkent.
I work as a telecommunications engineer, providing hardware and software solutions for operators in Uzbekistan and building a fast and stable network with LTE and 5G technologies. I really like the local food, especially the pilaf. Whenever I return to Uzbekistan, I always gain weight as I can eat two servings of pilaf at a time. I also like the Uzbek people, and I really want to find my other half here– someone who will teach me the Russian language in the future. As for what I do not like, I can mention the hot weather at 30-40 degrees. Because of this I do not want to go outside until the evening. I also want to note the lack of punctuality of people, which I encounter very often, mostly in restaurants and cafes while waiting for your order.
As for the situation today, it seems to me that people do not take COVID-19 seriously. There are many people on the streets who do not wear their masks properly. The abolition of quarantine measures does not mean that the virus is gone, and I would like people to understand this. At a time like this, we need to be even more careful: maintain social distance, take care of our health and overcome this difficult time together. Hopefully, COVID-19 will end soon and everyone will be back to a normal way of life.
Miriam Fopiani Román
Age: 26
Originally from: Cádiz, Spain
Profession: Spanish and French Teacher
In September 2019, I came to Samarkand to teach Spanish and French in SamDU (Samarkand State University) as part of an international programme. I ended up working in the Institute of Foreign Languages of Samarkand, as well, where I really enjoyed collaborating. Right now I am living in Tashkent – I work online for an Indian university.
Beyond living in Samarkand, I have visited many places in Uzbekistan. I used to come very often to Tashkent on the weekends because I had many international friends here (I even visited Parkent, where I saw the ‘pre-celebration’ of Navruz before quarantine started). I visited Bukhara twice, once during the snowy period. I went by taxi from Samarkand to Shahrisabz and Termez (quite an adventure), and also from Tashkent to Fergana and Kokand. And finally I took the night train to visit Khiva, one of my favourite trips in Uzbekistan. I couldn’t visit Nukus though.
My impressions haven’t changed much over the year I’ve lived here. When I first came to Uzbekistan, I had the impression that locals were very friendly and sociable, and also very cheerful, and I still think the same thing about the people here. However, something that let me down at the beginning was the fact that not many people speak English, and that every meal has meat. I miss vegetarian options sometimes, so, for me it’s very hard to eat Uzbek food everyday. Some other small things have also been hard for me to get used to; for example, people tend not to form a queue or wait in line, and the style of driving is a little ‘crazy’
There are plenty of differences between Uzbekistan and my home country, but the main one for me is the Uzbek dedication to work. In Spain, we care a lot about the ‘quality of life’ – we don’t like to sacrifice our free time; we don’t imagine our lives without having time for ourselves, too.
As an example, we don’t usually work from 8am to 8pm – we might work fewer hours, but in those hours we try to be very efficient and productive, so that later we can have some free time.
What I like most about Uzbekistan is the mood of the people. People here are very cheerful, and they create a nice atmosphere and good vibes. Even if we don’t share certain cultural ideas or styles of dress, Uzbeks are very tolerant and generally love foreigners.
Saviour Uche
Age: 18
Originally from: Elugwu Umudibi Ekwe, Imo State, Nigeria
Profession: Football Player
Before my arrival in Uzbekistan, I thought that since it is a Muslim country I might have problems related to religion, but I found that it is much more tolerant than I expected.
Since I have arrived in Uzbekistan, I have only managed to visit Tashkent. However, I hope to visit Andijan and Samarkand, as well, in order to personally experience the beautiful art of those cities.
At the moment, I have been in Tashkent for eight months, and my main goal here is to play football. I like a lot of things here, but one problem I have encountered is that the majority of people here don't speak English, so it's hard for me to interact with them. One of the things I like about this country is the variety of traditional foods.
Even though I don't understand the Uzbek language, I like the sound of it. As for the local people, in comparison to my homeland, I can say that we are both friendly people. Nevertheless, on the streets of Uzbekistan, you can still find a surprise in the eyes of local citizens at the sight of people of a different race. If I were asked what I would like to change in this country, I would create more job opportunities to make living in Uzbekistan easier and more attractive for foreigners, especially for the younger generation.
