The family of Anush Matinyan moved from Armenia to Kyrgyzstan 19 years ago. She teaches English in Bishkek.

In an interview with 24.kg news agency, the 31-year-old teacher told about the reasons for the move, her impressions of the Kyrgyz Republic and the similarity of the two peoples.

— What difficulties did you encounter when moving to Bishkek?

— I was born and spent my childhood in Armenia. In 2003, due to my father’s job, my family moved to Kyrgyzstan. The main difficulties for me personally were the languages: Russian and Kyrgyz. Over time, these difficulties disappeared, and I have been living in Bishkek for 19 years already.

The great French chansonnier of Armenian descent Charles Aznavour said: «I am both Armenian and French and this cannot be divided.» This also applies to me, I feel myself at home both in Armenia and in Kyrgyzstan.

Anush Matinyan

— Your English is perfect. Where did you learn it?

— In Armenia, I went to a school with an in-depth study of foreign languages and started learning English from the first grade at a fairly good level. Upon graduation from school, I entered the Foreign Languages Faculty; I have been to the USA while studying. Then I started teaching English to children and adults. I love my job and try to share my love for English and learning with my students. I also really like to travel and read classic works of literature. I don’t really like to talk about myself, but I can endlessly talk about the importance of education, my students and work. I do my best to motivate my students and their success motivates me. I believe that in no case one should stop learning and I am actively engaged in self-education and advanced training.

— The most important thing is motivation: it is important to understand why you need a foreign language. Then there is a goal to learn it and it becomes much easier. The second is to find a good teacher who will help make learning easier and more interesting. And of course, listen, read as much as possible and not be afraid to practice, despite the level of language proficiency. You can watch films and cartoons that you have watched many times in your native language, or short videos, listen to songs, subscribe to bloggers who speak and write in the language you are trying to learn.

You should not give up if you don’t succeed at first, you need to understand and remember that learning any language takes time and effort, but it is absolutely real.

Anush Matinyan

— What was your first impression of the country?

— Since I come from a city that is much smaller than Bishkek, and I did not live in the capital by that time, the first impression was that everything is big. Many things were surprising for me as a teenager, since everything around me was new.

— Do you have a favorite place in Kyrgyzstan and Bishkek?

— In fact, there are quite a lot of places that I love, but, perhaps, my favorites are the parks in Bishkek, especially the Chingiz Aitmatov park (former Oak park) with its sculptures, and of course, Issyk-Kul and the mountains.

— What national dishes do you like? Is there anything that you are afraid to even try?

— I like manty, plov, samsa and boorsok, but I would not have dared to try chuchuk.

— What has fascinated you in close acquaintance with the local population?

— In fact, the set of mind of the Armenians and the Kyrgyz is very similar. Both peoples honor their traditions and, in addition, were part of the Soviet Union for a long time. So, despite the years of life here, it never ceases to amaze me how similar we are.

— It is everything related to infrastructure, I think every resident of the city will say so։ less garbage, cleaner air, good roads for both motorists and pedestrians.

Since I am a teacher, I cannot but note that it is necessary to improve education level not only in Bishkek, but throughout the country.

Anush Matinyan

— How often do you go to your homeland? Are there any relatives left?

— Most of my relatives live in Armenia, and I love to visit them. Most often I go there for 3-4 weeks, but there were years when I went there for 2-3 months. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to Armenia since the beginning of the pandemic.

— What are your plans for the future?

— It has become difficult to plan something because of the pandemic. However, one thing I know for sure — I will continue to teach, this is what makes me happy, especially when I see the success of my students and get good feedback from them.