The official languages of Kyrgyzstan are Kyrgyz and Russian. Here, when children begin first grade, their parents decide whether they will learn in Kyrgyz or Russian. If the parents choose Kyrgyz, their child will learn Russian as a second language, and vice versa. All students also learn English in school. In Bishkek, most people speak Russian at work and on the street. However, outside of Bishkek, people usually speak Kyrgyz in all situations.
Kyrgyz currency is called "som." One U.S. dollar is approximately 87.5 Kyrgyzstani som. The banknotes are very colorful and vary in size. The higher the denomination, the larger the bill. Five out of seven of the banknotes feature Kyrgyz poets! The only woman featured is Kurmanjan Datka, a brave Kyrgyz tribal leader who saved many lives by persuading her people to accept the Russian annexation of southern Kyrgyzstan.
A bottle of water is very cheap, usually 50-80 som (less than a dollar)!
