Bishkek is a happy, happy place. It is the perfect combination of big and small city – much like Peoria on a much more interesting level. After living here for almost 3 weeks, it still almost seems like a dream. When am I going to get bored? When am I going to be ready to move on? Now, I have no idea when, or if, that will happen. I am feeling the best I’ve felt in a LONG time, both physically and mentally, so I decided to add on a few health goals to my two previous and long-standing goals (1 – be more decisive; 2 – overcome germ phobia). Here’s a list of all the things I am doing to help myself continue feeling great in Bishkek:

1) Walk to class every day. Eating junk food and hacking away at the computer the past couple of years has left me sluggish and, for lack of better words, more jiggly than I would like. The walk to class is a good 45 minutes, and when added to countless hours in the evening and weekend exploring, it really adds up! I’ve lost inches since arriving in Bishkek. Originally, my walking was done in an attempt at avoiding overcrowded marshrutka rides, but now I just feel great!

2) Exercise my mind. Since quitting my job as an IT Analyst in September, I have not done much in the area of keeping my mind sharp. My Russian lessons are quickly making up for this. I have 20 hours a week of mind-blowing classes, which afterwards leave me drained (or maybe that’s all the walking). However, I feel good doing this because I would like to eventually head back to university for a graduate degree of some sort.

3) Take my daily vitamins. I started taking a multi-vitamin again every morning. My body thanks me.

4) Wear sunglasses. I have never been good at wearing sunglasses even though I know it is very important for my eyes. I bought some giant sunglasses the other day at the bazaar. It seems that’s the cool thing to wear here in Bishkek. Now I can start pretending I’m an undercover celebrity of sorts.

5) Wear sunblock. Yes, I have been even worse with this! I met a girl in Poland who just had a few cancerous patches removed from her skin, so it scared me into making this a part of my health goals. I am going to start wearing sunscreen every day, no matter what the weather is like.

6) Have Fun!

Keep on checking back! I have plenty more news and fun coming your way from Bishkek.