“My career in this field started not by choice, but by circumstances. I obtained categories C and D for driving large trucks in Europe, but I was not hired due to a lack of experience, so I came here,” Urmat shares his thoughts.
Some people assume that knowing several languages implies a high income. They ask why I am here. But life often throws unexpected circumstances at you, and you have to work where there is an opportunity.
Urmаt is confident that regardless of the profession, it is important to develop oneself. “In university, I studied Arabic and Turkish. I learned Russian because the material was only in Russian, not in Kyrgyz. Then I learned English to go to Dubai. In 2017-2018, I was planning to go to South Korea since knowledge of the language was required, and I started learning Korean. And now I am learning German because it is interesting,” he explains.
Urmаt Kаlmаtov - driver of bus No. 103. He speaks six languages fluently and is learning a seventh.
The most challenging language for him has been Arabic due to its phonetics and grammar. Urmаt admits that at the time he was studying it, he had no experience. “Arabic belongs to the Semitic languages, and its structure is completely different from Russian or Kyrgyz. However, Turkish and Korean are easier because their grammar is similar to Kyrgyz, so I learned Korean in two and a half months,” he explains.
Urmаt Kаlmаtov - driver of bus No. 103. He speaks six languages fluently and is learning a seventh.
Urmаt studied languages both in courses and independently. “My mom funded my Turkish language courses. I studied for eight months and received a certificate. When it was time to learn English, I only had enough money for two months, after which I continued on my own,” he recounts.
Urmаt Kаlmаtov - driver of bus No. 103. He speaks six languages fluently and is learning a seventh.
According to him, knowing languages helps in his work. In recent years, there have been many foreign passengers. For example, once a girl who looked like a Korean got on the bus. I first addressed her in Kyrgyz, then in Russian, and tried in Korean. She replied that she didn’t know Korean, and we switched to English. It turned out she was from China and studying at a university in Bishkek, where her parents work. We had a great conversation,” Urmаt shares.
Knowing languages also helps him communicate with students from Pakistan and India, as well as with migrants from Bangladesh.
Urmаt Kаlmаtov - driver of bus No. 103. He speaks six languages fluently and is learning a seventh.
For Urmаt, working as a driver is not an obstacle to personal growth. He believes that what you do for yourself is more important than how you earn a living. Learning languages, acquiring new skills, and being able to find common ground with people are valuable in any field of activity.
“It is important to continue learning and to enjoy what you do, regardless of your workplace,” Urmаt emphasizes.
