When Dillon Wolfe, an international educator from Essex, England, moved to Tashkent in 2022 with his wife and three children, he was looking for a new adventure —and he found much more than that. Now in his third year living in Uzbekistan, Dillon shares the highs and lows of being an expat in Central Asia — from cultural surprises and career opportunities to language barriers and heartwarming traditions.
First impressions
We’re a family of five and have been living in Tashkent for the past three years. Both my wife and I work in education, and it was a job opportunity at a British international school that originally brought us here.
Life in Tashkent moves at a slower pace than we expected for a capital city, but that’s something we really appreciate. While we initially thought English would be more widely spoken, we've embraced the challenge by learning more Uzbek and Russian to help us feel at home and make the most of our time here.
The advantages and disadvantages
It’s a very safe place to live which means our teenage sons can enjoy a lot more freedom to explore and be with their friends. The metro and taxies are comparatively more affordable than previous countries we’ve lived in which makes enjoying the city’s offerings easier.
We like the mix of tradition in Tashkent along with all the new modern developments you see being built here.
The language and the power cutsare the hard parts. If you try to speak Uzbek or Russian than the locals really appreciate it and will often respond in broken English to work out what’s being asked for.
However, the power cuts can be difficult especially as they mostly occur in the very hot summer months and the very cold winter months!
On everyday expat life
For an expat the relative cost of things is cheaper, making it the only country we’ve worked in as a family of five where we can save money. It’s a very safe and friendly country and there is a sense that things are modernizing with new shops and experiences opening fairly regularly.
There are also international Telegram and Facebook groups you can join to make new friends, however we mostly socialize with work colleagues.
Advice for expats
Learn some Russian or Uzbek phrases, particularly numbers. Lower your expectations — especially if you’ve come from a rich Western country. There’s no Amazon here and many service apps are not in English — so have a good translation app and be patient.
Food is seasonal here but is also delicious, so enjoy fruit and vegetables in season and maybe buy a big freezer for storage. Explore the neighboring countries as well — Kazakhstan is an hour up the road! Car hire is expensive — but local transport and taxis are affordable and dependable.