One reason why I wanted to study in Kazakhstan was to experience a culture very different from my own. In the United States, I participated in an immersive language program, but I realized after this that I wanted an immersive cultural experience too. Living in Almaty offered me the opportunity to be immersed in both a new culture and a different language, which not only helped me learn so much about the people of Kazakhstan, but also about my own culture.
I experienced Kazakh culture in several ways, including through host-family life, student life, using public transportation, shopping, attending operas, visiting museums, dining in restaurants and cafes, exploring the nightlife, and going on group excursions. At home, my host family had norms about removing shoes, how to dispose of trash, the amount of tea one should drink in a day, what you should or should not eat, physical activity, how to stay well and avoid sickness... the list goes on! Each small thing added up to create an almost completely different way of life, and living and abiding by these norms helped me understand the values and logic of the culture better. I even picked up some habits and cultural ideas from my time in Almaty that I carried over to my daily life in the U.S., like only wearing house shoes inside and drinking more tea than I usually did before.
On public transportation, I was able to learn a lot about how people interact with each other in Kazakhstan. While personal space is not as culturally valuable as I’ve noticed it is in America, people are generally quite kind to each other. When the bus is crowded and someone cannot reach the bus-card scanner, people are more than willing to help scan people’s cards for them and even try to make room for more people to get on the bus regardless of whether it is already crowded. I noticed that respecting elderly people and women is culturally valued in public spaces. Almost every time I was on the bus, I saw people give up their seats for people older than them or to women, especially if they had young children. All of this made me learn more about my own culture as well, reflecting on my experiences on public transportation in the United States and noticing similarities and differences.
Through many group excursions, I learned more about how religion and language play roles in the history and culture of Kazakhstan. We visited several museums in Almaty and other cities that told us about the history of Kazakhstan, from its original nomadic culture to religious imperialism to colonization to the fight for independence, and more. Through the experience of visiting religious sites like mosques and learning about the history of the region, I began to understand how deeply imperialism and colonization influenced the way that religion and language exist in Kazakh culture, but also how the nomadic roots of the Kazakh people are strong within the cultural values and norms. The ability to tour mosques and even the privilege to sit in on and listen to a beautiful prayer helped me immerse myself in yet another important part of the culture, deepening my cultural understanding.
I deeply respect Kazakh culture based on what I’ve learned and experienced within it, and I hope to return to Kazakhstan someday soon to learn more about it.
Autumn Wibright
Fulbright-Hays Fellowship Recipient
Title VIII Fellowship for Overseas Language Study and Research Recipient
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP)
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU)
Almaty, Kazakhstan, Spring 2024