I had very few expectations in mind when my plane touched down in Almaty. I was both mentally and physically exhausted from traveling for almost 48 hours straight, and as soon as I approached customs, I knew that my language skills were lacking, to say the least. I figured that this semester would be challenging in a variety of ways, but I welcomed the challenge. In fact, the slightly unorthodox study abroad location and intense language focus were two of the main reasons as to why I chose to apply for this program. I was fortunate enough to get a taste of this style of study abroad when I spent a summer in Chisinau, Moldova on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth program and knew that if I had the opportunity to spend a full semester in an immersion program, I would emerge from the other side having gained invaluable language skills and familiarity with a culture vastly different than my own.
Less than an hour after touchdown, I felt both of these aspects take hold immediately. I was confronted with a stronger need to utilize my Russian than I had in months, and not just to figure out where my baggage was. My host parents were kind enough to come pick me up from the airport, even though we arrived at four am local time, and despite the obvious fatigue on both sides, there was also tangible mutual excitement. On the car ride back to their apartment, they pointed out a few places I should visit in the coming weeks, like the park of the first president, and I had the experience of seeing the sun rise over the mountains, which was quite powerful, especially to someone running on little to no sleep. It was immediately clear that not a single person was exaggerating about Kazakh hospitality at orientation. My host mom was more than willing to make me my first breakfast at five am, and when I politely declined in favor of passing out, she all but fluffed my pillows for me.
The next day was when it really hit me. I was the farthest I had ever been from home, and I was going to be there for longer than I had ever traveled for previously. I felt strangely nonplussed about it, and I attribute the vast majority of my serenity to my host family. It just so happened that this first full day in Almaty was my host dad’s birthday. They did not think twice about including me in the festivities, even though they had known me for literally less than twenty-four hours. We drove a little ways further down south and had a leisurely dinner looking out at the picturesque mountains. It was quite peaceful, even when chasing my eight-year-old host brother around before we actually sat down to eat. When the food arrived, I faced my first frustration of the semester; everyone took turns toasting to my host dad about how wonderful of a father, husband, worker, and overall man he is, and I wanted to echo the sentiments and thank him, and the rest of the family, for graciously welcoming me into their home, but I had forgotten a decent amount of Russian over the summer and could not find the words. I think I got the message well enough across through smiles and charades, and I am excited to learn more about their family history throughout my time here in Almaty.
Program: Advanced Russian Language & Area Studies Program Almaty, Kazakhstan
Term: Fall 2019