Kristie M.

I have always been interested in other languages, countries, and cultures! This is primarily due to my background as a Mexican-Slovak American and the multiculturalism I experienced growing up in Southern California. As a high school student, I received a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to begin my studies of Russian in Moscow, Russia. Since participating in this program, I have been passionate about Russian and wanted to return to the region to study it in an intensive, immersive environment. This led me to apply to the Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) implemented by American Councils and hosted at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. My time abroad was fully funded by a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship and Fulbright-Hays scholarship. I spent 9 months in Almaty, Kazakhstan intensively studying Russian, forming strong connections with locals, and conducting research on Tajik migration under a professor at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

My identity as a Latina abroad has a large impact on my study abroad experience, both in the way I was perceived by locals and in how I was able to share aspects of my culture and identity with local communities. Russian language study programs continue to be predominantly white, as such I found joy in being able to share a new side of the United States with those I came into contact with and introduce local friends and host family members to my culture.

In Kazakhstan, every day looked a little different! I would wake up around 7 AM and eat breakfast with my host family, before heading out to Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. We had classes every day for 4-6 hours. After class, I would get lunch with friends, meet with my language partner, or explore different sites around the city. In the evening I would do homework and eat dinner with my host family or on the weekends go to the theater to watch plays, concerts, national dance performances, and other forms of cultural and artistic performance.

While abroad I took classes in advanced Russian grammar, conversation, writing, and conversation. These Russian classes were supplemented by courses in Central Asian politics, Kazakh history, Kazakh language, and an independent research course. Overall, I had approximately 26 hours per week of class. As all of my classes were taught in Russian, my study abroad program allowed me to rapidly develop my language abilities all while learning more about Kazakhstan.

Studying abroad in Kazakhstan made me acutely aware of how little many people outside the United States know about minority cultures and experiences in the United States. I was frequently told that I did not "look American" or felt like a voice for my identities as one of the few students of color in a majority white program. These experiences initiated reflection on my identities, but also brought some joy as I felt happy to represent my culture abroad.

The most memorable aspect of my time abroad has to be everything I was able to experience in the big city! As someone from a smaller city in Southern California, I rarely attend concerts, go to the theater, or watch sporting events in large stadiums. While in Kazakhstan, I had all of these opportunities right at my fingertips. Over the course of the two semesters I spent in Kazakhstan, I attended 6 concerts, 4 plays, 3 dance shows, 4 sporting events, 3 musical shows, and explored 6 museums. This comes in addition to landmarks, restaurants, bazaars, and other locations I explored.

The biggest challenge I faced while studying abroad was avoiding burnout and staying motivated. While the opportunity was wonderful and exceeded my expectations, it was exhausting. This was especially the case as I spoke exclusively in Russian and navigated a new country, culture, and set of customs on a daily basis.

Don't be afraid to try new things and take advantage of all opportunities -- even those you may traditionally not enjoy or be interested in. By exposing myself to new things, I was able to not only take advantage of my study abroad experience, I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone and grow as a person and global citizen.