I love being in school. Always have, always will. It’s all my favorite things in one–mental stimulation, community, personal growth, and rigid structure. So it will come as little surprise to you that I’ve already enrolled in school here. For what, you ask? Well Russian, of course! Because despite my seven months of previous daily study, I found that when I was out and about in Almaty I was still majorly lacking when it came to communicating. It’s just THAT HARD of a language. I did not appreciate the beauty of Spanish when I had it. All those cognates and similar grammar structures! Oh well, I digress.
I always flounder a bit at the beginning of tours. Nick and Nia go off to work and school and I’m left to build a routine for myself. The early days can feel very long and lonely. I’ve learned that enrolling in something–anything really–that fills the days and provides structure has a positive benefit for me, even if I don’t stick with it. Much like in Peru, language learning was the obvious choice here. I started by looking at the Consulate’s program, but they only offered two 50-minute one-on-one virtual lessons a week. While I will avail of those in the near future, I knew they would not give me the structure or connection that I was looking for.
I wanted something that was every day for 2-3 hours, but I didn’t know how to find the right program. Thankfully, I’d just joined the local International Women’s Club, and when I queried the group for recommendations, I got a hit from someone in the group. She’d taken the program herself and had good things to say about it. The program fit all my needs–it met every weekday from 9 to noon, was 20 minutes from our house, and was only $1000 for 16 weeks of class.
I didn’t have to pay until day three, so I decided to give it a go. When I arrived at school, my first impressions of the building were not great. Gross bathrooms and a dingy hallway. But then, at the very end of the hallway, I opened a door and found a lovely grouping of well-lit rooms with sturdy desks and decent technology. I took my seat and sat in uncomfortable silence as the others started coming in. When everyone arrived, the mix was 4 Koreans and two Chinese women. Six girls, one guy, and our Belarussian teacher. I found the high number of Koreans fascinating because I remember in Peru that Koreans made up a significant portion of our class. Me thinks that Koreans really like school too! :)
The class quickly went from awkward to boisterous, with a surprising amount of laughter being mixed in throughout the morning. This was a stark difference from my first time taking Russian class at the Foreign Service Institute when everything was very serious and teachers rarely smiled and I was more likely to get a “you should know this” than a “good job”. Here the atmosphere is much lighter and my teacher smiles and praises constantly. I can’t tell you what a difference that makes motivation-wise. And my retention is loads better now too because the things we learn in class I go out and practice that same day in real life, which helps lock in the phrases. It’s just so much more motivating to learn when there’s an immediate practical application.
All that to say that I’m loving it. It’s a great fit and I wouldn’t be surprised if I sign up for a second semester in the spring. The other aspect of this process that’s been fun has been learning to use the public bus. I can’t think of a single other post where Diplomatic Security allowed us to take the bus, so I was eager to capitalize on the opportunity. However, the learning curve was big because all the apps were in Russian and I couldn’t figure out what bus to take or even what the road names were. Again I depended on assistance, both from the school and from another American who likes taking the bus. With their assistance, I was able to figure out my route and successfully get a bus card, load money on it, and take the bus to and from school. It’s funny how a little accomplishment like that can feel so satisfying.
I love how authentic taking the bus feels. There are no other expats–it’s just me and the regular Kazakhs heading to work or school. I’m slowly figuring out other routes and think this is going to be my thing here. I love how it makes me feel like I’m part of the fabric of the city. And did I mention that it’s only 22 cents a ride? You know I love a good deal. And with views like this, what’s not to like?
