There’s an age-old superstition that a city will miss you if it rains on the day of your departure. On May 9 this past spring, Almaty, Kazakhstan was covered in a melancholic, humid drizzle.
I never knew I could miss a city so much before spending an eye-opening semester in Almaty. Growing up in an army family, I never spent enough time in one home to truly appreciate the interconnectedness of a long-term community. In my view, home is where the heart is, and my heart is with the people I cherish and value the most — not necessarily a place.
Now, with an adult perspective, I realized just how much a place can mean to me after spending just shy of four months in the mountain-valley town of Almaty. Whether I walked the snow-crusted streets to my favorite cafes, grasped a handle on the single-line metro or stared out of the rainy window of a trolleybus, I felt connected to the life I had built there through my environment for the first time. I had grown my community there, and I saw that community reflected throughout the city through scattered memories and nostalgia.
Language of love
My main mission was simple: study the Russian language and culture to improve my skills for my future career. Along with about a dozen other Americans, I embarked on the American Council’s Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies program for my study abroad with that exact mission in mind.
I achieved my goal, surpassing my anticipated milestones in all testing categories of reading, speaking, listening and phonetics. Yet, I accomplished these feats in a much different way than I had anticipated.
Kazakh friends and acquaintances I met during my time abroad have touched my heart in unexpected ways. Even though the trilingual city commonly jumps between Russian, Kazakh and English, I found that hospitality was the most important language to people in Almaty. In such a multicultural, liberal city like Almaty, people were raised to practice kindness to strangers and help if they can.
One extraordinary act of hospitality was shown by my friend’s mother, Indaliya Uralova. Uralova led me through a wonderful snowy hiking path, bought me a Kazakh breakfast and sponsored a small photoshoot with Kazakhstan’s national clothing. It was one of the most peaceful mornings during my time in Almaty, and I loved connecting with her and practicing my Russian with such a remarkable and caring soul.
After my morning with Uralova, it sparked inspiration within me to show the same kindness to foreigners in my own country upon returning home.
The universal language of music
One day I was speaking with my host dad, Sanjar (Санжар), and I discovered he had a passion for music, particularly old rock songs. He would play several songs on his phone, sing along and we would both listen in the company of one another.
As he pressed play on “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, my eyes widened, and I sat straight up. I told him it was my favorite, and then it was his turn for his eyes to widen. “House of the Rising Sun” was his favorite song as well.
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I vividly remember him turning up the volume and singing the lyrics in Russian, while I sang in English. Hearing the two languages mix together was beautifully unique, and I couldn’t quite believe we knew and loved the same song in a different language.
At Sanjar’s birthday karaoke two months later, he grabbed my hand, looked intensely into my eyes and said to me: “You know what to sing.” I became rather well known in the family as the American singer at this point. Every other verse or so, I would look over at Sanjar, and he had the biggest grin on his face.
I was so happy and proud that I could make his birthday special by bringing a song from my own language to him and his family members at such a celebratory event.
Escapades through Tian Shan
Speaking of after-school activities, I fervently enjoyed spending time in the snow-capped mountains of Almaty’s Tian Shan range. Sometimes I would hike with strangers, sometimes with my American friends and sometimes with my foreign friends. Like music, hiking was a medium for us all to connect, regardless of our language fluency.
One day, I spent six hours in the mountains with no service, speaking only Russian with my Bulgarian and Tajik friends. Another time, I enjoyed slipping and sliding down hilly snow fields with my American friends. The mountains served as a safe place to exercise, get to know each other better and breathe in fresh, clean air.
Why you should study Russian abroad
Other than this program being the coolest experience of my entire life, there are definite, concrete reasons to study abroad and learn Russian.
According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, candidates in the current job market with a non-native language proficiency are 50% more likely to get employed. This is due to their heightened understanding of the world and its thousands of differing cultures, perspectives and traditions. Literacy across cultures is extremely important the more globalized our world becomes every day.
Studying abroad has exposed me firsthand to the struggles of reconciling differences and working to find compromises or common understandings. Additionally, studying Russian in particular allowed me to connect organically with an entirely different group of people who have been historically ostracized in the Western political sphere.
Studying critical languages is essential in learning the niches and backgrounds of people’s identities. With these foundations of understanding, trust and diplomacy can be built — and real friendship can begin.
Olivia Rush is a junior double majoring in international studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian studies. She is a member of Miami Club Skating and president of Sigma Iota Rho. She enjoys working out, studying in coffee shops and learning different languages.
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