By: Lindsey Duble-Dice

This past January, I had the opportunity to travel to a part of the world I’d never dreamed I would see, central Asia, Kazakhstan to be exact. I had the opportunity to attend the Bolashak International Education fairs in Astana, Shymkent and Almaty. The Bolashak program provides tuition support to eligible students that are admitted to participating universities. These fairs brought thousands of students together with colleges and universities from across the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nestled just south of Russia, January is Kazakhstan is about as cold as you’d imagine. Our first stop, Astana, the Capitol city of Kazakhstan, was the coldest by far. The temperature on my first day was a frigid -30 degrees. I learned that -30 is where Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same. Astana is a beautiful, modern city. I was so disappointed that it was too cold to explore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second city on our tour was Shymkent. A more industrial city to the south, the temperatures were much closer to those back in DC. I was  able to explore the beautiful parks and monuments, and even found a taste of American Pop Culture in one of the restaurants. The Governor of the South Kazakhstan Region attended the fairs in Shymkent and hosted a marvelous dinner with fantastic food and entertainment. It was at this dinner where I tried Kumis. A fermented horse milk drink that is very popular. It wasn’t the worst thing I have ever tasted, but I don’t know if I’d drink it again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop was Almaty. The former capitol of Kazakhstan is nestled in the mountains and is absolutely breathtaking. My colleagues and I were able to explore the city, eat some amazing Georgian cuisine and enjoy a gondola ride up a mountain to a small theme park.

 

 

Going into this trip, I had no idea what to expect from Kazakhstan. I was so pleased to find some of the most welcoming and kind people, delicious food, and beautiful landscapes (even in the middle of winter!)

Lindsey Duble-Dice is the Assistant Director of Graduate Recruitment for CCAS and manager of the CCAS Graduate Admissions Blog