American students study Kazakh at ENU

The University of Arizona students showed their willingness to study advanced Kazakh. ENU lecturers have organized and are conducting additional classes for the American youth.

The USA students came to ENU in June 2023 and for six weeks they are studying languages, national culture and traditions in the format of a summer school. Several American students showed interest in studying the Kazakh language in detail. For them, the university lecturers are giving additional classes, where they teach the students fundamentals of the Kazakh language, study Kazakh word phrases, learn Kazakh songs, introduce them to the works of the Kazakh writers and poets.

A student from the University of Arizona Juan Valenzuela first heard Kazakh songs in the USA and decided to learn to speak Kazakh.

“As soon as I learned about the summer school at the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, and I have never regretted it. My future profession as a diplomat involves learning several languages, including Kazakh, which I also want to know, as well as other languages.

I would like to note the high level of university teachers, they are competent and proficient in their field, and patiently teach us the language. Classes at the ENU summer school are quite informative and interesting.

In addition to studying, a rich cultural program is being organized for us. We have visited the sights of Astana and Akmola region, learned a lot about the country, its history, culture and nature. I was really impressed by the visit to the Astana Opera Theater, where we had a chance to watch the opera “Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu” – about a beautiful and tragic love story of young lovers.

I was pleasantly surprised that Kazakhstanis are somewhat similar in mentality to Mexicans, they are the same hospitable, natural and merciful people. I am sure that the trip to Kazakhstan will remain in my memory for a long time”, Juan Valenzuela said.

American Michelle Orth came to Kazakhstan with a generous purpose – to help students of the summer school.

“I’ve always been interested in languages. Upon my arrival here, I considered it important to study the Kazakh language. During my stay here, it became clear to me that Kazakhstanis honor their history and attach great importance to their national values. I am very interested in the national history, I want to learn more about it. I hope that I will be able to return here next summer and continue studying the Kazakh language.

The people here are very open-hearted and friendly. University lecturers treat their work with great responsibility. They strive for students to learn the material as much as possible, not only in theory, but practice. We visited the sights of the capital, tasted the national cuisine, and studied the local culture. The ENU study program is really rich,” the foreign guest shared her impressions. 

The Associate Professor of the Practical Kazakh Language Department of the L.N. Gumilyov ENU, Candidate of Philological Sciences Sayagul Karibayeva said that the American students study according to the methodology of mastering the Kazakh language in 16 hours.

“Students show interest in learning the Kazakh language. During this time, they have learned to ask and answer questions. During the lessons, we use interesting methods in the format of games. The students are very capable and diligent. Their enthusiasm inspires, because they started studying Kazakh on online courses even before coming to our country. I am very pleased that foreigners respect our language, traditions and try to learn more about us,” the lecturer shared.

It is worth noting that the first summer school for students of the University of Arizona was organized within the framework of a memorandum between ENU and the University of Arizona. As a result, students will receive certificates of completion of language courses.