My name is Arsen Bazarov. I am a 3rd-year student of KAZGYU University, which is located in our capital, the city of Astana. To begin with, my story represents my personal vision of our bright, peaceful future under the blue sky of Kazakhstan – in that very country where the norms of international standards, which carry weight and influence on the international stage, will always be practiced and developed. And we are gradually moving toward this;
proof of that is the development of Kazakhstan's diplomatic relations, since today our country maintains diplomatic relations with more than 180 countries around the world!
My choice fell on this program because since early years I have heard that students have the opportunity to go to America. Of course, at that time everything seemed simple to us, as that period can be called the carefree childhood. But now, being a student, I myself am very interested in this opportunity to go to the United States of America, and there are plenty of reasons for that. One of my hobbies is reading books. The very first book I read was a book by Sara Jio – Violets in March. A very captivating novel where the main moments and important events take place on Bainbridge Island, Washington State. In the book the sunny atmosphere of the island was very vividly described, as a separate quiet corner for a peaceful life. After reading the book, I asked myself, does such an island actually exist? If so, what does it look like in reality? Having looked up enough information about this island and learning that Bainbridge was considered the second best place to live in the USA, I began to dream about it and told myself that someday I would go to that island. This is one of the reasons for my choice of this program – the fulfillment of a childhood dream – to visit Bainbridge Island!
The second reason – I am an active viewer of travel blogging. I remember when, at the age of 15-16, I watched various bloggers, and watching these people I had the thought that truly free, happy people are they. Especially the phrase of Anton Ptushkin, which he always says in each of his episodes – "Travel, friends, it's worth it." Seeing the world from another side, discovering many different cultures for oneself, broadening one's horizons, expanding one's circle of contacts, the opportunity to practice a foreign language on a regular basis – all these aspects are directly given to a person by travel, which directly affects our consciousness. Our main mission in this life is to be happy people and to make our loved ones and others happy. Travel changes a person's consciousness for the better, thereby improving a person's emotional health. All these factors are positive. And so far in my life I have never met or heard that travel brings something bad to a person, in general – there is an absence of any specific case when travel changed a person's consciousness for the worse.
The third reason – the United States of America! I have always been interested, eager to travel to America itself. 50 states, and each is unique in its own way; each state is like a separate country, with its own rules and laws. In addition, each state has its own character; beyond city infrastructure and attractions, it enchants with its nature! In my opinion, the USA is a unique country that gives a person an experience that no other country can provide. It is the country where many have revealed their potential, the country that is always open to new acquaintances and to people of any nationalities and races. A country where there are many opportunities to uncover one's potential. Compared to other countries, the USA provides what no other country can provide in terms of the breadth of job opportunities, development of the English language, gaining an international circle of acquaintances, natural beauty, cultural diversity, etc.
In our case, it's the Work&Travel program! Also, employment and earning a decent amount of money are the goals of almost every student who participates in the program.
In this case I am no exception. My parents and family place great hopes on me, and I must justify them, prove to others that an ordinary guy from a small village is no worse than the rest, that I can also achieve great heights, gradually paving the way for myself, developing my skills both in terms of personal growth and in English. To adhere to the principle: to improve myself every day in terms of intellectual development, becoming smarter, stronger, in order to be worthy of the term "self-made person", using every opportunity before me, continuing to realize myself, achieving goals and heights!
How will participation in the program help me in my future career?
My major at university is Jurisprudence (Law). Nowadays my future profession, like all others, requires constant progress, and this program will help me develop communication and interpersonal skills and the English language. Also, I believe one should not limit oneself to this, because a person, especially a lawyer, should be a versatile personality. We must look at the world more broadly, understand philosophy and the world economy.
To date, students from all over Kazakhstan are very actively interested in the Work&Travel program. Each year this program gains popularity among students who so strongly dream of visiting this wonderful country. What will happen in the future, in our beautiful, bright future? I hope we will continue to develop in this direction, because the diplomatic relations between our countries are actively developing in a positive way. Ideally it would be great if the USA would not require a visa from Kazakh citizens and would introduce a visa waiver regime (VWT) – that would be an excellent decision that would open up many opportunities for us Kazakhs! Also, every year the number of international agencies and organizations in the Kazakh market increases, thanks to which more and more students receive a huge opportunity to visit such magnificent countries as the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, etc. This has a positive effect on our country, Kazakhstan. Firstly – the creation of new innovations, the improvement of conditions for the students themselves. Gaining unique experience and knowledge in different fields, broadening the horizons of our youth is one of the main things, because in the future our country will rely on conscious, literate youth. In addition, the development of competitiveness in the Kazakh market itself, which will eventually lead to the improvement of the quality of services provided by international agencies and organizations. Secondly, change, i.e., improvement of the overall statistics, an increase in the number of citizens of Kazakhstan who have visited the United States and many other developed countries. All the above-mentioned positive aspects that will occur in the future are interconnected. This is exactly what I would try to do: perfecting and improving the domestic product, performing all actions within the framework of the law established by the state. Improving the overall statistics, in turn, positively affects international diplomatic relations between the USA and Kazakhstan, which will further lead to innovations. This is how I see exchange programs in 20-50 years.
As for the very system of the "Work&Travel" program, what its ideology and benefits are, if you look at it from another perspective, my answer consists of the following: One of the most important, basic and key points in this program is the interconnection of students from different corners of the earth, who concentrate in one particular country, in our case the USA! The connection of these foreign students means that each student representing his country is a representative of various values and traditions. Regarding this fact, what thoughts do we have about it? We know that the merging of different civilizations is a mechanism that leads to an advanced culture. When we consider this program rationally, we may be tied to the physical and psychological needs of a person. But we do not take into account that over time traditions and the superiority of civilization remain from this interconnection. Therefore, if we consider the main central point of this large project not with the eyes of a person, but with the heart, then one can say that among other projects the "Work&Travel" presents itself as a new wave as the best civilizational project!
I sincerely believe in this idea, and I am very glad to participate in this competition, which provides opportunities for all of us! Thank you for your contribution and work - "IEC (International Exchange Center)".