Almaty. April 2029. 7 a.m. The day is clear. Monday. So the work week has begun. The metropolis is as active as ever. The sounds of high-speed trains, the hum of electric cars, the national anthem heard somewhere... Everything is in motion. But this is not the chaotic movement with traffic jams, accidents, and other micro-conflicts inherent to the early 2000s. No, the world has changed. And despite the assumptions of skeptics (yes, yes, we survived 2012), it has changed for the better. It was rightly said that globalization is an inevitable process. And now the process has reached its peak. Thanks to globalization and partly to the crisis, humanity has reached incredible heights in medicine, economics, technology, and education.
That is how the world greeted me on this beautiful morning. My name is Bopanov Timur, and I teach US history at universities. Today I decided not to rush to class. I brewed coffee slowly (many, of course, prefer robot servants, but I believe they are for the lazy). The news reports the upcoming launch of the spacecraft "Explorer" in the USA, which will spend several decades searching for habitable planets and intelligent life in our galaxy. A crew of 25 different countries is currently being recruited. Apparently, humanity's dreams of space are becoming reality...
End of May. The students were usually sleepy (my classes are the last ones), discussing something noisily. Later I found out that the International Exchange Center announced the recruitment of young, promising people for the crew of that very ship. There are only 5 spots for Kazakhstan. The 5 best will be included in the program and sent to the USA. This group of five will have a hard time, because most likely their entire life will be spent searching for unknown worlds. The choice is very difficult, but Fortune loves the young and daring. And the IEC provides them with a chance. And back in the distant 1998, the Center was just starting its work in Kazakhstan, but now this organization offers to go into deep space. Incredible... Youth, go for it!
P.S. When I wrote this, I was of sound mind, almost =)
