My name is Arsen Bazarov. I am a 3rd-year student at KAZGUU University, located in our capital, Astana. Let's start with the fact that my story represents my personal vision of our bright, peaceful future under the blue sky of Kazakhstan – in the very country where international standards, which carry weight and power on the international stage, will always be practiced and developed. We are gradually moving towards this, and the development of Kazakhstan's diplomatic relations is proof of this, as today our country maintains diplomatic relations with over 180 countries around the world!
My choice fell on this program because, since my 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 time can be called that very carefree childhood. But now, as a student, I am very interested in this opportunity to go to the United States of America, and there are enough reasons for this. One of my hobbies is reading books. The very first book I read was Sarah Jio's 'Violets in March'. It is a very fascinating novel where the main moments and important events take place on Bainbridge Island, Washington state. The book described the sunny atmosphere of the island very vividly, as a separate quiet corner for a peaceful life. After reading the book, I asked myself, does such an island really exist? If so, what does it look like in reality? After looking at enough information about this island and learning that Bainbridge was considered the second best place to live in the USA, I started dreaming about it and told myself that one day I would go to that very island. This is one of the reasons for my choice of this program – fulfilling a childhood dream – to visit Bainbridge Island!
The second reason is that I am an active viewer of travel vlogging. I remember when I was 15-16 years old, I watched different bloggers, and looking at these people, the thought came to me that truly free, happy people are them. Especially the phrase by Anton Ptushkin, which he always says in every episode – 'Travel, friends, it's worth it.' Seeing the world from a different perspective, discovering many different cultures, broadening one's horizons, expanding one's circle of communication, the opportunity to practice a foreign language on a regular basis – all these aspects are provided to a person directly by travel, which directly affects our consciousness. Our main mission in this life is to be happy people and to make our neighbors and others happy. Travel changes a person's consciousness for the better, which improves 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 – the absence of that specific fact where travel changed a person's consciousness for the worse.
The third reason is the United States of America! I have always been interested and eager to travel within 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 to this, each state possesses originality; besides the infrastructure of cities and landmarks, it fascinates with its nature! In my opinion, the USA is a unique country that gives a person the experience that no other country can provide. It is the country where many have unlocked their potential, the country that is always open to new acquaintances and to representatives of any nationality and race. A country where there are many opportunities to unlock potential. Compared to other countries, the USA provides what no other country can provide in terms of the breadth of work opportunities, development of the English language, gaining a foreign circle of communication, the beauty of nature, the mixture of culture, etc.
In our case, this is the Work&Travel program! Also, employment and earning a decent amount of money are the goals of almost every student participating in the program. In this case, I am no exception. My parents and family have high hopes for me, and I am obliged to justify them, to prove to others that an ordinary guy from a small village is no worse than the others, that I can also achieve great heights, gradually paving the way for myself, developing my skills, both in terms of personal growth and the English language. To adhere to the principle: every day to upgrade myself in terms of intellectual development, becoming smarter, stronger, to be worthy of the word 'self-made person', using every opportunity before me, continuing to realize myself, achieving goals and heights!
How will participating in the program help me in my future career?
My major, which I am studying at the university, is Jurisprudence. In the current time, my future profession, like all others, requires constant progress, and this program will help me develop communication skills and the English language. Also, I believe that one should not be limited to this, as a person, especially a lawyer, must be a versatile personality. We must look at the world more broadly, understand philosophy and the world economy.
Today, students from all over Kazakhstan are very actively interested in the Work&Travel program. Every year, this program is gaining popularity among students who dream so much of visiting this beautiful country. What will happen in the future, in our beautiful, bright future? I hope we will continue to develop in this direction, as diplomatic relations between our countries are actively developing in a good direction. Ideally, it would be great if the USA did not require a visa for Kazakhstani citizens and announced a visa-free regime (VWT) – this would be an excellent solution that opens up many opportunities for us, Kazakhstanis! Also, the number of international agencies and organizations in the Kazakhstan market is increasing annually, thanks to which more and more students get a huge opportunity to visit such magnificent countries as the USA, Germany, Great Britain, 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 various fields, broadening the horizons of our youth is one of the main things, as our country will rely on this in the future, on conscious, literate youth. In addition to this, the development of competitiveness in the Kazakhstan market itself, which will eventually lead to an improvement in the quality of services provided by international agencies and organizations. Secondly, change, i.e., improvement of general 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 happen 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 general statistics, in turn, has a good effect on international, diplomatic relations between the USA and Kazakhstan, which will lead to innovations in the future. This is exactly how I see exchange programs in 20-50 years.
As for the 'Work&Travel' program system itself, what is its ideology and benefit, if you look at it from another side, then my answer consists of the following: One of the most important, main, and key moments in this program is the interconnection of students from different corners of the earth, who are concentrated in one specific country, in our case, it is the USA! The connection of these international students means that every student representing their country is a representative of various values and traditions. Regarding this fact, what thoughts do we have about this? We know that the merging of different civilizations is a mechanism that leads to an advanced culture. When we consider this program rationally, we can 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 we can say that among other projects, '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, where opportunities are provided for all of us! Thank you for your contribution and hard work - 'IEC (International Exchange Center)'.