Travel and its role in my life.
Travel, in the literal sense, is a trip or moving on foot through distant countries and regions. Nowadays, it has become an important part of modern life for everyone. After all, thanks to travel, a completely different, unexplored world opens up to us, one we don't even think about in everyday life. We have the opportunity to visit the natural beauties of the world, discover other ways of life, and meet interesting people. In short, travel is the key to understanding other cultures and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the world we live in.
In my life, travel plays a special role. Only thanks to traveling and living abroad was I able to become the person I am today. Qualities such as cheerfulness, openness, confidence, and global awareness have developed in me; my psychological state and views on the world have also changed. Travel significantly changes a person's life. This essay is intended to mention my personal experience of traveling and living abroad, as well as to tell why I decided to participate in the program.
My first travels
Since childhood, my mother raised me alone. She tried to give me everything possible, including travel. My first travels were within Kazakhstan. My mother and I often traveled to various cities, such as Kokshetau, Almaty, and Shymkent. At that time, I was a one-year-old child, and imagine, a young girl traveling with an infant to different cities, and alone at that—I don't think everyone would dare to do such a thing. By the time I reached my teenage years, our travels were becoming further and longer. At 11, my first trip abroad took place, and my first country was the United Arab Emirates, as a result of my mother's hard work. Later, the number of countries increased slightly, and at the moment I have visited 3 countries, two of them several times. After these travels, I realized how important it is to travel, even if only to small towns.
Already as a teenager who had just finished school, I was able to enter the university of my dreams, which I had planned to enter and had been preparing for throughout the 11th grade. It was Nazarbayev University. Throughout the 11th grade, I worked hard and attended various courses just to get my cherished acceptance letter. I succeeded; I was able to achieve my goal, but fate had other plans for me. In the middle of summer, I received another acceptance letter, but to a different university in a different country, which I had completely forgotten I had applied to. Upon receiving the letter, I was very surprised, because I had not planned to enter that country at all, and here I had a letter from there. That country was Turkey. I was immensely happy, as this grant covered all expenses, even the ticket there, but realizing the seriousness of the situation, I was overcome by the fear of making the wrong choice. After all, my future life depended on it. 3 months of deliberation ended with me having to leave my dream of studying at NU and choosing Turkey on the advice of my relatives. By choosing Turkey, I had to leave my mother, all my relatives and loved ones in Kazakhstan, and fly to a country that was already familiar but little explored.
Life in Turkey
Life in a foreign country can be an exciting but also a frightening experience. At the time of my departure for studies in Turkey, I was only 17 years old; I did not yet realize what awaited me ahead. At the airport, before boarding, I was joyful; I already felt like an adult, there wasn't even a drop of sadness. But upon arrival, I realized how small and insignificant I still was in such a large metropolis as Ankara. I knew neither the language nor their culture. When checking into the dormitory, it was very difficult to process all the documents, because the administrators did not know English, and I did not know Turkish. With great difficulty, with translators and the help of girls who knew the language, we managed to fill out all the documents. Right then and there, I realized the importance of knowing the language of the host country; it is not necessary to know it at an advanced level, even the most basic words will be a plus.
After a few days, I was able to adapt more or less to the climate and the people, started learning Turkish, and made friends from Kazakhstan who had arrived on the same program as me.
Local residents in Ankara are slightly different from the people living in my hometown, Astana. They are more friendly and hospitable; they helped with everything, and even not knowing Turkish did not prevent me from finding common ground with them.
In Ankara, I liked absolutely everything. Within a year, I was able to learn Turkish to a C1 level and communicate freely with Turks. In general, I lived in Turkey for more than three years; these three years flew by very quickly. Unfortunately, I did not manage to finish my studies. In 2021, my mother was diagnosed with a not-so-favorable illness, which greatly affected the fate of our small family. I had to leave everything in Turkey and return to Kazakhstan. I was depressed both morally and physically; I didn't want to do anything, because practically the greater part of my conscious life remained in Turkey. In Kazakhstan, I transferred to KAZGUU, and I will have to study again for another year, as the difference in subjects is quite large.
At KAZGUU, it was harder for me to adapt than at the Turkish university. A completely different atmosphere and environment. Even finding friends became more difficult; I became withdrawn. After the transfer, I thought that I would never be able to go abroad again, as I had a great responsibility—taking care of my mother. I have no one but my mother, just as she has no one but me. Over time, the realization came that every difficulty and suffering is, in fact, a new opportunity and a potential blessing. After all, after every hardship comes relief. This difficulty made me even stronger. Because of this difficulty, my desire to achieve my goals grew even more.
I do not regret my choice at all. Because it was in Turkey that I managed to get out of my comfort zone and grow psychologically and morally. I realized how hard it is to take on all the responsibility and be away from family. And it was in Turkey that I made friends who will stay with me for life. Moreover, I saw the world, learned how people live in other countries, about their traditions and faith, and this is already a huge experience.
Work and Travel
Already as a student at KAZGUU, I learned about the interesting Work and Travel program. It allows students of different years to go to work in the United States of America, but also allows for cultural enrichment through travel. I set myself a new goal: to go to America through this program. Why Work and Travel?
Firstly, since my conscious teenage years, I had a dream of seeing the West, which our adults talk about so often. I loved watching TV series about the lives of American teenagers. I especially liked the series "Shameless"; in my opinion, it is the most realistic series about America and life there. After this series and my friends' stories about their trip, my interest grew even more. I wanted to learn more about the lives of Americans, their culture, and their mentality. This will allow me to significantly broaden my horizons and will be a completely different experience in my life. The WAT program will allow me to do just that: to live the life of an average American.
Secondly, at the moment I have small financial difficulties. I am not saying that a trip to America would somehow fix this situation, but it would significantly help me and my mother, specifically in terms of finances and my mother's treatment. At the moment, I work as an English teacher at an educational center, but still, our earnings in Kazakhstan are nothing compared to America. But one should also take into account the standards of living in the two countries; however, this does not negate the fact that in America, a student can earn 4 times more in three months than in a year in Kazakhstan.
Thirdly, to be honest, I had a certain envy. Envy that started my engine of progress. Some of my friends have already been to America through this program. Watching their Instagram stories, my desire to also go on this program flared up more and more. After all, in this short three-month period, they were able to earn an almost unreal sum for an ordinary resident of Kazakhstan, while also having a good rest and spending time well.
Moreover, a trip through WAT will significantly help in improving my level of English proficiency. After all, thanks to this program, a student can fully immerse themselves in their environment. Learn a lot about their manner of speech and possible slang they use. Also, this will help me in teaching English, because I will already have a good understanding of how native speakers themselves talk.
An equally important factor is that there will be an opportunity to travel. To study the USA from other sides, because in different regions and cities, culture, mentalities, and dialects differ.
Summing up, WAT is a very good opportunity to realize one's dreams. I would like to express my gratitude to the International Exchange Center for providing such a competition and the opportunity to fulfill the goals and dreams of many students. I want to end my essay with words from an American TV series: "Don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest reward comes from what scares us the most. Maybe you'll get everything you want, or maybe even more than you imagined. Who knows where life will take you; the path is long, and in the end, the journey itself is the goal."
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